I'd forgotten the blurb summarizing the plot by the time I picked this up and in between I noticed it was picked by a couple of influencers as a monthly book club pick. it falls short of being a spotlight book for me. Yes, it's really well written and heartbreaking. But it's short and could have been improved with a little more meat on the bones. I would have especially liked to see Heron's story played out with more insight and detail.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a small but fierce book! A Family Matter oscillates between current day as Maggie learns of her father's cancer diagnosis, and back 40 years when Maggie was 3 and her father petitioned the courts for full custody of her once he finds out Maggie's mother Dawn has been having an affair...with a woman.

Reading this as an American, I was stunned to learn that in the UK in the 80's, children could be legally removed from their mothers if it was determined she was a lesbian. I started googling to see if that also happened here in the US and shockingly -- it DID! I cannot even imagine how any justice system could not only think this was okay, but that they would rule favorably time and time again to keep doing it!!!!

Needless to say, this book was SO well done, so beautifully written that I was savoring the last pages of what was already a much too short book! I absolutely loved how Lynch painted these characters and their hurt in such a way that was so compelling and lovely. I don't want to say too much without giving it away be jeez even the last couple sentences spoke volumes of trauma and loss. It's been a LONG time since reading a scene in a book gave me goosebumps while tears streamed down my face. Interestingly enough, I didn't hate any of these characters for what choices they made (or allowed to be made for them), I just felt so deeply for their losses. At its core, this book was so powerful and poignant, masquerading as a family coming to terms with decades of (arguably) bad choices. I loved it and absolutely didn't want it to end. What a fantastic, sad, but wonderful little book!

Thank you kindly to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review!

This story follows a family through their past, the divorce, and into the present, exploring the aftermath. I believe the topic discussed in this book is very important and should be explored. I feel like the characters came across as almost clinical. There are elements of this story that I would have loved if I had felt connected to the characters, but for me, it felt like we, as the readers, were being kept at arm's length. This is a very short book, and while I love that, I sometimes wish some things had been fleshed out and the book had been made longer.

I think stories like this need to be told. I appreciated the story, and my heart hurt for the characters involved. It moves quickly, but the ending left me wanting more.

This book was very interesting about how a woman named done fell in love with another woman named hazel. Dawn was married to h e r o n and had a child named maggie. This was very interesting how she gave up a lot of stuff to be with this woman. Her husband was very upset with her.And did not want the child around her. It was interesting how they went back and forth in time and explained how this came about and and when the father was dying a lot more came out. The courts gave custody to the father and the mother justice appeared. Her daughter wanted to know what happened to her mother.But everything was kept quiet. This was the.
Eighties in england where they did not tolerate this type of behavior. She does reconnect with her mother eventually and it's very interesting how she talks to her. I think this is like a love story.About two women who really fell in love with each other and how sometimes marriage does not work. You cannot make a marriage work when the other person does not love the other person, especially when there is children involremember.. This was a great book

A very lovely and tragic story of a family torn apart by rigid and heartbreaking anti-LGBTQ custody hearings.
It was a bit too short for me personally.

This book had some heavy subject matter but it was well written and handly really well. I do wish the ending didn't seem so short, I felt like it couldn't been fleshed out some more.

Why does love and loss have to be so complicated and messy?!
I am amazed at the emotions that such a short, yet rich, story drew out me.
This was incredible!

Wow! Impactful for a short book. The interweaving story line worked well for the reveal and you find yourself invested in this family, even as the pit of your stomach knows it's gong to crush you.

A heartbreak and yet. hopeful story of love and loss. It's complicated and messy which is my favorite kind of story.

"A Family Matter" is a profoundly impactful novel that bravely delves into an injustice rarely explored in contemporary fiction: the historical denial of custody to lesbian mothers. This unique and crucial premise immediately sets the book apart, offering readers a vital glimpse into a significant, often overlooked, aspect of social history. It encourages the reader to learn more about this topic. Beyond its specific focus, the book masterfully opens up broader questions that challenge the reader to reflect. It compels us to explore the profound lengths we are willing to go for love, and perhaps even more compellingly, how we navigate the complex terrain of balancing our deeply personal feelings with what might be the best decision for the majority of people involved. This exploration of personal sacrifice versus collective good adds significant intellectual and emotional weight to the story, as the reader battles with exploring how we would handle the situation.

Dawn and Herron's marriage falls apart, and what's left is what happens to their daughter Maggie.

But when the fallout is to blame on the affair, what becomes of Maggie is used as a weapon.

An interesting look at family and the reality many mothers faced historically in a time when LGBT relationships were not affirmed.

I enjoyed the actual writing of this, I do think it felt too brief to make any strong connections to the characters for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner.

