This was a good read. The character development was pretty good. I would have liked to have seen more complexity from Heron and I would really liked to have seen the mother's perspective as well. I really think that the story was well written and really brought to light this situation in this time period. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

After receiving a disturbing health prognosis, Heron is forced to come clean about the family secrets he's been keeping from his adult daughter for most of her life.
This was quite short, and a little sad. I guess however bad things seem right now, we can at least be glad they aren't as bad as they used to be.
Thanks to #netgalley and #scribner for this #arc of #afamilymatter in exchange for an honest review.

I agree with some other reviewers that more character development was needed, especially to fill in gaps. The story was sad and abbreviated. I felt sorry for all of them, honestly. And what a shock for Maggie to learn about all this when she did. Unfortunately, I was left with so many questions. I think the author probably told the story she intended to tell.

Three stars for this one!

I received a copy of the digital ARC via the publisher and NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

August 2025, DNF at 15%: Somehow, despite never reading a story exactly like this one, it lacked a sense of freshness — maybe it was in the writing style, because the present tense made this a great deal boring and too emotionally removed. But from the beginning I could see exactly where this was headed and it was difficult to convince myself to go along with it to its inevitable conclusion.

Truly both heartbreaking and hopeful. It ended before I was ready, which I certainly don't hold against the author. I would have kept reading. This is a quick shot of life for Heron and his daughter and ex-wife. As with a real person, I have compassion for these characters and want the very best for all of them. I'm disappointed in the how the early 80s treated human beings who are a little different. But this is definitely a recommended read. It isn't terribly deep, but it is open and honest and just laid out there.

This slim debut-novel really surprised me. It was a slow build, but once I learned the "secret" Maggie's elderly father had been keeping from her, my heart broke, and I was riveted. This story has dual timelines - 1982, when Maggie was just 4 years old and her parents divorce, then 2022 when she's 43 and a married mother of 2. Maggie learns about her father's illness (divulged on page 1, no spoiler here!) and, in the wake of that news, another secret is divulged, shattering Maggie's life, relationship with her father, and her identity. This story is based upon fact, and it's nearly impossible to believe that just a minute ago (in my mind!) in the 1980's, the world was such a cruel place, so filled with the type of prejudice, and utter ignorance, that fees incomprehensible today. I don't want to divulge any secrets, but this one was a fascinating and satisfying quick read, nuanced and beautifully written. Many thanks to Net Galley and Scribner.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of A Family Matter by Claire Lynch.

I don't think I was quite prepared for the impact that this short novel would have on me. I have read plenty of books about how LGBTQ+ folks were treated back in the day, but what really got me was that this was the early 80's. It's still fairly recent that we were calling queer folks "perverts" and a danger to their children.

In 1982 Dawn is a young and lonely mom when she meets Hazel, and enthusiastically starts a new friendship with her. It doesn't take long before realizing that there is more than friendship between them. But when Dawn's husband Heron finds out, and takes his case to the court, they are ruthless in separating mother and child, regardless of Dawn's devotion to her daughter.

Fast forward to 2022 and Heron has just gotten news that he doesn't have much longer to live. He knows that his daughter deserves to know the truth about her mother and where she comes from, but does he have the strength to tell her?

Every now and again, this was hard to keep track of, with the jumping timelines, but overall this was a powerful story with an important part of our history. It's compelling and well written, you will be able to finish it in a day.

This short book packs a lot into it! I liked all the characters in the book, even as they were making choices that seemed wrong. This would be a great book club book, a lot to discuss in the book!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading the well-written and gripping A FAMILY MATTER by Claire Lynch. I entered expecting a story of family drama and reconciliation and received ever so much more in a story that prodded my own family matters and the issues of complex and fraught relationships with the people closest to you and the secrets everyone holds from one another in the interest of perserving the way things are supposed to be. I enjoyed the story even as I cringed in commiseration when old business is revealed and healed in the current day so that people can carry on. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

I really enjoyed this book! I learned a lot about a piece of history that I was previously not familiar with. Maggie's journey with finding out about her family while dealing with her father's illness was fascinating and emotional. I wish the book was a little bit longer, I wasn't ready to leave the characters by the end of it. Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for this ARC!

