This is a powerful and emotional story of two sisters, who are as different as night and day, but who are devoted to each other.

Amy the younger sister, has gone through a wife and mother should never have to go through, losing her beautiful son and husband in a tragic accident, for which she blames herself for happening. After winning the lottery, which was such a big surprise. She, Sean and their son Scotty, go on a trip and to have it end in tragedy was a blow Amy would never recover from.

Older sister Kristan was married to a successful developer Tony and she herself a successful lawyer and they had two wonderful kids, Luca and Livvy.

But the two sisters were not happy in their lives. They try to help each other. Amy has already tried to end her life and Kristan has been there to save her, but can these two sisters find a balance of life that does not need pills or other measures to keep their lives from spiraling out of control.

While reading this book I had the most emotional feelings I have had reading a book in a while. I connected with this book so much because of the tragedy and losses I have had in my own life in the past couple of years and I could relate to both Amy and Kristan and their feelings of how life spins out of control and where you can get lost if you are not strong. You have to have good people around you to get through the hard times and the good times and that is what Amy and Kristan were for each other. I laughed and cried and felt my heart break, but like the women in this book, I knew I was strong because I have good people in my corner to help me through. By the end of this book, I was rung out emotionally, but I was so glad I read this book. The end will surprise you and you will be glad you read it too... Be ready with a box of Kleenex and your favorite beverage.

Jamie Beck is a fabulous writer, and I can’t wait for the next wonderful book and what it’s going to teach me and make me feel. A Five star read *****.

Thank you to Netgallery and Montlake for the opportunity to read and review this ARC, for my honest opinion.

To start, this book’s synopsis needs a rewriting; yes, it mentions a “tragic aftermath” but that barely scratches the surface of the absolute devastation of what happens in this book. The author does, in the foreword, give a content warning. However I likely would have never picked up this book if I knew the contents ahead of time. I committed to reading and reviewing the book so I persevered. Grief is a main focus of the book, so be prepared. Mental health and addiction are also front and center. There is personal growth, relationship difficulties, parenting difficulties. There are brief moments of humor. The writing is good, and the anguish palpable. Unfortunately for my reading tastes there needs to be a bit more hope than what is presented here. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

What a great book. I am stingy with my stars but for me, The Beauty of Rain was a definite ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I felt the emotion of each character from beginning to end. Although I have not experienced the specific traumas or situations written in this book, I was able to relate to them in some way. During the grief recovery group discussion, I felt like I was sitting there with Amy and Declan. I could understand Kristin's anxiety from her job, home life, Amy's road to recovery as well as Kristin's own mental health. I just can't say enough about this thought provoking book by author Jamie Beck

I really liked this book. It was a contemporary women’s fiction novel about two sisters at the crossroads of their lives. When we meet Amy, she is deeply grieving from the loss of her husband and son in an accident while on vacation. She is unsure about whether she can continue to live without them, and tries to “fake it till she makes it” all the while planning to end her life. Meanwhile, her sister Kristen tries to do it all—be the perfect mom, perfect wife, and perfect career woman, all the while trying to be there for her sister. As the threads of their lives unravel in different ways, the complexities and challenges of life clash with the beauty that still remains after deep losses and disappointments. I found myself really wrapped up in the story and rooting for both characters to emerge from a darkness not totally of their own making. Jamie Beck has created a touching novel that made me want to keep my loved ones just a little bit closer and treasure the memories of those who have gone a little bit more.

This was a tough, heavy read, but a great one nonetheless.

The characters are well developed and the difficult themes throughout are handled by the author with such compassion.

You definitely need the tissues ready for this one but was a beautiful book.

This was a heartbreaking look at the relationship between sisters. Jamie Beck is a first time author for me and I found this book to be a well written novel, though heavier than I anticipated. The author dives deep into the way that we are shaped by our past and the choices that we make in our lives moving forward after a significant change. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jamie Beck writes beautifully again. Books about sisters always draw me in and I can never pass on the book. With that being said, you guessed it. This one is about two sisters, Kristin and Amy, who are trying to navigate through live just like all of us. Kristin takes in Amy which will cause issues for her life that she didn't expect when wanting to help her sister. Unfortunately for some of us just like Amy, she is going through an emotional rollercoaster with her life.
This book will show you how strong the sister bond can be. If you haven't read a book by Jamie Beck, I wouldn't pass it up next time you see her name come across. Thank you NetGalley, Montlake, and of course, Jamie Beck giving me the opportunity to read and provide a review for The Beauty of Rain.

