The story follows the Williams family. The patriarch of the family has passed away. So all the cousins and other family members have come in for the funeral. The best friend Fred delivers the eulogy which was quite funny because he was drunk and shocked the family with his news. You then start to learn that every character has something going on.

In the very beginning you get a rundown of the Williams family, which is quite large. It did get a little confusing trying to keep track and remember who was who for a bit.

I did also have a hard time during some chapters because some paragraphs would jump characters without notice. I had to do some rereading at times.

I will say the ending was good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

what a deliciously messy family! Whew, are there a lot of characters — yes it was a bit hard keeping track, but the author did a great job weaving into the various family members' stories throughout the novel. I was hooked from chapter one and I really loved how this unexpected week-long family reunion between a funeral and a wedding unfolded.

Family dramas are usually right up my alley and as much as I tried to love this debut by Cat Shook, "If We're Being Honest" was an average-at-best read for me. If I'm being honest (see what I did there?), there were way too many characters and way too much going on to make this an enjoyable read. I get that the author was trying to portray the chaos of a large family during the most chaotic of times, but I had a lot of difficulty keeping the characters and their various dramas straight. I think it would have helped if I had make a map or family tree of the characters when I began the book, but when I read for pleasure, I don't want to have to do that kind of work. Perhaps a family tree should be included in the final, published version of the book. Additionally, because there were so many plotlines jammed into this average length book, most were not flushed out to my satisfaction. I didn't feel as if I could truly get to know any of the characters because the plot jumped around so much, often abruptly. Because I couldn't connect with any of the characters, I couldn't become fully invested in their lives and so found myself not really caring about what happened to them. Though the ending was charming, I don't know if the work getting there was worth it.

I look forward to seeing how this author matures as a writer and will read any of her future works.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celedon Books, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The family Patriarch, Gerry, passes away, and his whole family is there to say their goodbyes. This book is a family drama, with secrets being revealed that has the whole town talking, each and every single character has something going on. Each of them also find peace and forgiveness, and ways to move on. There are multiple POV’s, it was get a little confusing at times, but once I was done with this book I realized it was totally worth it. I want to thank Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celedon books for the eARC of If We’re Being Honest in exchange for my honest review.

This book opens with a funeral and a very large cast of characters from a slightly dysfunctional family and it quickly goes off the rails from there with a newly revealed secret about the deceased. I would have really loved a family tree at the beginning to help keep all the characters straight.

I think this book really tackled grief in a good way, showing the not-so healthy ways people may handle it along with the healthier ways it is dealt with. The book was full of relationship drama (which then opened the door for even more people), but it was nice to see how everyone handled things in their own way.

Alice was my favorite character and felt arguably the most fleshed out of all the characters. Her storyline was really fun to follow and I felt like it had the best conclusion as well.

The ending is left slightly open to the reader’s interpretation, but I like to imagine it was happy and hopeful.

If We’re Being Honest is an enjoyable family drama. I found the book to be a fast and engaging read overall. There were moments where the story was serious and emotional and other times where it was laugh out loud funny. The highlight of the story was the Williams’ family dynamic — a group of very different people who annoy and love each other at the same time. Unfortunately, there were one too many characters in the book, which caused some of the family members to seem underdeveloped or without much to add to the overall plot. The ending was also a little too ambiguous for my liking. But all around, I thought this was a great debut novel, and I look forward to reading more from Cat Shook in the future.

When patriarch Gerry passes away, the Williams family comes home for the service. Each family member have their own ways of grieving and living, but they use this time together to become honest with each other and themselves. I enjoyed this family saga, where the many family members’ lives were showcased for the reader. There were a lot of family members to keep track of, and this became confusing at times. I loved that the story jumped around to each family member because it kept the story moving and myself as the reader interested. Overall, those who enjoy family dramas will enjoy this one.

This author's debut novel was pretty darn good. It's about a pretty large family that have come together to bury the patriarch of the family. I really had a tough time with so many characters to start with (she does give a family tree type blurb at the beginning which really helped).

The main point of this book is family drama...and boy do they have a lot of it! The drama starts with the patriarch and filters all the way down to the grandkids. There are revelations galore. Some shake up the family and some are graciously dealt with by all. There's even a small mystery revolving around mystery magnolia trees that have popped up around town through the years.

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Kathleen McInerny. The narration was great and fun to listen to.

