I’ll be honest: the main reason I wanted to read this book is that I share a last name with the titular sisters. And I will admit, it was kind of odd to see that name repeated in the book. But that uniqueness faded as I became absorbed in the story.

Lindy left town over 17 years prior, which caused her sister, Delia, to take over the family business – something Delia never wanted. However, when their mother, Meredith, suffers a “brain event,” Lindy returns home. Her return is the catalyst for long-buried secrets to surface, forcing the sisters, Meredith, and Delia’s family to face the events that caused the family rift.

I realize that this description makes it sound like a simple family fight that the sisters need to get over, but it is so much more than that. The author draws so many parallels. One example is how Delia’s daughter, Brin, looks like Lindy and acts exactly how Lindy acted at the same age. Another involves a boy who Brin likes who is similar to a mystery boy from the past. It quickly becomes apparent that there is something deeper and more sinister that occurred to cause the family to split.

The descriptions of the repercussions from Meredith’s brain event are extremely well-described, and the imagery invoked in several passages made her experiences feel especially real. (They reminded me of dad’s health when it began to fail). But what I liked the most about the story is that the author didn’t get bogged down with minutiae and meaningless events; everything in the plot had a purpose (even though some weren’t clear until the very end).

I appreciate the attention to tying events together, which allowed the reader to draw conclusions (albeit sometimes incorrect ones) on their own.

And about those incorrect conclusions; I especially liked how the author planted a few details that kept me guessing up until the last page of the book. Although this wasn’t a mystery or psych thriller, it was more engaging than some books in those genres. It was just that well-written.

As I look over this review, I realize that the book is many things: a family drama, a cautionary tale, a mystery…but it’s all so subtle that it ultimately is just a superb story. Don’t miss this one.

The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets by Molly Fader
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book at first. What I got was a heartfelt story about family secrets and the lengths one might go to protect the people they love. I thought that everything from the characters to the plot to the setting was carefully thought out and well-described. I liked that I only got bits and pieces of the backstory as the plot progressed. The impact of the secrets that had been kept hidden coming to light was not unlike a storm crashing on the lake. The small mystery propelling the plot, and the role each of the McAvoy women played made this into a page-turner that I finished in a day. I highly recommend this compelling book. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. This review was written based on a complimentary, pre-release digital ARC of the book.

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