After Gerry's sudden death, his lifelong best friend and business partner enthusiastically agrees to give his eulogy. The first shock is that he is drunk; the second is that he claims the two were long-time lovers.

As the Williams family processes this shocking revelation and the reaction in the small town of Eulalia, Georgia, they are also dealing with additional drama. Because a neighbor and family friend had already planned a wedding for shortly after the funeral, they all stay in town. Delia is nursing a broken heart; Alice is forced to reveal her pregnancy; JJ and Jennifer are dealing with marital problems; Carol Anne is just annoying; and on it goes.

This debut novels captures rural Georgia very well (the author is a native), but also provides an unflinching look at family dynamics. The Williamses, despite their differences, genuinely love each other and manage to work through these challenges. If there is a flaw, it is that they somewhat idealized. Real people hold grudges longer. #IfWereBeingHonest #NetGalley

So glad I took my time with this book and did not give up on it! It was such a great story and I teared up a few times.

It took me about 40% into the book to start getting the hang of who was who in the story, but once I got into it I started to really enjoy it.

I’m also usually not a fan of slower-paced books but I found that I really enjoyed this one.

"If We're Being Honest" is an invitation to peer behind the curtain of a "normal" family. It's like being the fly on the wall and getting sucked into each character's challenges. The pain of loss and realization that things aren't always what they seem is a continual theme in the story and it reminds me that what you see on the surface isn't always what lies below the surface. A must read for fames of "This Is Us".

If We’re Being Honest by @catshook_33. Thanks to @macmillan.audio for the audio copy and @celadonbooks for a Netgalley ARC.

Imagine this: you’re at your husband/dad/grandpa’s funeral and you’re grieving hard. He held the family together and everyone thought they knew everything about him. Then, a mid-eulogy revelation drops a bomb on everything you knew.

I was shocked by this quick turn of events in the beginning and it was a perfect driving force for this extremely character-driven novel. If you’re looking for a plot-heavy book, this isn’t going to be for you. But if you love multi-generational dramas that sheds light on family dynamics, you’re going to love this. I personally love this kind of read and loved pulling back the layers on the various characters. Shook’s characters keep each other in check, forgive, accept, and encompass one another in love. The book was funny and beautiful.

Kathleen McInerney was a fantastic performer. Sometimes I needed to rewind because the POVs switched very quickly and without pause, but I was able to get back on track very quickly because each character had completely different personalities. I was very engaged throughout the entire novel!

This novel was such an unexpected gem! Cat Shook had me from the very first chapter. The novel starts with the Williams family converging to their hometown when their beloved patriarch has passed away. At the funeral, a huge secret is revealed and the whole family is reeling from the revelation. We learn about the lives of each of the children and grandchildren throughout the entire week since they are sticking around to attend a friend’s wedding. Shook does such a great job of fleshing out each member of the family with great storylines. I’m looking forward to seeing what Cat Shook writes next.
I highly recommend this unputdownable debut!
Thank you #Netgalley and #Celadon for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The opening scene is funny despite the fact that it's set at a funeral. This is a "complicated" family story about the dynamics of a large family when th patriarch dies and his deepest secret nis exposed. At first I thought there were too many characters, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. In enjoyed this book a lot.

This book was a good, but not great, messy, multigenerational family story. Ultimately I think there are other similar books that pack more of an emotional punch or whose characters you route more strongly for, but I don’t regret picking this one up.

The Williams family is brought together after Gerry, the patriarch, dies. This includes his widow Ellen, three children, four grandchildren, and various in-laws. There are tons of smaller plot lines at play including pregnancy and sexuality, and an underlying plotline including Gerry himself.

There was drama and lots of activity, but I found myself wanting more. Sometimes the characters actions seemed ridiculous (one granddaughter has a crazy overreaction after seeing a text on someone’s phone), sometimes their personalities seemed one-toned (like the daughter Carol Anne), And sometimes I could tell I was supposed to empathize with a character but felt like I hardly knew them. The messy family space is such a popular one for books and personally I feel like other novels have created unforgettable families, and this one didn’t quite hit that mark.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book and exchange for my honest review.

This book reminded me of the movie This is Where I Leave You. It’s a family drama following the kids and grandkids of the Williams family after their patriarch dies. Family secrets begin to come out as they’re all back in their hometown of Eulalia, Georgia.

For me the book was a bit slow but I found myself invested in the Williams’ lives. A few times I thought I knew how things would play out but was pleasantly surprised when what seemed like the obvious outcomes actually weren’t how their story went. My favorite characters were Alice, Ellen and Grant. I actually wish we would have gotten a bit more about Grant and Rebecca.

Overall, I recommend if you are a fan of family sagas.

4.25 stars!

