Great story about family history and misunderstood relationships. Great character development. Looked forward to reading whenever I had a chance. Would definitely recommend. Thank you NetGalley for prerelease copy for honest reviews.

When the bar that she co-owns with her father burns to the ground, Vale is devastated, and goes to stay with her grandmother while she’s figuring out what to do next. When she arrives, she discovers that her estranged sister is also staying there. Years of betrayal and hurt exist between Vale and her sister Blythe, as well as a strained relationship with her mother and stepfather. This compelling family drama is filled with secrets and painful memories, and I was so caught up in the characters and their stories that I could barely put this book down. I’m always drawn to stories about sisters, and the relationship between Vale and Blythe was filled with complications, as they each searched for new beginnings, and tried to retain the closeness they shared when they were younger.

The first few chapters of A Brighter Flame are slow and to be honest, I didn't care for the characters of Vale and her father, Bo. After a fire destroys the bar Vale owned jointly with her father she decides to return to her hometown of Philadelphia, even tho she feels rejected by everyone in her family except her grandmother. Her plan of staying with her grandmother backfires when she finds her estranged sister Blythe is already staying there. The book has family drama between sisters and an eight-year-old smart-mouth neighbor. I struggled to get as far into this book as I did and finally decided to give up. Thanks to the author, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A warm hearted read about estranged sisters brought together unexpectedly at their grandmothers home. Both are struggling with big issues in their lives. Family drama and secrets from the past are brought to light. I really enjoyed the way the sisters approached their past and future relationship. A wonderful ending! Thanks to NG and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC

What a gorgeous book! The author has a great gift for characterisation - nuanced, interesting, believable people but created with a charming lightness of touch. Thanks to the authors warmth, wisdom and emotional intelligence, this book was a huge pleasure to read!

This book was amazing. Families are so tangled and we can damage ourselves so much with preconceived notions of what is acceptable or not without even talking about it. I absolutely couldn't put this book down. I'm super sad it's over.

A Brighter Flame
A Novel
by Christine Nolfi
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.
I very much enjoyed the book. Finding the truth will set the family free. This is a heartwarming family drama about two sisters who struggle to overcome their past issues and develop a relationship as adults.

Another great read by Christine Nolfi. Strong characters and a great storyline. Good perspective on how many years are wasted because people don’t communicate their true feelings. I liked the flow of the story and would definitely recommend this book.

This is my first book by this author. I enjoyed the story. I thought it was kind of slow in the beginning but it did pick up. So glad I finished it. Enjoyed the book!

Pretty good book by Christine Nolfi - keeps your interest. Ending wasn't what I expected while reading the book. Family drama, love, friendship - this book has all of it.

Vale's dreams go up in flames (literally) when the bar she co-owns with her father in Pittsburgh burns to the ground. With nothing left for her in Pittsburgh, Vale returns home to Philadelphia where she is forced to finally deal with her fractured relationship with the rest of her family.

The plot of this story is quite gripping and I was definitely hooked fairly early on, wanting to know how things unfolded. The story is told primarily from Vale's point of view, however, there are small snippets from both her sister, Blyth, and her Grandmother, Iris' point of view. I quite liked the different perspectives and I actually think this book would have been more enjoyable had it been told more evenly spread between the characters.

Along with family drama themes, there was also a little bit of romance in this book. This plot line was unfortunately not as strong for me. It felt a little forced and awkward and I think it would have been a stronger story with the romance either built up more authentically, or left out entirely.

There was also an important theme that was introduced towards the end of the book. I won't provide specific details so this remains a spoiler free review, however, I will say I was quite disappointed with the conclusion of this theme and I wish it had been explored more deeply and realistically.

Overall this was an interesting read and I would recommend for those who enjoy family dramas. Definitely check trigger warnings before diving into this one though. If I had known of one of the potential triggers I would probably have skipped past this one as it is too personal to me and likely impacted my overall enjoyment.

