A beautifully written book full of hope and heartbreak. Two sisters that are at different points in their life try to find the paths their lives should be taking after a terrible tragedy. Amy finally feels like she has it all until a sudden accident seemingly takes everything that life has to live for away from her. Kristen tries her best to help Amy find reasons to keep going forward with her life all while hers is falling apart from all the stress she is under trying to keep everyone happy. These sisters have an amazing bond and if any two people can help each other it would be them.

This is one of the most emotion filled books I have read recently. It covers the topics of grief, marriage, trust, suicide, love, family and loss. Though these topics are very heavy this book is written with so much realistic integrity it was an enjoyable immersive experience that reminds us of how much we bring into the lives of others. I felt connected to the characters and my heart broke for each sister, especially Amy. Their stories were perfectly told by alternating points of view, giving both sides of the story throughout the book. The storyline is very well-conceived and extremely well written pulling you into the worlds of Kristen and Amy and feeling their emotions as they struggle through their days and nights to find the true meaning of life.

This book reminds us there is hope and meaning in life even during our darkest days. I highly recommend this powerful, captivating and emotional book. Just make sure you have a full box of tissues nearby as you read.

I am extremely grateful to Montlake Publishing and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this outstanding book. And, of course, I am so grateful to Jamie Beck for bringing these amazing sisters to life and sharing their story in this beautiful book!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a very moving book – and I had to explain to some colleagues on Teams why my eyes were a little puffy as I did have a bit of a cry over this story. I don't often comment about what I might think would upset people, but this is an emotional read, and so I would suggest that you read the blurb before you start. I think it is well written and it felt written from the heart.

Jamie Beck has done a wonderful job of considering a number of people's points of view and how the dynamics in this situation may play out. It is a tight rope of a story, and I was drawn deeply and affected by the content. I hope that you also find it a worthwhile read.

Beck rolls out the heart punches. It’s a heavy read that deals with death, suicidal thoughts, loss, stress, mild drug abuse, and a litany of emotions.
I could understand both sisters’ perspectives but I felt more of a connection to Kristen, probably because we share similar personality traits.
She juggles a million and one things and it was overwhelming.
In the end, Amy was where she really wanted to be, whether it was acceptable to others or not.
The prevalent messages from the novel are live life on your own terms and grab life because it could all end in a split second.

I have read every book by this wonderful author and enjoyed them all. This one though, wow. Just WOW. This in a heartbreaking brilliantly written story of love, loss, family, life, the highs, lows and everything in between and how we move forward. I felt every emotion. I laughed, smiled and cried a lot, but it was worth every moment. Love never ends or leaves us. Be prepared for an emotional journey that is well worth all of the tissues and the myriad feelings it will evoke. It is more than worth everything you will feel.
It surely was for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Jamie Beck for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an incredibly powerful story but is also very hard to read.

Amy and Kristin are two sister both struggling with life. Amy lost her husband and son in a horrible freak accident and Kristin is have difficulty juggling her law career, a mother, and a good wife - so much so that she makes some bad decisions. Both characters are so developed that you are feeling as much as reading Amy’s pain and understandingly frustrated with Kristin’s problems. The sisters lean on each other not always fully aware of what each other are going through.

I was very leery reading this all the way to the end.. it talks about suicide a lot and Amy’s struggles with feeling like she has no reason to live anymore without her husband and son. The longer I read the more I was concerned with the way it would end. The way everything seemed to get more unbearable for both sisters nearing the end, it was tragically beautiful. It was a tragically beautiful in the way that life always works out, sometimes the pieces just fall in place.

While a difficult story to read, I would recommend it to readers. I can’t choose a certain genre of reader to suggest this to, as it is something that you would have to be interested and willing to read.

Kristin has always been the responsible daughter, big sister, wife, mother and lawyer. This last year has been extra challenging as she helped her younger sister Amy cope with the grief of losing her husband and child in a tragic accident. As she struggles to make partner at her legal firm and worries about her sister's will to go on living, Kristin finds herself at a breaking point. I really enjoyed this contemporary and emotional story about family dynamics. Jamie Beck has earned a place on my list of favorite authors. Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for an advance copy to read and review.

Amy is struggling, after winning millions in the lottery, her husband and son die in an accident. Now her win feels like a burden and she doesn't want the money or to go on living. Her sister Kristin, her husband Tony and children have been supporting Amy as best they can during the past year. Amy was living with Kristin and her family when the story begins but moves out to come to terms with her plans for her future. Kristin, a lawyer on the partner track has had a rough year trying to make sure Amy is safe and being everyone else's "got it together" person, is keeping a secret of her own. Great family story. The last couple chapters had me ugly crying. I, too, dream of a lottery win but always put out to the universe that I don't want a win at the expense of family and good health. 4 1/2 stars.

