This book has personal meaning for me, as part of it is based on the adoption journey of our son. I wanted to show the human side of the orphanages and the nannies who took care of the baby, but at the same time, wondered how a woman who suddenly finds herself widowed would navigate the process.

THE RED THREAD OF FATE tells the story of Tam Kwan, on the brink of adopting a son from China AND just widowed. Her husband and estranged cousin were killed in a horrible accident. If that’s not enough, she’s also named guardian of that cousin’s 5-year old daughter, Angela. Tam is left with heartbreak, regret, and a whole lot of questions.
The “red thread of fate” was a theme that wound its way through Tam’s life. Parts of her story I really enjoyed, especially Tam’s relationships with her own mother and with Angela. However, while I think the writing was very well done, I had a hard time becoming invested in Tam’s journey. It all felt like too much, too many coincidences, and too many times I needed to suspend disbelief.

Thanks to Berkley Books for an electronic ARC.

A touching tale of family, found family, and the threads that bind us. I loved the descriptions of Chinese and Taiwanese culture interwoven throughout the book. I personally didn’t relate to either of the two main POV characters, but thought the secondary characters shined.

Everyone's reading of a book is colored by their own life experiences. For that reason, this book's strongest points to me were about the Chinese orphanages, international adoptions, and found families. Secondary was the story of the transition of Tam, Tony, and Mai from life in China or Taiwan to life in the United States. Probably for that reason, the parts from Mai's diary were of the least interest to me. They didn't endear her to me in the way I think they were intended. Combined with the continual rehashing of events that had already taken place and were known became a bit of a drag on the story and my enjoyment. But I loved how Tam was able to pull together all the divergent parts of the world zooming around her in order find a safe place for herself and her little family.

I loved Lyn Liao Butler's debut novel the Tiger Mom's Tale, which is a family drama mixed with the complexities of relationships and uncovering secrets from the past. ⁣
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I so enjoyed learning more about the Taiwanese culture and I couldn't wait to see what Liao Butler wrote next, and now Red Thread of Fate is here! ⁣
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This new release has her signature story telling, with themes of family and the multitude of ways we build them. I loved the focus on motherhood and the various paths to parenthood including adoption.

The meaning of belonging is explored I loved the way she weaved in the ancient Chinese concept of destiny and all being tied together by invisible threads.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my gifted review copy. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lyn Liao Butler's books weren't super high up on my TBR, but I won this as part of a giveaway from Berkley and figured I'd give it a shot.

"She was on the phone with her husband when he died."

As far as opening lines go, Red Thread of Fate's isn't a bad one. Unfortunately, the book goes downhill from there.

Maybe it's because I guessed the "twist" by the end of chapter two, but I was not invested in story at all. There's a line that says Tam's "mind was a void and her feelings were numb, as if coated with a layer of Novocain" and that's literally how I felt the whole time I was reading the book. I felt completely detached from the story the whole time. Honestly, I just found the whole thing kind of boring.

Writing is an art form, and it just felt like there was no real thought or care that went into the Red Thread of Fate beyond the basic outline and plot. It felt more like a Wikipedia regurgitation than a story being told. There was no development of any kind and lacked any kind of depth. I know the old adage "show don't tell" can be controversial in writing circles, and while I don't think you need to apply that to the entirety of your book, there's more to storytelling than simply telling people what happened the whole time. There was also a glaringly obvious inconsistency about when Mei got her American name that I'm hoping got fixed in the final print. (I get really nitpicky when I'm not emotionally invested in a story.)

It's bad enough that Red Thread of Fate was basically Lyn Liao Butler telling us what was happening for 350 pages, but what makes it worse is the fact that she didn't even tell it particularly well. The writing was really nothing special. It was awkward and stilted at times, and some of the more expository moments felt like they were written by an elementary schooler practicing appositive phrases. The actual story was pieced together clunkily, and there were no transitions and a lot of time skips. It was a little better in Part Two which was at least more cohesive as a story, but Part One seemed to rely solely on heavy-handed hinting and mini-cliffhangers in a sad attempt to hold the readers' attention.

I'll be honest, I was not a fan of the "twist," but even if we took that out of the equation, I found Red Thread of Fate extremely disappointing. Lyn Liao Butler tried to tackle a lot of heavy issues in her book--grief, loss, guilt--but they were all thrown together without much thought. Everything she wanted to address was only briefly touched on. The Asian diaspora experience, the weight of silence and secrets, the culture clash between immigrant parents and their second generation, the meaning of family, the painstaking process of "moving on" after loss--there was more than enough to make an interesting story, but unfortunately, we ended up with a cursory reading instead of a thoughtful story. For a book that dealt with everything from unrequited love to death to the realities of child abandonment and difficulties of adoption, Red Thread of Fate did a tremendous job of completely removing any kind of emotion from the story. The story was rife with potential for evoking tons of emotion, but I spent the whole time waiting to feel. I hate to say it, but it got to the point where I was just reading because I wanted it to be over.

