This book gets 5 stars from me. Like all families, Gerry and Ellen’s family had problems. Siblings bicker or may quit communicating, cousins get in trouble together and everyone has secrets. When Gerry dies a very big bombshell is dropped on family and friends at the funeral. Of course since this was a little town everyone heard what Fred, Gerry’s best friend had to say. The family draws ever closer and soon all the secrets are out. For some reason reading this book just made me “feel the love” and I became part of this family. Thank you to the author for this well written book. I anticipate that it will be enjoyed by many.readers of women’s fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC. This opinion is my own.

**A huge thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

The members of the Williams family come back to Eulalia, Georgia when family patriarch Gerry passes away. At his funeral, in front of the whole town, a family secret is revealed that shakes the whole family.

“If We’re Being Honest” is a charming, funny, delightful book that highlights family bonds even at the worst of times. We are quickly introduced to the entire clan; Ellen the matriach of the family and Gerry’s wife; their children JJ, Wilma and Carol Anne and the grandchildren Alice, Delia, Grant and Red. Each person has a different personality and their own drama they have to work through, but all are tied together by their dedication to their family. The book allows us a glimpse of this family in all their glory in the week between Gerry’s funeral and the wedding of a family friend.

There were so many points of this book where I was left laughing out loud, thoroughly enjoying the witty back and forth dialogue between siblings or cousins. At first I was turned off slightly by the sheer amount of characters in this book, but I found myself picking up the family tree pretty quickly, and becoming attached to each character the more we learned about them. By the end, I felt like instead of reading a book, I was watching a season of a feel-good TV show, wanting to keep going to the next episode to see what else we’ll learn. The ending was like the season finale, and I’m a little sad that I won’t get to watch another season. I would really love to read more about each member of the family!

The writing style was so fun and witty, adding in little quips in parentheses here and there to explain a little more or just poke fun. However, another issue I had that I really hope is changed for the final publication are the length of chapters—there is something soul-crushing about starting a chapter on your kindle and seeing you have over an hour to read to the next. Don’t worry, there are break so it’s not overwhelming, but still really hated the chapter length and thought it wasn’t necessary.

This book is a solid 4.5 stars for me. Funny, I actually enjoyed this book so much more than the books it’s compared to in the synopsis because it felt more like getting a peak at a real family vs. reading about a family drama. I will miss these characters and would be thrilled to read more about them if ever given a chance.

Enjoyable family novel mostly told from perspective of grandchildren as they are gathered for their grandfather's funeral.

In Eulalia Georgia, a matriarch and her children and grandchildren are gathered for a funeral as Gerry, the patriarch of the family has died. The book tells of their week together processing a shocking revelation about Gerry that is revealed during the eulogy given by a neighbor and close family friend, but also dealing with drama related to the problems and surprises of various family members. There are many characters introduced very quickly so it did take some effort to remember how they were connected, especially at the beginning of the book. This got easier as I moved through the book and I enjoyed the sometimes amusing, sometimes surprising, and sometimes sweet moments. I loved the theme related to family and how the story imparts a message about the messiness of family and the ways that families hold each other together. It's a quiet, unique, and uplifting story.

I thought the idea sounded fun but from the beginning, I felt like it was clunky. Too many characters were introduced at once. We were told facts about them but I didn't get much feel for their personalities. The chapters were oddly long and wordy for a book that was written on a low level. I just didn't care about anyone.

Nothing says spring to me like a great family drama.

Cat Shook’s debut novel If We’re Being Honest is a beautiful multigenerational family story. When the patriarch of the family Gerry dies and everyone returns to Eulalia for his funeral, the drunken eulogist unleashes a surprise on the family.

Ellen is Gerry’s wife and is surrounded by her three children and four grandchildren while she grieves. They are each struggling with the funeral revelation, while also dealing with some of their own secrets.

Fave character. Probably going to have to go with Miss Sparkles, Gerry’s dog. Her sashay was on point.

