Member Reviews
I really enjoyed this story about a mother and daughter’s new journey after divorce and a cheating husband/father! This is my second women’s fiction book by Jamie Beck. She has flawlessly moved into this new genre. She tackled many topics in this one. I mentioned a cheating husband/father, but also, teen drug use and dementia. Her stories are always deeply emotional and extremely satisfying. Another great one!
I've read a couple of Jamie's books and I've loved them. This book touched my emotions on a deeper level. I was not expecting it to be as emotional as it was. Reading this book, not every mother/daughter relationship is perfect, but it makes me cherish my mom more. This book was well written and very relatable.
Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A moving story. Very sweet about mothers and daughters learning to love each other and forgive.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.
I received an early copy of this book from the author (through NetGalley) as part of her review team in exchange for an honest review.
This is the story of Annie and her daughter Katy as they adjust to their new lives and come to grips with the past.
Jamie Beck is a wonderful story teller! She touches on so many topics that seem to impact our daily lives. From dementia, depression and drugs to cheating, cutting and caring.
This book was so deep that it definitely deserves to hit a best sellers list.!
Author Beck is a good writer, however, I felt like the main characters were stuck in victimhood and resentment far too much of time. Too many flashbacks to keep track of.
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
After surviving a marriage-gone-wrong, Anne Sullivan and her teenage daughter, Katy, moved to Potomac Point, MD. I was hesitant because of the author’s use of the first person tense (not my favorite choice when I read contemporary fiction), but I wasn’t prepared for such an emotional story.
Lots of anguish.
What ifs.
And trying to move on.
This multigenerational story made use of a link to the past, some skewed memories and how it affected relationships in the current moment. It was difficult not to feel involved but my mind was overloaded at times. It was a drama-fest.
I saw Anne dredge up childhood insecurities, watch her tumble from a marriage and cope with a grandmother fighting early dementia. There was lots of self-analysis. Katy was overwhelmed with her parents’ breakup, her father’s new family, a recent move and a new school. Marie, Anne’s grandmother, was living more and more in her past; a secret was embedded there.
I have mixed feelings about Truth of the Matter. I liked Ms. Beck’s style of writing but I was frustrated with the sheer volume of stirring flashbacks. It was like riding a literary Tilt-A-Whirl. Dan, Anne’s contractor, along with Katy’s friend, Tomas, were the heartwarming upsides.
*This story is for fans of human nature with emotional send-offs.*
A big thank-you to Net Galley and Montlake publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The second book of the series, this story is an engaging read. Truth of the Matter offers a look into the life of Ann, a divorcee struggling to put the pieces of her life back together. Her daughter, Katy, is also struggling with the aftermath of her parents divorce. Finding herself lost in a sea of changes and challenges. Truth of the Matter takes the reader on a journey from sadness and heartache to strength and resiliency. The characters are well developed and easy for the reader to connect with. A well written story by talented author. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC.
Truth of the Matter by Jamie Beck is Book 2 in the Potomac Point Series.
This story is a stand alone novel, but I very much enjoyed the first book, "If You Must Know".
The author does a fantastic job of writing in the women's fiction genre.
There are several difficult issues addressed in this book: divorce, depression, infidelity and dementia.
The family dynamics are written so well especially the mother daughter relationship.
The story is told in three points of view from three different generations: Marie, Anne and Katy.
The characters are well written, complex, complicated and flawed.
The story is one that I could not put down and really enjoyed.
I look forward to more books from this fantastic author.
This is an amazing book about rediscovering oneself and learning to live life to the fullest.
Seventeen years ago, Anne abandoned her artistic ambitions, married her college sweetheart before graduation, and—like the mother she lost in childhood—devoted herself to her family. Now, following her divorce, she is eager to distance herself from her ex and his lover, she moves with her troubled daughter, Katy, to the quaint bayside town of Potomac Point, where she spent her childhood summers.