Unfortunately Lyn Liao Bulter's sophomore novel was a huge miss for me.

The book follows Tam after the sudden, tragic death of her husband and his cousin in a car crash. Even more life-altering is the fact that Tam is now the guardian of Angela, her husband’s cousin’s daughter (her first-cousin-once-removed-in-law?). Now Tam has to figure out how to be a single parent, all while processing the many secrets from her husband’s past that relentlessly keep revealing themselves.

At its core, Red Thread of Fate is about family—and especially about the messy way we are sometimes forced to define it. Tam has to work out the kinks of being a new mother. We also get backstory on Angela’s mother and her journey to parenthood. There are lots of twists and turns to the story (sometimes I thought a few too many…), but I did love watching these characters blossom over time.

This book was heartbreaking and heartwarming.

It’s about family - losing it, finding it, and creating it.

I am not sure saying I enjoyed watching Tam’s journey. But it was nice seeing her overcome grief to build a life with her children.

I felt a little frustrated with how many times a specific situation was discussed especially since it seemed to be talked about in the same way each time.

I also wasn’t a huge fan of how the chapters moved back and forth between Tam’s perspective and Mia’s (and her journal entries). Though I did appreciate getting an understanding on how Angela came to exist.

There were some parts that were a bit melodramatic too. But it was overall still an enjoyable read. (3.5)

Red Thread of Fate is Lyn Liao Butler’s second novel, and I loved it just as much as her first! Each of her novels introduces me to food and elements of culture with which I am unfamiliar. In this case, I learned about the red thread of fate—the concept two souls are bound together by destiny.

Tam Kwan is married, if not entirely happily. But she’s still devastated when her husband and his cousin Mia (a cousin he’s not supposed to be in touch with after a family drama between them), are run over and killed.

Tam suddenly finds herself an adopted mom, when Mia asks Tam in her will to take care of her five-year-old daughter. Add to the mix that Tam and Tony intended to adopt from China and their application is approved only days after his death. Tam needs to decide if she’ll follow through on the adoption and instantly become a mother of two.

Secrets abound in this family—secrets that Tony has kept from Tam (why was he with Mia the day he died?). Secrets that Tam regrets keeping from her husband. And many secrets Mia has held and carried with her from China.

Tam winds through a web of tough decisions. Can she bond with her new daughter? Should she continue with the adoption and travel to China? And she has lessons to learn about trusting her family to help. A key theme winds throughout the book. The devastating impact of secrets leading to problems that could have been avoided.

I love how with each of her novels, Lyn Liao Butler brings the reader inside the dynamics of different types of Asian families. Her insights into the reality of the foreign adoption experience rang true. For me, the scenes in China were the most fascinating and immersive parts of the novel.

An easy five star read that takes you to China, inside the foreign adoption experience, and tackles themes of how family, responsibility and our fate finds us, whether or not we feel ready.

This was a beautiful story of family, both found and blood. Tam is a strong woman who had her life changed in the blink of an eye. When her husband dies in an accident, Tam must decide if she will go through with an overseas adoption that was already in the works and raise the child by herself. If that wasn’t already enough, things come to light that rock her already fragile world.

I really enjoyed this story. It was well written and kept my interest for the entirety of the book.

Tam's world is turned upside down when her husband Tony and his cousin Mia are hit by a truck on a Flushing street corner- a truck which might have been driven by Mia's estranged boyfriend Kevin. Tam has no idea that Tony has been seeing Mia, who they sent away from their home along with her daughter Angela. Now, though, she's become Angela's guardian and a whole world of secrets are about to come out. Should Tam go ahead with the adoption of little Charlie from an orphanage in China? Tam's parents, who immigrated from Taiwan, never entirely approved of Tony and Mia, Chinese immigrants or that Tam chose to be a teacher rather than work in the family business, Her mom, however, comes through and she actually has a few secrets of her own. This one will pull you in. It's a story of overcoming anger and grief and building new lives and relationships. Most importantly, there's more to Mia than you might expect. Butler's a great storyteller and she has a. terrific eye for detail. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Great read.

