This is a heartbreaking story about a lesbian mother in the 1980’s. Unfortunately, due to her lifestyle, she lost custody and all contact with her four year old daughter. Thank goodness people’s attitudes and acceptance of same sex relationships have come a long way.
I was a young mother myself in the 1980’s and I cannot imagine the heartbreak this mother experienced. I especially enjoyed the dual time lines that included 2022. The later time period focused on the child, now an adult. All the secrets and deceptions are finally revealed to her. The separation from her mother at such an early age was a terrible lifelong trauma. This was a sad story but one that needed to be told.

Oof, this book is so heartbreaking and so good. It follows a family torn apart by secrets: in 1982, young housewife Dawn has an affair with her neighbor Hazel, and the fallout leaves her estranged from her husband Heron and three-year-old daughter Maggie. In 2022, Heron has just been diagnosed with cancer, and he and Maggie navigate his illness without Maggie knowing what really happened between her parents.

I couldn’t stop reading this book. It’s amazing how much story and emotion and personality Lynch imbued this 240-page book with. Dawn’s story in 1982 is so tragic but also so hopeful and lovely: she yearns for more than the all-American marriage and life she’s settled for, and she finds a real connection, but she’s unprepared for the damage that connection will do to her divorce and custody battle. It was hard to read at times when people around her spouted horribly homophobic and ignorant comments, but it’s a reminder of how far we’ve come and also have yet to go. I found myself so angry on Dawn and her daughter’s behalf, and even felt some sympathy for her husband, who was swept up in legalese and the fear of losing his daughter.

The 2022 storyline was no less engaging and emotional. Lynch beautifully depicts the relationship between Maggie and Heron, one where they don’t always unpack things but they are always there for each other in every way. Maggie’s reaction to learning what really happened between her parents felt so true and visceral, and I appreciated her arc.

I saw some reviews that found the ending rushed, but I was happy with it. I thought we got satisfying answers and interactions, but I appreciated that it wasn’t totally tied up with a pretty now, because in that situation it would be unlikely to be. This book really got to me and I’ll remember it for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner from an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this novel! It is such a sad story, beautifully written. It made me angry, but also left me with hope of healing. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in return for my honest feedback!

I have seen this book talked about a lot in advance of it's release and I was intrigued by the set up of it. I really enjoyed the way it went back and forth between characters and time periods and found that Lynch did this masterfully. The way the novel starts with Heron both made me laugh while also enticing me to read on. Lynch is a beautiful writer and many of her sentences brought me to tears as they summed up so many of the intangible joys and pains of modern life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn a bit about the past while also reflecting on their own lives.

The reader is kept at enough of a distance throughout the novel that the heartbreak of the story doesn't become maudlin, but the injustice and frustration of the situation ring clearly, and the sense of all of the characters acknowledging that there are no winners in the face of this sort of prejudice and injustice. The dual timelines were handled well, and I cared about all of the characters in turn. Might have enjoyed a bit more connection to the characters, but being held at a bit of a distance had a specific effect that I think worked well.

Thank you so much to Scribner for the complimentary copy of this book!

This book is not a very long but man it packs a punch. And it's hard to believe that this is the author's debut. While this is a fictional book, it is based off of real life cases that happened in the UK and I had never heard of this happening to families which it would make sense given the time frame. Yes I am being vague to not give away too much of the plot.

I thought having the different timelines was smart to do. There are three point of views - Dawn, Herron (Dawn's husband) and Maggie (their daughter). Over the course of the book each character is grappling with something. I thought the author had done a good job with able to developing the story and the characters. Maggie is trying to reconcile actions that happened 40 years prior while also grappling with news concerning her father.

I had struggle in the beginning (not the author's fault but my own) but once I stuck with it and continued on, then I started cruising through.

Overall I did enjoy the book once I actually could focus and by the end I was invested in the lives of the characters.