Karen and Amy are both struggling in this emotional novel that will remind you that money isn't everything,. It's beautifully written with good characters and a plot that kept me turning the pages. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

The Beauty of Rain is a novel about the crushing weight of losing a child and a husband and the survivor’s guilt of being left behind. Amy and her family won the lottery, and she thought the money would change everything about the stress of her son’s autism and her marriage surviving the unexpected. When she chooses to pamper herself instead of doing a tour on a family vacation, she loses them in a tragic accident. Now she feels the money has a curse and is determined not to spend a drop on herself. The novel follows Amy and her sister as they navigate life after Amy attempts to end hers and how she struggles with her sister’s children and not being a burden. I admit that I have experience with losing someone who thought suicide was the answer. I have also experienced losing loved ones from illness or a random tragic accident. Death is a part of life, grieving is a part of life, and trying to understand why someone is taken can cause us to drown in utter despair. Though this novel handles a heavy topic, there is a bright spot of hope in it, and the ending is not quite what I would have liked it has been. It does carry a message of survival. Pick up The Beauty of the Rain on July 18, 2023.

I'm still wiping the tears from my eyes and the smile on my face will continue for a long, long time. I just finished reading Jamie Beck's THE BEAUTY OF RAIN and this story of Amy and Kristin, two very different and very close sisters will stay with me as a beautiful reminder of how our choices shape and determine the way we live for and with ourselves and with one another. As brutally honest and clear-sighted compassionate as other of Beck's books, this one will stand out for me given my own relationships and work. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Two devoted sisters at a tragic breaking point discover the beautiful and painful truths of being alive in a powerful novel by Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Jamie Beck. Winning the lottery changed Amy Walsh’s life, but the cost was greater than she could bear. In the aftermath, she struggles to find joy and purpose. Only one thing feels certain now―she will never spend one cent of the prize money on herself. Worried, her older sister, Kristin DeMarco, invites Amy to live with her family while she heals. Unfortunately, this arrangement leads to trouble for Divided focus affects her career. Her daughter prefers Amy to her. And Amy’s unsolicited opinions provoke tension between Kristin and her husband. Meanwhile, Amy is making drastic plans of her own, which include giving away all her money. But first she must convince Kristin not to squander her most valuable asset―time with her family. As the sisters help each other reimagine their futures, life’s unpredictability sends them to surprising places that test their love and resilience. Will they learn to live in the now, before it’s too late?

I feel like this story was chockfull of life lessons. It did not take away from the impact that the story had on me. I loved it from start to finish.

Title: The Beauty of Rain-a standalone
Release date: 7/18/23, read 7/11/23
Author: Jamie Beck, new author for me
Book cover: ok, but the description is what brought me in
Format: e-book
Page Count: 327
POV: dual - both heroines Amy and Kristin
Genre: Women's Fiction
Tropes: marriage/divorce, mental illness, grief
Rating: 4*
Source: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are my own.

Quick summary: Amy had the best and worse things happen to her. Lost in grief she tries to end it all but thinks of her sister Kristin. Her older sister has her own battles with making partner at the firm and being a wife and mother. She feels responsible to help Amy and moves her in to heal from her trauma.

Content warnings/triggers: prescription drug abuse, suicide ideation, survivor's guilt

Characters: Main and Minor
Amy Walsh- won millions from the lottery and wants to squander it all
Kristin DeMarco-a successful lawyer, workaholic/perfectionist w/ her own secrets
Sean and Scotty-Amy's husband and son
Tony, Livvy, Luca-Kristin's husband and 2 kids

Review: It was extremely hard reading this because it hit home. I am a suicide survivor who felt exactly like both sisters at one time or another. I hit rock bottom and my family was the saving grace for me. Through therapy and medication, I've come out the other side. You have to be READY for a read so emotional and heartbreaking.

A beautifully written family drama of love and loss. The author draws you in to the lives of both main characters and the struggles they face. Thank you to Montlake Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of The Beauty of Rain by Jamie Beck

I received a digital from Montlake through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Trigger Warnings: Suicidal ideation, and prescription drug abuse - ( explained in the Author’s Note in the beginning of the book).

This story is an honest, and heart-breaking look at what grief does to a family in the first year after loss. The story opens on the first anniversary of the deaths of Amy’s husband, and son. The reader then follows Amy, and her sister, Kristin, back and forward in time to see what happened leading up to that specific day. If I say more, I will give spoilers.

The Beauty of Rain is an extremely emotional read. I feel it is an important one though, especially for those who have lost loved ones. For me, it put a lot of my own emotions into words that I had difficulty finding before.