If We’re Being Honest by Cat Shook is a witty, feel-good, drama-filled dysfunctional family story I didn’t want to end! As I got to know each member of the Williams family, I found myself settling in to this emotional week for the group, eager to return to each of their stories.

The family is gathered for the funeral of their beloved patriarch, Gerry. Married sixty plus years to his wife Ellen, they have a close-knit family, with three children and four grandkids. None of whom the family felt were qualified to give the eulogy, for varying reasons. So they turn to Gerry’s neighbor and life-long best friend, Fred. Who drops quite the bombshell as he drunkenly delivers his speech to the shocked congregation.

One of the main complaints I’m seeing from early reviewers for this book is the many characters and how hard it is to keep them straight. Because I’d seen that before I started reading, I took note of the family tree provided in the publisher’s book club kit, printing it out. As I read, I made notes by the characters’ names, jotting down any of those who were outside of the family, as well. I think just the act of writing it down helped them to stick in my brain, because I quickly had the cast straight and didn’t need to refer to the family tree anymore.

It’s really not too difficult to learn the cast, and worth the effort. There’s the three children of Gerry and Ellen:

-J.J. is a sports radio host who’s been married to Jennifer, a former cheerleading coach for thirty years.
-Wilma is a divorced photographer.
-Carol Anne is a many-times divorced and always aspiring actress who brought her latest beau, Robert.

And then there are the cousins. J.J. and Jennifer have two sons:

-Grant, the second oldest grandchild, is a personal trainer who recently appeared on The Bachelorette.
-Red, the youngest grandchild at twenty-five, is a youth minister who suffers from anxiety.

Wilma has two daughters who both live in New York:

-Alice, the oldest grandchild, is a writer who has had a friends to lovers, on again off again thing with childhood friend Peter, the son of one of her grandparent’s neighbors.
-And Delia, the third oldest grandchild whose four-year relationship just ended and she can’t quite think about anything else.

While on the surface it may sound like a group of characters who are mostly superficial and possibly annoying, Shook did a good job of fleshing them out, making me care about them and even sympathize with them. Each time I thought something might be an overreaction or exaggeration, she backed it up with character traits or plot points.

While the family has gathered for Gerry’s funeral, those who came in from out of town remain for the week to attend a wedding they’d all been anticipating before tragedy struck. And I had fun spending a week with this family in mourning, which seems like an odd thing to say. But it allowed me the time to get to know each member as they come to terms with their grief and shock, and deal with their own problems and secrets.

If We’re Being Honest is heartfelt, humorous, and oddly comforting for a novel about grief. If you’re a fan of stories revolving around characters thrust into unexpected circumstances with unexpected consequences, you should give this one a try. An impressive debut, I look forward to what the author does next!

This is a book that from page 1 you know you are going to need to pay attention for. When page one is going through why each person is not fit to give the patriarch's eulogy you are given your first taste of the complexities of the family. All that to say you have been warned that there are a lot of characters with very different personalities to learn throughout the book.

I wish there had been a family tree in the book (but there was one on audio and I hear this is being added for the release) but at the same time I was able to get a feel for the differences of the characters as I read as they each were so different.

As I was reading I was thinking to myself how there were so many unlikeable characters for different reasons as well as so many characters I just wanted to hug. I think the balance of the two types of characters really worked for me. Had the family been all one way or the other I think it would have been a bit boring or a bit off-putting. I liked the mystery of the magnolia trees, the small town gossip and small town connections.

One complaint on the book is that it does abruptly change characters so you definitely need to be alert or you may find yourself going back and re-reading sections to figure it out.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

If We’re Being Honest really encapsulates this story, and though an interesting premise, it’s not particularly exciting. It’s a book with too many characters to keep straight and the honesty/secret telling is just regular secrets that people have. I thought that after Fred was honest during the eulogy things would snowball and the story would really ramp up and it just ended up being a steady store with no huge surprises.

I would probably just classify this book as everyday family drama, but also like not exciting drama. Probably wouldn’t recommend but that really depends on the reader’s taste.

If We're Being Honest opens with the patriarch of the family Gerry dying and the drunken eulogist unleashing a surprise on the attendees of the funeral. The secret revealed reverberates through out the entire family which leads to other truths being discovered as well.

Because this is a multigenerational story there are a lot of characters and it took me a while to get all of the family members straight. I made my own little family tree sketch indicating who was who, their traits and how they all related to one another. Once I had a clear understanding of who everyone was I enjoyed this book. Overall, a good debut and I'll check out what Cat Shook writes next. Special thanks to Celadon for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC...the audiobook narration was well done.

