Welcome to Litsy!

Read in 2024. The story is told from all different points of view from different members of this dysfunctional family. I do really like how the mental health/illness was presented in the book. To me it‘s always important to present the trueness of MI & the effects that it has on a family. Presenting MI as real highlights what so many other families go through & not presenting it solely as something shameful or negative.

Sucked me in & i finished it quick. Others call it a family melodrama/dysfunctional family. I'm going to say it takes “dysfunctional“ one step further & maybe a TW for some is in order though doing so also would spoil part of the book (though pretty early on it seemed obvious, but maybe that's me with the experiences I've had). In any case, this book (esp if you're a woman, I want to say) will have you wanting to throw some punches.

I love a messy family story and this one hit all the right notes for me! Using the story of Cain and Abel to create a realistic portrayal of family, Adrienne Brodeur builds a complete portrait of a family that is flawed yet strong at the same time. I loved the multiple POVs from each main character as it let me see their own internal monologues, justifications and thought processes.

I absolutely loved this - it has everything a “dysfunctional family fiction” fan like me craves! The setting was perfect - both location-wise (Cape Cod) and political climate-wise (I‘ll never forget the election of 2016). Flawed characters, some way more so than others, found family, so many secrets. I‘ll be thinking about this one for a while.

A messy family story set on cape cod, this didn‘t live up to my expectations. know it was a hit for a lot of folks, but i was really hoping for more from these characters

Interesting story

Chose this book after I saw it was one of Jennette McCurdy‘s book club picks! Such a holistic portrayal of mental illness and how it impacts families intergenerationally. The pacing was great; I was never bored. So many memorable lines and themes that will continue to stick with me! This is the book I‘ve read that portrays mental illness within a family most realistically! Most of the characters aren‘t likable but their journeys are fascinating.

Centered around preparation‘s for their father‘s 70th birthday,this novel is propelled by family secrets.Each character is flawed; their souls deeply wounded.Their tale is told through multiple perspectives which only adds to the depth and beauty of the novel.The prose includes gorgeous nature writing in minute details & imagery of the flora & fauna of Cape Cod.(my home away from home)🌊🐚⛱️🦞🚤🔽

I loved Wild Game, Brodeur‘s memoir, so I knew I had to get my hands on her first novel. I was not disappointed! This is the story of a family: absent mother, mentally ill father, and two grown siblings who‘ve each been molded by their circumstances as children. The action takes place over the course of a summer on Cape Cod, leading up to the patriarch‘s 70th birthday. Thoughtful exploration of the ripple effects of trauma. Plus excellent setting.

This book exposed the flawed human perfectly. The ugliest side of humanness with complex feelings flowed through the entire story. How two people can leave a situation with two opposing perspectives, how deep the river of denial can run in a family, how mental illness can overrun everything. The ending was what it had to be, left for interpretation and far from perfect, and exactly how it goes sometimes.

The author‘s writing of minute visual details & images of Cape Cod‘s natural world of the ocean sandy beaches,dunes & it‘s wildlife is gorgeous. Having grown up spending summers, & year round visits to my parents home, I feel that the author gives voice to what I can not. Reading this is a deep,down to my bones, visceral experience.

I was particularly interested in how this story played out because I know such a scenario is possible. My daughter‘s sister-in-law was adopted and raised as an only child. Recently and much to her surprise, she was found and fully embraced by her two half siblings (a slightly older bro and slightly younger sister - all three share the same birth father) and their mother. So I was hoping for a satisfying ending to the book, as well.

Little Monsters #botm #capecod
Watson‘s Choice #goldenagecrimeclub
Fleur du Sel Murders #serieslove2023
The Shop on Royal Street #audio
#rushathon

This is my last week before school starts!

This week finished:
~ Murder in Devil‘s Cove, #cozy #14books14weeks
~Fatal Remedies, #Brunelli #Italy #14books14weeks
~ Broken Ground, #audio #coldcase
~ Agatha of Little Neon #nunlit
In Process:
~Little Monsters, #capecod #family #mentalhealth
~Pompeii, #bookedintime
~Watson‘s Choice, #goldenagecrimeclub
#rushathon

Messy family books can be a mixed bag, but after disliking Brodeur‘s memoir, I enjoyed this. The depiction of bipolar and its affects on a family was spot on for me.

Adam‘s wife died shortly after giving birth to their second child. This and his bipolar disorder had dramatic and long lasting effects on both kids well into adulthood. Their lives are about to change when an illegitimate sibling comes into the mix right before Adam‘s 70th bday.

These beach doughnuts!! 🤤
Heading home tomorrow! I finished a few books and hope to get one done on the way home, but I had four more packed just in case! 😆 #travelswithabookworm
Lots of togetherness with best friends and our kids, so reading took a back burner this trip.

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Beachin‘! ☕️ 📖 🌊

Best time of the day. And starting a new book 😴

These are my choices! I think each one offers topics that I haven‘t read much about so I‘m intrigued! I just finished Wild Game by the author in the tagged so I went for it! Moma Love sounds VERY interesting with topics such as addiction and the prison system. Happiness Falls includes autism and Angelman Syndrome which I‘ve never heard of. Looking forward to these!

What did you choose?! 📚📚📚

#BOTM

Good amount of characters in this dysfunctional family set in Cape Cod 2016. I think the beginning and middle was great—-at the end I see how the author ended it softly(can‘t think of another word). Not satisfied with ending. 3/5 stars

Let me preface by saying I LOVED Wild Game. Adrienne Brodeur is a smart, incisive, mesmerizing writer. Maybe family portraits aren‘t my thing…but I didn‘t feel quite as drawn into this one. It held my attention and had a steady, flowing plot with deep characters and growth, but it didn‘t feel like much of an “experience” if that makes sense. I‘d still pick up her next book because I respect her and know she can teach me and hold my interest! 3 ⭐️

I really enjoyed these characters & the family drama and dynamics. The story is beautifully written & touched on so many issues, including misogyny, aging, mental illness, brother-sister relationships, female relationships, career choices, adultery & family drama. I was not ready to leave the characters and would love a sequel to see how they continued to grow and change as well as to see how they handled the unexpected 2016 election results. 4.5

Fascinating look at a mostly-dysfunctional family whose patriarch is turning 70. As they prepare we see all the secrets and lies that have begun to resurface but prove that real family outweighs all!
#NetGalley

For me this was a story that just didn't fully deliver. Although I finished it it's not one I'd tell you to rush to the store/library to get. It's a story about family but I personally didn't connect with any of the characters. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Not quite as good as her memoir but a solid debut from Adrienne Brodeurr (Wild Game). Once again Adrienne explores dysfunctional families. Told in multiple pov‘s during the summer of 2016, this book hits on male privilege, family secrets, art and sexual manipulation. #ARC @SimonSchuster #BookClubFavorites