The book has so much depth and complicated family dynamics. It's heartbreaking and mysterious. I could feel when the characters reached breaking point. I felt torn myself.

This book was interesting! This is a powerful story about how trauma marks the psyche in a way that may not even be understood by those who experience it, and that those who do not process their trauma are doomed to pass it on to future generations. I was really invested in understanding the "why" behind these characters and their choices. The buildup to the final chapters hit a small drag for me in the middle of the book, but the final chapters were so poignant and involved so much of the information I had been waiting on that made it worth the wait. I appreciated the long term development of the characters and the demonstration of how trauma can impact people within the same family so differently. Worth the read!

I was looking forward to reading this novel by Nicola Kraus. I found the start to the book to be quite slow. I would have enjoyed more character development. Overall, it was a good read.

Powerful and atmospheric. I love the 60s era and the family drama. Unputdownable story. The characters broke my heart, but they were completely relatable. I especially like the motif of family responsibility coupled with the idea that we are who our families make us. Inescapable past and all that.

A complex and dark look at a dysfunctional family made up of cousins, and step siblings and parents. Complicated secrets and false memories make up a narrative that often hit some high notes and sometimes fell short. But the overall strength and just living the characters do is tenacious. Its difficult to Like a book about a troubling and raw subject matter but this is one of those occasions. I loved the Epilogue and the inability to forgive but understand came together.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

This is not going to sound nice: The writing was simply not good enough for the heavy topics and to pull off this plot. There were a lot of characters and I kept getting confused about everyone and their relationships even though I read this in a very short time frame. I don't know what the point was to have all these extra siblings other than for more opportunities for the author to construct these strange, flowery, extraneous sentences that mostly just added to the overall confusion of the book. No one seemed to really "come off the page."

The worst part, by far, was the epilogue. I do not understand why something like this was included. It makes zero sense, am I supposed to like Jayne now? You go from liking Jayne, to being annoyed by Jayne, to hating Jayne, to...what? It is cheap and uninteresting. I do not know what this book was supposed to teach or do for me. Mostly I just felt sad and depressed because I am not a monster.

I received this e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Nicola Kraus is the author of The Nanny Diaries, but this family-focused saga is nothing like it. One flaky sister drops off her three kids at her responsible sister's house. The flake doesn't come back to reclaim the kids for several years. She not only takes the poor kids but also something else. The children are the victims of this incredibly dysfunctional family. This book pulled at my heartstrings. I enjoyed the characters as well as the writing.

I love a book about a new generation mining family secrets, and this one is very well done. The story is intriguing and while I didn't (by design) love or even like every character, they are well developed and I was interested in each of them and how it would all come together.

Thank you to the author and Little A for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Give me all of the family dramas.

When I found out this was written by the same author has The Nanny Diaries I was completely shocked, what an incredible range, but I also read she spent several years writing this and I have to say it truly shows. It is a well executed story with complex characters and really highlighted the ripple of generational trauma and how these cycles can be impossible to break.

I was enthralled by these characters, I had a mix of emotions loving them one minute and cursing them the next, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see where they all ended up.

This is a story full of hope and honesty and the resilience of the human spirit.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC!

The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus offers an interesting look at family dynamics and the challenges of motherhood. The writing is engaging, and Kraus's honesty about her experiences is refreshing. However, the pacing felt a bit slow at times, which made it hard to stay fully invested. While there are some poignant moments, the narrative occasionally lacks depth, leaving certain themes underexplored. Overall, it's a decent read that has its moments but doesn't quite reach its full potential. 3 stars.

This was a deep, moving story about generational trauma. I'd received a copy of it and had to put off reading it for a few months. By the time I started it, I had forgotten what it was about it, so I went in blind and was not disappointed.

The story follows a young woman, Jayne, through her young adult years into adulthood. She meets and marries a man while at school and they settle into a pretty boring life. Then her sister, Bunny, comes to visit with her 2 kids and a third on the way. Bunny has runaway as a teen to live a hippie type lifestyle. There's not much said about why she left, it's all very secret, childhood trauma seeming. Bunny eventually leaves her 3 children with Jayne and her husband. The aftermath of that and Bunny's return is the brunt of the book. Then we follow Jayne's daughter, Linden, as she grows up and then as she tries to figure out her family's secrets and work through her own trauma.

I don't want to spoil anything but there would be a warning of child sexual abuse. It's not detailed but it is talked about a lot.

There's an entire family of well written characters here and I wish the book was longer to spend more time with them. From Jayne's parents to Bunny's grandkids, they all have a deep role to play. The book is on the shorter side, compared to most novels now, and it moves quickly, making it an easy read, even if you're reading through tears.

I will say I've read other books from this author with her co-author and this was a very good book that she wrote alone. I can't even draw a line between this book and the Nanny Diaries, they're so different. And I hope we get more books like this, such a moving family drama.

A very special thank you to NetGalley and Little A publishing for this advance copy of The Best We Could Hope For. This one publishes on 5/6/25.

