The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets

This novel has all the elements that, for me, create a great women’s lit book. There is tension among characters, a lurking past covered by family secrets, and many erroneous assumptions. There is consistency in the relationships and in their unfolding troubles.
It is a very well executed novel and I hope to see more of its kind from Ms. Fader.

The McAvoy Sister is a book about secrets (obviously) but it's also about trust, finding yourself, and how 3 generations of McAvoy women are badass!

I wasn't sure what if I would like this book, as it's a step away from my years of living in the romance world, and while this does have a little bit of romance, this book is more a women's fiction, which is a bit of a new genre for me.

So let's start with the matriarch of the McAvoy family; Meredith, after losing her husband at sea in a terrible storm, she still has two daughters to raise and needs time to grieve. Fast forward to present day, and 6 months after a stroke, Meredith is still struggling, especially with her memory, and after getting lost in confusion, and picked up by the chief of police (and thankfully family friend) Garrett Singh, she asks him to call her prodigal daughter Lindy to come home.

Delia McAvoy is struggling with life, a husband, a new daughter, a teenager, a disabled mother and the guilt and pain of the past, especially when it comes to her sister, that she kicked out of all of their lives, but that all comes to a head then Lyndi comes home, and Delia has to deal with the past.

Lindy McAvoy was the black sheep of the family! After leaving in the middle of the night 17 years ago without saying goodbye, got the shock of her life firstly when Garrett Singh called her, and then secondly when she found out her mother had a stroke 3 weeks before, and her sister never bothered to call her! But Lindy knew she would be opening a can of worms up by coming home, but her mother needed her, and after having her ex rain her clothes down onto the sidewalk, Lindy headed for home.

Brian is the teenage daughter of Delia, she is the kid that was immediately ignored by her mother when the new baby arrived unless she did something bad! And well hell! Bad attention is better than no attention at all right!?

So we venture into the small Pennsylvanian town of Port Loraine, and into the lives of a family that is deeply hurt by things from the past, but can they let it go before it destroys their future too!

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I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
I love relationship stories, especially between mothers & daughters & sisters. This was a wonderful story with just enough secrets to keep me turning the pages. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, from Lindy & then police Chief to her sister Delia & Brin, but especially loved Merideth the mother, who you just knew was the toughest and feistiest.
Wonderful read, highly recommended!

Wow...This book was so good! Don't be fooled by the "chick lit" cover, there is some real heft to this beautiful novel. Two sisters, Delia and Lindy, have been estranged for years. Delia, the oldest sister, has stayed in their hometown, and continued the family business. Delia is married to her high school sweetheart Dan, and they have two daughters, a 17 year old, and an infant. Since the birth of the infant, Delia has struggled to feel like herself. She feels burdened by continuing the legacy of the family business (a fish chartering business and shop) and has now had to start taking care of their mother, who just recently had a stroke and suffers dementia as a result. Meanwhile, Lindy moved away from home years ago, and is completely unaware of her sister's struggles, and most importantly, totally unaware of her mother's stroke and new memory problems. She has her own problems, with a history of meaningless relationships and a string of jobs as a bartender.

One night, their mother manages to get out of the house and wanders away to an abandoned mansion, and is found by the police chief, who unknowingly calls not Delia, but Lindy, setting into motion Lindy's return home. Upon her return, Lindy finds that her sister is struggling to hold it all together. Delia's 17 year old daughter Brin has her own issues and is rebelling against her mother, especially since the arrival of the new baby. Delia's marriage is also struggling due to her mood changes and stress level. Lindy takes over taking care of their mother, and the two sisters work to repair their relationship. But for them all to move on and heal, something that happened 18 years ago must be acknowledged, and then, confronted, by all three of them.

This book stands as both literary fiction about the relationships between these four women and what it takes to heal relationships after years of estrangement, but it also has elements of mystery. Why were they estranged in the first place? What happened to their father? Why is their mother obsessed with the abandoned mansion on the ocean? Why does Brin feel like her parents are hiding something from her?

The bottom line is I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone and everyone who appreciates a solid family story well told, with characters that felt like real people, with real problems, that I wanted to see happy at the end. Just read this book!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

I was very excited to read this book and it did not disappoint. I couldn’t put the book down. It was a very late, enjoyable evening.

Great book of reconnecting with family, forgiveness, laughs, love and caring for family when it’s needed the most. I highly recommend this great read.