This book is beautifully written with compassion for characters that are doing the best they can. As the story unfolds you find out what their relationships are missing. It is only when they face the past that they can move forward with a bright future. I was questioning how it would end until the very last chapter.

I did struggle reading the book because the author is too good at explaining the relationship between aging, sick parents and children who are turned into caregivers. The raw emotion of it struck close to home. I wanted to put the book down, but the story had already intrigued me and I couldn’t let it go. And I am glad I didn’t.

I am thankful for the electronic copy of this book I received from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw that she was releasing a mainstream fiction book, I knew I needed it. I used to read a lot of mainstream fic and slowly shifted over to romance and prefer romance 90% of the time. But I will follow a favorite author almost anywhere.

McAvoy Sisters did not disappoint. The story centers around sisters who have a secret and are forced to reconnect. The “wild” one, Lindy returns home when her mother falls ill. Delia, the “responsible” one never left home, begrudgingly runs the family store, and has a family that is falling apart along with her marriage that is holding on by a thread. The sisters deal with their secrets and repair their relationship.

(CW: grief, postpartum depression, aging & ailing parent, sexual assault)

The story is told from multiple POVS- Lindy, Delia, Meredith (their mother) and Brin (Delia’s daughter). Lots of POVs sometimes is not my favorite and took some adjustment but it worked. All the McAvoy women have an important voice here.

Lindy and Delia don’t know how to communicate. It is a trait they learned from their mother. Delia has since carried on the tradition and doesn’t know how to communicate with her daughter. At times I wanted to shake them all, but also I understood them.

Here are the notes to myself and I think it summarizes the book very well:

Delia- Postpartum depression, she’s very sad, and doesn’t know where/how to start to make changes

Lindy- the wild one, protective

Brin- scared, confused, feels left out

Meredith- scared, lost, and lost time

Four flawed women finding a truth and rebuilding their family.

This story was deeply emotional, I could not put it down and it had me crying at 1am. If you are drawn to Molly’s stories for the deeply emotional stories that she tells, I strongly recommend this book. There are light romantic elements and it worked with this story.

The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets was a touching story that will pull at your heartstrings. Delia and Lindy had to come to terms with their past when their ailing mother needs assistance after a stroke, which brings Lindy home after she ran away many years before. She has to try to put her relationship with her sister back together again and deal with what happened so long ago. Beautifully written story that will stick with you

A story about family, missed opportunities, truth and lies and also the bonds of family and second chances. Secrets tear the characters apart and love brings them back together.

I’m not really sure where to start with this one.

I had a hard time getting into it at first—I’m not sure if it was the writing or if it was intentional, but it took me just about forever.

This story is about family, love and the bond of sisterhood. It’s about the past, filled with lazy summer days, camping and having s’mores for breakfast. It’s about two sisters, who were best friends, told each other everything, and were so close that they fell asleep in the same twin bed after staying up all night chatting.

And then something unthinkable happened.

And I just could NOT figure out what the heck it was.


Delia and her family live in a small fishing community by Lake Erie. I thought the setting was picturesque and fascinating. I’ve never spent much time by a lake, or even up north—I live in a suburb in Texas. So I loved the community, the fishing, the boating. Is that even a word? I wouldn’t know. But the setting was chosen perfectly for this story, and made me want to go get a house off Lake Erie for a long weekend. It was a dreamy small town.

I loved the relationship between Meredith and her two daughters Delia and Lindy. I grew up with a single mom and a younger sister for a large part of my childhood, so it was sweet to read about.

Brin, Delia’s teenage daughter, was rebelious and just wanted her mom’s attention. She spent a big part of this book figuring out the big family secret—as did I.

I still had some questions when the story ended, but overall, it was a pretty good read. It was unexpected and always kept me guessing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Something happened 17 years ago to splinter the McAvoy sisters. Lindy, the “wild” one left their Port Lorraine, Ohio home and carved out a life for herself in Cleveland. Younger sister, Delia, stayed in town, married her sweetheart but abandoned her college plans to raise her baby and take over the family business. Now Delia is juggling a new baby, a difficult teenager and their mother who is struggling following a “brain event.” Lindy hasn’t been home in five years but shows up when she accidentally receives a call and learns about her mother.

I’ve been a big fan of the author’s work under her pseudonym, inhaling just about everything she’s written in the last 7 years. When I saw this show up in NetGalley, I grabbed it immediately, knowing that her stories have bordered on contemporary fiction for a long time. My instincts did not fail me as I loved every minute spent reading this story.