3.5 stars

This book started off strong, with the defining event of the accident that kills two of the main characters — Tony Kwan and his cousin Mia — occurring within the first couple of pages. From there, the story focuses on the aftermath of the accident and those left behind: Tony’s grieving widow Tam, who ends up with legal guardianship of Mia’s five-year-old daughter Angela. At the same time, Tam receives the acceptance letter that she and Tony had been waiting for — the letter confirming their adoption of a son from an orphanage in China — which she will now have to decide whether to go through with on her own. As she tries to pick up the pieces of her life, Tam also has to reckon with her husband’s and his estranged cousin’s pasts, as well as deal with a long-held secret that could upend everything.

I’m actually a little torn with this one, as there were quite a few aspects of it that I enjoyed, but at the same time, I also felt parts of the story fell a little flat in some places. One thing that surprised me is that I didn’t feel anything emotionally for any of the characters, which I wasn’t expecting given my shared cultural background with these characters (Chinese American) and also a certain familiarity with their struggles from an immigrant story perspective. It’s not that the characters weren’t likable, because they were, but I guess I was expecting a little more depth to some of the characters than what came across in the story. I also had a little bit of an issue with the way Angela was portrayed in the story, as I didn’t feel at any point that she was only five years old — the way she came across based on how she acted and talked in nearly every scene, I felt like I was reading about someone in her teens at least (there were even a few instances where Angela seemed to act more like an “adult” than Tam). In the end, this uneven portrayal of the characters impacted my reading experience more than I was hoping it would.

Having said all that, I still appreciated the story overall and the writing was solid (though the plot was very much predictable and the ending I wasn’t too fond of). I’m glad I read this one and at some point, I hope to pick up Lyn Liao Butler’s first book, The Tiger Mom’s Tale, while waiting to see what she has in store next.

Received ARC from Berkley Books via NetGalley.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley, and Lyn Liao Butler for an ARC of this book!**

"Fate is shaped half by expectation, half by inattention."-Amy Tan

This drama weaves together love, family, and destiny with threads from the past, which slowly unwind, one secret at a time!

Tam and Tony are in love and looking to make their family feel whole. They are set to welcome a Chinese orphan into their family, when tragedy strikes at the most inopportune time. Tony is in a bus crash, and Tam is left reeling. What surprises her even more is that Tony wasn't alone in the vehicle--and apparently had reconnected with the cousin Mia, estranged from the family after an incident long ago. The next twist in store for Tam brings Mia's daughter Angela to Tam's doorstep---SHE is now set to become the child's guardian. Can Tam navigate the unknown waters of parenthood without her husband by her side? And when Mia's diary is discovered, what other shocking secrets will be revealed? What does fate hold in store for her...and can the Red Thread of the past tie her to a bright future? Or will it leave her tied to Tony and stuck in a state of perpetual sorrow?

New to Butler's work, I came into this one expecting a bit more romance and a bit less family drama, so that was a bit of a jarring disconnect. Tam is a relatable enough protagonist, and it was easy to empathize with her plight. The beginning of the novel bounces back and forth between Tam's present (starting with the day of the accident) and jumps back in time, in month increments, to illuminate Mia and Tony's reconnect. This worked well until the book caught up to present day...when Butler introduced Mia's journal as yet another device to discuss the past. I typically appreciate a well-thought out backstory, but in this book, there was so much focus placed on Mia's journey at points that I lost sight of Tam's transformation. As a reader, it was hard to know whose growth was most important, so the book felt a bit disjointed. Throw in discussion of Tam's relationship with her mother and HER past, and it was a bit cluttered.

The other aspect of this book that had me struggling a bit was the way it felt like reveal after reveal was needed to 'up the ante' throughout the narrative. Usually, I see this pop up in the thrillers I read, where twist after twist can hit (sometimes too many!) and leave the reader surprised. In this instance, however, I got the vibes of a speaker on a talk show, dropping shocking bomb after bomb to make the audience gasp. At the end of all of this familiar discord and turmoil, a love story was tacked on towards the end, which not only felt unnecessary but also a bit unrealistic given the circumstances. This isn't to say there isn't a great deal of heart present throughout: I just would have liked a bit more focus on one angle of the story (Tam's growth as a parent, a woman, a widow, or a friend) rather than so much back and forth.

If you're looking for a good yarn (of course I said it!) of a family drama with secrets aplenty, backstory galore, and family love at its core, Red Thread of Fate checks ALL of those boxes, and even more!

