Loved this family drama! Three adult sisters, with their spouses, boyfriends and children, along with their aging parents converge on a vacation home made of glass for a holiday, and all sorts of secrets are roiling. As the father tries to get a family portrait of his daughters, a tree cracks and threatens the three of them, and he jumps into action to save the youngest. This event sets of memories and has all the family questioning their place among the family and their memories of their pasts. Emotions run high, lives unravel and reknit, and soon things are falling apart for each individual family as well as the group. Such well crafted characters and interesting plot lines within them lay out how we each experience some events entirely differently through the fog of memory.

Unfortunately, while I am a fan of this author, I really struggled with this one. Though this novel has one of my favorite covers of 2025, I really had a hard time connecting with the narrative structure of this story, which included four storylines told entirely out of order, with no rhyme or reason as to who we would be spending time with next, where that time would be spent, or even when in time it would happen. The premise of a group of adult siblings discovering that their father really does have a favorite is intriguing, but in execution these character's actions left far too much to be desired. The thin line between a messy character and messy storytelling feels crossed here.

Was good, not great. Enjoyed all of the characters but there was moments I was just so disinterested in what was going on.

This story centers on the Fisher family, who have three daughters. When a near-tragic accident occurs, the father, Patrick, instinctively saves one daughter—raising the uncomfortable question of whether he favors one child over the others. I usually enjoy family dramas and wanted to connect with this one, but it fell short for me. There were too many characters to keep track of, which made it confusing. The narrative frequently jumped back in time, but the timelines were in no particular order, so it was hard to tell when events were taking place. Additionally, the book lacked traditional chapters, instead shifting abruptly between different family members’ perspective.

The Accidental Favorite is a multi-POV contemporary novel following a dysfunctional family on a vacation with intermixed chapter flashbacks. I find it so fascinating that siblings have drastically different perspectives from childhood, and this is a major element in the Accidental Favorite. The characters felt raw and honest, and I thoroughly enjoyed following the Fisher family.

Narration performed by Fiona Button was excellent.

I received an ARC and ALC from Henry Holt & Company and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is just as chaotic as a real life family. Which obviously makes it realistic, but with so many characters it was often hard to follow. It was also difficult to truly get the depth and growth I wanted for all the characters.

I liked this author's prior book 'Amazing Grace Adams', so was interested to see what she would do here with the themes of sibling rivalry and the challenges of family dynamics. Ever wonder if your parents had a favorite sibling? Is that even a thing? Well the Fisher sisters surely think so after their dad Patrick, saves Eva from a falling tree over the other 2 sisters. In hindsight, this could have been a reaction to the circumstances, an isolated incident, or Eve was just the closest sister to him, but it serves as the compelling event for the entire novel.

Set against the backdrop of a weeklong family gathering in a glass house in the English countryside, the novel delves into the lives of the Fisher family as long-held secrets and tensions come to the fore. They are all there to celebrate the 70th birthday of their mom Vivienne. I thought it was an interesting metaphor that the reunion takes place in a glass house, as many stones are indeed thrown! Decades-old resentments are released, along with insecurities, and personal childhood rivalries.

The narrative unfolds through alternating perspectives, offering a unique view of the family's intricate relationships. All the characters are flawed, yet somewhat relatable.

Each sister has her own personal challenges—Alex with postpartum struggles and marital dissatisfaction, Nancy with career setbacks and co-parenting issues, and Eva with the pressures of success and a secret marriage. Their individual narratives intertwine seamlessly, painting a vivid picture of familial bonds and tensions.

I liked the multiple viewpoints and time shifts which helped me to understand the characters' motivations and histories. This added some depth to the narrative, and highlighted how past experiences can shape present interactions.

It was also interesting to see how parental attention affected the sisters sense of self-worth and sibling relationships well into adulthood.

I read Fran Littlewood’s debut novel “Amazing Grace Adams” in 2023 and I did find that I needed to be “in a mood” to enjoy/endure the lead character. I wasn’t sure how much I liked Grace, but I definitely felt more and more sympathy for her as all the facts of her life were revealed. Her past life was tragic; but she was trying to find a spark in the present. It was a bittersweet tale, beautifully written and emotionally layered.

In “The Accidental Favorite,” the writing again is richly imagined, but we are immediately juggling so many more characters. It’s nearly Vivienne’s 70th birthday and with her husband Patrick, they will be staying in a glass house with their three daughters (Alex, Nancy, Eva) plus various mates and grandchildren. Aside from knowing to not throw stones in glass houses, there’s the unspoken pledge to never show favoritism among your children. However, Patrick spectacularly (if accidentally) breaks that rule and recollections, memories, rivalries, jealousies, and secrets become the stones to be thrown in the glass house.

Unfortunately, keeping track of the characters became stressful and emotionally draining. I wished someone like Vivienne was the central character as Grace had been. I knew it was going to be a long, long week as the family needed to retract and then expand to settle their conflicts. However, I also had access to the audiobook and the terrific Fiona Button livened up the sisters’ stories. 3.5 stars for Littlewood’s sophomore effort; 4 stars for Fiona Button’s narration.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Only Alex and her dad’s dark brown eyes with flecks of gold are mentioned.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO But Mother Nature is having a say in this book and it starts with a great big tree.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Company, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for advanced copies!

The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood is a recommended drama featuring a dysfunctional family.

Vivienne and Patrick Fisher have three adult daughters, Alex, 45, Nancy, 44, and Eva, 40. When all three generations of the family gather at a glass house in the country to celebrate Vivienne's 70th birthday a near- tragic accident reveals to everyone that their father, Patrick, has a favorite daughter. This revelation results in sibling rivalries being resumed, while secrets abound, long held resentments surfaces, and family ties are strained.