This is a story that deals with family drama but does it really well.
I liked these characters and was invested in them pretty quickly. Alice was my favorite, I guess I just felt like I related to her.
There are a lot of characters and things going on, but I wasn't confused and knew whose storyline was what.
I think this could make good discussion for a book club.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

This family drama focuses on the death of the family patriarch and it's aftermath, in a small town in Georgia. A big secret is revealed at his funeral, and everyone struggles with this news in their own ways. The two generations below are a bit too numerous, it took me a while to remember who everyone was at first (and should have drawn myself a family tree). The story though got more compelling after the first 25% of the book or so, though the drama certainly kicks off with a bang before that. I did end up connecting to some of the characters, though not all. It has a great setting too, and wrapped up nicely which I appreciate. I enjoyed this one and would recommend it, if you're in the mood for a family drama and can read it over a few days. Thank you to Celadon Books for the e-ARC.

I loved this book! Cat Shook managed to capture the family complexities of three generations beautifully. This story begins with a funeral, ends with a wedding and is full of love, heartache, frustration, secrets, forgiveness and most importantly, the strength of family. Thanks #NetGalley #CeladonBooks

If We're Being Honest
by Cat Shook
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

This debut novel was a delightful slice of time family drama!

The Williams family patriarch, Gerry, has died and the family has descended on the small town of Eulalia, Georgia for the funeral. His best friend delivers a eulogy that turns the legacy of Gerry upside down. The family must deal with that revelation and their own private dramas.

The three Williams children, the four adult grandchildren, the widow, and various neighbors build a cast of characters that deliver rich interactions to explore the grief of losing their beloved Gerry, reckoning with his secret, and unraveling their own internal turmoil.

Each of the Williams has a story to tell and the novel does an excellent job of drawing out that arc alongside the tied together grief of the family. This is my favorite kind of family drama. Everyone is messy, irritated by the others, and has very real issues but there is love running through the whole family that feels so close to real life.

The small town feel was prominent but I don't feel like the Southern atmosphere was prominent unlike other Southern novels.

I recommend this for readers of The Dutch House, We Are the Brennans, and Malibu Rising..

I love a family drama, and this one delivered. From the big reveal at the funeral, I was hooked. I loved getting to know each family member and seeing the dynamics between each. Coming from a big, close family, I recognized the types of relationships among the Williamses. The close-knit cousins who have each others backs and act like siblings, to that one sibling who finds a way to get others to do what they want - the relationships felt familiar and comforting to me.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Family Drama
LGBTQIA Rep
Small Town
Family Secrets

If you're a sucker for character driven novels, this one's for you. It takes place over one short week where an entire family is congregated together for a funeral and a wedding. There is every facet of family drama one would expect or want - a death, infidelity, an unplanned pregnancy, a breakup, a wedding, coming out, pseudo-celebrity, and so much more.

There are a lot of characters in this novel and I could see that being a struggle for some readers. The chapters are lengthy and while the text switches from family member to family member, I didn't have trouble keeping up or keeping anyone straight. Every story was unique and interesting enough to hold my attention and keep me wanting more.

This is one of those novels that you can sense is coming to an end but you think, 'how?' You become so invested in these characters that they become real people and you just can't imagine their 'lives' being limited to a finite number of pages. Will Alice have a boy or girl? Will Red find happiness? Can Jennifer and JJ reconcile? Did Grant make it on BIP? Will Delia find a true soulmate? Will CarolAnn ever become less self-absorbed? So many unanswered questions!

I listened to this novel on audio and it was a perfect book for that format. The narrator was excellent - her inflection was spot on and she had me hanging on every word. It really played out like a movie in my head!

This is one I definitely recommend and I look forward to reading more by Shook in the future!

Thank you to Celadon Books, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for the copy.

I first want to say that I did not finish this book. I read 1/3 of it and said that was enough.
Family patriarch dying is the opening scene. Gathered around are the surviving family and friends and there are many of each, in fact, too many for me.

I won't reveal the shocker at the funeral service. The wife, the children, the grandchildren, the friends and neighbors all have nothing else to talk about. What drove me crazy was that the book seemed like a recitation of what each person there was feeling and experiencing. It seemed like a checklist of names and when it got to the end of the list, it started over.

There were way too many people introduced in a short amount of time and if you put the book down for a little while, you had to then sort out again which child was married to which spouse and it was the same way with the grandchildren.

Maybe I was too tired to keep them all straight, but it happened when I tried to read it another time and finally, just said enough. I don't care about any of the characters enough to bother reading through it all to see what happens to them.

Sorry, not for me. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review..

It’s been a long day so this was a refreshing, very entertaining book to read.
I loved Shook’s descriptions of everyone in the first chapter.
I was hooked from the first sentence that included the phrase “shit show.”
I screamed with laughter at the nosy gossip who used up containers of electric blue eyeshadow and one of the cousins is asked if she shopped at the fancy sperm store.
It’s a book full of mirth as the four cousins face a secret about their grandfather and grapple with their own lives.