We’re given a gift of not only Lindy’s and Delia’s points of view but mother Meredith’s and 15-year old daughter Brin’s as well. Meredith’s stroke has left her transitioning at will between past and present with unpredictability and I found her passages extraordinary, providing insight about how terrifying it must be to know, or not know, what’s going on when all your life you’ve been completely in control of your faculties. It was artful in how the same events were taken in by each character, giving us a unique perspective about how each of them perceived each other and its impacts. What drove the sisters apart was slowly revealed, which can sometimes be maddening but in the right hands, create an extraordinary reading experience.

I loved everything about this story, how these two sisters found their way, how their mother factored into their reunion and the strong sense of place created in the story. I could smell Lake Erie and the fish in the shop, see the quaint stores in the heart of the town, feel the thunder and turmoil of the storms. I felt everything these women felt, even Brin’s frustrations with the adults around her harboring all these secrets. It’s a lovely story, often heartbreaking but more heartwarming as this family triumphs. But, that unexpected twist at the very end left me stunned. I know Fader wanted me and other readers to be conflicted about it, and I am. That’s a perfect conclusion to a lovely, lovely story.

This is romance author Molly O’Keefe’s women’s fiction debut as Molly Fader. I love her romance novels so I was curious how her women’s fiction might compare. The connections are there: she’s one of the best in the business when it comes to rich character development and the exploration of relationships. Only in this case, the focus is more on the relationship between two sisters and their mother than the love interests. (Side note: it’s interesting to see quite a few romance authors taking a stab at women’s fiction in the past few years.)

The story is told through four female POVs: sisters Lindy and Delia, their mother Meredith, and Delia’s teen daughter Brin. The characters are strong and well-developed. I was especially drawn to Lindy’s arc, as someone who went away and now it being drawn back in and whose life has not turned out the way she imagined. I really enjoyed her burgeoning relationship with Chief Singh, who is a total dreamboat.

Multiple POVs give us great insight into the family dynamics. Digging in to who knows what was fascinating. There are secrets in this family: again and again, Lindy and Delia mention how the McAvoy way is to essentially bury things under the rug. But you can only bury things for so long before they start to rise to the surface. I wanted to know the secrets and to better understand the pervasive dread that made me burrow even deeper into the story.

The way the Fulbright House featured in the story—or perhaps loomed—gave it definite gothic vibes. The house is a specter. We know something went down at that house but we don’t know what, only that it changed the course of the McAvoy women’s lives in two distinct ways. First, it figured into the death of Lindy and Delia’s dad when they were kids. Second, something that is not revealed until the end of the book and warrants a content warning. (See the spoiler tag in the CWs at the end of this review for details.) Once the truth is revealed, it was handled well but please exercise caution as needed.

This story was enthralling and Fader’s gift for prose was on full display. If Fader decides to write more women’s fiction, I will certainly keep reading more in this vein.

CW: past death of a parent, drowning, grief, stroke, hospitalization, postpartum depression, shoplifting

SPOILER CWs: second degree burns, past rape, unexpected pregnancy

This is one of my favorite books of the summer. I am a huge Molly O’Keefe fan and her transition to women’s fiction feels completely seamless. I enjoyed the alternating points of view of each of the McAvoy women. The story was richer and more complex because we got to listen to each woman tell her part of the story. If anything the end arrived too soon as I wanted to keep reading.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.****

Sisters Delia and Lindy have been at odds for the past 17 years much to their mother Meredith's distress. It takes a family emergency to bring Lindy back home to Port Lorraine and her family. Lindy was dubbed the "Wild McAvoy Sister" growing up and comes back to town only to find out that some people are not willing to see her for the person she has become. The tension between Delia and Lindy is so palpable that it almost leaps off the page. All Lindy wants is to help her mother who is struggling with memory loss and her little sister who has her hands full with a baby, a teenage daughter, and running the family business. Delia, on the other hand is convinced that her sister has shown up just to make Delia's life even harder. Brin is a normal 16 year old girl who just wants to feel like she matters but her mom starts acting weird and she needs to find out why and what better place to start than by getting to know her mysterious Aunt Lindy better. There are secrets that forced her mom and Aunt Lindy apart and Brin is determined to figure out just what they are.

The first thing that caught my attention was the beautiful and yet simple cover of the book. It just screamed "read me on a beach" so I had no choice but to comply. The minute I started reading the opening scenes I knew I was going to be glued to my kindle screen. I felt that I was able to relate to both Lindy and Delia as characters which made this a very enthralling read to be able to see and understand both sides. The struggle that the family goes through with the loss of Meredith's memory and all the difficult questions Brin begins asking is at times heartbreaking but so necessary to the story. This was a real page turner for me.

There's something about the dynamic between the sisters that reminds me a bit of the characters in Practical Magic. This book covers some pretty difficult subjects like mental health, loss, love, lies, and personal growth. It's a 5/5 star rating for me.