I got this a little confused and thought the author is the author of Hotel Laguna, a favorite of mine last year (aka, nope - that’s Nicola HARRISON), and I was surprised to see that Nicola Kraus is the author of The Nanny Diaries. While I haven’t read that work, this one definitely read as a tough contemporary historical, with a lot of really heavy themes. I felt really sad the majority of this book, so if the author was trying to invoke that response of a reader, she definitely succeeded, but ai would caution to make sure you’re in a good head space before diving into this one.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this honest review!

This book was not at all what I expected, but I devoured it. At its core it’s the tale of a family with a lot of issues. But this story goes deeper and shows us how the sins of the father are laid upon the children, to quote Shakespeare. The characters are varied but the main players are well fleshed out and plot moves along well enough. It is a family saga but it’s not the Brady Bunch. This book could do with a trigger warning as it deals with some sensitive subjects but otherwise it’s a book I would encourage anyone to read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Little A for my advanced copy.

I couldn't put this book down from the first page and devoured it in two days. It's a moving story of a family's emotional and dysfunctional journey and the lasting impact of generational trauma on their history. The author did an excellent job with the sensitive nature of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little A Publishing for allowing me to read and review this eARC.

This book serves as a cautionary tale. For those raising young children, it's crucial to heal yourself first. Understand the reasons behind your actions and move forward with love and peace. We don't have to perpetuate harmful cycles or pass down trauma.

Such a great read! Highly recommend this one.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book sucked me in, deep, and as my poor neglected family members will tell you unprompted, I could not put it down.
The book tells a story, and yes, that’s what most books are supposed to do, but I refer to the writing style: a story is being told, which was a refreshing break from what seems to be the norm/ in fashion. It is…sweeping.

We follow Jayne as she grows up a girl of her time, a time where her (half) brothers can do what they want, but she and her sister Bunny can’t, a time where a woman was destitute if not married. She’s send to Radcliffe to study, leaving Bunny behind, and to catch a husband of course. She does, but not one of the rich ones. They are, however, madly in love, and Jayne knows how to make ends meet.

Stepping through the years we see her husband rise to fame, and riches coming in. One day Bunny is on the doorstep, with three kids from different fathers. We see her leave, and Jayne stepping up to raise those children, and her own.

A decade later, shortly after Bunny suddenly returns, the perspective changes to Jayne’s daughter Linden, later still shortened to “Lin” as a teenager, a young adult in the early 2000s, as an adult.

That part of the book is about the children, mostly Linden, trying to puzzle together what happened when they were young. What REALLY happened, and ideally also “why”.

You see I’m trying my best to NOT give away anything of the plot. It truly is a book to experience, a family saga about trauma -it’s dark, don’t be mistaken- and how we carry things with us, pass things on. Also, how very avant-la-lettre to have a merged / nuclear family!
I started with saying the book tells. It does, but by doing so it shows beautifully how different children were raised now and then (and now again) how life of women has changed over time, and in what areas expectations are awfully the same still.

I absolutely loved this book, I was hooked early on and tried to slow down towards the end because I wasn’t ready yet to say goodbye to the family.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in return for my honest opinion. I’m counting down the days till publication.

PS: I have no idea what “the nanny diaries” are, so can’t compare, but from what I understand those are co-written and “the best we could hope for” is authored by one.

Good.

A well written story of generational trauma, loneliness, and grief.
The writing, the dialogue, especially towards the end, is really beautiful. The way it captures Linden's feelings. Just extraordinary. It (the writing) also gets progressively better as the story unfolds. Not to say the writing isn't good at the start of the book. It is. But it's much better towards the end.

Worth a read. 👍

A super cool book that I really liked.
Wonderful characters that are realistic along with their problems that drew me in immediately.
The secrets and family dynamics kept me turning the pages until I realized it was 4am.
Yes, I lost sleep over this story but I couldn't put it down until this family told me their story.
At times, very heartbreaking that I wanted to cry and others it made me very angry.
Selfishness is what I call it. Wow!
The author has done her job well if she's made me feel all these feelings about these characters.
I think the character I felt most sorry for was Jayne.
But I also admired her very much for stepping in. Wow! What a powerful story about family.
Certainly gives you a lot to think about after Jayne's story is finished. I don't know about anyone else but I still am.
5 stars fir a story well told and written. Loved every minute of it. I highly recommend.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

The Best We Could Hope For delivered a powerful and poignant narrative that delved deep into the complexities of generational trauma. While the pacing was occasionally uneven, the overall plot was well-crafted and kept me engaged.

The author's decision to span several decades was ambitious, but I believe the story could have benefited from a more focused approach. Perhaps dividing it into two books, one focusing on Jayne and the other on Linden, would have allowed for a deeper exploration of each character's journey.

The author's attention to detail was impressive, creating a vivid and immersive world. The portrayal of societal attitudes and historical contexts was particularly well-executed.

The book's exploration of womanhood, motherhood, and societal expectations was both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant. There were numerous powerful and quotable passages that resonated with me on a personal level.

However, I must address a significant concern. The book contains depictions of child abuse that are not explicitly warned about. While the author skillfully handles this sensitive subject matter, I believe it is essential for potential readers to be aware of this content beforehand.

Overall, The Best We Could Hope For is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that offers a powerful exploration of trauma and resilience. While the lack of a trigger warning is a significant drawback, the book's strengths outweigh this issue. I would recommend it to readers who are prepared to engage with difficult subject matter.