This family drama was a bit dark. It spans the '70s to the 2010s. The characters are all so nuanced and you can't help but root for some of them while despising others.

There were times that I was so mad at the character of Jayne.. especially when she accused her ex-husband of a terrible thing that I never believed he did. When you get the "why" she did this, it's so heartbreaking and I felt that if therapy had been a bigger thing back in the 70s, it would have helped her work through her trauma but she really had no one to turn to.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I found it very interesting and it was set over my life span as well. The story was fast-paced and very captivating. I couldn't wait to see how everything would turn out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a well written novel focusing on family dynamics and how generational trauma can be passed down. I loved how it followed different people within the family at different stages of their life. There was a good amount of drama and secrets but it was more of a character driven novel. It was on the shorter side but did not feel rushed. The topics are sensitive but done in a respectful and thought provoking way.

Thank you @nicolakrausauthor @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

I was completely swept up into this story from the beginning. I liked the way Nicola Kraus moved the story along at a clip, leaving it up to the reader to fill in the blanks.

Things slowed down in the middle when Linden became the focus. She was a confused mess and her mind drifted during various events to take us back and forth from present to past, filling years previously skipped.

I loved Sage and the way she quietly supported Linden through it all. I wish Sage and Linden could have found more closure with their parents, but there was so much to work through, and they seemed to run out of time.

Jayne started out so benign in the beginning. She was a pretty debutante sorority girl following the same path as her classmates who were looking for wealthy and promising young men to marry. She worked so hard to make her life fit the mold she grew up to expect. But their family blew up and everyone was forced to find their way going forward.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

Family drama reaching from the late 1940's to 2011, this short novel covers a family relationship fraught with pain and disappointment. Jayne and Bunny are sisters. Jayne tries to be the proper girl her mother wants while sister Bunny runs away at 16 years old. Jayne goes to Radcliffe and is interested in making her place in the world but is also forced into a role as a wife to make her mother happy. Rodger is a struggling writer who becomes successful as an author of several books. Rodger and Jayne seem to have a happy marriage but Jayne never feels complete. The book does touch on the way women in the 1950's-60's were supposed to serve as a hostess and support for their husbands and not have a life of their own. Jayne becomes the caretaker of her sister's three children after Bunny surfaces with three fatherless children and disappears. She also later has two children of her own, creating a brood of five in the family.

This novel deals with some serious issues including child sexual assault. I found the characters interesting but at times the author's tortured metaphors and similes and her desire to use long and obscure words would take me out of the story. The most interesting character is Linden who is Jayne's biological daughter and she is the only one the author spent time developing. There are a lot of characters here but we don't see them as much as see facts about them without understanding who they are or what makes them tick. I would have also liked at least some sense of happiness or lightness in the book. While these characters had difficult issues they also had financial security and some successes in life. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

really good mystery. Kept me on my toes and loved all of the characters and what they went through on this journey. Loved that they a happy ending happened.

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the ARC

This is an interesting study on the ways unresolved generational trauma affects families, the things that go unsaid, and how we choose to make a life despite the harm we’ve experienced or unintentionally contributed to.

I enjoyed the way the POV bounces between members of the family at the heart of the story but wish more pov’s had been given to Sage, and her and Lin’s brothers. But I understand that so much of the story was centered around sisters and mother’s and daughters. And in that regard, I think splitting the pov’s between Bunny and Sage, as well as Jayne and Lin, would’ve helped further explore the machinations of both mothers and fully delve into what Lin and Sage both lost and gained in the fracturing of their family as children, and what Bunny and Jayne were fighting against with “choosing shit in the clutch.”

I appreciate the brief convo between Brian and Lin towards the end of the book but felt that it wasn’t truly fleshed out (possibly due to the author being a white woman, and maybe not comfortable truly unpacking Brian’s childhood and his experiences/trauma) and in that case, maybe Brian’s character was unnecessary, because I’m unsure what he truly added to the plot.

This was a tough read for me. I didn’t connect with the writing style or structure—it sometimes felt disjointed and hard to follow. The story's emotional weight was heavy, but it left me confused and disconnected instead of drawing me in.

I appreciate the themes the author was trying to explore, but the execution didn’t land for me. I rarely leave a book unfinished, but I came close. This is not a title I’d personally recommend unless you’re drawn to introspective, meandering narratives.

