sarah morgan – A Bookish Life

This may have be a Christmas themed read but with an engaging story about family relationships that’s packed full of emotion it can easily be read at any time of the year.

THE BLURB

It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree, but who’s around it that matters most.

All Suzanne McBride wants for Christmas is her three daughters happy and at home. But when sisters Posy, Hannah and Beth return to their family home in the Scottish Highlands, old tensions and buried secrets start bubbling to the surface.

Suzanne is determined to create the perfect family Christmas, but the McBrides must all face the past and address some home truths before they can celebrate together . . .

MY REVIEW

I always look forward to a new book from Sarah Morgan and that’s especially true when it’s one of her Christmas themed stories. Similar to her last book, The Christmas Sisters marks a departure from the authors usual romance heavy reads to focus a little more on family relationships. I will confess I do miss the more traditional romances (and Morgan is sooo good at writing them) but I did very much enjoy this and it’s packed full of feels to warm you up in the cold wintry months.

As the title suggests, this is the story of three sisters, Hannah, Beth and Posy, who return to the family home in the Scottish Highlands for the festive season. They are all very different characters but each of them are facing some type of crisis in their lives that they’re hoping a trip home will help them deal with (or hide from).

The story is told from each of the sister’s points of view in addition to that of their mother Suzanne. I have to confess I’m not keen on multiple povs as I always feel more drawn to one than the others and just want the whole thing to be about them but I did enjoy the different perspectives and how distinctive each of the voices were. They are very different characters but each has their own flaws and strengths and it was wonderful to see them develop in a believable way as the story progresses. It’s a mark of the author’s skill that I found my opinions towards them shifting and changing.

I did however find myself most drawn to Hannah’s story and while the other characters do get an equal share of the limelight I never quite became as invested in their stories. I’m not sure what it says about me but there was just something about Hannah I could really relate to and I wanted the book’s focus to be more heavily on her.

It wouldn’t be a Morgan book without a bit of romance and in this one there are a few romantic relationships all at different stages, from shiny new to a long term partnership and friendship. However with multiple couples as well as family relationships in the mix I’m afraid the romance side of the story never really did it for me and I didn’t feel any real spark.

The writing is however wonderful as you would expect and there is a real emotional depth to the story. I laughed and I cried (more than I thought I would and on two separate occasions on the train) and I ended up loving it a lot more than I thought I would.

Overall this has an engaging story and is an emotional read that’s perfect for the Christmas or pretty much any time of the year.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an advance copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley. This has in no way influenced my review.

How To Keep A Secret by Sarah Morgan

This may be a little different from Morgan’s usual stories but it’s every bit as enjoyable and addictive.

THE BLURB

When three generations of women are brought together by crisis, they learn over the course of one hot summer the power of family to support, nourish and surprise

Lauren has the perfect life…if she ignores the fact it’s a fragile house of cards, and that her daughter Mack has just had a teenage personality transplant.

Jenna is desperate to start a family with her husband, but it’s… Just. Not. Happening. Her heart is breaking, but she’s determined to keep her trademark smile on her face.

Nancy knows she hasn’t been the best mother, but how can she ever tell Lauren and Jenna the reason why?

Then life changes in an instant, and Lauren, Mack, Jenna and Nancy are thrown together for a summer on Martha’s Vineyard. Somehow, these very different women must relearn how to be a family. And while unraveling their secrets might be their biggest challege, the rewards could be infinite…

Heartwarming and fresh, Sarah Morgan’s brilliant new novel is a witty and deeply uplifting look at the power of a family of women.

MY REVIEW

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always look forward to a new Sarah Morgan book and while this was a bit of a departure from her usual style I very much enjoyed it.

Rather than being a romance focusing on one couple this is much more about family and tells the story of three generations of women, Nancy, her daughters Lauren and Jenna and Lauren’s daughter Mack. Each of them facing a crisis and in need of the support of their family, if they can find their way back to each other and reveal the secrets that have kept them apart.

While this is a little bit different from Morgan’s typical books it does feel like a natural progression and hangs on to all of the things I love about her writing. Her romances always had a little bit more depth, dealt with difficult issues and had strong friendships and family relationships. This is just a little lighter on the romance and a little heavier on the family relationships, what brings them together and what pulls them apart.

That’s not to say there’s no romance in this story because there most definitely is and as you would expect from a Morgan story it is wonderful. Sweet, funny, emotional and with quite a bit of heat. What’s particularly good about it is the way that the author looks at the different types of relationships and romances. We have Nancy who’s in her 60’s, 5 years a widow and trying to deal with betrayal and move forward in her life, 35 year old Lauren whose seemingly perfect life with her husband and daughter falls apart forcing her to return home as a single parent where she runs into an old flame, first grade teacher Jenna who’s very happily married to her childhood sweetheart but desperately wants children of her own and 16 year old Mack who’s having a hard time at school, doesn’t know who she is and just wants to fit in.

I really loved the way all of the different relationships within this story were portrayed and how realistic both they and the characters felt. I have to admit I had a particular soft spot for Lauren but by the end of the novel I think I came to love them all even Nancy who initially seemed very self centered and cold.

It was good to have chapters from the point of view of each of the women in the story. They each had very distinctive voices and you could tell even without the chapter headings whose head you were in. It made them very real and I have to say the chapters from Mack’s perspective in particular were very well done. I can’t really remember what it was like to be a teenager but I think the author captured it so well.

The story is a little bit on the predictable side, the secrets are pretty easy to guess, but I still enjoyed reading it. In fact as always I found it an incredibly addictive read and ended up finishing the whole thing in a day, although this is normal for me with Morgan’s books. They’re just too likable and easy to read.

Overall therefore while this is a little different from Morgan’s usual style I very much enjoyed it and I will be hoping for more of the same.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all thoughts are my own.