The first thing I am going to say is do NOT give up on this book early. I almost DNF’d it a few times due to feeling like it was drawn out and I just wanted to get to the good stuff.. something to keep me entertained! BUT the last 10% of this book is what did it for me. It immediately went from a 3 star review to a 5 star with the ending.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Special thank you to NetGalley, Mark Lamprell
and Text Publishing for the ARC of this novel.

Super enjoyed this read. It starts off as a fiction novel which depicts a more realistic picture of grief and loss, unlike some novels that you read today regarding the subject, and it almost has a thriller-type vibe towards the end. Loved it. Overall, the book came across as unique to me and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Strongly recommend.

This book starts off fantastic and finishes fantastic! And the in between part....you guessed it, fantastic! This book was so well written, it felt like I was experiencing the emotions that Birdie was going through as she mourned the loss of her husband and the role that he played in her life as husband and stay at home father to their five daughters. It's a complicated story at times as we see the caretaking compassionate side of Ned as he prepared Birdie for life after he was gone, but then we meet Marcello who seemingly also cares for Birdie (and for Ned). You add in the history of Birdie and Marcello and then start asking yourself questions about subtle things you'll pick up as you read and you will soon understand just how fantastic this book is! Another great one by Mark Lamprell!

I really like books that deal with grief and loss, as I think it's a glance at the human condition in its rawest form. This book has a pretty strong and heartbreaking start. It's nice to see this move away from the cookie cutter way that grief is often presented in other books. The set up was really interesting and so was the concept. The writing itself was good and easy to follow.

I found myself really longing for more details, or for the story to progress with a bit more urgency, and I feel like the first 100 pages really struggle to pull you into that. The book often told you "this was a loving gesture from a doting father" instead of being specific on WHY it was a loving gesture. Being told how to feel vs. the text just showing you how to feel through storytelling did take me away from it a bit. I also felt like its identity was going back and forth between "almost fiction" and "almost thriller" with some of the back and forth dynamics.

Overall, I wouldn't mind reading more from this author someday, as I did enjoy parts of this. But overall I don't know that I'd readily recommend this to everyone and anyone.

Time to read. Less than a day

4 stars

What a complex and riveting book. I could not put it down, I was so engrossed I read it in one sitting.

I totally recommend it to anyone wanting to get away from the real world for a while.


Thank you Netgalley an Text Publishing for the opportunity to review this gem of a book

Riveting, couldn’t put it down! No matter how terrible I imagined the antagonist to be he was somehow worse. Finished in two days and highly recommend as a fast paced thriller.

This book. THIS BOOK! I loved every minute of it. Lamprell’s writing is absolutely lovely; so descriptive and enchanting. I recommend this book to anyone, thriller lover or not!

For much of the novel, the story follows Birdie and her four daughters and narcissistic c-list celebrity mother as they navigate life following Birdie’s husband’s death. All the while Birdie’s ex-flame, who happened to be her late husband’s best friend, hangs in the valences. Watching Birdie travel this new life was so freeing, in a way. It was so real! Dealing with her four girls, aged tween to teen, her work life, her own love life, and her weird minor celebrity status as her mother’s associate drove her to her bed many days. But wouldn’t it all of us? Finally, when Birdie seems to really begin to achieve happiness and trust herself, the thriller part of the story picks up. I have to admit, I didn’t see it coming and I was rooting for the culprit the whole dang time.

10/10. Read it!