A Family Matter explores marriage, divorce, identity, and the long-term effects of keeping secrets. In the early 1980s, Dawn is a young mother facing heartbreak and judgment as she tries to raise her daughter in a nontraditional situation. In the present day, Heron is facing a serious illness and finally preparing to reveal a painful truth he has kept from their daughter Maggie for forty years.

Told in two timelines—1982 and 2022—and through multiple points of view, the story gives a deep and thoughtful look at each character. Another great pick from Jenna's Book Club! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'd forgotten the blurb summarizing the plot by the time I picked this up and in between I noticed it was picked by a couple of influencers as a monthly book club pick. it falls short of being a spotlight book for me. Yes, it's really well written and heartbreaking. But it's short and could have been improved with a little more meat on the bones. I would have especially liked to see Heron's story played out with more insight and detail.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a small but fierce book! A Family Matter oscillates between current day as Maggie learns of her father's cancer diagnosis, and back 40 years when Maggie was 3 and her father petitioned the courts for full custody of her once he finds out Maggie's mother Dawn has been having an affair...with a woman.

Reading this as an American, I was stunned to learn that in the UK in the 80's, children could be legally removed from their mothers if it was determined she was a lesbian. I started googling to see if that also happened here in the US and shockingly -- it DID! I cannot even imagine how any justice system could not only think this was okay, but that they would rule favorably time and time again to keep doing it!!!!

Needless to say, this book was SO well done, so beautifully written that I was savoring the last pages of what was already a much too short book! I absolutely loved how Lynch painted these characters and their hurt in such a way that was so compelling and lovely. I don't want to say too much without giving it away be jeez even the last couple sentences spoke volumes of trauma and loss. It's been a LONG time since reading a scene in a book gave me goosebumps while tears streamed down my face. Interestingly enough, I didn't hate any of these characters for what choices they made (or allowed to be made for them), I just felt so deeply for their losses. At its core, this book was so powerful and poignant, masquerading as a family coming to terms with decades of (arguably) bad choices. I loved it and absolutely didn't want it to end. What a fantastic, sad, but wonderful little book!

Thank you kindly to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review!

This story follows a family through their past, the divorce, and into the present, exploring the aftermath. I believe the topic discussed in this book is very important and should be explored. I feel like the characters came across as almost clinical. There are elements of this story that I would have loved if I had felt connected to the characters, but for me, it felt like we, as the readers, were being kept at arm's length. This is a very short book, and while I love that, I sometimes wish some things had been fleshed out and the book had been made longer.

I think stories like this need to be told. I appreciated the story, and my heart hurt for the characters involved. It moves quickly, but the ending left me wanting more.

This book was very interesting about how a woman named done fell in love with another woman named hazel. Dawn was married to h e r o n and had a child named maggie. This was very interesting how she gave up a lot of stuff to be with this woman. Her husband was very upset with her.And did not want the child around her. It was interesting how they went back and forth in time and explained how this came about and and when the father was dying a lot more came out. The courts gave custody to the father and the mother justice appeared. Her daughter wanted to know what happened to her mother.But everything was kept quiet. This was the.
Eighties in england where they did not tolerate this type of behavior. She does reconnect with her mother eventually and it's very interesting how she talks to her. I think this is like a love story.About two women who really fell in love with each other and how sometimes marriage does not work. You cannot make a marriage work when the other person does not love the other person, especially when there is children involremember.. This was a great book

A very lovely and tragic story of a family torn apart by rigid and heartbreaking anti-LGBTQ custody hearings.
It was a bit too short for me personally.

This book had some heavy subject matter but it was well written and handly really well. I do wish the ending didn't seem so short, I felt like it couldn't been fleshed out some more.

Why does love and loss have to be so complicated and messy?!
I am amazed at the emotions that such a short, yet rich, story drew out me.
This was incredible!

Wow! Impactful for a short book. The interweaving story line worked well for the reveal and you find yourself invested in this family, even as the pit of your stomach knows it's gong to crush you.