4.25⭐️. “I glance toward the sky, at the sun that peeks out from behind the clouds, and wonder if I’ll ever again see its light or be forever cast in shadows.”

This book gripped me from the beginning and I found it very bingeable. It follows the POVs of two women - Celine and Felicity. 17 years ago, when Celine was engaged to Eric, he and Felicity had a one-night stand that led to their son, Justin, being born. In the present day, Celine and Eric now have their own 12 year old son, Brian, and neither Justin, Celine or Brian are aware of the double life that Eric is leading. When Brian receives a life threatening diagnosis, secrets are shattered.

This book covers some heavy topics, with childhood illness and betrayal, and Celine is a character who is easy to relate to and feel empathy for.

“It isn’t supposed to be like this, I think. The pain should have ended years ago. At some point, I am sure, happiness was meant for me.”

Both she and Felicity have been shaped by their childhoods and their relationships with their fathers, leaving Felicity a woman striving for success and Celine a woman trying not to rock the boat but to “Keep things steady and safe.”

As a horse person, the ranch setting and Celine’s career as a horse trainer made this book even better (although I would’ve liked even more of this!)

Despite the horrendous circumstances that Celine finds herself in, there are still moments of lightness and levity. However, I really struggled with Felicity’s inner monologue at the times (as I think you’re meant to), where she’s painting herself as the victim, yet she’s the only one of the two women whose had all of the facts known to her throughout the past 17 years.

My only critique is that, for me, the ending wrapped up a little too nicely, too quickly. While I love that she put Brian first and kept her issues with Eric and Felicity separate, I think Celine is a much more forgiving woman than I would have been in those circumstances!

A emotional and heartbreaking story of family, illness and betrayal. I instantly felt connected to the characters and their complexity through the plot I cried and felt tremendous anger on the characters behalf. When I started reading I didn't want to stop and even when I did I was still thinking about it and itching to get back to read more. Such a powerful and well written book!

The Sun’s Shadow is a beautifully written, emotional journey through family secrets, betrayal, and sacrifice. Sejal Badani masterfully captures the complexity of her characters and their relationships, keeping me hooked from start to finish. The themes of love, forgiveness, and personal growth are so impactful. A must-read for anyone who loves deep, emotional family dramas. Highly recommend!
Thanks to NetGalley and @wundrbookspr for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

Easy writing, emotional story though I couldn't connect to the characters. Pacing felt a little uneven towards the end.

This book was an emotional story that tugged at the heartstrings. I enjoyed it. It was a palate cleanser after reading a lot of thrillers lately. I didn't connect to the characters as much as I had hoped, though. I will have to be sure to try to read the author's other novels. 3.5 stars

I'll admit that maybe I wasn't in the right mood for a book like this - or maybe simply Badani's writing is not for my taste.
I can't pinpoint anything essentially wrong with this book. It just did not work for me. At first I was curious about the characters. but then I realised I didn't connect or relate to any of them, so it was a little difficult to care about them.
I'm sure other readers will enjoy this book more than I did.

Celine's family is what she wished her family had been growing up, with a sweet and kind-hearted son in Brian, and a loving husband in Eric. Despite his attention and affection however, Eric is often absent, missing key moments of Brian's childhood due to his work trips.

What Celine doesn't know is that the work trips are actually a cover for Eric to visit his other, older son, Justin and the teenager's mother, Felicity.

When Brian is diagnosed with cancer and Justin seems to be his only hope at surviving, secrets and old pains are brought to the surface.

This dual POV novel follows Celine and Felicity as they grapple with those events and learn to re-build their life, identities and families.

The Sun's Shadow is a really touching novel and brings the readers to think about the humanity of people who, on first instinct, we'd prefer to hate instead of relate to or empathize with.

One of my favorite things about this book was the way in which it beautifully showcased how the family can be extended to welcome new bonds and new forms of love.

The characters all felt very human, though sometimes a bit two-dimensional. Regardless, this book was a beautiful lesson on learning to communicate and open up to people especially in difficult times.

This is the kind of book that I would be very likely to recommend to someone who is just getting back into reading as the writing flows easily. It reads a bit like a movie script at times, which is not exactly my personal preference, but I think that kind of writing lends itself to the style of the book.

However, the pacing felt a bit strange towards the end because it felt as though many things were happening so fast in order to wrap up the book.

Still though, it was a good read and I'd recommend it if you're interested in themes of love, family and forgiveness.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC, all opinions are my own.

This was a pretty good read. I enjoyed it as it was definitely heartfelt with Celine's story. I felt a range of emotions reading this!

The Sun’s Shadow is a heart-wrenching novel that follows a mother’s journey as she discovers the only hope for her son with cancer lies in his half-brother—the result of her husband’s infidelity. The way the mothers come together, along with the two boys who are just learning they’re brothers, creates a truly beautiful and emotional reading experience. Five stars!

The Suns Shadow by Sejal Badani was a phenomenal read. It was a page turning story about betrayal, forgiveness, and second chances. Read this book!

This book is a beautifully written, heartfelt exploration of how even the deepest wounds can lead to unexpected healing and connections.