The story then follows her journey as she tries to make a fresh start. But it's not easy as she hoped it would be.
The book is beautifully written in alternating chapters between Anne, Katy and Anne's grandmother, Marie. It focuses on the love and bond between Anne and Katy. I just loved the character of Anne and admired how she deals with Katy’s anxieties and her grandmother’s hidden past.
It was lovely and enjoyable to read their journey as they learn to deal and face their struggles and discover the things they find joy and happiness in.
Overall, an amazing women's fiction book dealing with some of the real serious topics!
Thank You to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for this ARC!
This book hits on a lot of hard topics; recovering from a divorce, depression, infidelity and dementia. We also see mother/daughter relationships and secrets from the past. I really liked the characters and the strength they shared during the book. The story is told from three generations' perspectives: Marie, Anne, and Katy. Anne moves back to Potomac Point, her marriage in ruins, her daughter a fragile mess, and her grandmother lost in a fog most days. The characters are forced to deal with gut punching situations and all of grow from it. This book is a part of a series but can be read as a stand-a-lone.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC.
This book hit on a lot of my favorite women’s fiction topics; recovering from a divorce, mother/daughter relationships and secrets from the past. I really liked the characters and the strength they achieved during the book. Marie, the grandmothers story was very interesting in all she had been through at a very young age. This is second in a series but fine as a stand-alone. I look forward to more of Potomac Point.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC
Truth of the Matter is an excellent read. The author doesn't shy away from difficult subjects like depression, cutting, infidelity, and dementia. The story is told from three generations' perspectives: Marie, Anne, and Katy. Anne moves back to Potomac Point, her marriage in ruins, her daughter a fragile mess, and her grandmother lost in a fog most days. The characters are forced to deal with gut punching situations and all of grow from it. My favorites were Dan and Tomas. They were the most genuine and appealing.
I am a huge fan of Jamie Beck's work and was looking forward to this second installment in her Potomac Point Series. This series is a departure from her previous works, classified as women's fiction but still with some elements of romantic interest.
The heroine, Anne, is going through a divorce caused by her husband's infidelity (no spoiler there as the book leads with this). Yet, from the beginning, Anne is able to admit that she is not completely blameless in the breakup of her marriage - she is not totally a victim. She is also dealing with her teenage daughter's anxiety and depression and her grandmother's dementia - truly a "sandwich" situation!
At one point, I was overcome with tears - a little embarrassing when you are sitting on an airplane.
I was impressed with how the author tackled the issues of depression, past treatment, and teenage cutting with truth and depth of subject and encouragement. As an "older" woman, I loved this book that dealt with issues that affect mothers and daughters, of dealing with dementia and how a loved one's unknown past has shaped them - and how that shapes us.
Thank you, Jamie, for dealing with these subjects openly, honestly, and deeply and not glossing them over just to get a Happily Ever After ending - there is joy at the end of the book, but there are still a few loose ends that we readers can imagine the outcome.
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for giving me this arc copy in exchange for an honest review.
When I first started reading I was really into it. I loved the general idea of the book but when I got to a certain point I kind of lost interest. It took me a whole lot to finish it. I really didn’t like how the book ended.
As for the characters, I respected Annie a lot because she had gone through so much. She was going through a divorce, her daughter had a lot of issues, her father was emotionally absent, her grandma had dementia. She certainly had a truckload of issues but she stood strong and I loved her for it. At a certain point, I wasn’t really sure what to think about Katy. I had a lot of mixed feelings about her though.
All in all, I had a lot of mixed feelings towards the book. It was an okay read overall but there was a whole lot of emotional drama going on and it took away from the whole novel for me. I didn’t enjoy it the way I wanted to because I love swoony romance. I recommend for people who love very serious romance with real issues.
Thank you Netgalley and Montlake Publishing for an ARC of this book. The comments and review are my honest opinion.
