Member Reviews
***A big thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.***
Two families, two mothers—Rachel, the devoted homemaker, and Monica, the ambitious career woman navigating motherhood. When Rachel’s daughter Chloe finds herself pregnant, she turns to Monica for support, not her own mother. As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, the strength of both friendships and family ties is put to the test.
Jen Craven’s novel instantly drew me in with its smooth and engaging writing. As a fan of family dramas, I was quickly absorbed in the unfolding relationships. Although I initially expected a thriller, it became clear this was a character-driven story with subtle tension.
The dynamic between Rachel, who feels unfulfilled despite her role as the family's backbone, and Monica, who represents everything Rachel quietly envies, was particularly compelling. Chloe’s pregnancy not only strains Rachel’s family but also her deep friendship with Monica.
Despite a somewhat predictable outcome, the story’s drama and emotional depth kept me engaged from start to finish.
My goodness this is a tale of twists and turns! A modern day dilemma which I hope none of us ever have to face. There are two families intertwined in more ways than one. A story of friendship, jealously and the unfairness of life. All mixes in to create an explosive situation. Keeps you hooked until the end.
This is not normally a book I would pick up, but it sounded interesting. However it is a pretty strong story of female friendships, particularly one build as solidly as Monica and Rachel (yes, plenty of Friends references included)
My complaints,however, would be this: it took to 80 percent of the book to get to the big secret, the one that would shake the friendship. The little ones before were trivial and could be talked out. Also, the voice that the narrator used for Chris, one of the husbands, was awful and I hated anytime he "talked".
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook
I enjoyed listening to this novel. At first I wasn't sure where it was going, I thought maybe the daughter was taken or adopted and a vengeful mother was coming for her but that wasn't it at all! This was a story of betrayal but by many as there were so many secrets and lies being told and uncovered. Hard truths are told and it threatens to tear everything apart. (It even does for a while). This book is definitely for fans of Big Little Lies and similar novels.
A heart wrenching and drama filled novel about two best friends and the damages of hiding secrets. This book was great from start to finish! Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.
Without giving too much away I found this to be a fast paced, absorbing and compelling read. The story flowed really well, there were lots of plot twists to keep my attention. The further I read with this book, the better it got and I enjoyed it more. I think the author has set the bar high here.
Her Daughter
by Jen Craven
Narrated by Amelia Sciandra
Rating 3.4/5.0 Stars
This book is a book about liars and lying and waiting to see when all of the lies will come out. Rachel's daughter Chloe gets pregnant in college. She doesn't tell her mom, but rather her mom's best friend Monica. Monica keeps Chloe's secret for a long time and, well, Rachel and Chloe both have other secrets of their own that they have been hiding. There is a good twist at the end, but the majority of the book was about seeing what would happen and who would break first. Though this wasn't one of my favorites, it was still an interesting listen and is with it if the summary sounds intriguing.
Amelia Sciandra did a good job narrating the story and I enjoyed listening to her. I felt that she brought the story and the characters to life. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Bookoutre Audio for the chance to listen to and review this ARC.
I enjoyed listening to the audio version of this book, but I wouldn't call it gripping. Yes, I wanted to find out the answers to all the secrets slowly revealed throughout the book and I liked the way the author writes each chapter from a different character's point of view. The narrator did a good job of differentiating her voice for each character.
A really good read with a seriously dark twist. The story of friendships and betrayals and the close bonds between women.
This book was beautifully written and loved the different points of view. Enjoyed the characters and flew through it.
Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.
Pretty good listen over all, especially if you like family drama. The writing was good and made it so you wanted to know what would happen to the characters. The narrator did a good job as well.
"Sometimes the best things in life are the things you already had. The things you had all along. And now, the things you get back."
Attention all book clubs: ADD THIS ONE TO YOUR LIST BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH TO DISCUSS.
The perfect blend of women's fiction and domestic suspense, Craven cranks out yet another burning page-turner about parenthood, female friendship, the choices we make, and the promises we break.
A must read this year!
Narrated by Amelia Sciandra ⭐⭐⭐
Story by Jen Craven ⭐⭐⭐
This book was painfully obvious the direction it was going in. I understand at the heart of this book it was about Monica and Rachel but honestly I didn't particularly like either of them as people and this story was depressing.
This was my first book by Jen Craven, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was a book that I feel can be discussed in book clubs. There are so many important topics that can be touched on. This storyline was different than the norm. It was a fast paced and thrilling read.
Chloe was my fave character, and I found myself rooting for her and wanting to hug her. Reading her POV as she navigated her complicated teenage years was heartbreaking at times and heartwarming at others. I definitely did not see that twist coming!
I enjoyed Amelia Sciandra's narration. She did a great job bringing the story to life.
This book was beautifully written, touching on topics such as the dynamics of friendships, the trials of motherhood, and the danger of keeping secrets. This one will stay with me for a while.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.
This book took me by surprise. I wasn’t sure if I was into it then by the end I was hooked. I really enjoyed it.
This high quality audio is a pov story about 2 best friends Monica and Rachel and their families. Its full of unexpected twists and turns.about everyday life and the choices we make and the consequences of them. The narrator does a fab job of getting the characters right its truly sounds like gheor inner monologue. This took a little while to get going gor me and i felt it coukd have done with the odd chapter from the male characters pov.
I fid throughly enjoy it. Its a solid 4 star listen. Thank you netgallery publisher author and narrator
Rachel and Monica have been friends since college days, shared all their troubles with each other. Rachel left college early as she fell pregnant with Chloe, but still remained friends and reared their other children together. When Chloe choose Rachel to share a secret with will the friendship even manage to hold it together.
A great book with family, friendships and a few lies.
I listened to the audiobook and found it was read clearly with easily recognizable accents for each of the characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.
Rachel & Monica have been friends since college, and now as adults in their forties, their families are tight, too. So tight that when Rachel's daughter, Chloe, needs help, she turns to Monica. Put in the uncomfortable position of wanting to help a girl she loves like her own daughter, but also not wanting to keep secrets from her best friend, Monica struggles with how to help. Unfortunately, she'll soon find out that this secret is just the tip of the iceberg.
I really enjoyed this book! I felt like a lot of the twists were pretty obvious, including the big one, but the way these characters are written makes them feel so real that you're rooting for them. They're very relatable and you want them all to figure it all out together. The story does a great job of illustrating how relationships and loyalties change and evolve as you get older, get married, have kids, ect, and how you have to work to find what works for you as far as maintaining all of your relationships.
Highly recommend this ones for fans of family-based stories and Jodi Picolt!
Thank you @netgalley @jencravenauthor and @bookouture for this ALC to listen and review.
This women's fiction novel was such a realistic and beautiful read about friendships and families.
Two women who have been friends since college going through life. Both at different points in their life. Both wanting things that the other has. This shows their struggles and how they navigate them. How broken promises affect you. Even elements of domestic suspense.
The family drama was so well done and made even more real with the narrator's help in this audiobook. She did a fantastic job with the three different POVS.
There was even a twist that I totally didn't see coming.
Such a solid read. I went into this blind and was pleasantly surprised. I flew through it needing to see how all the secrets were uncovered.
This is a story that follows 2 best friends through heartbreak and turmoil.
Each friend has a different perspective on the events that unfold throughout the story. A big event threatens to destroy their lifelong friendship even though it was no fault of theirs. Can one friends web of lies break them up forever? This is a gripping book about family, friendship and how no matter what life throws at you you can overcome it with some reflection and forgiveness.