A scandalous revelation is about to devastate a picturesque town where the houses are immaculate and the neighborhoods are tightly knit. Devoted mother Cora O’Connell has found the journal of her friend Laurel’s daughter—a beautiful college student who lives next door—revealing an illicit encounter. Hours later, Laurel makes a shattering discovery of her own: her daughter has vanished without a trace. Over the course of one weekend, the crises of two close families are about to trigger a chain reaction that will expose a far more disturbing web of secrets. Now everything is at stake as they’re forced to confront the lies they have told in order to survive.
Review
It was love at first chapter between this book and I. I didn’t know what to expect when I first started reading it but soon found myself totally immersed in the story. I couldn’t put this one down, it is the kind of book that I found myself either reading or thinking about. At the same time, I didn’t want to get done too quickly.
The story is narrated in alternating chapters by 4 women. Cora is happily married to Sam and they have twins, George and Lucy. Sarah is Cora’s mother, devoted mom and grand mom. She is haunted by the death of Cora’s sister and her failed marriage. Laurel is married to Dash, the handsome surgeon and together, they have two daughters, Anna and Mira. Jade is married to Jeremy; the two are trying to conceive.
One thing that you need to know about all these women is that they are hiding secrets. Some worse than others. Their lives changed with just a single revelation. One mysterious package that set off everything and then the perfect lives in this quiet suburban slowly disintegrated. The cracks started showing on the perfect family portraits and soon, readers got the real picture of the secret lives of the residents of Ravendale.
This is a story about family, secrets, womanhood, motherhood and mostly important, a mother’s love. I enjoyed reading about the 4 women and could relate with them on different levels. Some of their stories broke my heart, while other stories were uplifting. The events in the story happened just over a short period but this didn’t take away the depth of the narrative or character development.
We Were Mothers by Katie Sise is beautifully written with a taut, gripping plot. I absolutely enjoyed reading this literary gem.
A Haven for Book Lovers 
This does sound like a really good read Diana! I’m pleased you loved it so much.
Thank you so much Chrissi. I loved it 🙂
Oh, sounds awesome 🙂 I added to my list. Need to know what’s in the mysterious package 😀
haha that package opened the pandora’s box for sure. Thanks Norrie 🙂
Fab review Diana. This book is on my TBR
Thanks Shalini. I hope that you will enjoy it when you get the chance to read it 🙂
Oh, this sounds so lovely, Diana! I love that you hear from all the women, and that you went into this one not knowing what to expect and coming out pleased. Terrific review!
Thanks Jennifer. Yes the 4 women’s POVs were really interesting since all of them had different issues that they were dealing with. I enjoyed each of their narratives 🙂
I was already hoping you’d enjoyed it after reading the blurb and so happy to hear you did love it! Four female characters and equal amounts of secrets, that sounds amazing! Great review!
Thank you so much Inge and yes, the women were keeping secrets about their marriages, children. Others were in the process of discovering their husband’s secrets. It was quite a thrilling read 🙂
Lovely review Diana! I have this one yet to read but since they just approved it after it was published I’ve got to get a few others out of the way first.
Oh, I get what you mean Carrie. I do hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did, when you get the chance to read it. Thank you.
I think I have heard of this book before. I haven’t read it or anything, but I’ve definitely heard of it. And from what you’re saying, it sounds like a wonderful read that I feel like I’d enjoy.
This was such fun to read. I definitely recommend it for whenever you are in the mood for a good, suburban/ domestic thriller.
Ooh his sounds like a GREAT read Diana! That cover is gorgeous as well. 😍 Fab review!
I agree. The cover sure is pretty 🙂 Thanks Beth.
Great review, Diana! I love the cover and this one sounds so good! Glad to see you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much. I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this one 🙂
Fabulous review, Diana! I really need to read this. It sounds like quite the read-it has everything in it! I’ll definitely add it to my TBR! 🙂
Glad to hear that Stephanie and I hope that you will enjoy it when you get the chance to read it. Thank you 🙂
Wonderful review Diana. It is wonderful when you end up loving a book, even when you are not sure what to expect. I do enjoy multiple POVs, especially when telling a story about families. I have added this one. It sounds like a lovely story.
Thanks Carla and yes, this turned out to be more interesting than I first thought it would be. I do enjoy these kind of suburban mysteries so it was a treat. I hope that you will like it too when you get the chance to read it 🙂
Fab review! Multiple POVs can be tricky, but I’m glad to hear this one was a success.
Thanks Yvo. The author did a wonderful job in giving the characters a unique voice. The Multiple POVs worked out well in this one.
I liked the “love at first chapter.” 😂