The story line felt contrived. ( )

Sisters Sam and Willow were raised by their aunt Gloria Rose after the death of their mother. Gloria has asked younger sister Willow to come home and stay at the family apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Willow believes her aunt might be taking a trip and it is simply a routine periodic request to apartment sit to take care of the rooftop greenhouse and the 2 cats. Sam lives in her own apartment nearby. All 3 women are at a crossroads in their own lives with Gloria always the one that knew how to keep the sisters' fragile relationship from unraveling altogether. The sisters are so introspective of their own lives it takes time for them to realize that Gloria needs them. The sisters keep thinking of their independent aunt as she has always presented herself to them. But Gloria had a life before she became their sole caretaker and that life had a secret that she held close and may impact her freedom.

Names with the chapter number convey the POV for the character taking the story forward and providing the historical context of the family lives from their perspective.

It's a story of family, of secrets, of love, of ambition, of choices, of forgiveness. I loved learning the origin and meaning of the title to this family.

Note: The f* bomb radiates loud and clear in this novel. ( )

Really enjoyed the characters and the story....a "new" author for me. ( )

I have read many of Barbara O'Neal's books and she just keeps getting better. Her new book is my favorite of her books. She writes believable stories about women, sisters and families. This book is about family, sisters, love and forgiveness.

Willow and Sam sisters raised by their Aunt Gloria after their rock star mother died at a young age. The two sisters are very different from each other and don't spend much time together. Willow has just returned to New York after her last album failed. She isn't sure if she wants to continue her goal of becoming a music star like her mother. Sam owns a company that creates games and she has been very successful in her business but not in love. Gloria is an instagram star who has a successful blog about aging. In her younger days she was an airline stewardess and flew all over the world. They each have a major problem in their life but are unable to work together or to help each other.

Will these three very different women be able to work with each other to find solutions to their problems and become a family again. Be prepared to shed a few tears as you get to know Willow, Sam and Gloria in this fantastic new book.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. ( )

Swinging For The Fence... But Not Quite Putting It Over. This was another of O'Neal's works over the last few years where she is very clearly swinging for the fence in attempting to write a masterpiece that will leave you breathless - which she nailed in 2019's When We Believed In Mermaids - that doesn't quite make it over. Ultimately this is a solid double/ stretch triple - powerful and great, but also very clearly not quite what she was hoping for. And honestly, most of that has to do with the ending and particularly the flash-forward epilogue. As at least one other review has mentioned, this could have been better with another hundred pages or so to flesh out that particular area, or perhaps (my own suggestion here) as a duology wherein the resolutions to the varying plot threads are set up, and then executed (with complications, of course) in the second book. Still, truly a solid and compelling read that hooks you in early and makes you want to read all the way through. Very much recommended. ( )