A multigenerational story of family dysfunction, secrets, abuse and more. Too much squashed into this story, and too many depressing cliches. Quite well written but not a family I wanted to read about!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

I cannot resist a what went wrong family saga and this delivered. I did think it was a bit darker than I was expecting but it was well written and didn't dwell too much. It almost went a little too fast at times, we read about 80 years worth of drama in a short book. It almost could have been two books given the amount of stories she shared. But she did surprisingly good job of keeping the story moving and you didn't feel like you missed anything.

*The Best We Could Hope For* by Nicola Kraus is a heartfelt and thought-provoking novel that dives into the complexities of family dynamics. Kraus paints an honest picture of relationships, particularly between mothers and daughters, with a mix of humor and emotional depth. The characters are relatable, and their struggles feel real, making the story both touching and authentic. It's a great pick for anyone who enjoys introspective, character-driven stories with a mix of light and heavy moments. Overall, it's a warm, engaging read that leaves you reflecting on your own family ties.

The way Kraus explores the messy, complicated parts of relationships is refreshing, and it felt like a real conversation about what it means to grow up and try to understand the people in your life. It’s emotional but not overly heavy, and the writing is super engaging. If you’re in the mood for something heartfelt and real, this one’s a great choice!

Whew, family is complicated....

This family centered drama was dramatic (some moments where definitely giving Jerry Springer!), traumatic, and a page turner!
I didn't find any of the characters truly likable or redeemable, but that felt honest and relatable through and through.
There was a level of nuance in each character that was done well. Even though I may not have agreed with their actions, I wanted the best for them.

I appreciate the time jumps and consistently changing POVs. It made for a well rounded read and perspective across all of the issues the family was facing. I think the author handled the variety of issues well especially in the context of the generations and eras in which they were happening and/or in relation to the people it was happening to/around and their perception given when they grew up/lived. Truly a thoughtful experience.

It was short but didn't feel like it was missing anything. I felt like death was a cop out for a few characters and wish we got more of some side characters, but ultimately happy with this read.

This book was dark and really sad but I liked it. This is a take on what childhood trauma can do to a family and how it reverberates through the generations until somebody stops the cycle. It shows how secrets can destroy an entire family.

There is so much to take in in this short novel. It was just 236 pages on my tablet, yet the author manages to cram in decades of this family's life from 1943 Maryland to 2013 New York. The author did a wonderful job engaging me and packed so much in. I'm glad the book was short because it was so terribly sad, but it didn't feel rushed or undone; it was perfect.

This one will stay with me for a long time because it was poignant and profound. The plot is well constructed, the characters are three-dimensional and the author writes in wonderful detail without getting too wordy. I love how the author paid attention to the
specific time periods, she got the decades right regarding music clothing and TV shows.

This book was skillfully engaging, well crafted and handled some very serious, sensitive topical matters and it was done in a very sensitive way. It was ambitious and overall compelling. I'm trying really hard to avoid spoilers as this one is better going in blind. It is not for the faint of heart but I do recommend it.

The book has so much depth and complicated family dynamics. It's heartbreaking and mysterious. I could feel when the characters reached breaking point. I felt torn myself.

This book was interesting! This is a powerful story about how trauma marks the psyche in a way that may not even be understood by those who experience it, and that those who do not process their trauma are doomed to pass it on to future generations. I was really invested in understanding the "why" behind these characters and their choices. The buildup to the final chapters hit a small drag for me in the middle of the book, but the final chapters were so poignant and involved so much of the information I had been waiting on that made it worth the wait. I appreciated the long term development of the characters and the demonstration of how trauma can impact people within the same family so differently. Worth the read!

I was looking forward to reading this novel by Nicola Kraus. I found the start to the book to be quite slow. I would have enjoyed more character development. Overall, it was a good read.

Powerful and atmospheric. I love the 60s era and the family drama. Unputdownable story. The characters broke my heart, but they were completely relatable. I especially like the motif of family responsibility coupled with the idea that we are who our families make us. Inescapable past and all that.

A complex and dark look at a dysfunctional family made up of cousins, and step siblings and parents. Complicated secrets and false memories make up a narrative that often hit some high notes and sometimes fell short. But the overall strength and just living the characters do is tenacious. Its difficult to Like a book about a troubling and raw subject matter but this is one of those occasions. I loved the Epilogue and the inability to forgive but understand came together.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

This is not going to sound nice: The writing was simply not good enough for the heavy topics and to pull off this plot. There were a lot of characters and I kept getting confused about everyone and their relationships even though I read this in a very short time frame. I don't know what the point was to have all these extra siblings other than for more opportunities for the author to construct these strange, flowery, extraneous sentences that mostly just added to the overall confusion of the book. No one seemed to really "come off the page."