The Beauty of Rain by Jamie Beck is a touching and heart wrenching story of loss and grief.
I felt so emotional reading this story.
This beautiful story of two sisters Kristin and Amy really hit hard.
I loved watching their journey unfold and feeling every single emotion that was taking place.
I loved this book and I look forward to reading from Beck in the future.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Montlake for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

As much as I wanted to love this book, I couldn’t. The premise is fascinating but the book failed to follow through on what could have been a great story

An extremely lovely and deep story witch encompasses the topics of grief, suicide, and family relationships. Initially, it is not an easy, cheerful story but one of deeply personal struggles, decisions, and fears. Along the way, through the story is the depth of relationships and the failures they often involve.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I started reading "The Beauty of Rain" on whim as the summary sounded intriguing to me; who, after all, hasn't dreamed about winning the lottery and having their life changed? This is the exact scenario that happens to Amy Walsh, a wife and mother, who's struggled with taking care of her son Scotty, who has developmental needs. It seems like all of her problems will be solved with this windfall, until she loses her both her son and husband in a tragic accident - which ends up almost costing her life as well.

In the aftermath, Amy moves in with her sister Kristin and husband Tony, and watches as their children Livvy and Tony grow up. It's a precarious setup, especially given how different their lives are compared to Amy's, but she makes the decision to leave and live independently, at least for a little while. The story switches between Amy's and Kristin's perspectives as the former deals with her ongoing grief and survivor's guilt, and her attempts to find joy in the life she currently has, versus Kristin's struggles to be a good mother, a wife, and a lawyer at a demanding law firm - all while caring for her sister.

There are some difficult and important topics that this novel covers, including loss and grief, financial privilege, suicide, sexism in the corporate environment, and the ongoing juggling act so many women have to take on day after day. While I've never been in anything resembling Amy's situation, I empathized with her and also connected to Kristin's struggles of being the perfect, high-achieving sibling. I'm not sure these were covered in sufficient depth, however, and I struggled with the ending. Beck's writing style took some getting used to as well, especially as the novel is written from a first person perspective. There's a lot of dialogue and the writing style feels rigid, which deterred me from reading further at times.

This is the story of two sisters, one whose life is irrevocably changed by an accident that killed her husband and son almost a year ago and the other whose family looks "perfect" but is unraveling slowly at the seams as she tries to save her sister, become a partner at her law firm and also be the best mom all at the same time.

There is so much in this book about grief, our sense of self and how it gets wrapped in others, about regret and remorse and marriage and having a child with needs. The characters are real and raw and the look inside their lives is open and earnest.

I loved the characters and even though i can nitpick at parts of it, I really loved this story, too.

with gratitude to netgalley and Montlake for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I am new to Jaime Beck but I am falling for her as a writer. The Beauty of Rain tells the story of Amy. She tragically lost her son and husband in an accident while on vacation. Amy has to learn to live again somehow with the guilt that she wasn't taken as well. Kristin, the ever-worrying older sister, makes it her job to protect and heal Amy. It is in the most unusual ways that healing finds those who need it.
This book had me sobbing in parts and happy in others. A true rollercoaster of emotions for both sisters and myself. I loved how the book was written in both Amy and Kristin's point of view. It helps see the story from both characters. I will definitely be looking for other works, both past and future, from Jaime Beck! I will also be recommending The Beauty of Rain to all my book loving friends! Special thanks to NetGalley, Jaime Beck, and Montlake Publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5 stars for me!
#TheBeautyofRain #NetGalley

The Beauty of Rain by J. Beck, published by Montlake, is a full-length, stand-alone novel.
An highly emotional read that had me in tears for the first time on page 5.
Amy is a woman who's whole world was shattered. She's broken in a million pieces. The story starts when she gets admitted to the hospital after a car accident. From here on out her story is told in diary style, sorry not sorry - no spoilers here.
Only so much, this book was a snot nosed, ugly cry fest for me. The story touched me deep, deep, was heavily pulling on my heartstrings and I loved every minute of it. I highly recommend this gem of a story, 5+ stars.
Favorite quote: " We do not know... that we will have a tomorrow ".

