Day: July 3, 2021

I have loved each book in this series a little bit more than the last one, but I will admit to looking forward to the stories about Grace (and Lucy) the most.

From the moment that it was introduced that Grace had adopted two little girls from Vietnam, I knew that no matter what else her story contained, that I would be able to relate to her. And this review is going to be very personal for a particular reason.

Disclosure time:

My husband and I adopted our son from Ethiopia. He had just turned four when we brought him home. (Our son, not my husband 😊)

We had to go through adoptive parent training, which was different from Grace’s experience. But we learned a lot, including what it meant to be a “conspicuous family.” And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like – when the child does not match the ethnicity of the parents.

We have been fortunate enough to have lived in places where people accept us and where we rarely get a second look. In fact, we often keep a low profile at soccer matches because we think it’s funny to hear what other people say about our son when they think nobody is around to hear it.

Side note – it’s usually about how good he is (which is very cool). There was one time a coach walked right by us to ask our son where his parents were. The look on the coach’s face was priceless.

But I digress.

Anyway, I knew that Grace’s conspicuous family would feel familiar, and boy did it. We have had the “real family/real parents” comment thrown at us, as well as the “all countries of a region are the same” sentiment that Carrie exhibits when discussing the PTA fundraiser.

And, like Grace, I firmly put the mom in place with a few comments – when what I really wanted to do was punch her in the face. I imagine Grace to be the same way. I don’t have any sisters to help me out though.

But that’s why I was looking forward to her. Even that tenuous connection made me feel like I understood her better than the others. For that reason, I think I was able to also fit other aspects of her story into my own.

Example: my husband is still alive (thank goodness!) but as I read this book, he was in Spain with our son (soccer tournament – go figure). So, in a strange way, I could kind of understand Grace’s feeling of loss.

Tom sounds like he would have been a lot like my husband. A prankster, looking for the fun aspect of things, teasing and trying to make jokes when things got too serious. That all sounded familiar as well.

But mostly it was about the kids. That connected me to her character in a way I don’t think has ever happened before. Just about every thought Grace had about Maya and Cleo and her mothering them could have been picked from my brain.

Now, as to the book itself, it’s another great entry in the saga of the Callaghan sisters. They all make appearances and at this point, it’s like visiting with family you haven’t seen in a while.

I thoroughly enjoy how the author allows the sisters to continue their stories in natural time throughout the other’s stories. It adds realism and keeps the interest in the family. I mean, it’s really difficult to not like all of them, even as they are each very different.

The quick wit and sharp writing that I’ve come to expect from this author is here in abundance. Grace’s inner thoughts are especially funny, and I found myself laughing out loud several times.

What I liked most about this book, however, is that the author treated death and the toll it takes on those left behind with respect, but also with humor. Grief can take many forms, and everyone deals with it differently.

Whether it is reading a (questionably inappropriate) poem at a memorial or helping an old friend through an (oddly appropriate) interview at a school, Tom’s friends were reflective of the person he was. I loved getting to know him that way.

I also loved that Grace and Tom weren’t perfect. They weren’t a star-crossed, tragic, “meant to be” people. They just…were.

And I think the author showed great courage in how she chose to complete the story. In a sense, Grace’s trajectory was quite different from that of the sisters in previous books.

As Grace was using everything she had learned from people to move forward with her life, the hint of her future was very welcome at the end. I really hope we get a bit more of her in Lucy’s story.

Speaking of, after a drunken encounter on a historic ship (and an ensuing conversation with a child about mermaid features) I really cannot wait for her story!

Here’s where you can read my reviews of the other sisters’ stories: Meg, Emma, and Beth.

Author Bio:

Mother-of-four, gin-drinker, binge-watcher, receipt hoarder, enthusiastic but terrible cook. Kristen also writes. She has had short fiction published in several publications including Mslexia & Riptide. Her first two novels, Souper Mum and Second Helpings were published in 2016. In 2019, she was long listed in the Comedy Women in Print Prize and has since joined the Bookouture family. She writes women’s fiction and she hopes her novels have fresh and funny things to say about modern life, love and family.

You can find out more about her at her website: www.kristenbaileywrites.com.