If We're Being Honest
Fiction
Celadon Books
April 18, 2023
Advance reader copy
304
Free from publisher via BookishFirst
When Gerry, the beloved Williams patriarch, dies suddenly, his grandchildren flock from across the country to the family home in Eulalia, Georgia. But when Gerry’s best friend steps up to the microphone to deliver his eulogy, the funeral turns out unlike anyone expected. The cousins, left reeling and confused, cope with their fresh grief and various private dramas. Delia, recently heartbroken, refuses to shut up about her ex. Her sister Alice, usually confident, flusters when she spots her high school sweetheart, hiding a secret that will change both of their lives. Outspoken, affable Grant is preening in the afterglow of his recent appearance on The Bachelorette and looking to reignite an old flame with the least available person in town. Meanwhile, his younger brother Red, unsure of himself and easily embarrassed, desperately searches for a place in the boisterous family.
The cousins’ eccentric parents are in tow, too, and equally lost—in love and in life. Watching over them all is Ellen, Gerry’s sweet and proper widow, who does her best to keep her composure in front of the leering small town.
Clever and completely original, If We’re Being Honest reminds you that while no one can break your heart like your family can, there’s really no one better to put you back together.
My review:
I had a feeling I was going to love this book based on the opening line of Chapter One:
Gerry Williams's funeral was a shit show.
It only got better from there as we found out why. This book is exactly what I want in a family story. Characters who appear to be just normal (okay, subjective as they have to make the plot interesting) small town folks with a secret that effects them in differing ways. There were family spats, angst over futures, and lots of camaraderie (particularly around the matriarch Ellen). The story has many laugh out loud moments, but it's coupled with lots of poignant ones as well. I will say that if there is not a family tree included in the finished copy (I had the privilege of reading it early), you may want to quickly jot one down. Because of the circumstances, pretty much all of the characters are introduced at once. It gets much easier as the book progresses, since they all have their particular voice and style, but it did take me a while to keep everyone straight. I also wish the chapters had been shorter, but that's just a me thing since I don't like to stop reading in the middle of one. Despite these qualms, I rated this book 5 stars, I couldn't get enough of this family and their week spent together (with a funeral at one end, and a wedding at the other). This had one of the sweetest endings I've read in a long time, I absolutely loooooved it!
This book will make you smile, make you swoon at the end, and mostly make you root for this family to thrive and grow, as well as help each other along the way. I can't wait to see what this debut author comes up with next.