Title: The McAvoy Book of Secrets
Author: Molly Fader
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

Lindy McAvoy was always the wild McAvoy sister: always the talk of the town for her escapades, always into something. Seventeen years ago, she left town—and her mother and sister—behind in search of a better life in the city. Now she’s back in Port to visit her mother, who’s just had a stroke, and her sister, who’s now raising her own daughters.

Delia never even told her sister she’d had another baby, but now that Lindy’s back in town to visit their ailing mother, she knows she’ll have to talk to her—and Delia sees her rebellious sister in the eyes and actions of her own oldest daughter. The McAvoys have never talked about that summer seventeen years ago when their family fell apart and Lindy left town, but now that the family is back together, secrets from long ago fill the air and shape the family they are now.

I loved this book! Lindy and Delia’s relationship is complex and filled with years of history and emotion—not to mention secrets. The town of Port—and life on the shores of a Great Lake—was so vibrant and well-realized I felt like I’d grown up there. I loved all the intricate relationships, and, while the “secret” wasn’t a surprise, the gradual revelation of what really happened was enthralling and kept me engrossed.
Molly Fader lives in Ontario. The McAvoy Book of Secrets is her newest novel.

(Galley provided by Harlequin/Graydon House in exchange for an honest review.)

Sometimes secrets can destroy a family. Sometimes they make it stronger. Molly Fader has written a compelling story about a troubled family trying to find their way back to each other.

Delia and Lindy McAvoy have been estranged for years. Their mother’s failing health forces them to come together again. There were many unexpected twists and turns. I was drawn into the story from the first chapter and I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets and highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I honestly loved this book!

This is a great women's fiction novel that focuses on family dynamics of sisters, their mother & the past. Lindy left home years ago but came back after finding out her mom had health issues. She goes back & has to reconnect with her sister & her sister's children. There were things that happened in the past that they needed to get past & deal with.

Sisters and secrets? Can they lay everything to rest and make amends? This book was hard to put down. After each chapter I wanted to keep reading to see what happened. I loved the characters!
Many thanks to Harlequin and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was great! There were several passages dealing with feelings and secrets and such - felt therapeutic to read through them. It was great to follow the characters' thinking as they processed their choices and behavior. Loved the core cast of women in this - such interesting personalities. Lots of family work in this one - parents with daughters as well as between sisters. Also deals with memory loss/confusion following a stroke. If I was reading this with a book group, there are several passages I would underline or mark up to discuss! There are discussion questions for book groups.

Trigger Warning - I don't want to give anything away, but sensitive readers should read this with caution for a reveal in the end. (Some language)

A story about two sisters estranged by secrets they have kept for seventeen years. When Meredith, the sisters' mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Lindy comes home to help out but finds Delia, her sister is still distant. Lindy quickly bonds her Delia's daughter, Brin who is almost her mirror image. As the secrets slowly emerge, will this family finally find healing? Recommended.

The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is not just a story about two sisters, Lindy and Delia. We are also exposed to the relationship of an aging mother, Meredith, with her daughters as Meredith the after-effects of a stoke being that she’s confused whether she is living in the past or today. There’s also the relationship between Delia and her two daughters, teen Brin and baby Ephie, as well as her relationship with her husband Dan. Meredith grew up in a time when people did not talk about bad things happening inside their house. You didn’t tell anyone that a parent was abusive; not the police, clergy, or a teacher. You lived and grew up keeping those secrets inside your home and locked up inside yourself. When her husband was lost at sea she continued the fallacy of not sharing, or telling your feelings or secrets. Delia and Lindy were not just sisters but also best friends. I loved how they communicated at night using a notebook so not to get caught still being awake.

When something horrific happens to teen Delia it affects everyone as well as changes the dynamics of all the varying relationships. Lindy, the wild McAvoy sister, leaves town, not to return for seventeen years. Delia no longer lives the life she dreamed up, traveling in Europe and attending college to become a teacher; instead she marries Dan and has a baby, Brin, remaining in town. Seventeen years later nothing has truly changed when Lindy returned other than the birth of Ephie. Lindy was finally going to get the chance to spend time and get to know her nieces; especially if she stayed. Another change was the sweet Brin, feeling left out and unloved. She become rebellious, crying out for attention from a mother who had lost her perspective on life, a dad too busy with work and a newborn, and parents struggling with their own marriage. She was too young and lacked the life tools to understand what was happening to her family or able to fix any of it. It bothered me that no one pushed Delia to get some counseling to help her with her struggles when they first occurred, instead of waiting until now.

