I really wanted to love this book being I tend to love stories with multiple characters but there was just way to many to keep track of as well as to keep my interest. The story itself was ok to read but it did not draw me in and I honestly found it hard to get thru. The book started with trying to figure out who in this large family would be the best to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of the family patriarch. When his best friend is chosen he decides to use that as a time to deliver a bombsell revelation. The chapters are all long which made me lose interest fast. I still appreciate the chance to read this book and thank the publishers for the opportunity.

When the patriarch of the Williams family passes away, members of the family come to Eulalia, a small town in Georgia, to pay their respects to Jerry. Little do they know some big secrets are about to be revealed, the first coming to light when Jerry’s best friend, Fred, stands up to give the eulogy. The effects and repercussions of this secret are far reaching, leading Jerry’s children and grandchildren to think about their own secrets and life choices, and whether or not it is worth hanging onto those secrets. Can they find happiness and acceptance in the one place it should be found, family? 

This novel has a lot going on; there are so many smaller narratives that make up If We’re Being Honest. This allowed for a lot of different themes and character types to exist within the bigger picture and message of the novel. At times it felt like things dragged, but I absolutely loved the ending as well as the lead-up to it. I adored Ellen, as well as Red. They, along with the other characters, are well developed and I liked the way some overcame the obstacles they faced. If We’re Being Honest is well written and–no pun intended–honest.

This book started out strong with a funny and poignant reveal. However there were too many characters to keep straight and it ended up falling flat for me.

Gerry, the Williamsons patriarch, passes away, and upon his death comes a flood of family from all across the country to mourn and share their love with Gerry’s widow Ellen. But an unfortunate admission during the eulogy from a close friend of Gerry’s causes a confusing disruption and makes each family member dwell on their own private dramas.

A smartly written family drama that takes place within a week of mourning, and each character lends a unique quality to the family as a whole. My only issue is how the characters were scattered into each paragraph, switching from one to the other without a transition. It made it challenging to keep them straight but lent to the confusion of a large family trying to be individually heard amongst the crowd.

Overall an interesting and heart-wrenching novel. This one is perfect for the organized reader who likes to write out a family tree while reading.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If We're Being Honest is a poignant, heartfelt look into grief and family ties, and the intricate ways secrets weave themselves through the fabric of both. When a family comes together to mourn a loss that seems insurmountable and receives earth shattering news, each member must find a way to confront that news and loss and figure out what it means moving forward, and Shook does an amazing job of telling every character's story in an authentic and very real way. I loved the Southern small town nuances sprinkled throughout the book and there's a perfect balance of humor and heartache in these pages. This book is a must read.

This is one of those books I will have completely forgotten in a month. But I did like some of the characters (NOT YOU, CAROL ANNE) and family dramas are my jam, so I did enjoy it. Just don’t ask me about it four weeks from now, because I won’t be able to tell you one thing.

Thanks to Celadon for the ebook and audiobook widgets.

A bombshell drops at the funeral of the Williams family patriarch that spirals into a family drama and upends everyone’s world. If We’re Being Honest portrays a family in crisis after the truth is revealed.

What if your grandfather wasn’t the person you thought you knew after all these years? His wife, the children, and grandchildren must come to terms with that revelation and deal with their own issues. The novel focuses mainly on the grandchildren, Alice, Grant, Delia, and Red, who struggle with their beloved grandfather’s sudden death and their relationships with one another. But deep-seated family issues crop up, and the author Cat Shook provides deep insights into all the characters.

That’s what makes If We’re Being Honest so much fun because we can all relate to the Williams family issues. The reader laughs, cries, and commiserates with each member. It was a little hard to follow initially because there were many characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and the ending wrapped up all the loose ends. I thank NetGalley for allowing me to read and review If We’re Being Honest. # NetGalley # If We’re Being Honest #Familydrama

I requested this because EVERYONE was posting about it on booksta. (Excellent PR job, guys! Haha)

Unfortunately there were way too many characters to keep track of and it is so hard for me. I'm getting too confused. I have to throw in the towel. :(

Middle of the road as far as family dramas go - I liked the end, but was really annoyed by several characters throughout. And while that is sometimes the point, it started to grate too much here.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

A family saga over the course of a week.

If We're Being Honest opens with the Williams family together for the funeral of their patriarch, Gerry - husband to Ellen; father to Wilma, JJ, JJ's wife Jennifer, and Carol Anne; and grandfather to Alice, Delia, Grant, and Red. The book bounces from character to character; each of these family members has their own little story arc.

I found Ellen's story particularly meaningful, though I also personally felt for Wilma, Jennifer, Delia, and Red. I would have liked another 50 pages or so - debut author Cat Shook does a lot here, but I think a bit more room would have helped some of the individual storylines land better.

It felt like what Shook got most right is that feeling of grief that hits so hard, it takes your breath away. Not to mention what we accept from those we love, and how it is we convey that love in ways subtle and not. Certainly a good read for those who like family stories, such as All Adults Here by Emma Straub, and I'll be interested in whatever she writes next.

DNF at about 20%... wayyyyyyyy too many characters, too much drama, and it was hard to keep track of them and they were literally all a mess. I love a good family drama and flawed characters but this felt a bit vapid to me.

