This book grabbed me from word one and kept me engaged the entire way through. The narrating and edited and wonderful , the story flowed along, I didn't want it to end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co and Macmillan Audio for the digital copy of this book and audiobook; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you like stories that feature family drama, rivalries between sisters, and deep dark secrets, you’d like The Accidental Favorite. Let’s face it-many parents say they don’t have a favorite child, but in my experience, that’s not true. It’s a personality thing. Sometimes you really click with one parent or child. Sometimes it’s very obvious, but other times, it’s more subtle. When the three sisters hear their father say which daughter is his favorite, there’s an emotional tightrope for the rest of the story.

The tense mood for the rest of the book gives The Accidental Favorite a thriller-like feel. It’s reflective and emotional as unresolved sibling rivalries open up old wounds, and the contemporary setting was a refreshing break from the historical fiction I’ve read lately.

Fiona Button narrated this book and I thought she did a fine job. She really portrayed the strong emotions of the characters well. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to explore family dynamics and a bit of a mystery, too.

This was a touching family drama that was at times funny and at times sad. I will say, I was over halfway through the book before I was able to tell the three sisters and their families apart.

This novel made me wish for sisters. Fran Littlewood’s The Accidental Favorite is a sharp, emotionally resonant novel that beautifully explores the complexity of family, memory, and the hidden dynamics between sisters. With her trademark wit and keen psychological insight, Littlewood crafts a story that is both poignant and darkly funny. Readers will be drawn in by the layered characters and stay for the stunning emotional payoff.

*Special thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this digital audio e-arc.*

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC audiobook.
Great book!
So many secrets!
So much dysfunction!
It kept my interest and I listened almost non-stop.
The narration was excellent.
Highly recommended!

This was an interesting family drama that revolved around three adult sisters after learning that the youngest daughter is the father's supposed favorite. Through the course of the book, we jump from character to character to gather more about their messy lives. This includes their spouses, their children, their parents...needless to say, there were quite a few characters.

I typically enjoy stories that feel realistic and aren't all sunshine and rainbows, but I didn't feel a major spark when picking this book up. Perhaps cutting down on some of the many sub-plots would have offered a sharper overall story. However, I thought the writer added in some witty observations about dealing with insecurity and family dynamics, which I appreciated. The narrator also did a great job of voicing each person and giving them a sense of individuality.

I alternated back and forth between the audiobook and the e-book. I was able to finish this book very quickly. The narrator had a very pleasant voice and was easy to follow. The book does not have chapters and this made for some difficulty in switching back and forth with the audiobook. I am not sure if this will be the case when editing is completed and the book is published. The book started out in present day. The family took a holiday together. They presented as a very unhappy group and I almost DNF. The characters came across as petty and unpleasant. As the book weaves between present and past, it becomes apparent that there was lots of ill-will and jealousy towards each other. Some of it was the way events had been interpreted by the individuals, slights taken when they weren't meant to be slights and the mis-remembrance of times past. At times the book was amusing and at other times it felt like the book slogged through mud. All in all though, I would recommend this book. Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Henry Holt & Co, and NetGalley for the complementary ARC's. This review is my own words and thoughts. It has not been coerced in any way.

Three sisters and their families gather together with their parents to celebrate their mother's 70th birthday and both past and present feelings, resentments, beliefs and truths are exposed.

If I'm being honest, I really didn't love this. It just felt like a long story that kind of never really got off the ground or went anywhere. Every family has junk and I think everyone can relate to one of the characters, but there was nothing here that felt compelling.

If you're a lover of family drama and stories about the lives of others, you may really like this one, but for me it just felt like something was missing.

I might not be the right reader for this author. I didn't really love the author's first book, but I always give a second chance. I was excited about this story, and the premise sounded really interesting. I love reading about dysfunctional family drama, but it just didn't work for me here.
The writer did a good job with the characters, and the writing style is good. The pacing was off and a bit too slow for me. I had a hard time with the character and timeline changes throughout the chapters.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a really good job with the story.
Overall, I don't think this was a bad book, it just wasn't for me.



Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Coiled, Twisted, and Distorted with Doubts and Misconceptions...

Three generations of the Fisher Family: Vivienne and Patrick, their three adult daughters, Alex, Nancy, and Eve, and their children and partners, gather for a week-long vacation in a glass house (is that a metaphor?) to celebrate Vivienne’s seventieth birthday. On their first outing together, a tree falls (another metaphor?) Is that the Fisher Family Tree going down...?!

"The Accidental Favorite" is a family story, described as a 'dramedy', which feels off to me. It's witty, but not comedic, and watching this loud, dysfunctional family continue to spiral out of control was hard. I love messy family stories, but this family was too noisy, too nasty, too much.

I considered a DNF, but persevered when the past and present timelines began to connect. The ending was satisfying, but what a struggle to get there. This feels surprisingly ‘New Adult’, considering all three sisters are in their 40s, and I'm not quite sure what to say about that.

The audiobook is narrated by Fiona Button, whose voicing and recounting of this story was the best part of this immersion read. Every inflection and every pause was in the right places, and thoughtfully executed.

"The Accidental Favorite" has too many unlikeable characters, a rambling narrative, and a compelling premise. I read this because Amazing Grace Adams was one of my favorite reads of 2023. Perhaps my expectations were too high, or maybe it wasn't the right time for me to read it. With all that said, Littlewood's writing style is fun, clever, and continues to draw me in enough that I eagerly await her next one. I know, I know, I just can't help myself!!

3⭐

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co., Macmillan Audio, and Fran Littlewood for the gifted DRC and ALC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

First of all I want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to listen this to this one on Audiobook.