I totally and absolutely loved the alternating POV by the four women that Ms. Fader utilized in order to tell this wonderful and amazing, three generational story; a tale that was emotional, tragic, filled with wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters that is must read. I highly recommend The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Seventeen years ago Lindy McAvoy left Port Lorraine without so much as saying goodbye to her sister and mother. Now, after learning of her mother suffering a stroke a few months back as well as just ending another relationship that already wasn't going anywhere, Lindy finds herself back to the town and family she left.

Meanwhile, Lindy's sister Delia has remained in Port Lorraine starting a family and running the McAvoy family fish shop. With a teenager and four-month old baby at home, plus her mother's health issues, Delia finds her plate getting a little too full, but she's not exactly happy when Lindy shows up in town again.

Lindy and Delia have a complicated relationship that stems from events in the past that neither of them know how to talk about. This time, there's no going back and escaping the past. They'll need to meet it head on if they want any chance to repair what was broken.

The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is probably the best book with sisters at the forefront that I've read this year. I felt like Molly Fader built up the story really well. Fitting the pieces together slowly until you get the full picture of what happened all those years ago. I kept going back and forth thinking it would be one thing, then another, and I have to admit I was quite surprised with how things ended. Yet, in that regard it also felt like it fit. Nothing felt like it came out of left field instead it was a slow build of something that was weighing down this family for so long that there was no other way but to put it together piece by piece.

Truly, the growth of the characters throughout is expertly done, especially Delia who, at first glance, seems like someone who likes having control and demands that things go a certain way, especially when dealing with her teenage daughter Brin, and seems unforgiving in how she deals with Brin as she starts to act out. For all intents and purposes Delia does like the control and having things go her way, but it's the why of the matter that is slowly revealed throughout the story that gives the character depth.

Lindy was a bit more straight-forward as a character, at least in my opinion. She's known as the "wild" McAvoy, but you quickly learn that the "wild" label was added by rumors and exaggeration by people who didn't really know her but liked to gossip.

First and foremost, as stated in the title, this book is about secrets. How sometimes we believe the secrets protect us, or the ones we love, and maybe they do for a time, but how eventually it takes a toll, they weigh us down until we've ended up somewhere unfamiliar. I could feel a breath of fresh air once all is revealed by the end. Probably my only complaint was that, in trying to slowly stretch the revelations bit by bit, I didn't feel like we got the sisterly closure I was so desperately looking for in the end. Maybe it's a comment that not everything can be fixed so quickly, that maybe things can never go back to what they once were, but if so, I wanted to see more of that on page. I felt like the progress back to there once extremely close relationship was happening, but I wanted to see it.

Other than that, I was honestly surprised by The McAvoy Sisters. I figured I would enjoy it, but I wasn't accounting for it giving readers such a depth of sisterhood, family, and secrets. It was a great surprise. I look forward to reading more by Molly Fader.

When Lindy receives a call from Garret, the Police Chief of Port Lorraine, it starts a series of events that brings her back home for the first time in 17 years where she may either be able to repair the relationship with her estranged family or destroy it all together.

As children Lindy and her sister Delia were best friends until the night that their relationship was irreparably damaged that caused Lindy to move away without looking back while Delia was left to not only look after her mother but the family business as well.

Delia has had her own struggles since Lindy left as she is finding life overwhelming between her marriage, her children, her mother the business and doesn’t know where to turn. Lindy’s return home to help may solve some problem but when all the secrets and pain of the past resurface will they be able to heal their fragmented family?

This is a story about three generations of women and the challenges of life and family that they must overcome in order to heal.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book at first. What I got was a heartfelt story about family secrets and the lengths one might go to protect the people they love. I thought that everything from the characters to the plot to the setting was carefully thought out and well-described. I liked that I only got bits and pieces of the backstory as the plot progressed. The impact of the secrets that had been kept hidden coming to light was not unlike a storm crashing on the lake. The small mystery propelling the plot, and the role each of the McAvoy women played made this into a page-turner that I finished in a day. I highly recommend this compelling book. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. This review was written based on a complimentary, pre-release digital ARC of the book.

We have the McAvoy women, two sisters, their mother and the next generations. All have lead different lives. Some of them not being what they started out wanting. I enjoyed the way we got each woman’s perspective at various points throughout the journey. The characters take the readers back in time to remember what happened in the past. I enjoyed the flow of this book and the way in which things are revealed to the reader. At times, the characters show just a hint of what’s to come before we’re taken to the next character. We see a teenager daughter growing up, wanting to be seen. We see a mom with 2 kids, one teenager and one infant, trying to juggle the stress of life. We see a sister/aunt coming back to help out her mother and her sister, and we see the mom, slowly losing to aging. It’s a struggle for each of them for different reasons but I enjoyed how Molly shows the importance of having family and how you can repair what was lost. This is one of those books that will stay with me long after The End. If you enjoy a wonderful read to get lost in, this is your book! Grab your copy today!