Rated 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

The theme of this book really attracted me to it as I saw parallels with my upbringing, coming from a dysfunctional family with money.

It is an honest portrayal of difficult family dynamics, trauma, and grief. Each family member deals with these in their own way, and seeing each person's perspective was interesting.

The ending was a bit dissatisfying for me, but I enjoyed the book overall.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

A complex family saga where how the events are dealt with by each individual seem to be more interesting than the actual dramas.
It was a book that didn’t flow fully for me so just a three star rating.

This well-written book focuses on a blended family with a lot of wealth and secrets! There are numerous characters in this novel, which I sometimes find confusing when reading, however, I found myself liking many of the characters. The matriarch of the family has recently died and the main character, Elizabeth, is doing her best to bring the whole family together. There is a heavy focus on trauma and how we deal with grief, as well as family drama.

I rate this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I received an advance reader copy of this book, which in no way affects my review. This review is voluntary.

A story about a matriarch who has recently passed away a patriarch who is controlling his blended family with excessive amounts of wealth and fractured siblings that are finding their way back to each other or apart. Elizabeth is the main sibling being followed in this story and has what seems to be the insurmountable task of trying to hold her family together.

A novel about a blended family and the secrets that kept them from truly blending. The premise is good, but the staggering wealth made the novel unrealistic.

Broken Fortune follows the wealthy blended Sutherland family after the death of their matriarch, Kate. Despite the best efforts of the main character, Elizabeth, from the moment her father and Kate married, the Sutherlands never coalesced into the connected family she dreamt about. Now, after Kate's death, Elizabeth takes on the seemingly impossible task of uniting the Sutherlands once and for all. However, money, secrets, and old hurts are powerful forces that appear insurmountable.

As a psychologist, I appreciated that the characters handled trauma and grief in different, but believable, ways that did not veer into complete stereotypes. Additionally, each character was faced not only with the loss of their mother/step-mother but old childhood wounds that had embedded themselves into unhealthy relationship patterns. The complex relationship between understanding the impact of past hurts and accepting present personal responsibility is alluded to as each character is given the choice about how to move forward once new truths are revealed.

Sleeping Bear by Connor Sullivan is a good thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat with its Alaskan wilderness setting and intense plot. The story of Army veteran Cassie Gale, who gets kidnapped and wakes up in a Russian prison, is packed with action and suspense. However, the numerous twists felt a bit overplayed and sometimes strained believability.

While the book has its thrilling moments, the twists might come off as excessive to some readers. It's a solid read for those who enjoy action-packed thrillers, but it may not stand out as great in the genre.

This was a great book. I connected with the characters. I felt engrossed with the plot. I would read another book by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

The pitch line for this book made me think it would be more in the realm of "The Nest" (rich people problems with lots of laugh out loud humor), and this felt more heartstrings pulling than I anticipated. A solid book, but didn't fulfill my expectations.

I am unable to read because the file is corrupted. I would love to read and review with an updated file!

Get ready to dive into the whirlwind world of "Broken Fortune" by Aly Mennuti! In this gripping tale, we meet Elizabeth Sunderland, the head of a wealthy yet fractured family, who finds herself at a crossroads when her iron-willed mother's final wish sends the clan on a journey to St. John. As they navigate the sun-soaked shores and choppy waters, long-held secrets and buried resentments bubble to the surface, threatening to tear them apart or bring them closer than ever before. With its blend of family drama, unexpected twists, and island magic, "Broken Fortune" is a captivating read that'll keep you hooked until the very last page. So, grab your copy, buckle up, and get ready for a rollercoaster ride of emotions! 🌊📚

Wow! Wow! Wow! I opened the book to make sure it had been downloaded and somehow a few words caught my eye and enchanted me. So, I couldn’t put this book down. It is the story of a fractured family, narrated by Elizabeth, the oldest. The occasion that brings the 5 siblings together is the death of Kate, mother and stepmother to 5 children. Though I generally don’t love books with many characters, I loved all of the siblings.

The author brings us back to their childhoods and the day they were forced together, the day their parents got married., believing that these 5 would be molded (by force, wealth and connivance) into a whole. They are together to scatter the ashes of Kate near an ultra-posh resort on St. John. The occasion brings fights, shifting alliances and ultimately, life affirmation to this tribe of damaged souls.

As a reader who has been fortunate enough to read and review some stellar novels (THE NEST, PINEAPPLE STREET, THE NEWCOMER), I would put this in that class. So, readers and book clubs, if you liked those novels, you will enjoy this one! Make sure you include this in your summer reading list!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read about the Sunderland-Bernard clan in all its absolute, beautiful chaos.