I found this an ok read. I didn't feel compelled to keep listening but I did continue to listen when I got the chance. I found the story rather sad, and felt that no one in the book was happy with their lot in life. Which made me feel a little depressed and down while reading it. It felt very much like a cup half empty book rather than a cup half full.

We meet Rebecca (Beck) Lyons as a teenager growing up in Lake Barcroft, an exclusive suburb of Washington, DC where her father is a Senator. Her story starts in the 60s when the world was about to change. The Vietnam War is raging, the draft is in force, rock music blasts from radios, protests fill the streets and there is about to be a sexual revolution. Beck is in love with her neighbor Randall who, as a child, supported her after her mother and brother died. He’s now on his way to being a famous musician. Beck has a new stepmother and stepsister who encourages rebellion. She breaks away from the rigid rules of her old-fashioned grandmother with disastrous results. Pregnant, she’s sent away to nuns in France and her baby daughter is given up for adoption. Now back in DC, she’s a woman in a changed world. She keeps her pregnancy experience a secret, gets married and finally has to be honest with her husband.

I really wanted to like Lake Barcroft but, while its an interesting story, I didn’t see the point to it. Beck was not raised to be independent and that upbringing caused many of her problems. While I felt sorry for her, I didn’t like her or any other of the characters. Dana Dae, the reader, did a good job with the material. 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks and Jeffrey Marcus Oshins for this ARC.

This is the story of Beck, a senators daughter, a girl raided mainly by Panda (her grandmother) who she trusts implicitly after losing her mother and brother in a freak accident. That is until 16 year old Beck falls pregnant, panda sees the father sent off to fight and Vietnam and Beck sent to a Catholic single mothers venue in France, where the baby is inevitably adopted. The rest of the story deals with much of the aftermath of the trauma of these events, trying to reconcile with Panda and find her baby’s father.

This was a little stop starty for me in all honesty, while the premise of the novel was great, the writing and narration spot on, I felt like the story jumped from one place to another with no real transition. I empathised with the characters though and did enjoy the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and IBPA audiobooks for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

This story had so much promise but never quite delivered. High school student Rebecca Lyons is the sheltered daughter of the Senate Majority Leader, Richard Lyons, in 1960's Washington. Lake Barcroft is the idyllic suburban enclave where the family lives. Rebecca, who goes by Beck, witnessed her mother and brother's drowning deaths as a young girl, so she knows better than anyone that not everything is what it seems: even the tranquil lake has its secrets.

Beck navigates growing up in a turbulent time, with the Vietnam War looming over her head. Her father is in the public eye, and as her overbearing grandmother Panda constantly reminds her, Beck must act in a way that honors the family. A surprise pregnancy Beck's junior year leads her down a path of religious awakening, reckoning with her own path, and accepting some ugly truths about her own family.

This book was incredibly well-researched and accurate to much of the tone and social nuances of life in Washington. The multi-layered story line had so much promise, which is why the book ultimately fell flat. The book was organized into three 'books' and I wish that perhaps the entire story had been broken up into three, longer, discrete volumes. So many parts of Beck's life were glossed over, like her college years, her life as a working woman in Washington, the bulk of her marriage to Randall.

There were so many things about Beck as a character that didn't add up to me. We see her have flashes of deep conviction about herself and her faith, but those moments are truly fleeting. She doesn't stick with it and the overarching picture is one of a woman who has been bullied by others throughout her whole life. The ending was pretty much the only thing I could have expected: there was no happy ending for this woman.

I really wanted to like this book, from the setting that is close to my families past, and a synopsis that talked about a story line that is not often shared.

I ended up DNFing this story 38% of the way through. Although there was lots of description of the events that were happening, the characters did not feel developed, mostly victims of their circumstances, and I couldn't bring myself to continue to stay invested in the story.

Thank you netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Set in the 60's, a teenage girl in a prominent family becomes pregnant. Of course, she's shipped off to have the baby and put it up for adoption. She spends the rest of her life trying to atone for her web of lies. Beck, the main character, wants to convert to Catholicism after living in the home for unwed mothers but instead marries the father of her child. She doesn't tell him for years though that they have a child.

Beck spends her life trying to 'be good' and uphold the family name as per her grandmother's instructions. The ill-kept secrets haunt her.

It's hard to empathize with any of the characters in this book. Some, such as Becks' grandmother Panda and her father are not fleshed out and seem to be just stereotypes. The book didn't seem to have a point to it.

