++ Content warning: this book implies vaccines cause autism. ++

I would have abandoned this after the vaccine thing, but carried on thinking it would get better. It didn’t. The writing is awful, more like a high school essay, with all the characters sounding the same. There’s too much “telling”, and zero feeling. More a collection of notes than an actual narrative.

Moreover, it’s the story of the world’s most selfish family, only concerned about whether they could go on their summer break, or this vacation, or that tradition than the fact that there was a global pandemic. Also, the main plot of the book (about the secret the grandmother kept from her daughter) was never resolved. I wouldn’t advise anyone to read it, tbh.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

UnMasked follows the lives of three women, Jen, Kylie, and Patti, as they navigate both the pressing pandemic and the generational trauma that has haunted their family. While UnMasked serves as a mirrored look into the day-to-day dealings many of us experienced when COVID first hit, it is ultimately a tale of uncovering past hurt and trying to break the cycle of pain many, women especially, have experienced. We get to follow the glamorous grandmother with a hidden past, the teenage girl just trying to make it through the pandemic, and the mother who has to do it all while juggling both her strained relationship with her mother and raising her spunky, outspoken daughter.

While the setting for this novel is one we’ve all grown to know quite well, the true gem is getting into each of these characters heads and seeing how differently they’ve experienced COVID. We get to watch them hurt, to love, to find something new and beautiful despite the dark times they live in. Each character has a distinct voice and individual thoughts on how best to deal with their “new normal”… as well as deal with each other. Each female lead takes turns telling their own stories and I couldn’t ask for a better way of storytelling as it allows us to really get to know them both as individuals and as a family.

Hurt people hurt people, and this was a main takeaway for me reading this book. The biggest hurdle is learning how to be the one who says “stop” and make life better for the next generation you’re raising. A novel for everyone because we’ve all had an experience that can resonate with this book, UnMasked is also about finding healing and understanding Rome wasn’t built in a day; healing takes work and time. The important part is recognizing the need to change and taking what opportunities life has given you to do better.

I highly recommend this book. It’s more than worth the read!

It was so interesting to read a book that had the exact dates and details of "when the world shutdown" - covid issues... from the viewpoint of several people in one family. I liked the concept and the idea of family secrets. I just found the writing to be disconnected at times. This effected the overall story for me. I'm giving it three stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review.