3.5 / 5
As a mother, this book really pulled on my heartstrings, and had me deep in thought the whole time. From beginning to end, I kept wondering what I would do as a mother, as a wife and as a friend if facing the same situations. Told by 6 different POVs, this story is about how one event can change so many intertwined lives in different ways. The best way to describe this book...it reminded me of the television show "13 Reasons Why". The conflicts the characters deal with are so real, and the author does a good job making you feel connected and sympathetic. I had such a hard time deciding who I would side with, and I kept flip flopping after reading from a different POV.

I did find myself wanting to learn more about one character, Jules, a young woman who married her professor after he got her pregnant. There wasn't much character building for her, yet she was pretty important to the story line. The ending fell a bit short for me because I was hoping for more closure between two main characters. Overall, it was well written with emotional topics that get you thinking.

**Spoilers**

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC of Such A Good Family by Caitlin Weaver.

Can I give a book 10 stars because this is it! Hands down the best read of 2024. Completely devourable in a day.

Most people dream of a perfect house in a perfect neighborhood. This comes with perfect friends and children who inevitably become life long besties who continue on to be the same carbon copies with socio-economic status and a life of with no complications and clout but also the low key drama that feeds the upper echelon. That is until they are the drama.

Summer and Knox grew up as neighbors and best friends with parents who were involved without being involved. Everything was perfect and they started dating as if the stars aligned just for them. Their mothers started planning futures and grandchildren before they could even cross the stage of their High School graduation. That is until the perfection bubble pops and everyone is at odds. Summer discloses an inappropriate sexual encounter with Knox and everyone’s world tilts. Is a muted no still a no?

Families are left at odds, friendships divided, and an entire perfect community shaken. Old trauma comes to light and things are lost among the whispers and shaming. Will another perfect all American boy take what he wants and walk away unscathed?

Weaver sets an amazing plot line. Adult responsibilities be damned I could have finished this in a day. Who is the victim .. Summer, Knox, or both? Is this a: “boys will be boys” situation or a scorned girl crying wolf? This book is an absolute must read. If you were a fan of A Good Neighbor this is the book for you.

Pub Date: June 12, 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is fully on me but when I saw the genre was "mystery/thriller" and read the synopsis I thought that Knox killed Summer or something, or that the book was trying to solve a mystery. I fully got that wrong.

The book is about best friends Lorrie and Eden and their children Knox and Summer. Knox and Summer date, and one day Summer reports being sexually assaulted by Knox. The rest of the book is about the consequences of that accusation, from the perspective of the moms, children, brother, and neighbor. The book is heartbreaking but so captivating--I couldn't put it down.

The repercussions felt very real as each character dealt with it in their own way, having to navigate a complex series of emotions. I loved Archie's (Knox's brother) perspective as it added a lot to the story. I will say that I don't fully understand Jules' place in the story? The whole thing about her getting married to her professor after he got her pregnant didn't sit right with me, and that issue wasn't dealt with at all. As a character she didn't add a whole lot.

Overall, I enjoyed (probably not the right word) this book and recommend it to those who are also intrigued by it and can read the sensitive subject matter. Don't make the same mistake I did though, this book is more of a family drama than a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley + Storm Publishing for this arc!

Book: Such A Good Family
Author: Caitlin Weaver
Publishing On: June 12th, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5(3.5/5)
Review:
⚠️ Trigger warning ⚠️ : SA. Don't read this if SA is a trigger for you. Should be in the description.

I enjoyed the writing style. The story flowed well. Lots of POVs. The characters are well-written. If I knew that the main plot point revolved around SA I probably wouldn't have picked up this book based on my own past. However, this book shines a light on topics that should be talked about more.


Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, & the author for this eARC.

#SuchaGoodFamily #NetGalley #StormPublishing

Family drama is something I will never grow tired of, and that certainly helps my case here and kept me entertained with this book. I feel like characters in family dramas, especially those with scandalous stories, are like my neighbors or people I know in a small town (as I live in one). Reading these types of books, this one especially,

Such A Good Family
By: Caitlin Weaver

4 Stars

Lorrie and Eden are neighbors and best friends. They have dinners together and raise their kids together. One day, their perfect life is shattered. One accusation has the power to change many lives.