The narrative unfolds from alternating perspectives of the sisters Alex, Nancy, and Eva, and their mother, Vivienne. The revelations follow events from 1976 to the present, exposing their present situations and past grievances. As with any family the tensions can span years and confront varying different memories of events. Also included are all the children and partners of the sisters.

Occasionally an insightful and impactful observation surfaces, and there is some humor along with emotional depth, but, beyond that, the plot mostly feels unfocused as it wanders between memories and current problems. They are all portrayed as realistic individuals, but, personally, I struggled with caring about all these characters. I was left with the overwhelming questions: Why did they all agree to this week long vacation together? Why not just a quick weekend?

Normally, a story with a dysfunctional family can hold my attention, but I struggled here. It may be the author's writing style simply isn't a preferred style for me. The ending did bump up my rating. If you like dramas with messy dysfunctional families you might want to give The Accidental Favorite a try. Thanks to Henry Holt & Company for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Borderline overstimulating from the jump. Maybe intentional, but not enjoyable.
Just too many aspects working against each other and I wasn’t intrigued by the family’s drama enough to want to continue.

What if an incident reveals who the favorite child is? It becomes a family reimagined over the course of their vacation. A family drama focused on sisters is my favorite read but this one moved slow and a little confusing. Overall , it’s a good family drama that felt like one long paragraph. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced e-reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

My favorite thing about this book were the relationships - and what an interesting way to explore them? Questioning if your parents truly have a favorite is such a great concept and I really adored this story.

📚 Book Review: The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood

The Accidental Favorite is a compelling family drama that delves into the complexities of sibling relationships and the secrets that bind them. When a near-accident during a family gathering reveals a long-held secret, the Fisher sisters, Alex, Nancy, and Eva—are forced to confront their pasts and the dynamics that have shaped their lives.

Why You'll Love It:

Engaging Characters: Each sister is well-developed, with unique struggles and perspectives that add depth to the story.

Emotional Depth: The novel explores themes of favoritism, rivalry, and the search for identity within a family.

Strong Writing: Littlewood's storytelling is both poignant and relatable, capturing the nuances of family life.

Final Thoughts:
While the plot occasionally leans into predictability, the book's charm lies in its uplifting message and the strength of its central character. The Accidental Favorite is a thought-provoking read that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the complexities of family relationships.

A messy, confusing-to-read (due to the flashbacks and many characters) family drama that stems from a father choosing to protect one daughter during a dangerous incident but not protecting others. There is lots of symbolism in that situation, plus the choice of a family vacation home has meaning too, so deep readers may enjoy this saga. Was not my favorite but please read reviews as it may be better for other readers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Beautifully written family drama that needs to be added to your tbr immediately!

I suprised myself with how much I enjoyed a book like this. The family dynamic was so chaotic, and complex. Old wounds being opened back up, sibling rivalry, and how this is overall effecting everyone in this group was written so effortlessly. The flow of this book was fantastic with little to no "fillers"

A tree falls in the woods, and all three of your adult children are standing beneath it. You dive forward to remove one from danger, but the tree never falls, and the child you went to save was decidedly not the one nearest you. There is no hiding what happened. Nothing at all, and yet something. Something none of them can unsee, unknow, and Patrick cannot undo.

Meet the Fisher's. It's not often the whole family gets back together in the same place at the same time now that they're all grown, but it is Vivienne's seventieth birthday, and her three daughters and their family's have come to stay for a few days at a unique glass house for the celebration. Once everyone arrives, they gather for pictures, which is how the sisters ended up in the path of the falling tree. After, from their father's reaction and because of their sudden forced proximity, old resentments start to boil back to the surface, and secrets being held close.

I absolutely loved Fran's first novel Amazing Grace Adams. I loved everything about that story, and I can see after reading this second release that she is very interested in family dynamics and the human response to trauma (some big, some small). The thing I admired most about The Accidental Favorite is the exploration of how the most subtle moments in a family, or any relationship really, can have ripple effects that resound through personalities and time.

The novel itself is quite subtle. The metaphor of the glass house is so interesting, and big things do happen throughout the novel, but the meaning largely hides between the lines.

I am such a fan of Littlewood's writing and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This definitely captured the experience of an extended family crammed into a big rental house (which I do every summer). Everyone’s stressed and old patterns bubble up fast. I often underlined something relatable as one of three sisters.

That said, the pace dragged a bit and I did get bored at times. Also, it was sometimes hard to tell when we were in the past versus the present. I got sucked in eventually, though.

Throw this in your summer bag for when you want to read about the resentments of a different family instead of thinking about yours!

This is a whirlwind. So much happens to these characters in both the present-day story line and in the past, it's almost surprising that it all works as well as it does. But the characters are well realized and the flashbacks are layered in nicely. The love between the members of the family makes it all work.

Families ars complicated. I have found very few authors that can craft complicated family as beautifully as Fran Littlewood does. There is anger, resentment, silbling rivalry, secrets, regret, but woven through all of those is devotion and love.

I admit I struggled to get through the halfway mark and the back and forth point of views and timelines. There were some slower spots, but the end is so rewarding. It's realistic, honest, sometimes ugly, but it is such a beautiful story.

I struggled a bit with this book, as I was looking for a driving force to the plot, and I felt like it kind of lacked that. I loved the relationships with the sisters, and the overall concept is interesting, but I wondered a couple of times where the story was going. If you enjoy getting lost in the ins and outs of family drama, I think you'll love this book. If you need something with a stronger plotline, you may want something else.