Dana Dae, the narrator of the audio book, sounds a bit bored with the reading of it. Verdict: not recommended.

Thank you net Galley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Uninteresting. Not much to say. I couldn't like or relate to any character. Whole thing felt long yet unfinished.

An interesting book of self discovery, loss and grief, and the pressures of a prominent family, this book tackles a lot of subjects. It felt a little rushed and overly complex. While it was an enjoyable read, it felt like there was just too much going on, too many plot points for one book. I think it would have benefited from being a series, with each major event expanded on and slowed down.

This family drama spans several decades and follows the sheltered daughter of a DC politician. Although parts of the story pushed the limits of believability, it was interesting and had me rooting for the characters.

The Senator's Daughter

A story of a teenager growing up in an important family where appearance is everything and no scandal is allowed. The stepmother, the step sister, and the controlling grandmother they called Panda.

Beck is conflicted much about her life, and since her mother has died she feels she has no one to talk to about items a girl needs to talk about. Following her boyfriend whom is called Butch by the group and his friend Robbie with the roaming arms, she is introduced to sex and becomes pregnant. Beck does not know who to go to so she goes to her grandmother Panda. Her grandmother spirits her away to a Catholic home for unwed mothers and the child is given up for adoption.

The rest of the story is about this secret and how it must be kept from everyone even the child's father and her family. Then she finds her daughter who is a big fan of the group and to keep her from committing incest with her father the secret must be told.

It is a story with a lot of undesirable traits in the music industry and I am sure they exist, but that part of the book about groupie tramps, sex, drugs and parties was a bit much. I am not sure that Beck would have been blind to all of that. Her character portrayal is a bit on the naive side for being a politician's daughter. I think it made her look a bit dumb and all that stuff about being a nun was way out of context to the story and to the character.

I listened to the audio book and the narration was good, the narrator had a pleasant voice and was easy to understand and listen to.

The ending was different that I thought it would be...not a bad ending...just a different ending.

Thanks to Jeffrey Marcus Oshins for writing the story, to Dana Day for the narration, to IBPA for publishing it and to NetGalley for making a copy of the audio book available for me to listen to and review.

i can totally see where a persons traumatic life event would follow them through their life and shape some of their actions later in life. Back in the day young girls were sent to France often and I cant imagine the feelings of abandonment and loss they may have felt. I can see where she felt that her ending decision was the only one she had left.

Audiobook Review - I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I didn't really like the characters, they seemed whiny and entitled. This really felt more like and adult book as well, not something that would hook young adult readers.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy. While I listened to the audiobook of Lake Barcroft, I did not enjoy it. The characters and their problems were not relatable. I had a difficult time finishing the book due to the storyline.

Thanks #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. This book started out interesting but unfortunately I can't say that the story held my initial expectations. I would say that this was okay but not great.

I really liked the narration and it helped with the story, but I really struggled with the story. I listened to it on and off - hoping I would engage with it more. It just wasnt for me - I couldnt engage with the characters but it might be better for other people.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

For better or worse the more books I read, the more critical I become of everything I read.

Are you engaging me in a way that captivates my attention? Occasionally
Are you providing robust characters that I feel like I know and can picture conversing in front of me? Not really
Are you giving life to a story that I can follow and understand no matter the setting, can I picture myself there living the action as it unfolds? Your Lake Barcroft location might have been a more fleshed out character than any of the people in the story.
Do you have witty dialogue or beautiful prose that makes me laugh out loud or shed a tear? No

I suppose I'm still trying to understand the purpose of this novel and why it needed to be told. I felt no grand attraction to any of the characters or need to understand their motivations. I never really ached for justice or pined for love, Everything seemed to unfold and I know I think I was supposed to be frustrated by the grandmother, outraged by the times of chastity and secrets and polite society, but nothing seemed to move me to feeling any strong feelings for these characters or circumstances. Maybe I'm dead inside.

The narrator helped to bridge as much connection as could be mustered for these characters and I appreciated her attempts to build up their humanity.

Thanks to Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks, Deep Six Publishing for the ARC audiobook to review via NetGalley.

I was intrigued by the description of this book... it sounded juicy and interesting. However, I don't think it was well executed and I found myself trying to rush through it. I do believe that life in that time near Washington DC was accurately described. There were a lot of real-life issues that I think people will resonate with. The audiobook production and narration were adequate.

Fun book about the neighborhood I grew up in and still live there today. A time long ago relived. Fun to read about happenings in places I know so well. The setting is real even if the story is fiction. Fun read.