Anne is a woman who put her career on hold to be a stay at-home mom. Now, years later, she is struggling with the knowledge that her husband has left her for another woman. Will she be able to re-start her career? Is she strong enough? Their daughter, Katy, deals with the divorce and her feelings in another way. Lashing out at her mother, constant tension and depression that leads to isolation and eventually ‘cutting’. The author deals with strong emotions in this book that many women and children face in light of a divorce. Jamie Beck has written a heartfelt book and she does an excellent job of leading her characters to find their inner strength to change how they are into what they can only hope to be.
Anne has a daughter Katy .Anne's life is shattered and she's getting a divorce. Katy got a yellow jeep for her sixteenth birthday. Anne's husband Richard has a new woman she hates Lauren. Anne had taken care of the home and family while Richard had his law career.Anne feels betrayed now. I liked Anne from beginning. I liked the multiple points of view. Anne's contractor Dan use to be a crush. I liked that Anne and Katy both love art. I liked that the tough subject of Katy's anxiety was explored. I loved reading about the past and Billy.
“Truth of the Matter” is the second offering in the Potomac Point series and it works well as a stand-alone novel. I did read the first book, “If You Must Know,” and enjoyed so much that I pursued other books by Jamie Beck, including this one.
Anne Sullivan Chase is at a crossroad in her life…and not by her own conscious choosing. At the age of thirty seven , her marriage has come to an abrupt halt due to her husband’s affair and initiation of divorce proceedings. Anne had been a budding artist when she became pregnant in college and subsequently gave up her potential career for being a devoted wife and mother. Now she not only faces the pain, betrayal and loneliness of being single again and her distrust of a new possible relationship, she is also dealing with her rebellious teenage daughter and her grandmother’s slide into dementia. The thrust of the storyline is how Anne addresses the needs of her daughter, her grandmother and herself…and not necessarily in that order.
The characters are well-crafted and I enjoyed the author’s ability to paint evocative word pictures. The chapters shift focus from the perspective of the three women and also reflect back in time to the grandmother’s life experiences which have been kept a secret until now. The impact of these hidden, significant events rippled through the family dynamics affecting the subsequent three generations.
I had some difficulty when the storyline got bogged down with repetitive emotional drama only to rapidly resolve the issues by skipping weeks and months ahead at the end of the book. The elements of the plot also seemed a bit clichéd with the workaholic husband cheating on his wife with a coworker, the protagonist who has devoted herself to domestic roles at the expense of her own creative expression, and the teenage daughter experimenting with drugs and self-injury in response to the disintegrating nuclear family and a complete change in her environment. These latter issues diminished my enjoyment of the book, but overall it was a good read.
Truth of the Matter: Potomac Point, Book 2 is a heartwarming and honest look about what it's like to be a mum to a teenager. A book that many Mum's will relate to.
The Truth of the Matter is a powerful story of motherhood, inner strength and keeping your dreams alive. Anne's story touched me as a mother more than any other book I've read. Jamie Beck skillfully explores the depth of emotion all mothers experience. From the need to keep our children safe to the perpetual fear of making the wrong decision, Beck captures the beauty of a mothers unwavering love.
This book both moved me to tears and made me smile from the hopeful exchanges. Set in the present, with glimpses into the past through visits with Anne's grandmother, the story is filled with fascinating layers of three generations of women. LIfe's challenges are numerous and Beck captures the complicated situations and feelings with her beautiful writing style. I highly recommend this moving tale for lovers of Women's Fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.
If you are a mom of a teenage daughter, this book is pretty much nails it. Add to the fact that the main characters are going through a divorce. Then moving to somewhere new and it is the perfect storm.
Anne and her daughter Katy are rebuking their life after Anne's divorce. Anne decides to move the family to Cape Cod. Anne, Katy and Anne's elderly grandmother are all going through many obstacles. Many times during this book, I teared up. It is real and raw. for me, this less of a romance and more of a story about survival and getting through life.