Thank you MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!

The Accidental Favorite was an exploration of familial relations after a surprise revelation. The book itself was interesting if not a little dry. There were moments that I really connected with, but it took me awhile to get through this book. That said, the narrator was engaging and I really enjoyed the audiobook version.

Thank you again for the ARC!

3.5 ⭐️
The Accidental Favorites is one of those books you will think about for a bit after. Immersed in family drama and complicated characters, this book is one for the books.
When the Fisher family gathers for their mother Vivienne’s 70th birthday, Pandora’s box is opened, by way of a tree limb falling. The three sisters are faced with questions after their father rushes to save the youngest disinter. Is she his favorite?
The premise of this book is wildly entertaining, and the writing so real and honest. I did struggle to connect with the characters, and like them. But I really did enjoy this read, and can’t wait to read Amazing Grace Adams, which I just found at a book sale. Yay!
Thank you netgalley for this arc!

It's Vivienne's 70th birthday, and three generations gather in a glasshouse in the English countryside to celebrate. The Patriarch insists on taking photos, and as he captures his three daughters, a tree falls, and he passes his two daughters to save the farthest one from him. This sets the tone for the celebration. There are plenty of emotions and rivalries, which make for some good old-fashioned family drama. I enjoyed the audio more once I figured out the names and who went with whom. The narration was well done.

Here's a new review for you all. This book revolves around a family with three adult daughters. In a shocking twist early on, the dad unintentionally reveals his favorite daughter. This book is packed with messy family drama, humor, and sibling rivalries. I think this would be a great book to pickup if you are interested in literary fiction, women’s lit or just some good old family drama!

My recommendation for this one is to read the book instead of listening to the audiobook. This book has multiple POVs and jumps back and forth between present and memories from the past. With the audiobook, it was difficult for the listener to distinguish whose point of view we were following. I found it a tad confusing which took away from my overall experience with the stories.

Thank you to the author as well as NetGalley and McMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!

I love stories adbout sisters and this was one of the best I've read in a while! Each character was so well drawn, I felt equally for all of them and loved seeing the dynamics of this family play out.

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑪𝑪𝑰𝑫𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑨𝑳 𝑭𝑨𝑽𝑶𝑹𝑰𝑻𝑬 𝒃𝒚 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒏 𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒐𝒅 is a perfect book club choice, and I have so many feelings!
When on a family trip a random potential disaster looms, the patriarch of the family rushes to save one of the three daughters. Disaster is averted, but a can of worms has opened up that cannot be shut as the family grapples with that act.

Family birth order and sibling dynamics pair for a fascinating fallout and I was all in. This #gifted audiobook by @macmillan.audio for @henryholtbooks is out now, and I highly recommend it and when you read it, I want to chat!

I really enjoyed this one in audio. The narration really added to the depth of the angst this father stirred up.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Fran Littlewood’s heartwarming story of three sisters and their families celebrating Mom’s birthday takes an unexpected turn. As the dad tries to take a family portrait, a tree cracks, putting the family in danger. He bravely leaps into action to save the youngest, revealing his favorite daughter. This causes some frustration, marital conflicts, and sibling rivalry. It’s a candid look at the imperfections even seemingly perfect families can have. Fiona Button’s narration adds a touch of charm to the realistic portrayal of most households.

I loved Littlewood’s last book and this one holds up too. Family drama, humor, and grief. A recipe for a great novel.

The Fisher family have gathered for a week-long reunion. On the surface, the family seems well adjusted. Vivienne and Patrick have a happy, enviable decades-long marriage, and their three daughters Alex, Nancy, and Eva all seem well-adjusted and stable. But when, at the start of their week, a near catastrophe shows that one of the girls might be their father’s clear favorite, the hairline fractures in the family’s foundations and years of secrets begin to come to the surface.

I really enjoyed the author’s debut, Amazing Grace Adams, and this one has many of the same elements in terms of style, but unlike her first book, The Accidental Favorite shifts POV between the sisters and their mom as well as going back and forth in time. And all the characters seem a little unhinged. This is not a criticism. I love an unhinged character. I think it’s more realistic and so much more fun to read about people who are imperfect and make crazy mistakes. Each of them has different ways of coping with the chaos of their lives and each has different, really interesting breaking points. But at times the level of craziness did feel a little unrealistic when put all together.