If we’re being honest by Cat Shook is a delightful read that follows a family through ups and downs of an eventful week. The week begins with the funeral of Gerry, the well-known, well liked, respectable, and honest patriarch of the family. However, after the eulogy given at his funeral, by his best friend, was Gerry who he says he was? Has he been living a lie all these years with his loving wife, Ellen? Ellen just wants to move on, and grieve. However, the children and grandchildren are reeling from this revelation. Not only are they dealing with that bombshell, but there is so much turmoil they are already experiencing in their own lives. I enjoyed the vast amount of details provided in this story as it allowed me to get to know the characters and their lives. While there were a lot of characters, that’s only because of the size of the family. I enjoyed the storyline of each character and getting to know their successes and current struggles. It did take a bit for me to become familiar with the characters, but once I did, I was hooked. Not every family is traditional, and that is okay. I enjoyed this book and the writing style of this debut author. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review. I will be looking for future novels by this author.

The opening sentence pulled me right into the story. Unfortunately though my enthusiasm waned a bit after that. While a good story and interesting plot, the execution felt muddled and confusing. If We're Being Honest follows 3 generations of the Williams family, who gather for the funeral of the patriarch, Gerry. After a bombshell secret is dropped at the funeral, the family has to deal with the fall out, their grief, and their own secrets. I love a good family drama and really had high hopes for this novel. While it was a good read, I often found myself having to reread sections frequently to make the connections to the right characters. There were just so many to keep track of. It also didn't help that the story is told from a third person omniscient view and the narration bounced from different character perspectives at any given time throughout the story. Pretty much everything came together at the end and left me feeling satisfied. I just wanted the book to wow me and it fell a bit short.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

I really wanted to love this one (especially when I saw it compared to We Are the Brennan’s) but I just couldn’t get into it. I am only providing feedback so my Netgalley rating is not negatively affected; I did not finish this book. It just wasn’t for me.

This light-ish family drama is set over the course of one week in a small town in Georgia. The family gathers for the funeral of family patriarch Gerry (which goes awry), and then all stay until a wedding the following week which they’re all invited to. The book has quite the large cast of characters including Gerry’s wife, his three kids and two of their partners, and his four adult grandkids, plus a few more neighbors.

As you can tell by that description, that’s a lot of characters! And the book is written from an omniscient third person narrator but which flits from the thoughts of character to character in the same chapter - sometimes even in the same paragraph. The problem with this is I feel like you never fully got to know a lot of the characters. I enjoyed the book when I was reading it, but it just didn’t always hold my attention.

I feel like with a little restructuring, this could have been an even better book - like with shorter chapters with only one character’s thoughts per chapter, and maybe a focus on fewer characters as well. Yet, all that being said, I did enjoy it.

3.5 stars

"Gerry William's funeral was a shit show."
Well that started me off with a laugh.
Gerry the patriarch of the family has died and the story starts at his funeral.
A shocking secret is revealed by the drunken friend and so much else is discovered.
Cousins, extended family that took me a while to get who everyone was. A dysfunctional family with some big decisions to make.
Family drama, southern fiction, entertaining, grief, humor.
Family issues that are relatable and characters you won't forget.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Beautiful story of family. I loved getting to see the family come together and have the week long glimpse into how they each processed the same death. Good reminder that we don’t all process the same way!

What I enjoyed:
🎭 family drama
🤫 secrets
✌🏻 multiple POV
🧍🏻‍♀️ character driven
amazing on audio
familial themes
debut novel!

What another great family drama, and an amazing debut novel! Think if We are the Brennan's and Grace & Frankie had a baby and the setting was in Georgia - you'd get this book! I loved the weaving of the family members stories on the heels of their beloved grandfather's funeral. It was a little hard to follow in the beginning bc of the quick change of POV and having only one audio narrator - I could see this being more straightforward if you read a physical copy!

I really enjoyed this story!

The death of their grandfather brings the family together and when something goes wrong at the funeral, they're not sure what to do! They're all dealing with their own issues as well.

This book has a lot of characters but I liked that aspect of it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

When patriarch Gerry Williams passed away suddenly, the family flocked home to be there for the grieving widow Ellen. When his best friend Fred went to give the eulogy, no one expected him to have a breakdown and reveal a huge secret. No one is sure what's true or why Fred would choose that moment to surprise the entire town...and he's not the only one with a secret.

Alice has to decide how she's going to handle her pregnancy. Red has to decide if he's willing to share his secret so he can finally be truly happy. Carol Ann can't get over never becoming a famous actress and won't let anyone forget it. Grant is flying high off his run on The Bachelorette, but there's only one girl he's ever wanted. Delia is recently single and trying not to give in to temptation and reach out to her ex. Wilma, Alice and Delia's mother, never got over their father Trey leaving her, and when she finally steps out of her comfort zone, it doesn't end the way anyone thought it would. JJ and Jennifer, Grant and Red's parents, are both having difficulties with life in general and each other specifically. And the matriarch Ellen is just trying to hold everything together. Can any of them find the way to their heart's desire, or will grief, fear, and misunderstandings get in the way?

There were a lot of characters in this book, and I had to actually make a family tree to understand who was who and how each person connected to the others. It was confusing at first, but eventually I remembered enough details about each to get a handle on who was who. The fact that I didn't care about any of the characters probably didn't help. I wasn't invested in any of their stories or the outcomes, and none of it really centered around Gerry's death or dealing with their grief. Each individual story got some closure at the end, so it wrapped up nicely, but I didn't really care about the process of getting there.

All in all, it's a decent family drama with a lot of different points of view. If you enjoy a family coming together story, like the move The Family Stone, then you would probably enjoy reading this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cat Shook, and Celadon Books for a digital copy of If We're Being Honest. #NetGalley #IfWereBeingHonest #CeladonReads