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC.

I loved loved loved this book! It was a first time read from this author for me and I’ll definitely be going back for more!
The book isn’t necessarily an easy read and it definitely made me ugly cry a few times but it’s so worth it. The only negative for me is the chapters are a little long

Many life lessons presented in a sisterly bond. Very emotional story that covers loss, grief, trauma and substance abuse. This is a very heavy read and I recommend you find trigger warnings before diving in especially if triggered by anything I previously stated. I enjoyed the story a lot and the author’s writing style. My one issue was how long the chapters are. I hate long chapters and it makes it feel like the story is just dragging on forever.

This book was great! I couldn't put it down! The premise was fresh and new, which is hard for me to say as I read so much each year! Sometimes it feels as though I keep reading similar stories, but this was a so original!

I misjudged the book by its cover. It is very straight forward fiction, not a deep or insightful read, just straight forward until the end. Some may take comfort at the ending, it wasn't for me.

The other day, while perusing NetGalley’s Read Now section, I came across the title of this book and immediately grabbed it. I am what you would call a pluviophile- a lover of rain. ☔️ I love rain and anything that has to do with rain, so of course I wanted to read ‘The Beauty of Rain’.

This book is about two sisters who are trying to manage their lives, and also trying to find their purpose. Kristin is a wife and mother who works very long hours. Kristin tries to take care of everyone and everything, which has her burning the candle at both ends. She’s used to being a perfectionist, but she can only handle so much before the stress takes a toll on her. She loves her sister Amy dearly, and even let her move in with her for a while- but did that cause her marriage troubles on top of everything else too?

Amy, however is dealing with a tragic loss and finds it hard to move on in life. Amy won a large lottery, but feels that it cursed her and her family and she doesn’t want anything to do with any of the money. She just wants her own family back. In the meantime, she tries to tell her sister Kristin, to slow down and value family more than her job.

This book contained many life lessons, and I needed my tissues for many of the pages (yes I was ugly crying 😭). This was an emotional book as it dealt with loss, grief, trauma, and substance abuse. This wasn’t a light or easy read either.

I enjoyed the author’s writing tremendously, but… the chapters were way too long (and as everyone knows, that’s my number one pet peeve in a book). I think I would have enjoyed this book more if the chapters were shorter and held my attention more. Because of this my rating is 3.5 stars (rounded up).

This was a first time read for me by this author, and I will be trying other books from her. For those who like emotional reads with strong sisterly bonds, this is definitely the book for you!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Montlake Publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. Publication date: July 18, 2023.

Two sisters, one with a pain so deep that the other cannot hope to fix her with love alone even though determined..

Two sisters, one who tries and gives so freely, determined to always be the answer, even when she cannot possibly have the answer, the other determined to make her see that life is short and too precious to be perfect all the time.

One sister, fighting to be strong and steady, before it all falls apart, the other fighting for space and time to figure out her path, when it has all fallen apart.

As they try so hard their life takes them on a journey that will see them find their peace, with each other, and those around them.

This book was beautiful, it touched me in a way I didn’t know it would, and has been the first book to make me cry this year. Read it you won’t regret it!

We are all just a moment, we are only here for as long as we can be, and yet we forget to take pleasure in all the things that mean the most to us, until it is too late. This book has made me remember to spend time each day appreciating the people that mean the most to me, and to stop taking everything for granted. Even when we are strong, we are weak if we don’t recognise the beauty in what is around us.

Superb book, #JamieBeck #TheBeautyofRain #NetGalley thank you so much for the opportunity to read this beautiful book, it will stay with me for a long time..