This was a hard book to read - I started it several times before I pushed through and finished it. So much of it is filled with grief, loss, depression, worry, etc. it sort of feels like the message of the book is “life sucks, then you die.” And while I do think the ending holds an important message, but to me it felt like ‘too little, too late.’ I have read other novels by Jamie Beck that I enjoyed, but I just didn’t enjoy this one.

This book will make you cry. It is so well written and I love the character development. This is the first book by this author that I have read and makes me want to read more.

“The Beauty of Rain” by Jamie Beck is a poignant exploration of the complexities of life, the bonds of sisterhood, and the unpredictable nature of fate. Beck’s novel delves into the lives of two sisters, Amy Walsh and Kristin DeMarco, who are at a tragic breaking point. The story begins with Amy winning the lottery, a stroke of luck that paradoxically plunges her into despair after the loss of her husband and son in a tragic accident. The weight of this newfound wealth and the accompanying grief leaves Amy struggling to find joy and purpose in life.

In an attempt to help her sister heal, Kristin invites Amy to live with her family. However, this well-intentioned gesture leads to unforeseen complications. Kristin’s career suffers due to divided attention, her daughter starts preferring Amy’s company, and Amy’s unsolicited advice causes friction between Kristin and her husband. Amidst these familial tensions, Amy is determined to give away all her money, believing that she must convince Kristin not to waste her most precious asset—time with her family.

The are multi-layered, genuine, and relatable. The novel is set against the backdrop of Old Greenwich, Connecticut, and it masterfully captures the essence of the place and its impact on the characters’ lives. The plot is a touching tale about life, love, guilt, grief, family drama, secrets, friendship, happiness, self-discovery, marriage, and the day-to-day struggles of experiencing extreme loss. It also highlights the special bonds that exist between sisters. As a reader, I was thoroughly absorbed by the story of Amy and Kristin. Their journey through life’s unpredictability is a testament to their love and resilience. The novel is a beautiful mix of hope, heart, tragedy, and healing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of The Beauty of Rain by Jamie Beck in exchange for my honest review and opinions. This book was absolutely fantastic and it touched me in so many ways. This is one of those stories where you finish it and it stays with you for a long time. Lots of feelings and life lessons in it. Read this as soon as you can.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I loved this book. The story's premise is deep and the way the author portrays the relationship of the sisters is beautiful. I did not want to put this down!

Heartbreaking, uplifting, and wise beyond measure, The Beauty of the Rain is a masterful tale rendered perfectly by an author truly hitting her stride.

BRB, crying while writing this.
Okay, I am back. I am still not okay. Will I ever be okay after reading this touching, sad story? Probably not. I hated this and loved this so much.

Grab the tissues because this book is heart breaking, but in a very uplifting way.

The story follows two sisters, Amy and Kristin, both dealing with their own emotional struggles.

Amy is grieving a tragic loss. After struggling for some time Amy wins the lottery and plans a trip with Sean and Scotty and that’s when their lives change forever.

Kristin has been taking on a lot without time to process everything that is happening in her life. Managing her career, family and grieving sister has taken a huge toll on her and is starting to affect her marriage.

These sisters taught me a lot about my own life. This book is a fresh perspective on life, death and just simply life management. We tend to forget the importance things in life by getting absorbed into the stubbles and our personal wants. We ignore our needs to rest, needs to laugh, needs to just enjoy the little things. This book will live in my heart forever 🤍

Sorry for the late review, but thank you to NetGalley and Montlake publisher for my complimentary copy of this book.
Pub date: July 18,2023

I DNF this book. I just wasn't invested in this book. I gave it a good shoot, but no, not for me...
Thanks to Netgally

I have been provided with a review copy of The Beauty of Rain from NetGalley for an impartial review. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Jamie Beck has outdone herself with this book. Her books have always been good, but this one takes her writing to a whole new level. It is going to be difficult to write a review without any spoilers. There is so much about this book that is thought provoking.

Amy and Kristin are sisters, each dealing with her own personal crisis. Amy is suffering from survivor’s guilt. If she had it to do all over again she would definitely do things differently. She can’t undo what has happened, so she must deal with her self-imposed guilt and try to go on with her life.

Kristin is devoted to helping her sister, overcome her tragedy. With a young family and a demanding job as an attorney hoping to become a partner in the law firm where she has been employed for many years, she has so much on her plate that she feels like she can’t do it without help. The stress of her job and caring for her sister is weighing her down.

This is an emotional book that deals with very serious subjects. At times I had to put it down for awhile and regroup. I can’t remember when I read a book that evoked so many emotions. There were times when tears were streaming down my face. The ending was amazing. It helped me to focus on my faith and my family, the most important things in life.

Thank you. Ms. Beck, for another wonderful read.

