An engaging family drama about grief, love and being who you are. The characters were all well written and I found all of their stories engaging. Definitely recommend.

The family has all come home to attend the patriarch’s funeral. In the first line of the book we know it’s a “shitshow.” And it is when a drunken eulogy reveals a family secret.

There are many humorous moments in this debut novel and I loved the family. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy.

Funny chronicle of a quirky family.
A bit difficult to juggle the number of characters and all their story lines.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

If We're Being Honest A Novel by Cat Shook. Domestic drama, told from multiple povs of dysfunctional family members. Difficult to keep up with the various family members who were mostly rather superficial and self centered. Unique storeline with some humourous moments.
Thank you to NetGalley, Caledon Books and the author for the opportunity to preview the book.

If We’re Being Honest, a debut novel by Cat Shook, is a family story that is both funny and poignant.
The Williams patriarch Gerry dies suddenly, and two generations descend upon Grandma’s house to provide comfort and support. A major secret is revealed, and the family must deal with their own personal struggles in addition to the aftermath of learning that their grandfather/father is not quite the man they thought he was.
The plot offers a strong premise and interesting (and mostly likeable) characters. In the beginning it is difficult to keep track of who is who, since upwards of ten characters are all introduced in the span of the first five pages. Eventually the characters become more familiar and the reader is offered a voyeuristic view into the private fears and secrets of each of the Williams’ brood. Shook offers hilarious commentary that is as caustic as Chelsea Handler but as loving as Erma Bombeck. Unfortunately, akin to a season of episodic television, some “episodes” feel like filler, while others feel almost too silly to take seriously (for those in the know: the two-men-sleeping-in-two-single-beds chapter had my eyes nearly roll out of my head). In the end, I felt like the book bloomed as a five-star read, but slowly wilted to four and then three stars.
Three and a half stars, rounded up because I read an uncorrected digital galley, and I can cross my fingers that the final copy will edit out some kinks. (Mostly, I hope the published copy offers a character list at the beginning of the book.)

I can definitely see this doing really well in our libraries. It has humor and vibrance and feels extremely relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon for the ARC.

I knew I was going to love this book as soon as I read the first line of chapter 1: "Gerry Williams's funeral was a shit show." This brilliant story of a southern family mourning the loss of their grandpa/dad/husband, while coming to terms with an uncomfortable truth revealed at his funeral, was hilariously funny and heartbreakingly sad and all of the feelings in between.

I did have a little trouble keeping the gazillion characters straight at first, but it sorted itself out as I got to know each of them and their various relationships within the family better. The story flew by, and I didn't want it to end - I loved this bananas family so much. And that ending -- I had gross emotions about it because it was so perfect.

This was an incredible debut, and I cannot wait to see what Cat Shook writes next -- she absolutely killed it.

* quote was taken from an uncorrected proof and may change prior to publication (but it had better not).