Young mother Dawn is getting used to marriage to Heron and motherhood in the early 80s when she meets Hazel and falls in love with her. Her love affair with a woman ends up leading to harmful complications.  In 2022 Heron has just received a grim diagnosis and has to come to terms with all of the decisions he made over his lifetime and especially with respect to his daughter Maggie.

This was such a quietly beautiful story and I am so glad I read it.  It was my first book for July (yes I am behind with my reviews thank you very much) and it was the perfect start to real summer reading because it was just so good.  It's at times a painful read but I loved it.  I enjoyed the two timelines and the perspectives because it added such depth to the story.  This is a definite recommendation for my friends.

4.25 stars

Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for the ARC to review

I loved this, read the whole thing with my heart in my throat. I had no idea what it was about. An appropriate book to finish on the first day of Pride month.

Thanks to the publisher for the invite and free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Scribner for the gifted copies
Claire Lynch’s debut, A Family Matter, may be only 240 pages, but its lyrical prose and fully realized characters linger long after the last line. Told through deft shifts in time and perspective, the story captures the messy tenderness of an ’80s custody battle, weaving laugh‑out‑loud moments—Heron’s audacious opening scene is a gem—into passages so intimate they brought me to tears. The deliberate, reflective pacing gives Lynch room to explore identity, family secrets, and the quiet ways the past shapes us, all with striking emotional clarity. A few threads remain tantalizingly open, yet the hope threaded through the heartbreak leaves a deeply satisfying afterglow. I closed the book wishing for just a handful more pages, which is all that keeps this thoughtful, resonant novel from a full five stars. ★★★★—pick it up if you crave compact, character‑driven fiction that delivers an outsized emotional punch.

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch covers an Important (and disgusting) time in UK history- which likely mirrors the US history. A very predictable story about family dynamics when a family is broken up when the children are at a young age (trying not to reveal too much) and its aftermath. I felt it was an average read that from time to time would tug at your heartstrings. Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner Books for the opportunity to read this newly published book.

This novel was so short, it felt like a novella. Normally I’m all about short novels, quick and to the point, but this one left me wanting more! I felt like it was just getting ramped up and then it ends. There’s so much more that could have been covered.

It just touches on Dawn’s affair, Maggie’s life now, her relationship with her dad. We get POV’s from quite a few of the characters in such a short book. The most heartbreaking scene was in court, and I felt like that was where the author was really trying to focus, and it definitely has an impact.

Overall I thought this was a great read, very quick, and leaves you wanting more.

Thank you @netgalley and @Scribnerbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is a heartbreaking story about a lesbian mother in the 1980’s. Unfortunately, due to her lifestyle, she lost custody and all contact with her four year old daughter. Thank goodness people’s attitudes and acceptance of same sex relationships have come a long way.
I was a young mother myself in the 1980’s and I cannot imagine the heartbreak this mother experienced. I especially enjoyed the dual time lines that included 2022. The later time period focused on the child, now an adult. All the secrets and deceptions are finally revealed to her. The separation from her mother at such an early age was a terrible lifelong trauma. This was a sad story but one that needed to be told.

Oof, this book is so heartbreaking and so good. It follows a family torn apart by secrets: in 1982, young housewife Dawn has an affair with her neighbor Hazel, and the fallout leaves her estranged from her husband Heron and three-year-old daughter Maggie. In 2022, Heron has just been diagnosed with cancer, and he and Maggie navigate his illness without Maggie knowing what really happened between her parents.

I couldn’t stop reading this book. It’s amazing how much story and emotion and personality Lynch imbued this 240-page book with. Dawn’s story in 1982 is so tragic but also so hopeful and lovely: she yearns for more than the all-American marriage and life she’s settled for, and she finds a real connection, but she’s unprepared for the damage that connection will do to her divorce and custody battle. It was hard to read at times when people around her spouted horribly homophobic and ignorant comments, but it’s a reminder of how far we’ve come and also have yet to go. I found myself so angry on Dawn and her daughter’s behalf, and even felt some sympathy for her husband, who was swept up in legalese and the fear of losing his daughter.

The 2022 storyline was no less engaging and emotional. Lynch beautifully depicts the relationship between Maggie and Heron, one where they don’t always unpack things but they are always there for each other in every way. Maggie’s reaction to learning what really happened between her parents felt so true and visceral, and I appreciated her arc.

I saw some reviews that found the ending rushed, but I was happy with it. I thought we got satisfying answers and interactions, but I appreciated that it wasn’t totally tied up with a pretty now, because in that situation it would be unlikely to be. This book really got to me and I’ll remember it for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner from an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this novel! It is such a sad story, beautifully written. It made me angry, but also left me with hope of healing. Highly recommend.