Beck's Most Powerful Book To Date. Somewhat surprisingly, I seem to either own and/ or have read every single book Beck has put out to date - and I think there's only four (the Cabot trilogy + In The Cards) that I haven't actually read yet. So I can absolutely speak with a degree of authority on that title here in particular. With her move towards women's fiction over the last few years, after spending her earlier career in romance novels, Beck has seemingly been working to exactly what she pulled off here - a balls to the wall, full out emotional rollercoaster that has the sheer power of the best coasters around, even Universal Orlando's Velocicoaster (my personal standard for most powerful coaster online today).

To be clear, those struggling with suicidal ideation should absolutely steer clear of this book, as that subject plays a substantial and substantially heavy role in this tale - and which Beck herself makes clear in a forward to the book.

Also, this book is nearly black hole heavy, with a few jokes and other lighter moments thrown in, but the emotional weight of all that has happened before this book and is happening during this book truly is some *heavy* stuff - and indeed that is one of the things that makes this book so great. Because even while it is indeed so heavy, it never feels oppressive or hopeless. Quite the opposite - Beck does a tremendous job of showing the hope even in the depths of such tragedy and misfortune.

Overall, if you're looking for something more light and fluffy, go with one of Beck's earlier books. But if you're ready to see some hope even in some of the darkest times that normal people do in fact experience... maybe you're ready for this book. Very much recommended.

P.S.: While this book does in fact mention COVID, it is in the period before the events of this book, and while the events that play out in that period are significant here - COVID never really is, thus I did *not* deduct a star there.

Also, the struggles of parents of Autistic children is a major storyline in this book, and for my fellow Autistics as well as our parents, I want to point out just how *real* that story does in fact play out. Yes, at times it seems like Beck may be following that agency that claims to "Speak" for Autism (yet is actually the Autistic community's KKK, according to many of us) and their "hopeless" commercial (one of the things we hate so much about them), but I need to stress here that there is no mention of that organization or even that idea. There is no child endangerment or abuse here. No so-called "Applied Behavioral Analysis" that so many of us in the community consider to be active child abuse. Certainly no filicide that is all too rampant among far too many parents. Instead, Beck shows a very real view of a parent just trying to do her best for her Autistic child. And indeed, even when looking for positive, Autistic Adult created and/ or inspired resources for parents, *even as someone who was once plugged into various Autism advocacy networks*... it was shockingly difficult to find something so basic "Here's some resources if you think your child may have Autism" from the more respected organizations. And y'all... that's on us. We need to create those resources to help these exact types of parents and prevent them from becoming the parents who actively harm their children.

But again: Unless you're struggling with suicidal ideation... read this book. It really is Beck's Most Powerful Book To Date.

Jamie Beck is new to me as an author, but I'll definitely be reading more of her work. I loved this story of two very different sisters and the love they share. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!

WOW! This was an amazing, well written and truly emotional story. It tugged at my heartstrings and I couldn't put it down. It resonated with me on a personal level for many different reasons.
What would you do if you lost your husband and son in an accident? How would it change your life?
For Amy everyday has become a struggle since the loss of Sean and Scotty.
Kristin is struggling dealing with her job, marriage and children. As well as constantly worrying about her sister Amy.
A realistic, thought provoking, heartbreaking story that had me smiling and yes crying.
Grief, marriage, loss, love, family.
It made me realize how we take everything for granted. Stop and spend time with loved ones. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Live for the day, the moment.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

4.5 stars: Amy asks her husband…”Do I have a choice?” and he tells her “Every single day.” What would you do if you lost everything you love? Amy won the lottery, $22 million, and she is thrilled. She plans a Caribbean vacation for herself, her husband, and her autistic son. At the hotel, she is tired and just needs a break. Her husband tells her to go to the spa for the day while he takes their son on a boat trip. Tragedy ensues and Amy can’t forgive herself. She decides she can’t live without her family, and the lottery money is cursed. This novel is heartbreaking in so many ways, but so very well written. The characters make you feel as if they are your family, I found myself rooting for them through the whole book. Be prepared with some Kleenex for this one is emotional, but well worth the read. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of the ARC.

This was a compelling and emotional read. It’s told through the POV of sisters, Amy and Kristen. Beck has carefully crafted two flawed and relatable characters who are each struggling in life. The story is layered with grief, family, and motherhood. My heart broke a lot for these two women and I suggest having tissues handy.

The premise of the book was unique and Intrigued me, a women planning her own suicide. My heart broke her Amy, she was heartbroken after losing her son and husband. I also appreciated the representation of autism in the novel. I really enjoyed the writing as well. Overall, I liked it.