A Likely Story, is such a fun mystery novel written by Leigh McMullan Abramson.

Written as a coming of age story about Isabel Manning who grows up the daughter of a famous author, Ward Manning, and her mother, Claire, the perfect society hostess. Ward is the epitome of a selfish self made man. He thinks only of himself and never wants to reveal the low income family he left behind.

Claire, who cam from a wealthy family but has put her devotion to her husband and his career before everything else. Until she has her daughter Isabelle. Isabelle becomes here reason for staying in the marriage and she focuses all her energy creating a wonderful life for her daughter. Ward, who never wanted children, now finds he loves encouraging his daughter to emulate him. For Isabelle, being an author becomes her life's dream.

When her mother dies unexpectedly, Ward and Isabelle's lives are turned upside down. Their worlds were dependent on Claire for success and connection. As Isabelle struggles to write a publishable novel, Ward is struggling to write his final work. He tries a variety of ways to find the inspiration that usually helps him write and nothing is working. Isabelle is looking for her father's adulation and publication and neither are coming through. Though the one person who adores her, Brian tries to be there for Isabelle she cannot see how he cares and ignores him.

The novel moves through the narrative with different voices telling the story from different viewpoints, and there are secrets and unexplained tragedies that are revealed slowly as the plot unfolds.

When Isabelle finally discovers what her mother sacrificed and her father hid from her , all her relationships are changed forever. Can Isabelle find the satisfactory fairytale ending that every good novel desires?

A LIKELY STORY is an intricate web of deception, love, and secrets. The author delves into a deeply flawed family that even though they love each other, has put the career of being an author in the most reverent position within their relationships.

What I loved about this story was the writing. There is an eloquence that pushes the narrative forward at a nice pace while still managing to take moments for the characters to grow and continue down the path they were set on long before the book started. For me, the candid thoughts of Claire and Isabelle give a realness to the story far more than any other aspect. By not glossing over the emotion and angst experienced by the entire cast, we get to truly see all sides of those we meet within these pages. This is where the author shines.

In many ways, this book is about identity. It deals with how the Mannings deal with who they are to the world and who they are in the more private times as a family. It is also a story about love and self-discovery. All in all, Abramson delivers a delightfully entertaining combination of wit, drama, and a bit of intrigue.


Audiobook Note: I loved that there was a full cast for this one. Mia Barron, Cynthia Farrell, James Fouhey, Adam Grupper, and Devon Sorvari narrate in such a way the listener can almost see the characters interact. Both Claire, Ward, and Isabelle come to life through this version of the book.

Highly Caffeinated Rating of… ☕ ☕ ☕ + 1/2

By the time I got around to reading the ARC that NetGalley sent me, I just wasn't all that interested in the book anymore. I have to say that because I definitely believe it led me to enjoy the book less and, therefore, review it more harshly.

The book within the book within the book was a lot to follow at times and it wasn't interesting enough for me to try all that hard. It took me over a third of the book to even start to get into it, but even then, I wasn't too attached. I feel like the idea for the book is good but it fell short in my eyes. Had I read this when I should have (whoops, reviewing a year later) I probably would have enjoyed it more.

An interesting tale that reads like a true story. New Yorker with famous parents looks to make it on their own, minus the influence of mom and dad. It was sort of a dark and dreary story, although well done.

3.5 stars I enjoyed the characters and how fleshed out they were. I also enjoyed how it was multiple perspectives and timelines. I do think there was a little drag in the middle but other than that I enjoyed the book. This was one of the more successful books about the publishing world that I have read, particularly when it involves a fake book in the story. This fake book felt like a realized novel when it sometimes does not come off that way.

This book was very slow moving for me and hard to get into. There was a scene pretty early on that just left a poor taste in my mouth. Unfortunately, it was a DNF.

I did not finish this - it was too slow to start and I just could not get into it. I love books about books and thought I would be into the story within a story... and some things just did not sit right with me. I dunno. This wasn't for me. Thank you for the ARC!

A Likely Story by Leigh McMullan Abramson is a complex story with an intricate plot made for lovers of literary fiction. Some readers might find the characters unlikeable, but the themes of family, identity, and secrets are explored.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

A masterful family dynamic propels this story forward, while also touching on the romantic life of a writer and what toll it can take on those around them. I enjoyed it so much. Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy and share it!

There was so much promise with this story but it fell flat for me. I liked the beginning and then it felt repetitive and the characters got annoying. The dad was a total dirt bag and then the ending felt like trying to save the story but, again, it didn't work for me.

