Wonderful story that's really well written and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to read this. Thank you for the chance and sorry my review is late.

I really wanted to like this novel. Many of my friends whose opinion I respect raved about it, advising me to stock up on hankies and that it gave an honest portrayal of family life. So perhaps my expectations were too high, but regardless, it just didn’t work for me. There were too many major plot points that were left unanswered for too long, that by the time the answers were revealed, I just didn’t care. The writing is good, but the plotting needs work.

What a great book. I’d forgotten I’d got this book, hidden in my kindle library.

A story about Audrey and her daughters Lily and Jess. Her girls, now grown women, with daughters of their own, haven’t spoken for 28 years after an incident which is revealed at the start of the book.

As you uncover the secrets that have torn the family apart it heartbreaking. However it’s such a good story and read it in a couple of sittings as couldn’t put it down. Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book which talks about serious illness, miscarriage, suicide… literally has everything all rolled into one emotional rollercoaster and whilst it was an easy read, it was one that made you think.

The story follows two sisters, Lily and Jess who have no connection to each other and have been estranged for 30 years, all because Jess blames Lily for something that happened in their past, and can’t ever forgive her.
Then we have the mother of the two girls, Audrey and she wants to make things right, heal their family and do everything she can to make it so before she says her final goodbye. Add into the mix both the daughters of Lily and Jess, the same age, but they have never met, or have they?

I did enjoy reading this book, it was emotional, it did take in a lot of issues that need to be dealt, it made me cry and it also made me annoyed that these two sisters had lost out on so much of each others lives, whether they make amends is something you will need to find out for yourself.

Sisters Lily and Jess haven’t spoken to each other for around 30 years. Their teenager daughters Mia and Phoebe haven’t even met. Their mother, Audrey has tried to reconcile them over the years but has failed every time.

Now Audrey has ben told by her consultant that she has terminal cancer, and this prompts her to try once again to find out what terrible event caused the rift and to see if it can ever be repaired.

This book reminded me of Jodi Picoult and Dianne Chamberlain’s books in the sense that it was an emotive and well thought out plot.

One drawback for me was that I had worked out 80% of the plot before it happened. It was readable but I do like a certain element of surprise.

The relationships between the characters in the book were very realistic and fraught with regrets and recriminations.

As a warning this book discusses a number of sensitive issues: cancer, suicide, miscarriage and family estrangement.

Enjoyed the book. I found the plot really good and really enjoyed it. I actually cried which is really rare for me whilst reading a book! I also found the characters really interesting and loved the family dynamics.. Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this in return for a review.

This is a powerfully emotional, poignant and uplifting story about family and forgiveness. A family that has been estranged for many years has had a massive impact on all its members. This story will stay with the reader for a long time.

I highly recommend this book.

A well crafted story, full of twists and rug pulling moments that isn't afraid to tackle difficult topics. Anyone with a sibling will immediately identify with the family dynamics the novel tackles.

Well this is possibly the saddest yet most beautiful book I have read in a long time , I lost count of the amount of times I cried throughout the story, it really touched my heart. A story of two sisters and a mum's heartache of losing a child and the repercussions of a misunderstanding that shapes their adult lives. I will remember this book for ever.

I was eagerly anticipating this novel as I adored the author’s debut and I’m so happy to say that this was everything I hoped it would be. It’s the story of Audrey and her two adult daughters. Something happened when the two sisters were on the cusp of being teenagers and it’s completely pulled the family apart. Jess can’t forgive Lily and as a result won’t let her daughter see Lily’s daughter, and Audrey never gets to have all of her family together in one place. As the secrets of the past are slowly revealed I was just so sad that this family had allowed the inability to speak openly at the time had caused such a long rift. I can understand it though because when you fall out with a family member, the longer it goes on the harder it is to ever get things back. I thought this was such a beautiful novel and it did make me cry – they were cathartic tears though and ultimately this book gave me hope. I adored it and recommend it!

This novel is a story about loss, bereavement, tragic misunderstanding and family. Sensitively written it will tug at the heartstrings.

I received a digital arc of #IfOnlyIcouldTellYou from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This took me a while to get into but when I was hooked I did not want to put it down! An emotional read with a shocking twist. A book full of secrets and things kept quiet which have serious repercussions on a whole family for decades to come. How easily everything could have been so different.

I absolutely loved this book! It drew me in from the start. It was heartbreaking in parts. I can’t recommend it enough to people. Read it!

I will warn you now; you need tissues when reading this.
It was so emotional and is a book that will stay in my mind for a long time if not forever.
A family feud that started when Jess and Lilly were just 10 and 15 years old. When the mother becomes gravely ill her last task is to get her daughters to reconcile. Will it happen? Well, you will have to read the book to find out.
It was very well written and I would definitely recommend it.

This is a story of mixed messages, misunderstanding and poor communication leading to the fracture of the relationship between twins Jess and Lily. However it is also a novel of love and forgiveness and asks how far we would go to protect those we love the most.

The story is told in alternating time spans and perspectives and I found this easy to follow and to connect with each of the characters. I am not sure what else to say without giving away the story but what a complex family dynamic!!!

I enjoyed the story and the ending was well executed and tied up any loose ends.

Despite being a very tragic and sad story, this novel is a great read filled with emotional moments and characters you feel tremendous sympathy for (in addition to ones you wish would stop being so darn stubborn [aka Jess]).

