This is a fabulous book!
In fact it is so good that I read 90% in a day and then realized I was almost finished, so waited until today to complete the last 10%.
I needed to slowly say so-long to everyone.
I am positive that anyone who opens "A Brighter Flame" will love it as I did!

Two sisters, Vale and Blythe both have spent so many years feeling angry, jealous,and hurt.
They have not spoken to each other in many years. Who is to blame? Can they ever salvage their relationship?
Their loving Grandma who adores them both will do anything to bring them back home and try to work her magic to make them realize that family is everything. "Choose to live in the present."
This story has love, family heartbreak, grit and hope!


Thanks you to Christine Nolfi for allowing me to preview her novel and provide my own review.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Lake Union Publishing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A story about family that’s quite touching.

Christine Nolfi tackles so many difficult issues in this one. Well researched, as always, and well written. Her characters are well defined and multidimensional, making them frustrating, infuriating and in the end mostly lovable. The story line weaves and winds, drawing all of the characters, at first very fractured and then finally woven together. A wise grandmother, a confused and somewhat broken and shallow mother and two daughters, with different fathers, growing up in the same house but not entirely. One nurtured, one left to drift. In the end, I wished the story would continue on, wanted even more. I would highly recommend this one.

As always, many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced reader copy, in exchange for my honest review

A Brighter Flame is a touching, heartwarming family story with wonderful characters. I didn't want the story to end, and I hope we get to revisit these characters in the future. It made me laugh at times and also cry. A broken family navigating their way back to each other with a grandmother at the helm trying to lay the course for the outcome she hopes for. Each character is well developed, and I loved Natty. She was funny and wise beyond her nine years. Family secrets, shattered dreams and learning that sometimes the things that happen are actually blessings in disguise.

Nowadays, it seems like we find ourselves sitting in the midst of a scorched Earth. Bad news swirls around constantly. Can we still the winds even for a few moments? Perhaps A Brighter Flame presents a bit of a reprieve.

Vale Lightner knows only too well the uncertainty of certain things. She and her father, Bo, had gone into business together. That's how Pittsburgh shared in the opening of their new bar, Crafty Cocktail. Bo had a talent for creating new and innovative drinks that brought the customers in and Vale hovered 'til the wee hours ready to lock up. At twenty-nine, Vale thought that things were on an upswing.

That is until everything went up in smoke. Yup, Bo's creativity had its limits. When the flames hit the Crafty Cocktail and brought it into a pile of rubble, his skipped insurance payments flowed to the surface. Vale hit the road to her grandmother Iris' house in Philadelphia in order to find solid ground for a while. Little did she know that terra firma may be out of reach.

Christine Nolfi presents her novel lined with the issues of family and relationships. The electrical current of both packs quite the charge. Vale finds that her half-sister, Blythe, has already taken residence in one of Iris' guestrooms. She's having marital problems and the details are nobody's business. Iris will be having tests at the local hospital with a diagnosis undetermined. And the girls' mother, Audrey, and her husband are off to Aruba. Vale hasn't seen them in years.

Sometimes it's almost refreshing to rummage around in other people's problems. Nolfi implements humor and hidden secrets to make this one come alive. We're caught up in A Brighter Flame because of the constant movement of this storyline. She has a talent for crafting characters who seem so real and so human......perhaps they even resemble those in your own circle. And we'll learn that that darkness in the tunnel we find ourselves in may only be temporary. Someone, the one we least expect, may just be carrying a Bic at the ready.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Lake Union Publishers and to Christine Nolfi for the opportunity.

I absolutely could not put this book down until the last page was turned . I read it straight through and then had to pause and absorb it for a while. The emotions of the characters, especially Vale and Blythe, half-sisters, with the same mother, come right through the pages of this captivating, heartwarming story.

Although Vale didn’t grow up with her dad, or even see him very often, as an adult she partnered with him as owners of the Crafty Cocktail, a popular bar in a trendy part of Pittsburgh. What a shock to wake up to the sound of a fire truck and discover it stopped at the Crafty Cocktail where flames are racing through the building. Vale questions how late her dad, Bo, stayed entertaining his friends, after closing time.

Bo admits a disturbing truth regarding the fire and Vale has an embarrassing situation with a total stranger and then learns her beloved Nana, who has always been her biggest supporter, is facing some medical tests These unexpected situations remind her it is time she go home to Philadelphia for an overdue visit.
In the eyes of her family, Vale feels like a complete failure. Blythe is married to the Philadelphia Phillies star pitcher; both her mother and stepfather have successful careers and even Nana has her own successful business.

Upon arrival at Nana’s house, Vale finds Blythe also visiting Nana. The sisters have always had a strained, sometimes eruptive relationship. Immediately they both want the other one to leave, however, because they both love Nana, they agree to behave.

There are places in this delightful book that absolutely grabbed my heart, and other times I laughed out loud at the antics taking place. This captivating story has many moving parts, including the revelation of a long-held family secret, however, Christine brings them all together seamlessly into one cohesive beautiful, heartwarming story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The comments and opinions are my own.

A Brighter Flame is a story that delves deeply into family relationships. Half-sisters Vale and Blythe who have had a contentious relationship for years are brought together when both end up living with their grandmother. Recollections are re-examined, secrets revealed and new beginnings are forged. Author Christine Nolfi has written a sensitive book that culminates in a supreme act of love. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

I loved The Passing Storm. When I seen another Nolfi novel I had to jump at the opportunity to read an early copy!
And she didn't disappoint either!

A compelling and gripping story. With interesting characters and a unique perspective on a touching story.
Nolfi's storytelling is phenomenal and pulls the reader deeper into the story!
She really pulled me into her moving, emotionally beautiful story.
Full of surprises and wonderful characters
The characters are so well written and the storyline holds your interest and flows together so beautifully.
I couldn't have loved this book more than I did! Everything was nicely done!
If you enjoyed The Passing Storm you'll love her new upcoming novel!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Lake Union Publishing,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Overall the book was well written and the story flowed. The use of descriptive words was perfect and truly added to the flow of the story

Wonderfully well-rounded characters, a shattered, dysfunctional family, and a longing to do better ~ to change their future ~ lead me on a journey filled with so many emotions that after finishing A Brighter Flame, I wished I could wind back the clock and experience Christine Nolfi's beautiful story for the first time again.

Every character, even those I strongly disliked, was complex, making this read one where my feelings were often conflicted as to who was right or wrong and why.

Natty, a secondary character, provided relief when I needed a brief pause to allow a situation to unwind in my mind. She was a beautiful mix of precocious and loving, yet still a child with all that entails. I loved her. And Emmett. *sigh* Many will want to magically bring him to life for themselves!

Vale and Blythe filled this story with their struggles, both past and present, yet the blend of drama and breakthroughs made me root for each of them in turn. I felt their pain as well as their hope for better.

Fans of the author, women's fiction, family sagas, and/or those wanting an emotion driven look into a family trying to heal the present so the future is brighter will all love this novel. I highly recommend this book and only wish another new novel by this author was waiting for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.