If I’m being honest, family dramas are usually not for me, but with an opening line like this-

“Gerry Williams’ funeral was a shit show.”

-how could you not read it???

There are a lot of characters and each of them have a storyline going on, which at first stressed me out! BUT, this family really sucked me in! A realistic family with realistic problems - and love for each other. ❤️ I promise these characters can all be found in your own life! I loved them!

I can’t believe this was a debut! I’m super excited for more from Shook!!

DNFing this one at 36%

Way too many characters to keep up with (at least in audiobook format where it is hard to flip back)
None of them interest me. I can't keep them straight. And I really couldn't care less what happens to any of them.

Listening to my gut and quitting before spending 7 more hours of my life listening.

I typically enjoy the large, family drama stories. This one I just couldn't connect with.

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review. Kathleen McInerney narrates the audiobook and I always enjoy her narrations.

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 stop listening!

Just not a book for me…might connect with Gen Z or Tik Tok crowd.

While I appreciated the “family tree” in the opening chapter, there were just too many characters which could be lumped into the shallow and irritating category. Each one seemed to have a formulaic arc which became repetitive and predictable. The web of bad behavior became heavy and lacked moments of levity, either through dialogue or scenery change and the cliches were bothersome.

The audio narration was excellent, especially given the generational scope and the number of “voices”.

I do not post negative reviews on my platforms, especially in the case of debut authors, but did finish the book so I could provide publisher feedback. Thank you for the audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

This family drama didn’t completely capture me, though I did enjoy it. The audiobook was well performed by McInerney, who did an excellent job giving a different voice to each of the (many) characters. By “Many,” I mean the book starts with a family tree. In an audiobook, that should make a reader nervous. Or grab a pen.

Summary: When Gerry, the beloved Williams patriarch, dies suddenly, his grandchildren flock from across the country to the family home in Eulalia, Georgia. But when Gerry’s best friend steps up to the microphone to deliver his eulogy, the funeral turns out unlike anyone expected. The cousins, left reeling and confused, cope with their fresh grief and various private dramas.

After only a few scenes, I had to make a cheat sheet of characters and their relationship with each other. There are two grandparents, three grown children (and occasional spouses), and four adult grandchildren. Add in significant others, breakups, and neighbors, and it gets a little cluttered. However, at about the halfway point, I had my groove and could follow the story.

The story itself was…okay. I’ve enjoyed other “character studies” more, though this one had the benefit (or detriment?) of ALL likable characters. (Except for one annoying and self-centered sister. But even she was entertaining in her clueless selfishness.)

This would be a great fit if you’re looking for a good comfort read with a solid message of acceptance, family connection, and little drama.

Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the Advanced Listening Copy of the Audiobook. US Pub Date: 18 Apr 23

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 MacMillan Audio for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

If We're Being Honest is a slow burn Southern family drama. In true Southern style, the story begins with a jaw dropping revelation at Grandpa Jerry's funeral. Just when the family thinks nothing can top Fred's scandalous eulogy, more family bombshells begin to drop!

The story takes place over a week in time and there many plot lines to keep up with throughout the book. Each character has some sort of self discovery to make and many emotions are revealed along the way.

If you enjoy novels with family dynamics, the was an overall enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This debut novel by Cat Shook follows the Williams family. After Gerry, the family patriarch suddenly dies, the family is left reeling from the discovery of a 60 year long secret. Everything the family thought they knew, is now different and they each are piecing together their pasts as they also move forward dealing with their own personal dramas. This story covers unplanned pregnancy, divorce, self-discovery, and new romance. Kathleen McInerney offers an excellent performer as narrator and aids in bringing this story to life. A great family drama, that you won't want to put down.

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. I think the narrator did a god job reading the material and I don’t think that was why I had a hard time telling the different between characters’ relationships. 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.

I read the premise of this book and was very excited to get this as an audiobook. Unfortunately, it was rather long and had a lot of different characters and none of which captivated me or kept me engaged. It was just a large family drama that was okay.

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 listened to it. I appreciated the narrator doing different voices for the characters

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC

This book was just okay. Family dramas just usually aren't my cup of tea. There were some characters that I found interesting but overall, it just wasn't that interesting to me.

If We're Being Honest is a family drama that starts off with a bang! The family is gathered together after the passing of Gerry, the beloved father and grandfather. However after quite the eulogy is given by his best friend and business partner everything goes to shambles. A ripple is created that goes the entire family tree. The children of Gerry and their children (all the cousins) as well are all struggling with different aspects of their own lives. There's a lot to unpack and sort with this one during their week back home! Careers, marriages, pregnancy, a wedding- you name it, it's happening.

With how strong the beginning of the novel was, I had high expectations. I was really hooked. But after that the rollercoaster never picked back up speed. There was so many characters that doing the audiobook was quite tricky until a good 35% in. The physical copy would have been a better bet for this one, or if there had been a few less characters. Thank you Celadon, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the gifted audiobook in exchange for an 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 weeding unfolded.

If We're Being Honest by Cat Shook
Narrated by Kathleen McInerney

This story has so much going on, too much going on and is focused on too many characters. Everyone has a problem or three and the story starts at the funeral of the patriarch of the Williams family. Gerry dropped dead suddenly and now all are gathered to pay their respects. Gerry's best friend Fred is asked to deliver the eulogy and, oh boy, does he deliver! Fred is drunk as a skunk as he blows the entire world of the William's family to smithereens.

