SYNOPSIS: The story spans multiple generations and is centered around the four Padavano sisters in Chicago from the 1980s to early 2000s. The oldest sister, Julia, meets William Waters, a basketball player who has been raised by parents who barely recognize his existence, and the close-knit family takes him in as one of their own. As time passes, we learn more about the sisters, how their relationships evolve with each new and unexpected hardship. As in life, darkness and poor choices can change what was once a happy and perfectly content family to a broken and dysfunctional mess. This book makes a mild and distant nod to Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and is beautifully written with themes of family, mental health, and the effects of generational damage.

MY THOUGHTS: This book was enjoyable if you lean towards stories of family sagas and dramatic life accounts. The relationship between the sisters was written in a way that made you feel big emotions, and that is something I love in a book. There were times I was angry at Julia for what she chose to do in difficult situations, and there were times I was mad at Sylvie for letting herself go down paths she should have chosen to avoid. I felt horrible for the daughters who had no choice in the family they were involved with and the family that was isolated. The mother was infuriating and the father was idolized. If you have a family, whether it is big or small, loving or hurt, happy or depressing, this book will have a character that might resonate with you. Or maybe you are like me and the characters each had something about them that felt familiar at different times in my life. Some may think that there was too much drama and darkness in this book to feel like reality, but I thought that the situations in the story are ones in which people could discuss and possibly learn from.