A moving and incredibly sad intergenerational family story set over the course of the 1940s to 2013 that follows two sisters and their children and the way dark family secrets and trauma affects them for years and years. Good on audio with really great narration by Helen Laser and recommended for fans of books like The paper palace by Miranda Cowley Heller. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: sexual assault of a minor (off page), PTSD, drug and alcohol use/addiction

1972, New York City. Bunny Linden leaves her three children Sage, Buck and Brian with her older sister, Jayne and her husband Rodger and as she knows she’s better equipped to be a mother than herself. Bunny ran away from home at sixteen when Jayne was at college and she has no idea why?

Jayne has always wanted to be a mother, Rodger is a journalist and author, and they both agree to look after Bunny’s children. After years of trying and disappointments the couple finally have a child of their own and from Jayne’s perspective they have the perfect life and family and she’s content.

After being gone for over a decade, Bunny returns and only her two oldest children remember her and Brian the youngest considers Jayne to be his mother and it sets off a chain of events that destroys the family and it all falls apart.

As an adult Linden Donoghue, Jayne and Rodgers daughter tries to work out what happened, why Bunny run away from home as a teenager, left her three children with her parents for ten years and then returned and ruined everything.

I received a copy of The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus from NetGalley and Little A publishing in exchange for an unbiased review. The narrative is about families, relationships, society’s expectations and how they changed, the things polite people didn’t talk about, like child abuse and this could be a trigger for some people, neglect and divorce and most of all secrets and cover ups and trying to move forward.

A quick and thought provoking read, the main theme being learning from the past and bringing closure and four stars from me.

EXCERPT: And now my daughter is sitting with all my choices, and she has no idea what to do with them. How many beige cardigans did one woman need, she thinks. And who was this woman? She cleans and sorts and tries to make sense of it all - and other times she sits on the floor of my room and she cannot move.
She cannot move.
If I had not - if he had not - is she had not - but I did and he did and she did - and our parents did - and their parents did - back and back to the first drought, the first failed crop, the first spike of rage taken out on someone smaller, weaker, more vulnerable nearby who learns a new option - a new choice. And so, it goes. She cannot move.
But she will.
She will peel back the coverlet and empty the drawers and sift the jewelry - she will make the calls and find the realtor and disperse my choices, all the while asking why, why, why - and I will be revealed to be everywhere and nowhere.
I was not supposed to be here.

ABOUT 'THE BEST WE COULD HOPE FOR': A powerful novel about family, the weight of secrets, the choices we make, and the repercussions of the decisions made for us.

When Bunny Linden abandons her three children with her older sister, Jayne, in 1972, she knows Jayne will be the perfect mother. The mother Bunny, a teen runaway, could never be.

As months turn into years without word, Jayne and her husband, Rodger, a rising journalism star, strive to give the children the opportunity to flourish and feel loved. When Jayne and Rodger finally have a child of their own, a seemingly stable home is built. But then, after nearly a decade, Bunny resurfaces and sets a chain of events in motion that detonates all their lives.

As adults, their children try to reassemble the pieces and solve the mystery that has always haunted them. Who were their parents? What really happened between them? And who is ultimately to blame for the destruction? But will the answers they seek set them free—or lead to something far more damaging than anyone imagined?

MY THOUGHTS: I fell in love with the early chapters of The Best We Could Hope For. My brain was firing out '5-star' signals, but the second third of the book left me feeling disenchanted and confused. I felt like the author was 'trying' to hard and had swallowed a thesaurus from which she was disgorging words onto the pages as fast as she could.

' . . . returning home to a place pullulating with creativity . . .' (she uses pullulating several times).

'Linden's desire for Rodger's accountability was somehow simultaneously symptomatic of a sexual inversion, a cultural Electra complex, and an Ophelia-like hysteria . . .'

' . . . both women understand the chiaroscuro of their family . . .'

It's not easy reading . . .

This is a very dysfunctional family. I expected to feel strong emotions as I read, but I felt nothing which perhaps the author intended as it is written in a distanced and flat manner, despite the posturing and shouting and accusations of sexual abuse.

I came around a little in the final third, but finished dissatisfied and with many questions unanswered - the biggest being, was there actually any sexual abuse or was it just Jayne exacting her revenge on her husband for leaving her for her younger sister?

Jayne, despite the fact that she took in Bunny's children and raised them as her own, was not a nice person and I could quite believe her schooling Lin to believe she had been abused.

There are large gaps in the timeline and the narrative pov changes often and without warning or indication.

I get the message about intergenerational family trauma, but I think there must be a better way of delivering it.

Please note: the sexual abuse mentioned is not described at all, merely alluded to. There are some open door sex scenes in the text but they are not overly graphic.

Not for me.