As the story went on I did enjoy some POVs more than others and would have liked the focus to stay on those people and those problems. Some of the problems should have been a non starter and I'm not even sure how the problem became a problem. There is one scene that even highlights that exact situation where the guy who seems the most clueless demolishes the "problem" that one of the women has made for herself and the guy she loves.

The audiobook starts with a long list of characters and their relationships with other characters, scrambling my brain from the beginning of the story. My brain is still firing on most cells so I usually could sort who was who to who at some point during each person's POV but it was a scramble to stay on the same hypothetical page as the audiobook. Especially because there would not be the slightest pause when the POV changed to an entirely different person in an entirely different location. It was frustrating to think I was listening to the last person's POV view only to realize several sentences into a scene change that the thoughts I was hearing were those of an entirely different person.

I think the narration made the story even more difficult to enjoy because it was delivered in a staccato fashion, the pauses after a few words breaking up each sentence into lots of smaller parts. That staccato way of narrating was strange, especially when there would be no pause between POVs of the characters. I'm assuming those POV changes were at chapter changes but I have no idea since I didn't have the written word in front of me.

So I'm floundering around in all these family (and friend) problems and then the story is over. It felt very sudden but I guess it goes well with being thrown into a funeral at the beginning. Now that I think about it, this may be why I'd prefer to be a hermit rather than to be part of a family like this one. I could not escape fast enough so I guess the sudden ending was a blessing. I do think that many people will love both the story and the narration of the audiobook so don't let my opinion hold you back from giving the book a try if it looks like it will interest you.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

Review: This was a really cute book. I usually get confused when characters are switched around a lot during the chapters, but I was able to follow this book completely. The first chapter had me laughing so hard and I found myself continuing to giggle throughout the book. Thank you @celadonbooks for the opportunity to listen to this book early! I really liked it!!

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For fans of We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange and All Adults Here by Emma Straub, Cat Shook’s debut novel If We’re Being Honest is the snappy, smart, heartwarming story of the Williams family, and the sweltering summer that rewrote their history.

When Gerry, the beloved Williams patriarch, dies suddenly, his grandchildren flock from across the country to the family home in Eulalia, Georgia. But when Gerry’s best friend steps up to the microphone to deliver his eulogy, the funeral turns out unlike anyone expected. The cousins, left reeling and confused, cope with their fresh grief and various private dramas. Delia, recently heartbroken, refuses to shut up about her ex. Her sister Alice, usually confident, flusters when she spots her high school sweetheart, hiding a secret that will change both of their lives. Outspoken, affable Grant is preening in the afterglow of his recent appearance on The Bachelorette and looking to reignite an old flame with the least available person in town. Meanwhile, his younger brother Red, unsure of himself and easily embarrassed, desperately searches for a place in the boisterous family.

The cousins’ eccentric parents are in tow, too, and equally lost—in love and in life. Watching over them all is Ellen, Gerry’s sweet and proper widow, who does her best to keep her composure in front of the leering small town.

Clever and completely original, If We’re Being Honest reminds you that while no one can break your heart like your family can, there’s really no one better to put you back together.

Cat Shook’s debut novel, If We’re Being Honest takes you on an emotional journey through the grief of losing a beloved family member, working through betrayal, the complicated intricacies of a multi-generational family, and secrets being exposed.

This multi POV novel was a great family drama that pulls you right into the lives of the Williams family. Though it can get confusing a bit with all the different POVs, I truly believe it was crucial to see from the viewpoint of every one of the family’s because as the story plays out, you see how each Williams is an important piece of the puzzle that made up this slightly dysfunctional family story. I also loved how each family was so different but that they were able to find common ground when it came to the love they had for the patriarch who had recently passed away. The chapters are very long too, but besides that, I enjoyed listening to this book.

Narration done by Kathleen McInerney was superb and kudos for having to differentiate the voices for this amount of characters, which is no easy feat!

I had no idea what to expect from this book but the title and cover caught my eye when I was looking for an audiobook and I'm so glad I requested and was approved for this!

The book starts with a huge bang - news that no one expected to hear is delivered in the form of a eulogy - effectively setting off a week of mourning that no one was prepared for. On top of that, the family drama of three generations worth living and mourning in close quarters is more than enough fodder for a novel.

Shook doesn't let this complexity overwhelm the story, and manages to maintain the balance between the different characters really nicely - in a way that never had me longing to get back to one particular storyline or to get away from whatever was currently happening.

I think that naturally some readers will be drawn to some storylines more than others, but it's interesting when we think about the title of the book and about a lot of the interactions that occur throughout the week as the novel unfolds.

I also LOVE the ending. No spoiler here but when an author wraps up the novel WITHOUT answering ALL the big questions you might typically expect to be able to check off at the end of a book, yet while still getting my FIVE STAR approval rating AND do it in a classy, emotional way. That's just gold for me.

This one is tough for me to review. I felt it was hard for me to get into on audio and there were too many characters and stories to follow. The story definitely had some touching moments however I couldn’t connect with the family as much as I would have liked to. I did enjoy following Pete and Alice’s story. Overall I didn’t mind the writing style I just couldn’t get into the plot. It just wasn’t for me.