This is a very deep and dark family drama. Sometimes the best books are about dysfunctional families. Not every family is picture perfect. And, most people do not want to read about people who live in Happyland. But, this family goes above and beyond dysfunctional.

To start with, the premise is interesting, that's why I chose to read this. The plot centers around 2 sisters. The younger one takes off in her teen years and is not heard from for many years. After living a “hippie” lifestyle, she returns to her sister with a couple of children. But, it goes downhill from there. And, it gets quite disturbing.

It is the writing style that turned me off. There is no depth to it. Each chapter seems to be like an outline for the finished product to come later. Almost “point form”. And, each chapter seems to jump ahead a year or more. The characters seem to be shells, soulless.

I see that the book is endorsed by a few of my favourite authors. And, the majority of the reviews are favourable. But, this book is not for me. Not every book is for every reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

This is one of those books that is difficult to say I enjoyed (I did), mostly because I was deeply emotionally disturbed by much of the story, though I finished it in two days. The title of this book should give readers a clue about the dark despair that weaves through this novel, as the characters deal with the secrets and hurts that surround their lives. The Best We Could Hope For is written with sensitivity, casting no judgment on any of the parties involved in the trauma that is passed between generations, and in fact, helped me better understand how this can happen.

I love family drama, which is abundant in this novel. The traumas inflicted upon the children of one generation and how they play out as the next is being raised makes for a fascinating trainwreck which made for entertaining though not light reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little A for the digital ARC of The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus. The opinions in this review are my own.

Family trauma begets family trauma.

The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus is a haunting and layered exploration of family, legacy, and emotional debris passed from generation to generation. It follows the story of two sisters, Jayne and Bunny Linden, and the children entangled in their wake.

Jayne is in college when her younger sister, Bunny, vanishes from their troubled childhood home. Years pass in near silence, until Bunny reappears unannounced, with three children in tow, each with a different father from her drifting life across the U.S. and Mexico. Recognizing that she can’t be the mother her kids need, Bunny abandons them, leaving Jayne and her husband Rodger to step in.

Jayne and Rodger built the kind of home Bunny never could, one filled with warmth, stability, and care. When they have their own daughter, Linden, life feels nearly idyllic. But just as suddenly as she left, Bunny returns a decade later, and her reappearance is the beginning of the end. What follows is a cascade of unraveling: a painful divorce, fractured relationships, and a family splintered beyond repair.

As the children grow into adulthood, the ghosts of their upbringing begin to surface in unexpected ways. What happened in their childhood? What parts were shaped by pain, and what by perception?

Kraus, best known for The Nanny Diaries, delivers something entirely different here—a dark, immersive narrative about generational trauma and the emotional sleight-of-hand families can play. While stories of inherited pain are nothing new, what sets this novel apart is its masterful pacing and its refusal to offer simple answers. The truth is always out of reach, distorted by time, memory, and denial.

The narrative leaps across time and space precisely, each moment rich with sensory and emotional detail, particularly for those familiar with New York. The opening chapter, with Lin in a Brooklyn shop, is so vivid I could swear I’ve been there, overpaying for sage to cleanse a room that held too much.

This isn’t a light, wine-and-book-club kind of read. It’s a spiderweb of hurt and history, showing how every thread connects and entangles each family member.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this poignant novel.

This book kept me reading as I got to know each person, and then as it started to unravel what was really going on, it was more intriguing.
I received an ARC from Little A through NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I am not sure why but this book did not work for me. However, as I always say when I don't like a book, just because I did not like the book, it doesn't mean that someone else won't like it. It also doesn't necessarily mean that I may not like another book by the same author. Or even that I may not like the book if I try it again in the future...

There’s something so complex about family sagas that always leaves me reflecting.
This moving story about secrets, strong women, and family bonds was both heartbreaking and beautiful, filled with depth and emotional richness.
It’s a powerful exploration of love, loss, and the ties that bind us, making it a truly unforgettable read.

This book reminds me of a character case study of what pre-conceived societal conformity can do to a person's life. Nicola Kraus' style in this novel is also a little reminiscent of Ann Patchett's in Tom Lake for me.

It's a book about how decisions are long lasting; in fact, spanning generations. We begin in 1943 when Jayne is a very young girl. We end in present day when Jayne's daughter, Linden, is in her early 40s.

Jayne's family seems to have it all. Her mother, Margaret, heads nearly every charitable organization in Cherry Hill. Along comes Jayne's younger sister, Barbara (aka Bunny), a beautiful little bouncing blonde who is everyone's favorite.

Fast forward to Jayne's college years where she meets nerdy, enigmatic Rodger, who will later not only become Jayne's husband, but also an up and coming author. After college, where Jayne basically attended for her Mrs. degree, she is one day unexpectantly visited by her younger sister, Bunny, who by this time has become a "free spirit," leaving home at 16 never to return. Bunny just needs to "find herself" after living in commune after commune. She asks Jayne to look after her three young children, all by different fathers, and Bunny is not seen again for years.

Jayne does what she is expected to do - she becomes the "perfect" mother not only to her sister's three small children, but also to the two that she and Rodger eventually add to the brood.

Even though the book is deep in character analysis, we have so much going on with its intricate plot - there is an affair; there is alleged abuse; we have a nasty divorce involving a trial over child custody.

I feel that the book hinges upon the premise of how expectations can be so detrimental that it can take generations to break free from them. How impressions from our childhood can have such an impact, whether it be consciously or subconsciously. Some of these inherent traits are passed from generation to generation, some good, many not so good.