I think this would work well for a book club pick. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who like character driven family stories. It will take a few chapters to nail down all the characters and how they relate, but soon enough you won’t forget them.

Looking forward to seeing more of Cat Shook’s work in the future.

3.5/5⭐️

When the beloved Williams family’s patriarch dies, the scattered clan returns to GA for his funeral, only to discover a jaw-dropping secret during the eulogy. As they each (his widow, three children and four grandchildren) grapple with this new revelation, they also have their own life issues to resolve.

While hilariously dysfunctional, this family has some life-changing decisions to make…forgiveness, sexual orientation, independence, pregnancy, possible infidelity, drug/alcohol abuse…there’s a lot to unpack. And while I didn’t agree with some of the rhetoric on the hotbed issues in this one, it was definitely well-written, with realistically defined characters and great humor.

On a humorous note, it did seem odd that EVERYONE was having such weighty issues at the same time…guess that’s life…and the backbone of a good story.

I’m sure this one will do well in the mainstream.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing the free early arc of If We’re Being Honest for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Wow! This is an amazing debut novel, and I am secretly hoping the next one picks up where this one leaves off. I need to know what happens with the whole Williams family, but especially Ellen, Fred, Alice, Peter, Red, Brady, JJ, and Jennifer!!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm having trouble starting this review because I keep wanting to call If We're Being Honest a lighthearted contemporary, which feels wrong because the inciting incident is the death of a parent/husband/grandfather. But this book really is lighthearted and moving. Shook explores so many types of family relationships that you're sure to relate to one of them. I loved the prose and the way the characters were developed. I found them all loveable, even the ones who were fun to dislike.

I thought the ending to each character arc was very satisfying and well-deserved. I felt like the plot lagged at times because I enjoyed some characters and their conflicts more than others, as is to be expected, but I was never in a slump or in danger of DNFing. I do almost think there were too many main characters - definitely had to use my Kindle lookup feature a few times - but once I got a handle on it it wasn't too bad.

Overall, I would recommend this one, especially if you have a close, large family or are going through some interpersonal relationship issues. I don't know if this one has staying power in my mind, but I do know I enjoyed it while I was reading.

If you like family drama tempered by some laughs, this is the book for you. The narrative thrust comes from the Williams family being forced to grapple with a startling revelation revealed at the patriarch’s funeral. But the real fun comes from the omniscient narrator who offers a consistently witty and honest overview of the various reactions, spiralling and maturation of the widow, her three adult children and the four cousins. Thank you Celadon and NetGalley for the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of this novel.

When Gerry Williams dies, his children and grandchildren return home for the funeral. Gerry's best friend delivers a drunken eulogy and drops a major revelation about the family patriarch. The family, all dealing with their own personal issues, must band together to deal with their grief. Cat Shook's debut novel is a poignant and funny look at one family's dynamics.

This book follows the Williams family following the death of the patriarch of the family, Gerry. The family members all return too Eulalia, Georgia for the funeral, which end in a surprise for the whole family. We follow the Williams family in the week between the funeral and the wedding of a neighbor and family friend. Each of the family members are learning to reconcile the events of the funeral, the grief of losing Gerry, and everything that was occurring in their lives prior to the tragic passing of Gerry.

I really enjoyed following the storylines of all the Williams family, however, some of the storylines didn’t feel as complete to me. It follows the remaining members of the family; Wife: Ellen, Children: JJ, Wilma, and Carol Anne, Grand Children: Grant, Alice, Delia, and Red. Since the book follows so many characters, it felt like too much at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is the story of a family, mostly told from the perspective of the adult grandchildren. The grandfather passes away and a secret comes to the surface during his eulogy that shocks the family and each member takes it in their own way as they grapple with their own lives, their own struggles and their own secrets.

I love books like these that are mostly character driven and we get a glimpse into other lives, other choices, other struggles. It makes me feel less alone in the world and I end up getting invested in the characters' lives and choices and I end up having deep empathy for each of them.