⭐⭐

#TheBestWeCouldHopeFor #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Kraus graduated from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She lived as a child at 1000 Park Avenue, whose residents she claims inspired some of the characters in her fiction.
The Best We Could Hope For is her first 'solo' novel following a successful career coauthoring 10 novels with Emma McLaughlin.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Little A via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinion.

This was a book with some difficult and dark subject matter but it sure had some beautiful moments. The writing style of this was so different from anything I had read before. The timeline jumps quickly from chapter to chapter following the Linden/Donaghue family throughout time. This book is about how secrets and decisions we make ripple throughout time and generations. I love a good family drama and this did not disappoint. The book is told through Jayne and her daughter, Linden. Jayne was a very complex character and a such a product of her time (she grew up in 1940-50s). She drove me insane but I also did sympathize with her. I do wish we had more insight into the other characters (Jayne’s sister, Bunny, her niece, Sage, and ex-husband, Rodger). I enjoyed the latter half as Linden unwinds the family secrets as the beginning felt a little disjointed with the big time jumps. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Little A for the advanced copy. The Best We Could Hope For is out now!

❤️ The Best We Could Hope For - Nicola Kraus

4 ⭐️ - I will start my saying this book won’t be for everyone. It actually wasn’t what I was expecting, I still enjoyed it, but the cover could be a bit misleading.

I liked this one. Which actually feels a bit odd to say because it’s heavy and the characters are unlikable. I found myself always rooting for Linden to remain strong, ambitious, and finally figure out who she is and what she wants out of life. The topics in this one are heavy but I liked how they were written and portrayed. Like I said, no other characters are all that likable so I felt a range of emotions reading this one. It’s a family that deals with lies, drama, manipulation, grief, and ultimately self-realization. It’s definitely one that will stick with me. At under 300 pages, I wasn’t caving more and felt the storylines wrapped nicely. I also liked the changing timelines and POVs. This one won’t be for everyone but it sure was for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Little A publishing for the early ARC. This one’s out now!

This is a heartbreaking story about the ways that childhood trauma can haunt adults throughout their lives. It follows children who were abandoned with their aunt by their mother as they try to understand what happened to their parents. This was a surprisingly tragic story from the author of the Nanny Diaries, but was a bit too bleak for me.

I loved the past that took place in Maryland because it's my state. I was not expecting this to be quite so dark but enjoyed it. A lot of drama and dsyfuction, which I just love.

When do you realize that your family isn't like other families?

Jayne Linden grew up outside of Baltimore in a blended family: daughter of Margaret, sister to Bunny, and half-sister to two older brothers from Margaret's first marriage. Jayne's father Joseph was an important man in their community and as his wife Margaret was expected to do a great deal for the community, aware that given her more humble origins her efforts would be watched and judged by other women. Jayne was determined to get away and to lead a life vastly different from her mother's, and headed to Radcliffe for college. While she was a student there sixteen year old Bunny ran away from home, for which Jayne would feel guilty for years...had she not left home, might Bunny have never left? Jayne married Rodger, an ambitious journalist-in-the-making with a passion for social justice, and somehow ended up in a role not that different from her own mother's after all. When Bunny arrived at their doorstep with three children in tow Jayne welcomed them in, and soon thereafter Bunny left the children behind and headed off to try to heal herself. Jayne became a mother overnight, and would soon welcome two children of her own...another blended family. Bunny's eventual reappearance years later threatens to unravel the lives of Jayne, Rodger and the five children. Family secrets and traumas can travel through generations when the problems aren't addressed or even acknowledged...will the next generation have the courage to uncover what has long remained in the shadows?
Author Nicola Kraus, perhaps best known as one of the co-authors of The Nanny Diaries, has here written a poignant tale of a family that keeps repeating patterns of behavior in ways that leave lasting scars on the different members. This is not an easy, lighthearted read...it deals with themes of betrayal, abuse, divorce, addiction, race, and identity. The characters, particularly those of the women, are well-drawn...Margaret, compensating for her own perceived inadequacies and clinging fiercely to her new social status; Jayne, who wants desperately to be seen and appreciated for who she is and what she does; Linden, whose childhood becomes fodder for tabloid stories (think Mia Farrow/Woody Allen) and can never escape that image of who she is; and Sage, who is old enough to appreciate how much Jayne has done in giving her a loving and stable home yet wants her own mother more. The plot unfolds at a steady clip, with the narrative flowing from one decade to another and from one character's point of view to another's as well. It is at times bleak, often haunting, and yet is testament to the belief that even those damaged by the actions of others can find healing and peace. It is a well-crafted story that quickly pulled me in to the lives of the Linden and Donoghue families and held me in their midst until the end. Readers of Caroline Leavitt, Ann Patchett and Anne Tyler will find this an excellent addition to their reading list, as will anyone who enjoys a well-written tale of the dynamics of families, especially those that are not quite the ones depicted in the paintings of Norman Rockwell. Many thanks to NetGalley and Little A for allowing me access to a copy of this moving tale in exchange for my honest review.