I just finished reading Leigh McMullan Abramson’s first novel, A Likely Story, recently published by Atria Books. Prior to its publication, Ms. Abramson not only worked as an attorney but also as a journalist, her stories having appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and others. I was given an advanced reader’s copy of the novel from NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I thoroughly, 100%, enjoyed reading this book for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I found the title to be most clever and apt after reading the first several chapters. The book is written in the third person but alternates among many different characters’ perspectives, most notably Isabelle, her parents Ward and Claire, and her best friend Brian. It also skips back and forth in time over the course of Isabelle’s 35 year life and her parents’ relationship.

Despite the varying timelines and skipping between different characters’ points of view, the story is easy to follow and understand. It doesn’t rely on complicated language or pretentious vocabulary; instead, it’s a very down to earth manuscript. This doesn’t mean, however, that the book lacks depth or doesn’t evoke strong feelings, because it evoked many strongly felt feelings in me. Although it contains several sad and awkward moments with which I empathized and sometimes made me squirm, I found myself smiling for much of my reading. I like the conceit and found it to be quite clever. It’s basically a story of art imitating life and life imitating art. I recommend reading this as a casual beach read or to read on vacation.

Isabelle Manning is the only child of a celebrated novelist. He's so famous and full of his fame.....he is the sun and they just orbit around him. Isabelle struggles with her own identity so much so that she both wants to be a writer like her father and has no idea who or what she is aside from her father's daughter. I loved the look at the characters' backstories and found myself frustrated with many of the decisions made. Worth reading.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of A Likely Story by Leigh McMullan Abramson from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I absolutely loved this book and was sad to finish it. This had everything I love in a book. I found myself crying, laughing and loved and hated the characters all at the same time. Do yourself a big favor and read this asap!

3⭐️ Didn't enjoyed it as much as I thought I would.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

I did want to like this book but it took too long to get into the plot. I did not finish this book but do not put it against the author. There are times when I think a book will be perfect for me, but it turns out not to be the case. That said, I always give authors another chance, so I'll look forward to her next work.

A Likely Story, by Leigh McMullan Abramson is the story of a young woman, born to two famous parents. She grows up NYC, during the nineties and lives a life of privilege. She wants to be just like her author father.. if she could just write that amazing book. Her mother protected her over the years and her father was often absent..She can’t seem to find her place in the world and the place in her family. Her mother suddenly passes away and Isabella spirals. She is more confused and more desperate to get her life straightened. During her breakdown.. she finds out secrets of her parents she never should have known. She can’t make heads nor tails of what she learns but she will get back on her feet and she is determined to write the story of her lifetime. Can she do it? Can she get out of her own way? Can she find peace? This was a good story.. there were parts that were slow but I kept reading. This was a 3 star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley and the author for my copy for an honest review. It is always a pleasure to read and review all types of books and I am glad I got to read it. What were your thoughts? Did you enjoy it?

This sounded very promising, but it was a major letdown. VERY unlikable characters and I just couldn't connect to anyone. The writing was all over the place too.

Great read. A snapshot of human life set in the ego-fueled and cutthroat literary world. This will not end like a fairytale nor will it make you fall in love with any of its characters but the writing is thought-provoking fast-paced and top-notch. The story is hard and sometimes typical but shows you that long-suffering is overrated, imperfectly perfect is okay and that forgiveness and acceptance are earned

This book starts out very strong with Claire as an adoring mother to Isabelle and wife to successful writer Ward Manning. However, after Claire's death, we are left with two very lost souls, both of whom were wholly dependent on Claire in a multitude of ways. Inserted between the chapters of the characters are drafts of a book with a parallel plotline, which was interesting but sometimes difficult to discern from the main plotline. Brian also seems to be a fairly inconsequential character - one that is difficult to feel any strong emotions for.

Maybe I have been reading too many books in the plagiarism trope (i.e. Yellowface and The Plot), and this particular book has more than one instance of taking credit for someone else's work, but this idea seems to be a little overdone.

I've focused a lot on the negatives in this review, but this was an enjoyable and compelling reading experience. This book was well-written, but the characters were so hard to love. I was like watching a slow-moving train wreck, reeking of desperation and insecurity. It didn't stand out to me in the way I look for in my 5-star reads. This book had a lot of potential but the execution felt lacking.

I really enjoyed this book! I was not sure that I would but I totally plowed through it. It reminded me very much of The Wife by Meg Wolitzer, another book that I really really liked. The book within the book plot was intriguing and kept me engaged. The main characters were incredibly unlikeable especially Ward. Ward was one of the most egomaniacal characters I have ever read. There have been a lot of books that I have read about the publishing world - the manipulations, the puppet masters, the misogyny but for some reason this one also really resonated .You would think that we had progressed a little since the days of George Eliot but maybe not.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review