review: the shape of family by shilpi somaya gowda

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Wow, The Shape of Family took some turns I was not expecting! The novel follows the Olander family as they make their lives in California. I expected a portrait of a family with typical struggles, especially as the story starts in 2007 and the father is a banker, but The Shape of Family takes a much more tragic turn. As the Olanders drift apart, oldest daughter Karina suffers terribly. And just when everything seems to be getting back on track, there are more blows for the Olanders. This is a deeply emotional novel that illustrates the importance of sharing feelings and truths about difficult situations before there's no turning back.
5/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, William Morrow.

review: home truths by susan lewis

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Home Truths by Susan Lewis begins with a shocking crime—a devoted family man is brutally murdered by a gang his oldest son has become involved with. Lewis then jumps forward two years to his wife and two younger children still struggling. Finances have become a big issue. All the problems have become far worse than they should've been because, as Angie puts it, "I buried my head in the sand and told myself it work out somehow." This is one of my big problems with Home Truths. The problems the family faces wouldn't have been so catastrophic had Angie simply faced reality and sought help earlier. My next huge problem is the unrealistic way it all gets solved. Home Truths turns from a portrait of a struggling family to a stereotypical "knight in shining armor comes to the rescue" story. There's also some unnecessary subplots just to make the family's issues all the more melodramatic.
2/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, William Morrow.