Thanks to Celadon Books and MacMillan Audio for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

I started this book with listening to the audio, but I was having too much trouble keeping track of all of the character connections so I switched to kindle and while it was better it was still hard to keep track. A family tree would have been appreciated. The story itself was sad and heartwarming and interesting even if I didn’t always like or connect with the characters. The story begins with a run down on the family members and who would be best to give the eulogy for the patriarch of the family. His best friend was selected over his wife, children, and grandchildren and he gave a eulogy no one would ever forget. Relationship struggles were at the heart of this story and each family member was having slightly different issues. Of all of the characters I think Alice was my favorite. This story did a great job of showing the aftermath of grief which was awesome. I also really liked that it tackled some tougher issues in the relationship dramas like having the reader see how various family members reacted to revelations about people being gay or being unmarried and having a baby. Overall it was a pretty good debut and I would pick up another book by this author in the future.

This book had a lot of potential but unfortunately a lot of that fell flat for me. I could see some readers really enjoying it though, especially if you love big family drama. I became a bit bored with the long chapters and wish they had been much shorter. It also felt like we only got to know the characters in a very surface level way and it could have had a bigger emotional impact if we could really get to know them. There were some touching moments and I’m glad I read it.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC

The death of patriarch Gerry Williams brings his children and grandchildren home for his funeral. Their collective thoughts and feelings for Gerry are in for a big shock. The ensuing story examines the relationships, beliefs, and growth as the days pass in a smart look at a family in crisis.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story of a very-real feeling family who comes together for their patriarch’s funeral…is shocked by the revelation that he was hiding a secret lover…who was his best friend and practically part of the family as long as they’ve all been alive…and spends the next week together. As with all families, there are secrets, secrets are revealed, bonds are formed, bonds are broken, and there’s even a little mystery.

This was such a satisfying read. It perfectly summed up the bonds of family, while showcasing why all families have drama. Literal drama queens, big personalities, kids who aren’t kids anymore but are treated like they are, childhood romance with the next-door neighbor…it’s all there.

The writing was matter-of-fact and without flourish. It worked perfectly with all of the content in the book. There were an absolute ton of characters, and even toward the end of the book, I had some difficulty keeping the story straight among the generations. The four grandkids were easy; their storylines hooked me from the beginning. The parent generation was harder because the book didn’t get into their stories until the mid point. And Ellen? The matriarch of the story and I feel like we don’t find out who she really is until the end of the book. I wish there had been more about Fred. His story was underdeveloped, when others (Delia, Jennifer, the drama queen aunt) were heavily focused on without anything new happening.

Even though the family tree is explained within the first few pages, my only true criticism is that this book would have been a MUCH easier read to follow if the chapters had been significantly shorter and each perspective change was it’s own chapter. They were warranted with so many characters to keep straight, IMO.

Regardless of that annoyance, I did really love this story! It was a slow start for me since I had trouble keeping everyone straight, but from 40% to the end? Binged it in one sitting. Could not put it down.

Thanks to Celadon, BookishFirst, and NetGalley for a review copy!

This book just wasn’t for me.

I felt there were too many characters, too much detail that didn’t add to the plot and way too much drama. I’m sure there are people who will really enjoy it, but not me.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
If We’re Being Honest (ARC)
Author: Cat Shook
Source: Celadon books
Pub. Date: April 18, 2023
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How can you not like a book that opens with: “Gerry Williams’s funeral was a shit show.” Suffice it to say, as the story moves onward…this is a mind-blowingly honest statement. A large family and a small town with a BIG secret becomes the setting for the book - If We’re Being Honest by Cat Shook. When the much-loved patriarch of this extended family dies suddenly, everyone is shocked but not as shocked when they find out that Gerry has been living with a monstrous lie his entire life. This family has to publicly circle the wagons and deal with a crisis that is the talk of the small town. It’s a reminder that families are imperfect and the center of many a shit show. In this one, we have cheating, adultery, hidden biases, love, faith, despair, and divorce, all exposed during one week full of funerals, weddings, quarrels and reckonings. Families…amIright are difficult at the best of times. But families remain the glue that holds us all together, and it’s the lessons learned from those who have lived the longest that hold up for the next generations and complete the “circle of f*cking life.” Note: The potty talk is from the book and sometimes also my mouth. Lawd, have mercy.
#fiction #contemporary #family #LiteraryFiction #Adult #adultFiction #drama #lgbtq #lies #truths #adultery #marriage #resolutions #forgiveness
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Celadon Books and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub. Date: April 18, 2023.
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader

[arc review]
Thank you to Celadon Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
If We’re Being Honest releases April 18, 2023

A one sentence summary: This is a multigenerational family saga with <i>a lot</i> of characters, and really long chapters.