3.75

Wow. Honestly I had no idea what I picked up here. I knew nothing going in just that I have seen such wonderful reviews for this book. I really loved how the author got straight to the point. It could have been 100 pages and hours of reading longer but I really loved that it was succinct.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A moving and honest story about family
I really enjoyed A Family Matter by Claire Lynch. It’s a thoughtful, emotional read that dives deep into the complicated relationships within a family. The writing is clear and heartfelt, and the characters felt very real—flawed, relatable, and at times frustrating, just like real people.
The story deals with themes like family secrets, identity, and how the past shapes us, and Lynch handles it all with a lot of care. It’s not a fast-paced book, but I appreciated the slower, more reflective tone. Some parts felt a little unresolved or underexplored, which is why it’s not a full 5 stars for me—but overall, I found it really engaging and meaningful.
Definitely worth picking up if you like character-driven stories that stay with you after you finish.
Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for providing me an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

A Family Matter has 2 timelines: 1982, centered on a family comprised of Dawn, her husband and their daughter, Maggie and also 2022, centered on Heron, who receives a medical diagnosis, and his daughter and her children. Shortly the reader can see how the timelines merge and all that happened to get there. I think this story is best read without knowing a lot. It is not a long book, but does pull quite the emotional punch. I really enjoyed this story and was horrified about how things were different just a short time ago. The writing is fairly unemotional and plain, but very effective and well done. Great debut. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy. 4.25 stars.

I enjoyed this book very much, and decided to rate it four stars! This book thoroughly examines one woman's affair and all the consequences surrounding this decision. This is a shorter book and a debut. However, I found it very full and rich. I feel that I got to know the characters very well. Also, the story itself was very emotional and heartbreaking, but very uplifting as well. I look forward to more from this author.

Emotional, layered, and deeply honest. Lynch tackles family dysfunction and personal identity with clarity and compassion. Some pacing dragged in the middle, but the character work kept me invested. A moving look at how families fracture—and rebuild.

Four Stars!

Here is my scoring system in a nutshell. Five star books are not only engaging from beginning to end, but they are also beautifully written. Four star books are well worth your time - engaging and well-written. Three star books aren’t bad- engaging but perhaps slow or clunky in parts. Two stars, I finished but it was difficult - something about the pacing, the story or the writing was not compelling. One star - just don’t!

5 STARS= Definitely YES!
4 STARS = YES.
3 STARS = Maybe.
2 STARS= NO.
1 STAR = DNF; Definitely NO!

Told in a dual timeline between 1982 and 2002 it tells the story of a now adult woman learning the truth about her mother who was forced to relinquish all parental rights and control due to her lesbian relationship. It’s a statement about how society has changed and the effects of societal rules in the lgbtq community from not so many decades ago.

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I wish this was longer to dive deeper into the characters development and not have the abrupt ending.

This book was such a pleasant surprise. I was expecting a quick read with no emotional attachment but this book was supercharged with emotion and reality based scenarios.

I didn’t really know anything about this book when I was given an advanced copy so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It’s an emotional story about the consequences of an affair that I wasn’t aware were common at one time in history. This is very character driven and while most of the events are just ordinary family life, it also manages to be very poignant and compelling. I hope Claire Lynch continues writing because I would definitely pick up her books again.

A Family Matter is a heartfelt novel that explores the complexities of family relationships with honesty and warmth. The characters feel real, and Lynch does a great job portraying the mix of love, tension, and hidden secrets that often shape family dynamics. The story flows smoothly, and I appreciated the emotional depth without it feeling overly heavy. A few parts could have been a bit more developed, but overall, it’s a compelling read that provides both insight and comfort. Perfect for anyone interested in stories about family, forgiveness, and connection.

A very quick read that I enjoyed, but wish there was more! It was very reflective of the times dealing with women’s rights, homosexuality and divorce. It handled these topics with care and neutrality, providing just a story without opinions. Good read!

Gosh this was a devastatingly good book. Heron is dealing with the weight of a cancer diagnosis and having difficulty telling Maggie, his only daughter. Maggie is a married mother in her early 40s who still struggles with her mom’s abandonment of her when she was a toddler. But what really happened with Heron and Dawn is so completely horrifying, and the fact that Maggie doesn’t know the truth is even worse. I hate that the law in the UK could be used to facilitate hate and fear in this manner. This was another good Pride Month read and an excellent Read with Jenna pick. Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for my ARC.

A heart wrenching and heartwarming story of love, loss, intimacy, and injustice. “A Family Matter” is a fast pace story told through dual timelines and multiple POVs. For a relatively short read (240 pages), there is a lot packed into this story. This story beautifully highlights the characters’ internal conflicts and demonstrates the long-lasting effects of past injustices. I’m not usually one to highlight in a book, but this story had so many highlights worthy passages. Also, the Author’s Note is a MUST READ.

I am surprised this is a debut novel by Claire Lynch. I look forward to reading any future work by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC. All opinions are my own.