The worst part, by far, was the epilogue. I do not understand why something like this was included. It makes zero sense, am I supposed to like Jayne now? You go from liking Jayne, to being annoyed by Jayne, to hating Jayne, to...what? It is cheap and uninteresting. I do not know what this book was supposed to teach or do for me. Mostly I just felt sad and depressed because I am not a monster.

I received this e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Nicola Kraus is the author of The Nanny Diaries, but this family-focused saga is nothing like it. One flaky sister drops off her three kids at her responsible sister's house. The flake doesn't come back to reclaim the kids for several years. She not only takes the poor kids but also something else. The children are the victims of this incredibly dysfunctional family. This book pulled at my heartstrings. I enjoyed the characters as well as the writing.

I love a book about a new generation mining family secrets, and this one is very well done. The story is intriguing and while I didn't (by design) love or even like every character, they are well developed and I was interested in each of them and how it would all come together.

Thank you to the author and Little A for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Give me all of the family dramas.

When I found out this was written by the same author has The Nanny Diaries I was completely shocked, what an incredible range, but I also read she spent several years writing this and I have to say it truly shows. It is a well executed story with complex characters and really highlighted the ripple of generational trauma and how these cycles can be impossible to break.

I was enthralled by these characters, I had a mix of emotions loving them one minute and cursing them the next, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see where they all ended up.

This is a story full of hope and honesty and the resilience of the human spirit.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC!

The Best We Could Hope For by Nicola Kraus offers an interesting look at family dynamics and the challenges of motherhood. The writing is engaging, and Kraus's honesty about her experiences is refreshing. However, the pacing felt a bit slow at times, which made it hard to stay fully invested. While there are some poignant moments, the narrative occasionally lacks depth, leaving certain themes underexplored. Overall, it's a decent read that has its moments but doesn't quite reach its full potential. 3 stars.

This was a deep, moving story about generational trauma. I'd received a copy of it and had to put off reading it for a few months. By the time I started it, I had forgotten what it was about it, so I went in blind and was not disappointed.

The story follows a young woman, Jayne, through her young adult years into adulthood. She meets and marries a man while at school and they settle into a pretty boring life. Then her sister, Bunny, comes to visit with her 2 kids and a third on the way. Bunny has runaway as a teen to live a hippie type lifestyle. There's not much said about why she left, it's all very secret, childhood trauma seeming. Bunny eventually leaves her 3 children with Jayne and her husband. The aftermath of that and Bunny's return is the brunt of the book. Then we follow Jayne's daughter, Linden, as she grows up and then as she tries to figure out her family's secrets and work through her own trauma.

I don't want to spoil anything but there would be a warning of child sexual abuse. It's not detailed but it is talked about a lot.

There's an entire family of well written characters here and I wish the book was longer to spend more time with them. From Jayne's parents to Bunny's grandkids, they all have a deep role to play. The book is on the shorter side, compared to most novels now, and it moves quickly, making it an easy read, even if you're reading through tears.

I will say I've read other books from this author with her co-author and this was a very good book that she wrote alone. I can't even draw a line between this book and the Nanny Diaries, they're so different. And I hope we get more books like this, such a moving family drama.

A very special thank you to NetGalley and Little A publishing for this advance copy of The Best We Could Hope For. This one publishes on 5/6/25.

I got this a little confused and thought the author is the author of Hotel Laguna, a favorite of mine last year (aka, nope - that’s Nicola HARRISON), and I was surprised to see that Nicola Kraus is the author of The Nanny Diaries. While I haven’t read that work, this one definitely read as a tough contemporary historical, with a lot of really heavy themes. I felt really sad the majority of this book, so if the author was trying to invoke that response of a reader, she definitely succeeded, but ai would caution to make sure you’re in a good head space before diving into this one.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this honest review!

This book was not at all what I expected, but I devoured it. At its core it’s the tale of a family with a lot of issues. But this story goes deeper and shows us how the sins of the father are laid upon the children, to quote Shakespeare. The characters are varied but the main players are well fleshed out and plot moves along well enough. It is a family saga but it’s not the Brady Bunch. This book could do with a trigger warning as it deals with some sensitive subjects but otherwise it’s a book I would encourage anyone to read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Little A for my advanced copy.

I couldn't put this book down from the first page and devoured it in two days. It's a moving story of a family's emotional and dysfunctional journey and the lasting impact of generational trauma on their history. The author did an excellent job with the sensitive nature of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little A Publishing for allowing me to read and review this eARC.