4 stars

Disaster strikes for Vale Lightner when the bar she co-owns with her father Bo goes up in flames. Even worse she then learns Bo has failed to pay the insurance premium. What should she do now? She knows without question that her life needs to change so she goes back to Philadelphia to stay with her Nana Iris so she can reflect on her future. However, in returning to her hometown she has many demons to face especially her troubled, if not tumultuous relationship with her mother and stepfather who favour her half sister Blythe. Blythe seems to have it all but like her half sister with whom she has a difficult relationship, she is also at a crossroads in her life. Can the sisters find solutions to their issues and repair the past?

This is a burn through (sorry!) read as it’s very well written, the storytelling is lively and authentic and you become caught up in Vale and Blythe lives. I genuinely find this one hard to put down. The family dynamics and estrangements are done extremely well, you sense the undercurrents and can’t fail to spot the overt issues. These are complex relationships, it’s easy to see how and why they go wrong but they become characters you invest in. Vale initially seems spiky, Blythe seems to be a primadonna but eventually you see beneath the front they are putting up. Nana is the wonderful glue that pulls it all together.

The author takes us into some difficult and emotional areas but all are handled with sensitivity and understanding. It ends on a good note and warms your heart.

This is my first Christine Nolfi but it won’t be my last.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Lake Union for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

"Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way"

Once again in A Brighter Flame Christine Nolfi has dealt with a difficult issue.
A fractured family that needs to find their way back to each other. This family has so much pain, lack of communication and secrets. Can they find a way to repair all the hurt?
This was an emotional read as these characters really pulled me into their lives.
Beautifully written story that I truly loved.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book. The author has put together a wonderful sister story. The story was quite relatable and the characters very well done.

Oh how I love every book by Christine! She is an amazing and talented story teller! I have read every book she has written and I don’t plan to ever stop! This one was full of emotion, change, secrets and sorrow. Will the lead character be able to find forgiveness and closure in this crazy family dynamics? Only the truth can really set you free! I can’t wait for others to read this amazing story of new characters brought to life by such a wonderful writer!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Vale owns a bar with her father, Bo, in Pittsburgh. When the bar tragically burns to the ground, she goes to stay with her grandmother (Iris) for awhile. Vale doesn’t get along with her sister (Blythe) or her mom and stepdad. She hasn’t talked to them in years.

Blythe is married to a star baseball player and has a seemingly perfect life. But her marriage is on the rocks. With her husband busy with baseball, she decides to stay with her grandmother for awhile as well to sort out some things.

I loved the sister relationship and how far you’ll go for family. I loved the relationship with Emmett.

This book definitely handled some heavy topics. Vale is a 29 year old who went into business with her father Bo. Within the first chapter, her business goes up in flames and she drives to Philly to visit her beloved grandmother. Plot twist: her sister, who she hasn’t seen or spoken to in years, is also there.

The family dynamics in this book were interesting, and I felt like the hits just kept coming. So much trauma for the two women. I will say, I suspected Blythe’s situation about a quarter of the way through the book. I didn’t love the insta-love with Emmett, and the grandmother Iris seemed too good to be true. The end was very sweet, but predictable and tied up a little too nearly.

All in all. I’m glad I read this book. It was a page turner for sure. I’d recommend if you like a good family drama!

A brighter flame is an interesting story about two sisters and their estranged family. The characters are well developed and you'll enjoy following their paths to a happy ending.

Super enjoyable fast and easy read. I loved the interplay of all the relationships and the meaning of love not just in a romantic setting - all our close relationships have love and it was refreshing to read a "romance" reflecting this. A great read.

I couldn’t put this one down! Such a sweet story of redemption and the journey to get there. I could feel the emotions of the main character, Vale as she navigated her way through a difficult time, the ups and downs of reestablishing her relationship with her sister and the moment she realized she deserved better than she thought she did. Go read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this delightful story!