Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC for this one!

I grabbed this one because the title sounded super fun, and I wasn’t wrong!

I had multiple laugh out loud moments with this book and many of the plot lines were just so chaotically insane that it was a fun step away from my real life to enjoy the calamity that was Dawn’s

This being said I found some of the pacing strange, the flashbacks in certain areas I felt took away from the main story and weren’t as interesting/fast paced taking me out of the story

This paired with the treatment that Dawn, Tonya, Bria, Sarah, even Dale put people through… it was hard to root for some of the main characters when you see how easily they’ll turn on each other and how much they thought about only themselves

Overall I think this was a really fun book, the story was compelling and the ending was genuinely so satisfying!

But, think of the characters less as hero’s, and people you WANT to always root for, and more like genuine people, people who mess up, people who are trying their best <3

Thank you to Lake Union and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This type of writing really irks me and I had to DNF

Unfortunately, had to DNF this one at 16%. I follow Leslie Gray Streeter on Threads and love her writing in the Baltimore Banner, but her writing style just didn't transfer to a novel for me. I also tend to have an issue with people/characters who are supposed to be mature grown ups in their thirties and forties who talk and act like they are barely out of college. This was purely a "just not for me" thing and I highly recommend her other writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley & Lake Union Publishing for an eARC ♥️

This book feels like catching up with an old friend—one who’s messy, hilarious, and unapologetically real. 🥰
Dawn, a journalist with a bruised ego and a suitcase full of regrets, comes back to her hometown only to find her past waiting for her like a bad tabloid headline. Her ex-mentor is making her the villain in a movie, her family’s a disaster, and to be quite frankly she’s not even that sorry about it. 🫢

I loved Dawn because she doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out. She wants revenge, sure, but she also just wants to stop feeling so guilty. The side characters—a sassy R&B legend and a rookie reporter who won’t quit—steal every scene they’re in.

It’s got drama, laughs, and that *oh-no-she-didn’t* energy that makes you flip pages faster. If you like stories about imperfect people stumbling their way toward redemption (with a little chaos along the way), this one’s a winner.

Sharp, heartfelt, and way too fun. Dawn’s train wreck of a homecoming is the best kind of mess.♥️

This book started out wonderfully but it appears the author lost their way about half way through. It was a struggle to finish.

I literally could not get through this fast enough just to complete it. I hated the writing style of this book from the jump and really should've given up on it but oh well.

Family & Other Calamities was an enjoyable novel - with some highly entertaining moments and characters. Dawn is an entertainment reporter returning to her hometown of Baltimore for the internment of her late husband's ashes only to find her past is being misrepresented in a movie about to start filming about a past local political scandal and the reporter that allegedly broke the story. Dawn and her family were incredible, relatable, and funny and they truly made this novel. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to read this novel.

Tenía muchas ganas de que este libro me gustara más. La idea central me pareció muy atractiva y tenía potencial para desarrollar una historia potente, con drama familiar, secretos y tensiones del pasado. Pero lamentablemente, la ejecución no terminó de convencerme.

Uno de los principales obstáculos fue la protagonista. Me costó mucho empatizar con Dawn. Sus decisiones me resultaron desconcertantes y, en algunos casos, directamente injustas con la gente que más la quería. Eso hizo que me costara engancharme emocionalmente con su historia.

La estructura narrativa, con tantos saltos al pasado, también me sacaba de la lectura. El ritmo se volvía irregular: por momentos avanzaba demasiado lento y en otros todo sucedía de golpe. Además, había personajes secundarios que parecían estar ahí como relleno, y de repente resultaban claves para el final, sin que se hubiera construido antes una conexión real con ellos.

Tampoco sentí que el título reflejara bien el contenido del libro. Terminé preguntándome qué tenía que ver con lo que acababa de leer.

Dicho todo esto, reconozco que la autora escribe bien. La prosa es cuidada y hay ideas interesantes a nivel temático, pero no fue una lectura que me atrapara. Si te gustan las historias cargadas de drama familiar, rencores antiguos y política emocional, quizás valga la pena darle una oportunidad. En lo personal, me dejó con gusto a poco.