A dying mother's wish is for her two daughters, who have been estranged for nearly 30 years, since childhood, to make peace. But there are so many knots to untie here from the family's past, that such a simple wish proves very, very difficult indeed.

Overall, reading this novel reminded me that although there is so much unavoidable pain, trauma and sadness in life, we don't have to make things harder for ourselves and our loved ones by shutting down. To lose loved ones young is a tragedy, but for the living to never recover is an even greater one.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

It is summer and my eyes are puffy and red, my nose streaming and I am surrounded by tissues. It is years since I had hayfever, this is just my reaction to the last few pages in this book. Oh wow!
In the first few pages of this book, I was horrified, my mind racing to make sense of what I had just witnessed, ok I wasn't fully in the 'know' but something was definitely amiss here. Then when tragedy struck the family I thought I had it all worked out.
From only ten years old Jess had decided that she wanted nothing to do with her older sister. By the time they were grown-up Jess was determined that their daughters would never meet. By the time their mother had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, she knew that she couldn't even mend bridges between them just to give their mother her final wish.
Audrey, Jess and Lily's mother was determined to resolve the feud that had eaten away at her family for the past 28 years. She was stuck in the middle loving them both and heartbroken that they could never all be together. Lily swore she didn't know what she had done and Jess refused to talk about it.
Audrey knows that if she can't get her girls together before she dies then the family will never survive, it will never happen. I loved the ploys she used, smiled at how she played situations and loved her cunning. At the times when she was growing weaker, they were her strongest moments.
The story unfolds like petals falling from a flower until finally all that is left is the root of the problem. And I cried and cried. Then I read some more and well and truly howled. Such a powerful story, such a tender story and If Only I Could Tell You, but you will have to read it yourself. Outstanding!
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I reviewed honestly.

This moved me hugely, it broke my heart, but it a really satisfying way if that makes sense? I devoured it in a day, really would recommend.

Well, where do I start with this review? I finished this book about 4 days ago and I'm still unsure if I've got my words right to do this review but here goes....

Audrey's family has fallen apart. She has two grown-up daughters, Lily and Jess but there is one major problem, they are estranged and haven't really seen each other in over three decades. Jess and Lily also have two daughters between them and they have never been allowed to meet either. A huge secret has torn their family in two for over three decades but in another way it's also keeping them together. Audrey's final wish is for both her daughters to reconcile and heal the huge split in the family before it's too late but Audrey has a major secret she's been holding so tight to her chest from everyone including both her daughters for months but will she be able to hold it from them for long??

As tensions reach breaking point, the irrevocable choice that one of them made all those years ago is about to surface. After years of secrets and silence, how can one broken family find their way back to each other?

Well what a beautiful, emotional and thought provoking story, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. I went through so many emotions whilst reading it This story had it all from family, love, secrets, lies, guilt, betrayal, friendships and taking risks with more sensitive and hard-hitting issues running through the novel in the background which all intertwine that make this story. They were dealt with perfectly and it was well researched and written in a very sensitive and compassionate manner and by the time I was finished it, I was an emotional wreck, my heart strings were torn apart and I cried for most of the night when I thought about how it all panned out after finishing it.

It is a beautiful story with heart, courage and hope with one of the storylines in it that I do highly agree with and it needs to be talked about more often and hopefully if more people do, maybe things will change?? I don't want to say anymore as I don't want to give anything away by mistake other than go and buy this book and read it, you won't regret it but make sure that you've plenty of tissues.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

"Of all the relationships her girls must cherish throughout their lives, those sibling bonds were the ones she hoped would see them though to the end of their days."

"Here they were, engaging in something so unremarkable in the grand scheme of things - a conversation between sisters in a bar on a Sunday evening - yet it seemed to Audrey to be one of the most vital, precious things in the world."

"If I could have given my life for you, I would."

Well. This BROKE me. I have never wanted to hold my siblings quite so tight as I did crying over the ending of this book.

This is a story about grief, about how a family can love each other with everything they have but completely and utterly fail to understand each other as they plug in the gaps of their knowledge about each other, as they tell half truths and as they all try to protect each other from harm. It is incredibly well done!

The story is told from the point of view of three main characters - sister Lily and Jess, estranged for 28 years, and their Mum Audrey. Hannah Beckerman does an absolutely astounding job of showing how immovable the logic of a child and logic born of emotion can be, and how unquestionable we find what we believe are the core truths of our lives from childhood. These are things that are almost impossible to change or influence - to even talk about. And when we all naturally misunderstand each other ever so slightly with each conversation, how do we keep our loved ones close?

Audrey desperately wants to see her girls as sisters again, to see them end the estrangement that has marred their family for almost 3 decades. This book follows that journey, as the three women try to face up to the truths they think they know about one another, about their shared history and about themselves. It is heartbreaking, uplifting and beautiful.

There is no doubt here, as you can see in the quotes above, that Hannah Beckerman can write beautifully. However, she also writes with a heart, a level of emotional intelligence and understanding of those complex and yet life-defining relationships we all have that makes this novel one which will not only stay with you for a very, very long time, but will also have you questioning everything you think you are SO SURE of in your own life. That is great literature - that ability to change you, to reflect the hardest and yet most simple of truths back to you so you can inspect them objectively for what they are. This book does that, and it makes it look easy.

Read this book!