I LOVE a good family drama , and the complexity of a larger family and sibling rivalry, however this one did not fill my cup as much as I was hoping it would.

The first chapter pulled me and I was so intrigued to see where it was going to go, but then it lost me quickly with multiple POV's and jumping back and forth in time. It was really challenging for me to decipher which character was narrating at the moment .
I do feel i would probably have had a better connection reading a physical copy, even though I found the characters to be annoying and a bit unrelatable .

The family has gathered in the woods for a special family photo of three sisters and their parents Patrick and Viviane, when suddenly a large tree comes crashing down and Patrick pushes their daughter Eva out of harms way ... when she was the furthest one from the tree with any chance of being hurt.

So now the sisters question their father , does dad have a favorite and is it Eva ?

We slowly watch the dynamics explode and the pressures of being loved and seeking attention amongst one another but also while trying to be parents and spouses themselves .

The Accidental Favorite was trying to be a complex read , with some heartfelt moments around getting older and some funny entertaining moments , but it fell short for me .

I do think others will really enjoy this one, but I personally recommend the physical copy to have more of a chemistry with the book.

Overall it was not terrible , but think it could have been so much more.

Thanks you Netgalley , Macmillan Audio and Fran Littlewood for this ARC Audiobook!

I love sibling stories, so I was eagerly anticipating this book. And for the most part, I found it a fun, if a bit messy, family drama. Three sisters and their families gather together for their mother’s birthday. But when an accident happens, their father slips up and admits he has a favorite daughter. Well, that’s when all the old frustrations, jealousies, secrets, and everything you can think of start running forth.

I think there’s a lot of great stuff to unpack here - it just was a little too unorganized for me.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you @Macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook via #NetGalley narrated by Fiona Button.

Ugh. Why only one narrator? This made this book hard to really enjoy because I could never know whose POV we are in. Spending the extra money on production and multiples narrators for the siblings would have made this a much clearer reading and listening experience people are going to struggle with this.

A good enough story, lacking character development.

Publishing June 24th

3.5 rounded up.

Adult daughters Alexandra (Alex), Nancy, and Eva are gathered with their parents Patrick and Vivienne for Alex's baby's naming ceremony and Vivienne's 70th birthday.

Alex has recently had a later in life daughter and is struggling in her marriage.
Nancy is having some issues at work but has found herself in a new relationship.
Eva is coming to regret a life choice and the implications it has for her daughter.

There are a LOT of side stories here, with each daughter in the process of finding their way through a romantic transition, as well as through a parenting issue, all running alongside the core story of reflecting on growing up together.

The side stories were of varying interest, with some parts seeming essential and others superfluous. The same held true for the parenting issues.

The core issue of parents having favorites was discussed quite a bit, but I didn't find the fleshing out of that angle to be as consequential as I'd expected.

What I really enjoyed was the sisters each looking back at the ways they cared for each other and had each other's backs, and the fun they had as children. The characters are just realistic and flawed people, struggling with what life sends their way.

Narration by Fiona Button was excellent as always!
Thanks to Henry Holt and Co., Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for both a digital and audiobook ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Audiobook was not the way to go. I couldn't finish it. The amount of characters alone made it impossible to keep it organized. I've read plenty of family dramas with a huge cast to know a good structure when I see one, but the author missed the setting and foundation.

3.5 stars

The best part of this rather slow book is the character study of the three sisters. The author captures the complicated and nuanced relationship siblings, and specifically sisters, have. Though they are all successful in their own ways, they don't feel pretty enough or successful enough or good enough. I loved the way one sister defended the younger sister from a bully, consoled her, and then told her not to sit by her on the bus. Nutshell sibling stuff. It's full of loyalty and competition, misunderstandings, emotional outbursts, and humble returns. The event that spurred all the discontent in the beginning is a curiosity, and the end of the book was fun and poetic. If you're in the mood for a complicated, slow-paced drama about women, sisters, and family, this one's for you.

I just finished listening to a good audiobook. The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood is available soon. Check it out.

After loving Amazing Grace Adam’s, I’ve been anxiously awaiting this author‘s next book. However, this one just didn’t work for me. I felt like there were way too many characters and timeline jumps. It made it hard to keep track of who was who and which character had what family. It really required lots of extra notetaking to keep the character straight - which pulled me out of the story. I think the idea of exploring a parent’s favorite child is so interesting but at the end of the day, this one just didn’t land quite like I hoped it would.
Also, the narrator was great, but I think this story would’ve benefitted from a whole cast because that could’ve helped with the keeping the characters straight issue I had.

The Fisher family have gathered to celebrate their mother’s 70th birthday with a week long getaway in a glass house. A near accident at the start of the week causes the family dynamic to become dysfunctional when the father chooses to save one of his daughters, clearly over the other two.

Broken down into chapters from each sister’s POV and sometimes from the mother’s perspective, we learn about the current state of affairs, mingled with memories to provide more background and depth.

I enjoyed the novel overall, but found the sisters ultimately interchangeable. I received an audio arc so maybe it was because the same person narrated the whole book whereas I might have had an easier time keeping track of each person if I had read a physical copy.

The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood is a story about a family and all of its complexities. Three sisters join their parents, spouses, and children on a family holiday. After an accident occurs, and it appears that the father tries to save a certain sister, the characters spiral, thinking about the past and present, and analyzing about who is their father’s favorite.

The story is told in multiple points of view, and flashes from present to past. The narrator Fiona Button does an excellent job narrating the characters.

Overall, this was a decent-ish listen. 3.25-ish stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.