The Beauty Of Rain written by Jamie Beck was a powerful story of two sisters who have tragically reached their breaking point. This book was so beautiful, but so mentally destroying, it was such a heart breaking book which left no dry eyes in sight. <b>YES, I WAS UGLY SOBBING.</b> Although, I absolutely loved this book and so badly wanted to rate The Beauty Of Rain five stars, there were two issues I had with this book, the chapters were a bit too long for me which made me lose attention to the story, and the ending was a bit weird, one of the main characters died, but she was talking at her own funeral? This book does include some extremely heavy topics, (I will include the TW'S) so please read at your own caution. This was not in any way possible an easy book to read, I found myself crying with each turning page. The cover is so beautiful, which is the sole purpose of why I picked up this book, and as a lover of rain, it just called my name. If you're looking for a light read, <b>THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR YOU.</b> I have never read a book written by Jamie Beck before, but after loving this one, I will definitely check out her other works. I have absolutely no words that will do this beautiful and heart breaking book justice. Please do yourself a huge favor and pick up a copy of this book immediately, but please know there are very heavy topics discussed in this story.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND MONTLAKE FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

<b>TW'S</b>
-Suicide
-Substance Abuse
-Death Of A Family Member
-Grieving
-Trauma

The Beauty Of Rain is about two sisters, Amy and Kristin who are trying to manage their everyday lives while managing to find their purpose in life. Amy had won the lottery and decided to take a vacation with her husband and son, but that family vacation ended deadly. Amy lost her husband and son in a boating accident. Any doesn't see a purpose in keeping the lottery money anymore since it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. Amy decides to give her lottery money away to people who made a huge impact on her life, such as the library and therapist for her son. Amy's son had autism, so the library is dedicating a section in honor of Amy's son to help other families who are going through the exact same thing she went through. After Amy lost her husband and son, her sister Kristin found Amy on the bathroom floor after slitting her wrists. Kristin decided to take Amy under her wings after Amy was released from the hospital after committing suicide. Amy wants nothing to do with the lottery money, she feels like it just curses her, she just wants her family back. Kristin and her husband decide to let Amy live with them until she is mentally prepared to live on her own again.

Kristin is a wife and mother to two young kids. Kristin works very long hours, but at the same time she tries to take care of everyone and everything while managing her own issues, which leads to Kristin taking advantage of pills. Kristin loves her sister Amy dearly, but while always watching over Amy, Kristin's marriage is having troubles. My heart instantly went out to these two sisters, I couldn't help but just cheer them on meanwhile I had tears streaming down my face the entire time. It was so hard watching Amy and Kristin move through their everyday lives meanwhile they were struggling and grieving. It was so heart breaking reading about Kristin taking pills because she couldn't handle when things got hard, I was just hoping for the best. Amy decides to move out of Kristin's home because she found a little apartment for herself and her niece was getting way too attached to Amy instead of her mom, Kristin. As Amy promises she's going to be okay, she has a secret she's hiding from her sister, Amy hopes to commit suicide again. My heart instantly just shattered at that point all over again. I can't even imagine everything these two sisters went through, it was so heart wrenching to read.

I knew from the description that I’d love this book. It deals with tough issues in a beautiful but heart breaking way. I didn’t, however, expect to be absolutely floored by this book, I don’t think. It’s absolute perfection, and I literally grabbed my own copy as soon as I finished the ARC. I think The Beauty of Rain is quite literally the best book I’ve read in 2023, and I can’t wait to read it again.

I love books about sisters, especially ones where they fall out and then come back together. This book follows Amy and Kristin as they both try to support the other through difficult periods in each other's life. Told through both sisters' POV's, this was an emotional book which had me tearing up multiple times. I look forward to reading more by this author.

his was a very good book that I enjoyed reading. I love the authors way of writing this book, good descriptions and how the storytelling unraveled. The story is about Amy and how she has been trying to deal with what has happened to her. During the time that has been difficult for Amy she's been living with her sister Kristin and her family. The story shows how fragile life can be for Amy and how important it is to be loved by family and friends. Kristin also has her difficulties to deal with. The book takes us out on a journey from that accident and how both sisters cope with their lives. The book title did correspond to the story that unraveled. However, the book's ending wasn't as I had expected it to be.
I can definitely recommend this great book!
Thank you!
Charlotte N

This book was beautifully written and it was a tear-jerker. I enjoyed that it shined a light on suicide and drug usage and the pain that was endured.

Keep the tissues nearby! 3.5 stars

This book is both beautifully written and heartbreaking. The aftermath of a life-changing event, followed by terrible tragedy almost breaks Amy. In fact, she tried to end it all, but her sister Kristin found her and got her help. Kristin and her family took Amy in, providing support until she could stand on her own again.

Meanwhile Kristin is fighting her own demons. A career she feels has fallen short, her role as a mother sacrificed for her job. Her marriage teetering on the brink. She makes choices that maybe aren't the wisest, but she is doing what she can to keep her head above water.

This book is a departure from others I've read by this author, but the subject matter is handled very well and grief is pictured realistically and not minimized.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This is not a reflection on Jamie Beck’s writing, but I had a difficult time reading this book. It was well-written, but the storyline was heavy and difficult to read in a personally heavy season. I would like to read it again at a better time because I’ve loved all of her other books

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

WOW!! What a tough read (but in a good way)

I am still at a loss for words. This is a story of Amy and Kristin, sisters but two very different people. Each made choices that they had to live with and you see how it effected not only themselves but each other.
This story also touches on loss, grief and families pulling together.

If you read this one, I highly recommend to be prepared to have time to sit for a while because you won't want to put it down.