The exploration and quality of secrets was fascinating in this book. I’m just not a person who can keep a secret, so this would never happen in my house, but how the author wove in bits of the past and confrontations in the present. The author also plays with the nature of memory in really interesting ways that reminded me of Apples Never Fall, which I loved.

Fiona Button does a fabulous job narrating all the characters, but I did have a little trouble distinguishing who was who in the beginning despite the chapter headings that told me. I would definitely recommend listening to this one as the narration adds a lot to the humor in the book, but having a physical copy on hand might be helpful.

So I just finished this audiobook and I couldn’t tell you what happened in this book. There were sisters and some family controversy but I honestly couldn’t tell you what happened. My brain was just not into this read. I couldn’t follow any of the characters or get attached. Sadly this is a no from me.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my arc in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

**I received an advanced listening copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Told from multiple perspectives, this slow burning novel examines how one choice made during a near disaster consequently reveals the tensions and hurt in a family dynamic. Vivienne, about to celebrate her 70th birthday, revels in having her husband and three grown daughters and their families together for a week. The reader first witnesses the incident through Vivienne's eyes and her puzzled and almost horrified reaction to it. The rest of the novel weaves through the perspectives of Vivienne and her daughters Alex, Nancy, and Eva as they grapple with the choice patriarch Patrick made; in turn, these ruminations bring to light past indiscretions and situations that highlight the feelings each woman has about their current position in the family, the impact the past has had on their current lives, and how they can learn from the past and present to move forward. The reader does not witness Patrick's thoughts in this novel, though his voice is heard in the recounting of conversations and present time dialogue with the other characters.

This is an exquisite novel, and a personal favorite in 2025. There are parts that are hard to read, as the dark emotions evoked by the characters are acutely described in the narrative. The layers of love and despair built over the family's lifetime are slowly revealed, and while this is not a case of a dysfunctional family, it shows how past events, even those not remembered in the same way by all involved, greatly impact the emotions and personalities in the present time. Nancy's character especially goes through a range of emotions, and her feelings of self loathing are better understood as the narrative progresses. Despite the darker episodes, this is also a novel filled with hope and how acknowledgement for past wrongdoings and pain can better present situations. The Accidental Favorite is classed a dramedy, and a lighter element involving frogs and a permeating odor gently spread throughout the narrative. The glass house, the setting for present day activities, can also be symbolic for most of the issues unveiled by the characters.

Fiona Button as voice actress does superbly with the story, really playing on the layers Littlewood writes and evoking the characters' emotions.

Highly recommended. #NetGalley #TheAccidentalFavorite

Folks with sisters will enjoy this one!

Thanks Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ALC!

Synopsis -

Vivienne and Patick Fisher have raised their 3 daughters to the best of their abilities. Alex, Nancy and Eva are all doing very well for themselves and that’s everything they could hope for. When the Fishers gather at a glass house in the English countryside for a weeklong vacation and Vivienne’s 70th birthday celebration, an unexpected incident reveals Patrick might have a “favorite” daughter. This is just the kindle to the fire, which will rage and send shockwaves through this family as the week progresses, unearthing decades old secrets, resentments and fall outs triggering new ones in their destructive wake.

Review -

The audiobook was narrated by Fiona Button and while she did an excellent job in her posh, soothing English voice, a multi cast narrator would have worked wonders for this book, especially as it involves multiple POVs from all the sisters and even Vivienne.

What anyone needs to be prepared for before picking up this book is that, the pacing is slow and patience will be key to truly savor it. This is not for the thrill seeking nor is it for those looking for a quick brain refreshing easy read.

Littlewood’s writing is deeply observational - there is a lot of attention to detail, to everything ranging from the characters, the settings, the general vibes and particulary the emotions. Sibling rivalry is at the very core of the story and the author explores sisters’ relationships - delving deep into the shift and shuffle of their dynamics over the years, playing out w.r.t their careers, family lives, their kids, mindset differences, age gap, financial status and social/societal standing.

Not a lot happens until about mid-way and just when I started to get jittery, tension escalates, dirty secrets are unveiled, chaos ensues in this glass house and you know what they say when you live in one! Don’t throw stones at it!

The ending did make up for the inertia, but overall the book fell just a bit short for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I love a family drama. This was is a slow burn but worth every minute of it.