2 out of 5 Stars!

When Bunny Linden abandons her three children with her older sister, Jaune, she hopes Jayne will be the mother she never was. Bunny says she will be back in a few months, but then months turn into years. Jayne and her husband, Roger, strive to give the children stability and love. This is reinforced when they welcome a child of their own. But after a decade, Bunny resurfaces and sets a chain of events in motion. As the children turn into adults, they set out to solve a family mystery. What happened to their parents, and who is to blame for the destruction of their family unit?

I was really excited about “The Best We Could Hope For” by Nicola Kraus, as the cover and synopsis really caught my attention. There were so many questions surrounding what happened, and I was really curious to know the outcomes of the children’s lives. While reading this novel, I felt like it was hard to follow and didn’t have a clear direction, which left me confused throughout.

I think this book is really made for a specific person who connects with the Linden family and their story. Personally, I did not really connect with the themes in this novel and the family dynamics at play. There were a lot of hard topics to read about, so I would recommend looking up trigger warnings if you think you would benefit from them.

I had a hard time really liking the characters. Linden and Jayne are the ones that come to mind. I think they were very hard characters to connect with, with strong personalities and the need to control situations. The other characters were odd too, and didn’t have much of a backstory, which made it hard to understand their motives. Even though this story spans over decades, I felt like I couldn’t really understand their characters and see them grow overtime.

Pick up “The Best We Could Hope For” by Nicola Kraus on May 1st, 2025!

Thank you to Little A Publishing, Nicola Kraus, and Netgalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

One family enveloped in secrets, generational trauma, abandonment, grief, loss, and suffering, along with the drama and dysfunction that seems to go hand-in-hand through three generations. So much unbelievable crazy enfolds over the decades, including forbidden love that’s not limited to just one, but two generations. You can really tell that Kraus is a native New Yorker. She has so perfectly laid out the differences of residing in New York City’s upper East from West sides, and the role that plays in these individuals lives. There’s 80s-90s culture.. doc martens, remember them.. a bitter divorce with a terrible bad thing put on a child, by her mother that most likely wasn’t true, and I still feel wasn’t wrapped up with any real closure. It’s a complex story involving relationships, questioning what really happened before, and how we carry things and pass them on to the next generation. 4 stars — Pub. 5/1/25

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a hard read, but in a way that reflects real life. Characters behave in ways you'd rather they didn't, and you're only getting parts of the story. I appreciated the way Krauss depicts family, the tension between being pulled toward each other and pushing each other away.

The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus is a dark, devastating, and deeply engrossing exploration of how childhood trauma echoes through generations until someone decides to break the cycle.

In just over 230 pages, Kraus manages to cover an extraordinary span of time—from 1940s Maryland to 2010s New York—without ever feeling rushed or shallow. The structure is ambitious, with shifting timelines and points of view that offer a well-rounded, emotionally layered look at a deeply dysfunctional family. The writing, while initially jarring in its brevity and surface-level tone, ultimately reveals itself as purposeful—mirroring how much of this story is about what goes unsaid.

At the center of the novel are two sisters: Jayne, the responsible and composed one who does everything “right,” and Bunny, the free spirit who runs away and eventually abandons her three children with Jayne. What follows is a quietly devastating portrait of inherited trauma, family secrets, and the unintended consequences of even well-intentioned choices. There were moments that felt raw and real—some almost too painful to read—but that emotional weight is what gives the book its impact.

None of the characters are particularly likable, and that feels intentional. They’re complicated, hurt people doing their best (or failing to). And while I occasionally wished for more depth—especially from side characters or Bunny’s point of view—I appreciated the nuance Kraus brought to each decade, from cultural references to evolving attitudes toward mental health, parenting, and identity.

There were a few choices I didn’t love (a couple deaths felt like narrative shortcuts), and I was left wanting more from certain threads. Still, this is a compelling, well-crafted novel that tackles heavy subject matter with sensitivity and grace. The kind of book that leaves you asking big questions: about forgiveness, silence, survival, and whether doing our best is ever really enough.

It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’re drawn to intergenerational family dramas with emotional weight, this one is worth your time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.