Jane and Bunny are sisters who have grown up in an abusive household. Jane left for college casuing the younger Bunny to run away, leading a hard traveller life style and having several children by different fathers. Jane follows a "normal" path, a college degree and an early marriage to a slightly older student with good prospects in journalism. Jane's marriage is blighted by the lack of children she desires and one night Bunny arrives with her children in tow and then disappears. Jane is left bringing up Bunny's children as well as her later own children, her husband is disinterested in Bunny's offspring and spends a lot of time away on foreign journalistic assignments but Bunny returns and a dark secret from the past and an accusation and love affair in the present derail the family.

I thought this was a really well written and thoughtful book with perhaps too big a timeline and slightly odd pacing in places but it kept me reading for long periods. It does deal with child sexual abuse, so isn't a humourous book.

Jayne is devastated when her beloved younger sister Bunny runs away from home aged only sixteen. She herself marries rising journalist Rodger and is living a conventional life until Bunny turns up, now a single mother of three, including a baby. Soon she disappears again, leaving Jayne to care for the children. Unprepared and inexperienced, Jayne devotes herself to being the best parent she dan be, both to Bunny’s children and the two ofher own. When Bunny returns after almost ten years, she sets in motion a series of events that will turn all their lives upside down and uncover dark secrets. A powerful and often heartbreaking story of how families can cause untold damage that echoes through the generations, even when acting with the best of intentions. The author conveys how easily reputations can be lost, close relationships destroyed and lives shaped by perceptions, interpretations and expectations. Thoughtful and compassionate, the unravelling of the full story is absorbing and ultimately shocking, with a message of hope that even the most traumatic of histories can be overcome and forgiveness and redemption can be found.

The Best We Could Hope For- Nicola Kraus ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The book follows Jayne who raises her runaway sisters children and goes on to create a large blended family. After her sister resurfaces a decade later and the family is split up in a chain reaction, the story becomes narrated by Linden, Jaynes biological daughter. Following through decades of their lives, Linden tries to solve the mysteries of her family history, and how they ended up in the situation they are in.
Other reviews have suggested having this book split into 2, with both Jayne and then Lindens narration, which I agree might have worked!
There was no trigger warnings but the book involves child abuse, and how this has lasting effects on not just the individual, but the rest of the family.

I don’t think I have read a book with this style of writing previously and I enjoyed the way Kraus included the characters feelings and actions.
+ I enjoyed the characters and their development.
+ I enjoyed the fast pace and the following of this family over decades.
+ it was a good storyline.
- I struggled to follow along at points as it would jump in time or across individuals
- some chapters dragged a little

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me access to this book! 📕📚🎠

What a beautiful puzzle piece of a book. This book was everything all at once, there was family and grief, trauma and reconciliation. I was instantly struck by the simplicity yet intricate beauty of the writing. Although Linden was the main character I was also so interested in Jayne and Sage as well, Kraus writes female characters with so much depth and detail.

The plot was slow and incredibly complex but I was never once confused or bored. This was so much more than a family story, there were levels of trauma so deeply rooted into each generation that this read like a real life story. I can’t put into words how interwoven and heavily detailed every little part of this book was, the plot came together towards the end in spectacular fashion and left me speechless. A really fantastic novel with expert storytelling and detail to characters.

4+ ⭐

I knew I was onto a winner with this book, when Jayne had me feeling all those emotions.
But then came Linden, and she truly pulled on the heart strings.
Lost, and unsure of her place. Desperate to find out the who and why of her complicated family.
What a family it was! The siblings had me smiling so often.
This is a marvelous book , that may well leave you with a tear or two in your eye.