Jane Pool seems to be living your average, settled life as a mom and wife. But her world is seemingly upended when Jane’s twin sister, who she is estranged from, reaches out and tells her she knows where there mother is. Their mother left them and their father years ago and is something no one could ever come to grips with. But now that Lila (Jane’s sister) seems to have located her, this might be the last chance for Jane to get the answers she’s always yearned for.

We are taken along these sisters adventure to uncovering their truth about their mother. However, there are people willing to go to unmeasured lengths to protect and keep these secrets hidden.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mullohand Books for my advanced readers copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for this free arc.

This is my first book by this author, and I generally enjoyed it. The plot follows two twins, Lila and Jane, as they try to track down their elusive mother who walked out on them years ago. It's told from a past / present timeline.

What I liked:
- Jane and Lila felt like two unique, separate characters. If you took away the "said Lila" / "said Jane" you would be able to tell which character was speaking because they were written as different people. It didn't feel like you could swap their dialogue which I appreciate.
- I liked the past / present timeline and how the "reveals" in both timelines lined up with each other.

What I didn't like:
- The dad. Every time I had to read about him I found myself skimming because he was so...useless lol
- I feel like there could've been more explanation / exploration of how Jane / Lila reconciled or dealt with the fact that Jane went to prison to cover for her. Jane was the one who was traumatized by George, Lila was the one who killed George, yet Jane took the fall for her and this didn't seem to be.a big point of contention between the sisters. (Did Lila ever even say thank you??)
- The book sets up Lila to fall in the footsteps of her mother. She really hated her mother, so I thought that was an odd choice. I guess it speaks to how we inadvertently can become like our parents but I just wasn't super convinced that this was a logical path for Lila to take.

Overall I had fun and found myself wanting to find out what happened next

This is a tough one to review. It was an interesting novel that didn't fall back on the usual tropes but came up with something original, and the setup was intriguing: a woman, estranged from her sister, goes on a wild hunt to track down their missing mother (missing in more ways than one - she was absent in many ways before she actually left them.) The contrast between the sisters and how they approach the world was well developed. The winding path toward understanding the family and revealing their secrets was fairly compelling. Ultimately, though, I was disappointed by the direction it took because it seemed so implausible. I'm sure others with a more adventurous taste and tolerance for crossing belief suspension bridges will feel differently.

Jane Pool seems like a normal fun loving mother where she is an admin at her local college. She has to deal with a horrible mother-in-law and her slowly aging professor father but life is good and uneventful when she hears from her twin. Her twin has been estranged for many years and will not reveal her location but promises to share secrets regarding their mother.

Jane take a leap of fate and dials a secret number which leads to a whirlwind tour. She learns that her mother had some deep deep secrets that she is still keeping that have caused the majority of the heartache is her life to date. Unfortunately for Jane, more than one person wants to keep these secrets buried and she finds herself working with her twin sister against the clock.
Bold and boisterous! This is a great thriller blending governmental intrigue, family matters and all out adventure!
#mullhollandbooks #hardgirls #jrobertlennon

For me this was a great first book of the summer. I enjoyed it for the adventure and mystery. Maybe not the most plausible concept but definitely a good read. Would recommend for anyone looking for a fast fun read.