This was a story that was meant to compel and captivate. It was a book that carried so much emotion that it was easy to be swept up in the drama. I loved the characters and the storyline. This book was full of drama and written well. It was an emotional roller-coaster that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. This book talks about a rather taboo subject, but it is one that needs to be addressed and in this book with Summer, Archie, Knox, and all the other characters, it was and it was done well.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

First of all I want to thank NetGalley, Storm Publishing and of course Caitlin Weaver for allowing me to read the ARC of "Such a good family" in exchange for an honest review.

Before I continue, I must say this was a very hard and difficult book to read for me because of the content it did dive into, SA and consent, however, it was sensitively handled, with a lot of bitter truths as well (best example being Eden and her story).

It begins with two mothers, living their life and although both have their problems, they did seem mundane, something married life and being mothers does seem to bring with it. Their children, Knox and Summer, begin dating and while it seems to be a sweet romance of childhood friends finally getting together, it all ends when Eden rushes to the hospital after a call from a neighbour to find her daughter there, revealing to her mother that she had been assaulted by her boyfriend.

As one might assume, this splits the best friends and mothers, one who stands by her daughter, the other who believes her son. And so the investigation for the truth begins, exposing that not everything is as it does seem on first glance, exposing husbands and wives all the same and their darkest secrets they have not wanted to fight the light of the day.

I did really enjoy the character development, the indepth relationship developments and I loved that the victim was given a voice, something many do not find after such a tragedy.

It is a raw and dramatic exposure of what many go through, and it does approach a very important topic, consent and sexual abuse in relationships.

I could have used a bit more closure, a bit more about how Knox handles it, generally a bit more insight into Knox but other than that, it is a very solid read.

This character-driven domestic drama kept me up late turning pages. Lorrie and Eden's seemingly perfect friendship unravels when their children start dating, exposing long-buried secrets and testing the strength of their bond. Fans of "On A Quiet Street" will enjoy the complex family dynamics and shifting perspectives, making this a compelling 4-star read.

First off thank you so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this great read! I’ll definitely be looking into more of Caitlin Weavers novels. I read this so fast and couldn’t put it down it kept me intrigued from start to finish.

This book is so important to read. As someone in my late twenties I know that what has happened in this book is far too common.

Two moms, neighbors, and best friends have what they assume will be the best set up that one’s son and the others daughter begins to date. High school and teenage love is thrilling and crazy as it is but when an allegation is made it sheds light on what happens a lot during relationships whether they be young or old. A mother will stop at nothing to protect their child. What happens when your child is accused of doing the unthinkable to their partner ? Told from alternating points of view find out how one moment can affect two families for the rest of their lives. This book taught an incredible lesson about young love and the power of “no means no”. I would recommend this story to anyone. It is deep and compelling and showed the story we all know too well unfortunately from all sides of the coin.

A very heavy topic to write about and unfortunately something that happens more often than we think. I appreciate the author bringing this to light however, I did find it a bit long and slow. I also wished it came full circle with some of the characters and a bit more closure would have made it more enjoyable for me

This one is a page turner! I would classify as a domestic drama rather than thriller, but still a great read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my advanced copy! Pub date 06.12.24

Lorrie & Eden are best friends and neighbors for years. But after their kids start dating each other, things go downhill fast setting off a chain of bad events for one, and bringing up horrible memories for the other. Their friendship becomes strained as they each try to navigate this terrible thing.

Read if you love:
-multiple POV
-neighborhood dramas
-teenager + adult POV
-the book: On A Quiet Street

This appears to be a debut, and I will definitely read more from her in the future!

Oopf.

This might be the next book club choice that you should grab because the conversation that came out of it would be interesting in both a tense and eye opening way.