Kraus' writing is indicative of paring an apple as her prose peels away layer after layer of a character's personality.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little A for this engaging ARC that will make the reader want to get to the truth. It drops May 1, 2025.

Sometimes a novel comes along that reminds me of those I read in the '60's and '70's, verging on romanticism, family sagas replete with secrets and miscues, but which only could have been written in the world of today. Utilizing picturesque metaphors and making the most of lives lived in New York City, even the difference between the upper west and east sides, Nicola Kraus has used her experience to craft such a novel that holds the reader until the final page is turned.

This book is about life. Two sisters, Barbara (Bunny) and Jayne, start the book. Jayne seems to do everything expected, grows up and marries. Bunny flies by the seat of her pants and ends up with three kids, no husband and not much of a way to take care of the children. Bunny leaves the children with Jayne and her husband Rodger. Just leaves. Don’t worry, she returns years later and completely turns the world of Jayne, Rodger and the children upside down. Days turn to months, months to years and this return is still affecting everyone. The book will follow the family until the children are grown and we see an ending to the upheavel Bunny created.

I throughly enjoyed this book. I was dying to know how it would end and only stopped to sleep and go to work. There’s a lot packed into a few pages.

This has very dark themes and trauma.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. i had actually requested the book because Kraus co-authored The Nanny Diaries. based on my interest in historical fiction in mostly decades I'm familiar with - or my mother grew up in, I chose this book.

The length appears to be under 300 pages but felt much longer to me, perhaps because it dragged until the ending. The author said it took her 8 years to write this book, I wish more editing had gone into the first 75%. Part of it is a pet peeve of mine when a good chunk of a story is a characters introspective thoughts vs. action. Without giving anything away, there should be trigger warnings for sexual abuse. it's not even who it seems based on accusations.

We get Jayne and her daughter Linden's point of views mostly although it's not obvious who is driving the story. I did like references to cultural moments in the 80s & 90s, especially those Doc Martens. Linden went through most of her young life thinking one thing because of her mother, and a really terrible thing at that, and the epilogue doesn't necessarily give needed closure as much as another punch in the gut.

I saw this book was chosen as an Amazon 1st reads, if you are reading reviews to decide what book to pick, you may want to choose something else.
2.25☆ mostly for the writing first 20% and last 15%. book widely available May 1st 2025.

Nicola Kraus's The Best We Could Hope For is a powerful and deeply moving novel that delves into the complexities of family, secrets, and the lasting impact of past decisions. The story follows the journey of abandoned children as they grapple with their parents' history, exploring themes of memory, loyalty, and healing with grace and intelligence. Readers will find this book to be both heartbreaking and insightful, a compelling exploration of a broken family striving to piece themselves back together. This story of Bunny and Jayne was so relatable, and I found myself thinking about lots of women and moms I knew while growing up in the 70s and 80s.

This book was very interesting to read and I loved the concept and full circle moment of the story. I really enjoyed the first half of the book and learning about the family dynamics and everything that they went through. Once I got about half way through I felt the story started to drag a bit. It wasn't until towards the end that I started to get invested again when learning what really happened and how the past of the mothers affected their children. Overall I felt this book could have been shorter with some parts cut out but I was satisfied with the ending and overall enjoyed it.

This book had so much family drama, you will be grateful for your petty disagreements with your own! The protagonists wanted so much more than they had, wanted to be strong, fulfilled women. They are held back by untold family histories that end up having a domino effect among generations. My heart was wrenched as I read of the unthinkable ways this family changes, vine everyone wanting more for their loves, for their souls. It is deep and lovely, though the last fourth dragged on, making it lose a star. Thank you to NetGalley and Little Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A poignant and multilayered narrative that explores the complexities of family dynamics, generational trauma,and the weight of secrets. The story is heavy at times but not overwhelming. Beautifully written and rich in historical and cultural detail.
Many thanks to Little A and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one gave me all the feels. I was so consumed by this family and their story! I dreamed about it. What an amazing book.

This book was an emotional reading focusing on themes of trauma and familial relationships/ dynamics. This book was confusing and slow paced at time but worth the emotional roller coaster

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?

The themes and concepts that this novel addresses remind me of a blog post I saw regarding the complexity of familial relationships.

"Families are complicated. We grow up and figure out who we are in the midst of these other people who are figuring it out just the same. You see each other in your most vulnerable, private, and lowest moments. You share the same living space. Family is where we learn to push boundaries—argue, defend, apologise, and forgive. Through everything, you create a bond of shared history and an expectation of unconditional support and forgiveness.

But we grow up, and all have our own threshold for forgiveness—a limit to what we can process and move forward from without harbouring resentment. However, the boundaries are flexible—able to stretch depending on the circumstances and the people involved.

We all know we can not choose our family. Our mere existence is due to circumstances beyond our control. Even though families are complicated, we do have a say in the way we interact, the way we treat each other, and the way we react to one another’s individuality and idiosyncrasies. "

Loved this story. Still thinking about it even a week or so after I finished it. Always loved Nicola Kraus's work and will continue to read!

This was an intriguing book about family. The author did an exceptional job with character development, sensitive subject matter, and settings. I was a teen in the early eighties and was reminded that in today’s society we are much more open to issues than we were in the past. This book depicts a complicated family due to unresolved secrets who are trying to navigate their relationships. I am excited to see more works from the author.

Haunting, deeply moving, and insightful, this novel explores the lasting impact of generational trauma within families. The characters are so vividly drawn that I wanted to stay with them far beyond the final page—I already miss them. Despite my own biases, I can wholeheartedly say this is a book worth reading and recommending.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC which I read in exchange for my honest review.