Versions of Her

Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.

Sisters Melanie Kingstad-Keyes and Kelsey Kingstad have decided to sell their family lake home, a house that has been in their family for a very long time. Even though they haven’t been there for fifteen years all the memories come rushing back when they go to clean it up for sale after their long-term renters have decided to move out. When they find a hidden door that magically transports them to the past, their mother’s past, they decide to use it to see their mother once again. Dead four years they miss her very much, but the things they discover shake them to their very foundations and they need to rethink everything they once took for granted.

Wow. This is quite the book, show more filled with flawed characters, truths, self-recriminations, and sibling rivalry. Family dynamics, you gotta love them, right? Melanie is laser focused on selling their summer home after her miscarriage rocks her to the core and Kelsey is a screw up on nearly all fronts. And really? She’s quite the brat. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to smack her. She has quite a chip on her shoulder.

The push and pull between the sisters is so real, it’s like I’m living it. Though I don’t have sisters. I have much older brothers and we’ve never had such a contentious relationship. But that’s how good the writing is. I felt like I just knew what they each were going through.

The added dimension of the hidden door and the jaunts to their mom’s past is a great addition to what otherwise might have been a plodding book about sibling bickering. Now they have to focus on the staggering secrets their mom has kept all these years. And they have to decide if they are going to keep going through that door or stop altogether. And the whipped cream on top of the whole confection is: Kelsey doesn’t even really want to sell the house. The sisters have a lot to talk about and healing to do. If you like books with prickly family dynamics and secrets that rock the very foundations they’ve built their life on then do not pass this up. show less

Nearly a decade ago, I actually lived for 6 months in my deceased mother’s house while I sorted through her “things.” She threw very little away and, indeed, some items and paperwork seemed like a time capsule to me. So, when I read that the adult sisters Melanie & Kelsey in Versions of Her had to clear out their childhood summer home after their mother’s death, I was immediately intrigued.

Add to that – the house contained a previously unknown-to-them closet which transported them to summers past in that house, beginning when their mother was still a child. I was IN.

Versions of Her is the story of these sisters as they struggle with the ethics of “spying on” their mother, of time-travelling alone or with each other, and show more the timing of their visits as time moves forward erratically in the closet.

Whereas I had only papers and photos to reconstruct my mother’s life, Melanie & Kelsey had the magic of time travel, the gift of actually seeing their mom in action. But is it a gift if you learn things about the mother-you-thought-you-knew that turn your picture of her upside down?

You’ll have to decide for yourself when you read Versions of Her. If the idea of exploring your family’s past through time travel appeals to you, you’re going to love this book.

Spoiler Alert: do not read any further if you don’t want to hear my comment that will shed some light on what happens.

Spoiler: I had a hard time coming to terms with the sisters’ acceptance of their beloved dad being a life-long cuckold. That is the only reason that I did not rate Versions of Her a full five stars.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. show less

A secret door covered by a tapestry that Kelsey and her sister Melanie were never allowed to move when they were children held and hid secrets of its own.

The secret door allowed Kelsey and Melanie to see their mother’s life and to see her secrets, heartaches, and feelings that they never knew about.

I’m not sure how I would feel if I could see what my mother’s life had been like, but it would be quite interesting.

The current problem now that they found this door, though, was that Kelsey and Melanie had to decide whether or not to sell their family’s lake house or keep it.

Selling it meant the memories would be gone forever. Keeping it would preserve the memories but also incur expensive upkeep. Melanie was all for selling the show more house, but Kelsey was not in favor of selling it.

I enjoyed learning about the cottage and the memories associated with it and finding the portal for time travel. It also had me wondering if time travel like this was actually possible because time traveling through the portal seemed real.

This was a creative premise for a book and a book that also addressed sibling rivalry as well as sibling closeness.

VERSIONS OF HER was a cozy, nostalgic, heartfelt, and at times heartbreaking read. You will need tissues.

Women’s fiction fans will adore this book.

Readers will experience family, love, and a light, yet thought-provoking read. 5/5

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. show less

This was a lovely story about two sisters getting the family summer home ready to be sold after the death of their mother. They find a portal which allows them to see their mother in the past. This could be a game changer. I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end. I thank Librarything for the opportunity to read and review this creative and entertaining read.

The book is simple and fast paced. I thought it was an interesting concept, but lacking something for me. Though i do believe this will be greatly enjoyed by many other readers, it didn’t speak to me.

Loved this one