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Accidental Favorite, by Fran Littlewood. This was an engrossing story of a family, particularly three sisters - Alex, Nancy, and Eva - and how they understood their childhood, their parents, and each other. Of course, there are connections to the present as well. The majority of this story takes place during a family vacation to celebrate the mother's 70th birthday... and involves their father's past and present choices, some family secrets, and a strange smell in the glass house where they are staying. There is drama, there is chaos, there is anger, there are tears... this book has it all. I found this book very sad and heartbreaking for the most part, but there was some well placed humor that helped. It is hard to say that I liked the characters (except maybe Nick and some other periphery figures) but I did enjoy learning about them and their connections to one another. I also liked the reference to the author's first book! :)

The narrator did a great job. I adored her voice! I think the book has so many characters that multiple narrators may have helped me keep track of everyone a bit better, but she was pleasant to listen to.

All in all, I enjoyed this audiobook and will continue to read books by this author. Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood explores the ripple effects of a father's split-second decision to protect one of his three adult daughters when a tree falls during a family celebration. The novel dives deep into family drama, sibling rivalry, and long-buried secrets.

Told through multiple points of view and shifting between past and present, the story weaves a complex narrative. I found it difficult to keep track of all the characters — a family tree or character chart would have been helpful. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the characters, as there were simply too many to fully engage with.

Fiona Button’s narration was a highlight — she brought energy and nuance to each character.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for letting me read this ARC.

An insightful character driven story about the complex microorganisms that families become over time. Shifting narrators and timelines slowly build to give us a better idea of the major events that unfold to create the complex narrative of the shared history and trauma of the Fischer family. I also really like how the author plays with memory at certain point to really hammer home the idea that there is no right perspective.

A smart, relatable novel about sibling rivalry and messy family dynamics. I was pulled in right from the start, even if it took a bit to keep the sisters straight. Not quite on par with her debut for me, but Fran Littlewood is firmly on my auto-read list. I absolutely loved the narrator, so if you're an audiobook listener, this is a good one!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The setting was one of my favorites. The characters were well developed and the story line kept me turning the pages!

Families are complicated and often messy, so the premise of this book caught my attention. Three adult sisters gather with their partners and children to celebrate their mother’s birthday when a near tragedy occurs. In that brief moment their dad does something that is interpreted to signal that one of the daughters is his favorite.

Told through multiple POV and across a nonlinear timeline, Littlewood explores the secrets, insecurities, petty jealousies, and grievances that until then lay unvoiced and unexplored. With so many characters contributing to the story it sometimes felt like a cacophony of voices clamoring for my attention.

I have a sister and I am a sister. I know firsthand how complex those relationships can be. Unity and the desire for independence are occasionally at odds. Loyalty competes with envy. Shared memories and experiences look and feel different through each individual prism. I wanted more depth in those areas, but was left feeling slightly unsatisfied. Littlewood has a talent for capturing and highlighting the frustrations we often keep hidden, and she does so again here. I simply wanted more.

Fans of family dramas will appreciate the gritty feel of this book. I alternated between digital and audio versions of this book. Fiona Button is a talented narrator, but I occasionally had difficulty tracking which character’s POV was being presented and found that easier to manage with the digital copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Henry Holt and Company for the advance copies. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the sophomore novel by Fran Littlewood, author of Amazing Grace Adams. The audiobook was perfectly narrated by Fiona Button, especially when considering there were a lot of characters in this book! All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4.5 stars!

Vivienne and Patrick Fisher have done an excellent job raising their three daughters, Alex, Nancy, and Eva. They’re well-adjusted women with impressive careers, caring partners, exciting hobbies, and sweet children. The three generations gather at a beautiful glass rental home for a weeklong celebration of Vivienne’s 70th birthday. But when Patrick’s reaction to a freak accident on the first day of the trip inadvertently reveals that he has a favorite daughter, no one is prepared for the shockwaves it sends through the family.

This book really made me wish I had sisters (although I do have lots of sisters-in-law!) because these three women had such a complicated but unbreakable bond to each other. I like books with a domestic/family theme, because it’s a good reminder that all families are messy in their own ways. That was certainly the case here with everyone having secrets and issues. I also liked the theme of family birth order and how that affects personalities. This is definitely a character-driven story and I loved this look into the Fisher family.