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

The story cover so much ground, exploring grief, immigration, belonging, the meaning of family and so much more. It's a mystery, a love story and a family drama all rolled into one. Though the novel defies categorization, I couldn't stop reading, tearing through it a short few days. The main characters, both Tam and Mia, are so well drawn and easy to empathize with. I loved learning about both Taiwanese and Chinese culture both in China and in NYC and about the foreign adoption process. The fact that much of the book takes place in Flushing, Queens, the neighborhood in which I work, made it all the more interesting to me. I will have to go back and read Butler's first book as soon as possible.

The more I read Red Thread of Fate the more I was obsessed. I was instantly intrigued by the idea of adopting children from China - since I'm adopted from China - but then Red Thread of Fate becomes even more complex. It's a story about the secrets we keep from each other. All the convenient lies and assumptions we let slide. With flashback chapters from Mia's journal, Red Thread of Fate became impossible t put down. Our lives can change in one moment, in one conversation, like whiplash. And Red Thread of Fate is about navigating the waves.

So much is layered into this book. There are conflicting feelings of identity like a divide between feeling Taiwanese or American. At the same time there are generational secrets and Tam's evolving relationship with her mother was one of my favorite elements. When the ones we love are taken from us, what do we wish we could have said? What regrets do we leave behind? Secrets can fester. They can break down the foundations until t he houses we have built crumble.

One Sentence Summary: Just before Tam and Tony hear from their caseworker about the little boy they’re adopting from China, Tony and his estranged cousin Mia are killed and Tam suddenly becomes mother to Mia’s little girl, and left wondering when her husband and his cousin reconciled.

Overall
Red Thread of Fate is an incredible novel of motherhood, culture, marriage, adoption, secrets, and most of all, family. There’s a lot packed into it, but it all works really well together to offer a beautiful story of recently widowed Tam who also suddenly finds herself about to become the mother of two. I loved this for the Asian American experience and for the strength of the motherhood story lines. But there’s so much more and none of it ever overwhelms or overtakes anything else. Red Thread of Fate almost perfectly balanced everything. I did find the two parts this book is divided into a little uneven and the end a little sudden, but, beyond that, I loved everything about this book.

Extended Thoughts
Tam and Tony Kwan have been waiting to hear from their caseworker about the little boy they’re planning on adopting from China, from an orphanage Tony has ties to. But, just before they do, Tony is killed in a horrific accident with his cousin Mia. Years before, Mia had lived with Tam and Tony, had become close friends with Tam, but certain circumstances broke the tie between cousins. Now, as a widow, Tam discovers that not only will she be adopting her little boy, but Mia’s young daughter, Angela, has been left in her care.

Dealing with grief and confusion as to why her husband was with his cousin when they had been estranged for years, especially with secrets haunting the trio, Tam must learn to become a single mother. With help coming from unexpected places, secrets from the past begin to unravel.

Red Thread of Fate is a beautiful story of family, motherhood, culture, secrets, adoption, and marriage. There’s so much tied up into the story, but all of it worked well together to craft a story that grabbed my heart and struck closer to home than expected. There’s a complicated family situation and a sweet romance and a woman just trying to hold on. I loved that there was so much in this book, but it was well-balanced, even if I felt the end was a little too sudden.

Being Chinese American, I loved that the Asian American experience was a big focal point. In particular, I was able to identify with it through Tam, who shuns her Asian heritage in favor of being more American. She felt very American to me, but there’s still that delicate balance of being Asian, of understanding what it is to be Asian even when it doesn’t fit what she wants. I really loved everything about her, not just how she gave me someone I could identify with, especially with her shyness and insecurities. Her character was one that felt real to me, so I loved going on her journey with her.

My favorite part of Red Thread of Fate was the focus on motherhood. Of course Tam expected it to happen as she and her husband planned on welcoming a little boy in the coming months, but she never signed up to be a single mother to two children. This book is split into two uneven parts, the first focused on setting up the story and Tam’s journey into becoming a mother to Mia’s daughter, Angela, and the second to unraveling the secrets and becoming a mother to two young children. I really enjoyed how she learned to be a mother to Angela, how difficult and stressful and exhausting it was. Unlike many novels with young children who usually get pushed far to the side, Angela is a huge part of this book. I loved how she seemed wise beyond her years, but also was just a child who wanted things and wanted to be loved and wanted. Reading Tam and Angela together was beautiful and so wonderful that I almost felt disappointed when the little boy, Charlie, was introduced. Tam and Angela’s relationship was such a special one, but I also really appreciated what Charlie’s story line added to the story.