The Williamses are a known family in Eulalia, with Gerry being the patriarchal figure. In the wake of his death, and the family’s dilemma of being unable to choose someone to give the eulogy, they land on Fred — Gerry’s life long best friend and business partner. But at the funeral, Fred is extremely wasted and confesses that not only were they best friends, but also lovers, which is a shock to Gerry’s children, grandchildren, wife of sixty years, and is deemed the biggest scandal the town of Eulalia had ever seen.
Having someone's sexuality outed (who isn’t even alive) and called a scandal seems icky and homophobic, but surprisingly that isn’t even the main focus of the entire story.

If we’re being honest about this book (ha, get it?), the beginning was so info-dumpy and there were way too many characters that didn’t feel developed enough. Most felt superficial at best, and all had at least one very specific character trait that was greatly fixated on.
Grant was eliminated from The Bachelorette, Alice is pregnant, Red is dealing with coming out and always seems to be flushed red from embarrassment or anxiety, Carol Anne can not stop talking about herself or her “acting career”, Jennifer thinks her husband is cheating on her, Delia will not shut up about her recent breakup with Connor… I could go on and on.
It was just so much and didn’t really lead anywhere? And the writing style did not help at all, because every characters pov blended together with no visual way to break anything up within the extremely long chapters.

I can see the potential, but at the end of the day, there was too much going on. I would have liked to had a scene where Fred got to discuss his relationship with Gerry, otherwise it just feels kind of weird to make something like being gay seem so controversial without even diving deep into it?
This should have been titled something like “Underneath the Magnolia Tree” because reaching that scene at the end was so bittersweet.

The most developed plot line here was Alice and Peter’s — being childhood friends/neighbours, first loves, a one-night fling turned second chance with a side of accidental pregnancy. I mean, it has all the elements for a great romance novel.

I was so excited to snag a copy of this one because I loved Tracey Langes We Are The Brennans, but unfortunately for me, this one did not hold my interest like any of Ms Langes work.

This book takes you back to when chapters were long and drawn out - I am not a fan. To me it’s more of an entire short story instead of a chapter and I get bored. I also found there to be way way too many characters to fully care about any of them. We’re talking about a man’s children, and his grandkids. I would have much preferred if one generation would have been picked - or there weren’t so many in each generation. It felt that the author just wanted to check every social box (closeted gay, cheater, homophobic, and interracial relationships among others) instead of fully developing one group.

Overall I think some people will enjoy this one, the writing is superb and flows naturally - however for me there was just too much going on and not enough depth.

Thank you so much to Celadon for offering me this book. I will not be posting reviews outside of Netgalley for this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the AR copy of If We’re Being Honest. This family story is a debut novel from Cat Shook, taking us through a funeral and a wedding of a big sprawling family over the course of a couple weeks. The funeral is for Gerry, the patriarch of the family who has passed away and who’s funeral reveals some major secrets about his life. The family deals with these secrets, and all of their own issues and complications, over the next couple of weeks as they all stay in town leading up to the wedding of a close neighbor. The book is funny and at times touching, though there are way too many characters and it took me a good portion of the book to keep them all straight. I have an uncorrected copy and I’m hoping they put a character list/map at the beginning of the finished novel. Overall I enjoyed it a lot and would recommend to anyone who enjoys stories of complicated families.
4 stars

A family patriarch dies and the entire family returns to mourn him. At the funeral, his best friend has been asked to deliver the eulogy, and boy, it is a doozy. For the following week, the book follows several interesting storylines and a few minor bombshells. Because there are so many people involved, I struggled a bit to keep them all straight and figure out who was who. I thought maybe I should have made a family tree to help me navigate the book. Regardless, the author does a great job capturing the dynamics of a large family--the good, the bad, and the ugly--and at the end of the week, at a wedding, it all comes together nicely. I absolutely loved If We're Being Honest and would recommend it to anyone who loves family drama.

I should have known when it said "for fans of We Are the Brennans" that this probably wouldn't work for me. Unfortunately these big family sagas usually fall flat for me and this was no exception. The characters had really well developed story lines and depth, but, and this is definitely a ME problem, there were too many I couldn't keep track.

I just am not one for these big family drama books, unfortunately.

If We’re Being Honest is the story of the Williams family dealing with the aftermath of the eulogy given for the family patriarch. Fans of big family sagas will love this one but this one fell flat for me. I had trouble keeping track of all the characters and didn’t feel like I connected with any of them. While the story had some touching moments, the rest fell flat for me. Fans of We Are the Brennans and All Adults Here should check this one out.