When a grieving journalist, Dawn, returns home to inter her husband's ashes with his estranged family, she gets far more than she bargained for. Upon arriving she is quickly thrust into the spotlight as she discovers that the story that was stolen from her by a close friend is now turning into what will be a blockbuster movie. After decades of sitting silently with the anger and betrayal of watching Joe, her old journalist friend and colleague, reap the benefits of writing and publishing her story, she decides it’s time to come clean and call him out. This is a story about family, friendship and trust. It's as funny as it is inspiring, with a cast of very vibrant characters.

I really enjoyed this story and its characters, except for the obvious few. The banter and the inner monologues were written in a way that had me laughing and also wanting to jump through the pages and help find justice for Dawn. Though lighthearted, this book tackles character growth and highlights the struggles and microaggressions of black women professionals really well. I love Dawn’s family and her team of supporters who rally around her as she speaks her truth and takes back what is hers.

Family and Other Calamities comes out June 1st! Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for my copy; all opinions are my own.

Dawn hasn’t been home in a long time, but when her late husbands family wants his ashes she really can’t avoid it any longer. She does not expect Joe Perkins to be on her flight, or for her sister to working with him on the movie about his Pulitzer Prize winning story he reported many years ago. The story he stole from Dawn, but no need to get into the tiny details. Actually…yes need. When Dawn finally les the world know who did the hard work behind the story, chaos and lawsuits ensue.

Oh did this book make me mad! Well actually, just Joe did, but dang did he get me super fired up! I loved that we got a look at both the past when Dawn found the story/found out about Joe stealing it, and the present where she is finally sticking up for herself and letting the world know the truth. The relationship with her late husband’s brother definitely took a turn I did not expect, but I really adored how it turned out. This book will infuriate you for Dawn, while also wanting to shake some sense into her for some of her decisions, but hey, don’t we all have moments that someone should have shaken us out of? I really enjoyed this book and the ending was just perfection!

Thank you to @lakeunionauthors and @otrpr for my gifted copy of this book!

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I think this is good for the reader who likes this type of thing. I thought it sounded fun, and I'm probably just miserable. But I wasn't super into it.

growth comprising most of the visually descriptive narrative. Everything was done to keep me in suspense and intrigued as I watched this all play out that included witty dialogue, some humor and an eclectic yet flawed cast of characters that had pivotal roles in how well this story was being told. With each chapter read, I became more immersed in what was going on and couldn’t wait for the final piece of the puzzle to be exposed. Overall, a nice read.

Did not like this book as much as I thought I would. Dawn's treatment of her family and close friends was jarring to read. the entire family is bonkers.

Quite slow-paced but has a lot of witty dialog. If you enjoy family drama, long grudges, and a touch of journalism and politics, I say go for it! The book does have a very satisfactory ending and utilises almost every side character well.

i didnt finish this book, so dont have much to say. i thought it was fine but i just didnt care enough to find out how it ends so i stopped reading it

This was an enjoyable, fast paced, refreshing read! I felt a connection to the characters and the overarching theme of family hit home for me. I was thoroughly entertained and couldn't put the book down!

This just wasn’t for me, I think. I can see, objectively, that Leslie is an immensely talented author, but something about the prose and style didn’t connect with me, so it took me quite some time to get through this book. I found the main character difficult to root for, but I got the sense I was supposed to be rooting for her. That said, if you’re a fan of books with family drama, political intrigue, and long-held grudges, consider picking up Family and Other Calamities.

An entertaining novel about secrets and setting the record straight. Baltimore setting. Feel like this one will be one to make the rounds on the new book shelf at libraries.

'Family and Other Calamities' had all the things I was expecting, but it did left me underwhelmed. In my head, i thought I'll find something here where I'll be amazed and could be excited about but this was a bland read. This was like oatmeal, good for your body but not thrilling. But, yes, i would recommend this book to people who have just started getting into reading because this was in fact very easy to read and normal paced book. I did have a problem with time jump but after a while you get a hang of it. The experience was normal and comfortable, so all in all 3 stars!

Thanks to net galley for the advanced copy of “family and other calamities” which is out on 1st of June.


Brutally honest this wasn’t a winner for me, the story line was good but I just couldn’t get behind the main characters actions. I enjoyed the flashback timelines along with the current. There was some good humour throughout.
I feel like the end came together way too fast for it to feel satisfying to me.
Overall not a bad book just wasn’t for me