I loved that Red Thread of Fate didn’t shy away from what orphanages in China are like and what the children who are adopted out are like. It’s almost unbelievable, but, due to personal reasons, I also know how accurate it was. It was heartbreaking, yet I enjoyed reading about it. There’s a bit of fun injected into the adoption, which really helped to lighten things, and I really loved how it ended up tying together so many of the characters. It’s shorter than the part where Tam and Angela learn to live together, but it really highlights the changes the characters were undergoing throughout the story. As little as Charlie was able to add to the story, he and the story around his orphanage really helped bring the story together in a beautiful way.

Red Thread of Fate has so much in it. It touches on so many things, but never pushes any of them to the side in favor of focusing on one. Instead, I can’t see how they could possible operate without the others. The mother-child relationships were wonderful, especially that between Tam and her mother, and really helped carry the story through all of it, the marriage between Tam and Tony, the cultural clashes, the adoption process, and all the secrets some of the characters carried. There are also several secondary characters that all played their roles to perfection no matter how large or small it was and they just added wonderfully to the story.

As packed as Red Thread of Fate is, it does offer a balanced, nuanced story with a consistent pace that kept the story going while also providing time to digest the information. Tam was a wonderful character to go on this journey with as she neatly bridges the divide between American and Taiwanese/Chinese and finds her feet as a mother and a daughter who understands her mother once had a life she didn’t know about. There were times when I felt so horrible for Tam, for everything she had to go through, but she has a quiet strength that really served her well, and conviction in her heart that was just beautiful to witness.

Red Thread of Fate is one I’m likely a little more biased about than usual since it hit so close to home for me. But I did find it to be a beautiful story with so much in it that I never had a moment where I was bored with the story. Instead, I couldn’t stop reading and just wanted more. I didn’t want the story to end, but, while I felt it was a little sudden, it was a really nice note to end on. Overall, I found this to be a captivating read and really appreciated everything it has to offer.

Thank you to Grace Fell from Spark Point Studio for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed reading "The red thread of Fate". This book truly has everything you would want in a book: mystery, identity, humor, suspense, etc. It's a complex story of family drama and emotional suspense.

Recommended: sure
For a drama that has a bit of everything, and yet doesn't feel like it's crammed too full of things; for a strong focus on family and forgiveness (of others, yourself, the world...)

Thoughts:
There's a lot in this story, all on a winding path through Tam's tangled heart. Tam starts her story with us by losing her husband Tony in a really sick accident. But then there's the confusion surrounding why he lied to her about where he was and who he was with just before he died. Tam is left with hurt and anger and grief and fear all at once. Add in the suspicions on the people who killed her husband and whether it was truly an accident or not to give a dash of mystery to the story. Really what we end up with is a story of grief, love, forgiveness, family, and a little bit of a murder investigation.

The strongest themes are grief and loss, as Tam and her inherited-daughter Angela are thrown together by the loss Tam's husband and his cousin, Angela's mother. While this is a somewhat inspiring story in the way people can come together and find family and love after wrenching loss, it's also very very sad in it's inherent topics. As I learned more about each character, I found myself liking them all less and less as they became more flawed and more human. By the end, though, I also found forgiveness for them the way they did for themselves.

The format switches to include some letters from Mia later in the story, which shed some light on the secrets Tam hints at early in the story. It's through the alternating views of Mia's past and Tam's discovery of it that reconciles what pieces of the story each person truly knew. I was equally interested in both stories, so switching from one to the other was never disappointing (except when it ended at a really intriguing part, but I knew I'd come back to it soon enough!).

Ultimately, the main "reveal" of the story was something I had anticipated from early on, so it lacked the punch it might have been intended as. Still, I was strangely sucked into the story. The disconnect I have is that while I was reading, I didn't feel like I was desperate to keep reading. And yet, I finished the last half of the book in one sitting, ignoring my growling hunger, as I continued thinking just one more chapter... Even though I didn't think I was THAT into it, I guess I was that into it?

This was a solid read that I'm glad I sank into. I'll likely pick up Butler's other work, The Tiger Mom's Tale.

Thanks to the author and Berkley Publishing Group for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review.

A tragedy leaves a young woman a widow, left in charge of a cousin's five year old daughter and the dilemma of whether or not to go through with the pending adoption of a young boy in China.

The mystery behind the accident that kills Tam's husband Tony and his cousin Mia haunts her days, as she struggles with the idea of taking care of two young children all on her own.

A good story with a predictable ending is nevertheless engaging, especially as it takes you through the complex process of an adoption from China.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked the idea of the story. It tugged at my heart strings and reminded me of the tie that binds us all together. But at times, the characters fell a little flat for me. There are though a lot of themes in this book and I think once its released I am going to suggested it for my book club since it will generate a lot of good conversations!