This one had a good premise, and it started well, with a good hook. In the prologue, which consists of a few opening pages, Vivvie shoots and kills her husband Jackson, making it look like a hunting accident. What we don't know is why? The bulk of the book takes place in the present, about 30 years after the prologue. Vivvie is estranged from her two daughters, Elin and Kate, who were young girls at the time of Jackson's death, and hasn't had contact with either one of them for a long time. Then, the police come to her door to tell her that Kate is hospitalized from an overdose, and someone needs to take custody of Kate's two young daughters, Averlee and Quincy. Elin, who is having marital difficulties of her own, comes back to town to help with the care of the two girls. Ah, I think, a novel of family reconciliation. Lovely.

Only it wasn't so lovely. The characters are shallow and act in ways that are implausible and make no sense. Why did Kate, on learning she was ill, send her husband away (he seemed a good guy), isolate herself and insist on no further contact with him? Why did she totally cut him off from his two daughters, who he clearly loved? Why did the husband allow himself to be isolated from his family? These are just a few of the things that made no sense. And where actions are given reasons, they seem to be manufactured or artificial and also make no sense. I liked the Florida setting in this one, and the prologue grabbed me, but the rest of it--Ugh.

1 1/2 stars ( )

How does a dog "turn skeptically"? Why is there more detail about the setting instead of the characters? Why is Elin's migraines mentioned on nearly every page? Why does Orlando sound like it's in the middle of Bumfuck Okeechobee instead of being the 6th largest city in the Southeastern United States? I don't know! But by Chapter 8, I've given up! ( )

This isn't a book I would have selected but Amazon made it available to prime members through their new Kindle First program. I don't know how but I got pulled into these woman's lives. Definitely not the type of book I usually read, but oddly enjoyable because it felt like a voyeuristic peek into their lives. I'm not in a rush to read more like it, but was pleasantly surprised at having enjoyed this fast, and free, read. ( )

I borrowed this book from Amazon through their new Kindle First program. The book is centered around three generations of women in the Fenton family who have experienced several tragedies over their lives, shaping the way they view the world. The women are not at all close to each other but are forced to change their relationships due to a change in circumstances. I think the author did a nice job of helping the reader to really feel the estrangement and the awkwardness between the characters. I know at times it was uncomfortable to read about their dysfunction but it was necessary to plot development. The author also did a great job illustrating how secrets impact relationships for years. I think that one of the storylines was tied up too neatly for how messy the rest of the book was but overall, I think the book was well done. ( )

This is really the story of a dysfunctional family, from beginning to end. I think the author attempted to correct the situation to make a "they lived happily ever after" storybook ending, she did not do a good job. This book was just boring! I kept waiting for the climax, kept waiting for the "point" of the book to be made clear, but I never realized any of those things! ( )