It’s the story of two women best friends. One is a single mother to a daughter Summer and the other is a mother to three kids (two sons and 1 little girl- why does this matter… because it does).
When Summer and Knox fall in love, the best friends envision wedding bells and decades of celebrating life’s milestones together. Until one night, when Eden gets a phone call that her daughter is in the hospital. From that moment on, the blend of the experiences unravel.

Each chapter is another POV in the story. Slowly being the voice and trying to gather what happened and how blurry the lines can get.

I suspect as a reader that your reaction to the novel will also be blurrier by the lens of your own life experiences. Whether you’re a mother of a daughter, a parent of a son, or a woman that has her own trauma bleeding into how she parents, this book will make you feel in a lot of different ways.

I will caution sensitive readers to please Dm first if you think you may need the trigger warnings.

This book was really good and I did not want to put it down at all. It was really well written!It touched on a real life situation and what families and the community endures when someone acts on impulse and makes a bad decision. Not only does it affect the people involved but all those around them.

This was a solid, well-written tale of suburban family drama. It wasn't ground-breaking, had no real twists, but was an entertaining yet somber story. This was the author's first book? Pretty darn good with a difficult subject.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

This moving and compelling book focuses on two families - Lorrie and Eden, best friends whose kids, Knox and Summer, are now dating. A rift between the teenagers strains the friendship and unravels the dynamics within both families, with additional perspectives shared by one of Lorrie's other children and their neighbor, Jules. The story delves into complex emotions and decisions, evoking a range of feelings from empathy to sadness. While the domestic drama may not offer a thrilling plot, it strongly portrays the characters' struggles and relationships. This poignant tale captures the essence of contemporary issues and is worth the read for its impactful portrayal of human emotions and connections that linger even after the book ends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This one was heavy to say the least.

Lorrie and Eden have been best friends for the eighteen years since their children (Knox and Summer) were born and have jokingly hoped the two will eventually marry and make them family. Five months before graduation, Knox and Summer begin to date and all is well until one morning Knox arrives home with scratches down his neck and Summer ends up in the hospital.

What follows is mainly set in the current time with chapters interspersed from the previous five months and told from multiple POVs.

There’s a lot to unpack.

Eden wants to do everything within her power to protect her daughter and makes some questionable decisions due to things that happened in her past.

Lorrie is reeling from the unimaginable accusation, trying to protect her son and also dealing with collateral damage.

The notion that these two women are going through the worst things in their lives and cannot turn to one another is heart breaking.

Summer is immersed in all of the feelings that go along with what happened to her. Not to mention the confusion that such a thing could have happened by the boy with whom she’s grown up and trusted.

Knox is dealing with his own demons.

The he said/she said dynamic is fully at play and it’s terrifying.

Trigger warnings include: rape, sexual assault and pornography addiction.

Though some of the topics were distressing, the story was compelling. And, there’s also touching instances of support, new friendships and self-acceptance. Caitlin Weaver has written a believable and poignant page turner I devoured in one day and have contemplated since finishing.

I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can't put into words how much I loved this story. It's a very sensitive storyline but very well written in my opinion. Stories like this one need to be told.

I don't want to say to much and spoil it for any reader but what I will say is the ending made me cry.

Amazing story.

A really heartbreaking topic and storyline, a book that I could not put down. I finished this book in one sitting. I empathised with all the characters, even characters I didn't want to empathise with...that's how polarising the book is and what a good job Caitlin Weaver does with the characters and their development.

This is a domestic drama that will make you consider your choices as a parent. As a parent to both males and a female, I truly struggled......

Definitely worth a read.

Thank you for this review copy.

Picture this - your best friend, the one you spend all your time with. Both your families spend holidays and days out together; and then your best friend’s son rapes your daughter. What now?

This book covered some difficult topics, some which are the unfortunate reality of today. I understand the point of the book and do not want to take away from the tough topics but I just found it so long and slow. I also felt very underwhelmed by the ending and wished for a full circle moment. Unfortunately I just don’t think this book was for me.

Such hard topics to cover, but was covered so well, Such a great heartbreaking story for these families. Things that can be so relateable for some and amazed at how well it was written.