Family

Somewhat over sentimental and melodramatic but overall an interesting story with interesting characters ( )

An exploration of a family and the struggle with an unexpected tragedy. Families are complicated. End of life issues are explored. ( )

I bought this book primarily because it was about sisters. I have a few, and I think the sibling relationship between sisters might be the most complicated one in the world. Delinsky explores it very realistically...not all love and roses, not all jealousy and resentment. Her main character, Molly, seemed quite 3D to me. Some of the other characters a little less so. Perhaps she was trying to examine too many relationships and twists, and as a result couldn't flesh-out the other characters quite enough. ( )

I typically don’t write reviews on already established books, I try to save them for new ones or ARC’s. But this book hit close to home in two ways. One in the younger sister and while neither me nor my sister are anything like Robin or Molly, the bond we have is still so special. And two, my Grandpa died very similarly to Robin. I remember spending that first night in the hospital waiting room, unable to sleep, waiting to hear anything, and occasionally dozing in a chair. I remember spending every day for a week in that hospital, until the day came that all of his kids had arrived and we gathered around the one man who had brought us all together, and watched as they turned off the machines and we had to say our final goodbyes. I remember him looking so much like himself and at the same time nothing at all like him. He had a heart attack while mowing the lawn, a neighbor found him, but it had been too late and he had gone without oxygen for too long. That neighbor performed CPR just as David did until the paramedics arrived, not knowing if what he was doing would help at all. I think one of the best things an author can hear is whether or not their book touched someone’s heart, and I can say 100% for certain, that this book did, and how. And I want to say to the author, Thank you, for sharing a story that happens to have remarkably similarities to my families and for portraying the raw emotions that she did. ( )