Ok so I have to start by sharing that I watched the series on Hulu right when it came out and it was GOOOOOD. I binged it in just a day or two. So with that being said I think this book review will be a little skewed. Don't get me wrong I did really enjoy it, however I think that as our teachers always told us growing up in school you should always read the book first.
We got a new free little library in out neighbor hood and when I saw this book in there I had to grab it. I had heard rave reviews on it and it is also on Reece's Book Club list so I knew it was good. Anywho- getting on with it- for me this book was predictable and slightly boring. And I know for certainty that this is solely because I had already seen the show series which is a direct reflection of the plot line.
For those of you that are curious about details and the storyline and have not seen the show, let me start my sharing that there are two main families and it is set in the 90s. One is a mother daughter duo, Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl, that moves into Shaker Heights a very cookie cutter city where everything is planned out and always has been the same. These two have moved from city to city since Pearl was born and has never stayed in one spot long. Their arrival into Shaker Heights was a promise to be different- they were going to put roots down and stay. Mia upon arrival rents a home from the other main family- the Richardsons.
The Richardsons have 4 children and the mother, Elena also grew up in Shaker Heights. Their lives are very intertwined by their children and they are all very drawn to each other's lives that have been vastly different from the other family's.
Family friends of the Richardsons also play a large role in this books plot. They are in the process of a messy adoption and custody battle that both splits the town and Mia and Elena. They find themselves with complete opposite view points and ideas about how the case should be handled. This sparks something in Elena and she follows her suspicions of Mia to uncover and find out all her per past and. the secrets she carries with her.
There are stories of love, drama, family disputes and disagreements, children growing up and learning lessons, divided families, and hate. Elena's obsession with digging up everything she can on Mia and Pearl ends with her getting the truth but it costs them all a great deal...
Overall this book was certainly a good one. I wish I had read it before the shows so that I had the ability to read all of the details and truly dive into the plot AND give it a fair rating. Given that it wasn't as captivating as I knew all the details ahead already I give it a 3. Had I not watched the series first I think it would have been a 4 or 5! Either way its a good summer read and I do recommend it to anyone needing another good book recommendation.
Let me know your thoughts if you have already loved this one!
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xoxo
Maria Elizabeth
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