Really enjoyed this book full of humor and heart.

with gratitude to netgalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I love the cover and the title. That's what drew me in. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review. Four stars for the debut novel. Reading about extended families is a favorite of mine. I come from a long line of aunts and uncles and cousins so it's intriguing to hear and read about books where those characters interact. I found bits of the book laugh out loud funny!

This was a deeply relatable, laugh-out-loud, busy and buoyant delight. WOW does Cat Shook have a lot of plates spinning: the vast character count and rapidly shifting narrative perspective made me a little dizzy in the early chapters, but once I figured out who was who I was hooked. Highly recommended for fans of contemporary family sagas.

"Gerry Williams's funeral was a shit show." Is the first line of this bright and satiric novel.

Ha ! Tons of Southern relatives come out of the woodwork when patriarch Gerry dies. Best yet, no one can decide who will do the eulogy until Gerry's best friend steps up and drops a bombshell.

Tons of characters and complicated back stories. Gossipy and hilarious! A really fun and lively novel that will pick you up! I cannot believe it's Cat Shook's first novel
#IfWereBeingHonest #CatShook #Celadon

9/10

I feel all sorts of jigglies inside when I discover a debut novel that is really good. And, spoiler alert, I have lots of jiggling happening right now.

Let’s just get the tough part of the book out of the way. Here it is: there are 8 or 9 key characters and you are introduced to all of them in the first chapter so it’s tough to remember who is who and how they are related to the others. But after awhile you figure it out so let’s get over that problem.

In the opening Gerry has died and the family is at his funeral. An out of the blue surprise happened there which changes everything. The rest of the book takes place over the next week as Gerry’s four grandkids, his children, his wife and best friend all come to terms with their lives in the face of the loss of the families patriarch.

Sounds day and sappy doesn’t it? It’s not.

There are funny parts, sad parts, surprising parts….and it’s all very well written. Each character is loveable in their different ways. And that’s probably one of the incredible things about the writing - there are nine characters and each has a distinct and different voice, each has a distinct and believable personality, and each fits with each other as family members would.

I’d be surprised if this doesn’t become a movie.
Great book.

Read it.

#netgalley #ifwerebeinghonest

I loved this book so much! It was smart, intriguing, sent me through so many emotions, and left me with the best, happiest feeling when I had finished. It was funny and heartwarming, and I loved the dynamic between the cousins! This was a really good debut novel!!

If We're Being Honest is the story of a week in the life of the Williams family and begins at the funeral of their beloved patriarch, Gerry. From the opening line I knew this was going to be a smart, and intriguing story of more than just a funeral. There are a lot of characters in the extended Williams family, and while I can see where this may be challenging to keep track of in the early chapters, I found when I continued reading, each family member had their own personality big enough for me to recall easily who they were. I enjoyed the different perspectives Cat Shook provides in this story from 3 different generations, but I especially enjoyed the dynamics between the cousins. I found this book to be modern, funny, and heartwarming and it covers a lot of vastly different situations! I would highly recommend this book to others, especially if you were fortunate enough to grow up with a large extended family like I did. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for this advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

When the book opens we are given a rundown of the very large Williams family, as they try to figure out who is best suited to give the eulogy for Gerry, the family Patriarch who has just passed away. This was yet another story with a large cast of characters and I wondered if I should start a flow chart to keep everyone straight.

It WASN’T the most exciting way to begin this “one week” family saga.

Gerry’s best friend, Fred is elected and the Eulogy he delivers is a DOOZY!

Over the course of the week, his bombshell revelation will be the catalyst for conversations and soul searching within the family, as each member examines their own choices in life.

We are TOLD (rather than shown) what each family does from the time of the funeral and wake until a happier gathering, a week later at a wedding.

The chapters are long, which I dislike, and although the story has some touching moments, it didn’t quite resonate with me.

But, I have a feeling that it will be winner for readers, perhaps from a large close knit family, who find that it DOES resonate with them.

Expected Publication Date: April 18, 2023.

Thank You to Celadon Books for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!