“Heartbreaking yet hopeful, this astute exploration of the bonds and limitations of family is a perfect book club pick.” – New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson A Most Anticipated by Goodreads * SheReads * E! News * Frolic Jessica Strawser’s A Million Reasons Why is “a fascinating foray into the questions we are most afraid to ask” (Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling … Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author)–the story of two women who discover a bond between them that will change both their lives forever.
When two strangers are linked by a mail-in DNA test, it’s an answered prayer–that is, for one half sister. For the other, it will dismantle everything she knows to be true.
But as they step into the unfamiliar realm of sisterhood, the roles will reverse in ways no one could have foreseen.
Caroline lives a full, happy life–thriving career, three feisty children, enviable marriage, and a close-knit extended family. She couldn’t have scripted it better. Except for one thing:
She’s about to discover her fundamental beliefs about them all are wrong.
Sela lives a life in shades of gray, suffering from irreversible kidney failure. Her marriage crumbled in the wake of her illness. Her beloved mother, always her closest friend, unexpectedly passed away. She refuses to be defined by her grief, but still, she worries what will happen to her two-year-old son if she doesn’t find a donor match in time.
She’s the only one who knows Caroline is her half sister and may also be her best hope for a future. But Sela’s world isn’t as clear-cut as it appears–and one misstep could destroy it all.
“A thrilling story of what happens when a long-held family secret comes to light…[Strawser] shows that no one is ever truly a villain or a hero, but instead, we are all a beautiful and messy mix of both.” – Associated Press review
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Okay, wow. Just wow. Jessica Strawser has done it again. Written a book so full of characters and scenes and situations and complex, intricate, fast-moving plot that once you turn back the cover you can’t stop reading until you have finished this story. There are no murders, no car chases, no gunfights, but Caroline and Sela’s story is mesmerizing and action-packed. Just a few pages in and I remembered that this is an author who loves to surprise you, and who is very, very good at it. You know from the start that this DNA test – which was really just an offhand Christmas gift to the extended family from Caroline and her husband Walt, not really meant to be taken that seriously – is going to shake things up. Suddenly Caroline has a half-sister, Sela. Whoa. How could this have happened? What else doesn’t she know about her parents? Well, turns out what she doesn’t know is a lot. And they don’t really want to talk about it.
But Caroline feels a connection. She always wanted a sister, and now she can have one, right? So she replies to Sela’s email and it’s like pulling a loose thread on a sweater. Things start to unravel right before her eyes. She doesn’t tell her parents because they’ve distanced themselves. Her husband is skeptical. But when Caroline and Sela meet there is a bonding, and Caroline and Walt’s children love the new “auntie” in their lives.
Things are a little more complicated on Sela’s side of the sisterhood. What she hasn’t told Caroline is that she is suffering from irreversible kidney failure, her marriage has already irreversibly fallen apart, and the mother who was her everything has unexpectedly passed away. Sela’s ex-husband and her best friend pressured her to submit the DNA test in hopes of finding a family donor, but she’s not sure even if there is a match she will be able to make that Big Ask. But if she doesn’t, what will happen to her two-year-old son Brody when she’s gone?
Before she can think it through, her illness is discovered and a chain of events is started that is like a snowball gathering momentum. Finding out as a result of an innocent DNA test that you have a sister is a big deal. Finding out that this sister has kidney disease and may need you to be a donor is a bigger deal. And it doesn’t stop there. A Million Reasons Why is a story of revelations and realizations about family and relationships that you thought were all figured out. It’s a story of expectations and betrayals and grief. And if after all these secrets and surprises there is any room for forgiveness, for hope, for the future.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press via Goodreads and author Jessica Strawser for providing an advance copy of this masterfully written, expertly plotted, heart-wrenching look into the lives of Caroline and Sela and their families and a glimpse of what those waiting for donor kidneys must endure. A look at what might have been and wondering if what is now is really enough. Reading this book was an experience I won’t soon forget. All opinions are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed A Million Reasons Why and recommend it without hesitation. I cannot wait to see what Jessica Strawser comes up with next!
I like the idea of finding DNA relatives you don’t know you have. I found a cousin I didn’t know I had, and it was pretty exciting. But reading this was a slow climb in, combined with long-winded, go nowhere chapters that didn’t work for me. There were a lot of things that didn’t contribute to the overall story, including Keaton. I also didn’t see any positives in Walt, who isn’t as laid back as the story laid out. He was aggressive and controlling, and I was happy when Caroline finally found that strength we had been hearing about and told him to chill. I think this book will appeal to a lot more people than it did for me. It’s clear I am an outlier in my thoughts on this. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along.
I’ve enjoyed all of this authors books but with this one, I just could not connect to anyone. Well I take that back … maybe with Walt as he seemed like a really good husband! A really good twist towards the end that you won’t see coming.
I appreciate the ARC from Netgalley. Will look forward to the next by this author.