Book ~ "What Makes a Family" (2017) Colleen Faulkner

From Goodreads ~ Nestled in the Chesapeake Bay, Brodie Island is charming, remote and slow to change. For three hundred years, Abby Brodie's farming family has prospered there. Now, years after leaving to make her way on her own terms, Abby is coming home to see her ailing grandmother, with her teenage daughter and a wealth of memories in tow. Yet as family members gather at the old farmhouse, Abby realizes this visit offers more than a chance to say goodbye.

After decades of feeling she was a disappointment as a daughter, Abby is beginning to see that her mother, too, has struggled to feel a sense of belonging within the Brodie family. Celeste, Abby's self-centered sister, is far from the successful actress she pretends to be, and needs help that only Abby and their half-brother, Joseph, can give. But most surprising of all is the secret that Grandmother Brodie has been carrying - one that will make each woman question her identity and the sacrifices she's willing to make to gain acceptance.

Sarah Agnes, the family matriarch, is on her deathbed at the home she shares with Joe, her son, and Birdie, his wife (and also Sarah Agnes' adopted daughter). Abby and Celeste, Joe and Birdie's daughters, along with Sarah, Abby's daughter, and Joseph, Joe's illegitimate son, have gathered to say their good-byes. Abby is in a happy marriage with Drum and Celeste is a has-been actress looking to mooch off whoever she can. Birdie is a cold mother who does what she has to do in taking care of her family.

 

I wasn't crazy about this book. It's really drawn out and draggy so by the end, I really didn't care. The story is told in first person perspective in Abby, Sarah Agnes, Birdie and Celeste's voices (the chapters are labelled). I found Abby boring, Birdie was cold (it would have been nice to know why she was the way she was) and Celeste was too unrealistically self-centred. I was more into Sarah Agnes' story of when she was younger and it was interesting as Sarah, her great granddaughter, dug and learned more about her.

Book ~ "Julia's Daughters" (2017) Colleen Faulkner

From Goodreads ~ Julia Maxton can’t imagine anything worse than losing one of her three daughters - until the day seventeen-year-old Haley runs a stop sign, killing her younger sister, Caitlin. Six weeks after the crash, the family is falling apart. Julia struggles not to show hostility toward Haley but her deep-rooted anger won’t go away. Her husband, Ben, has drifted away emotionally. Their youngest daughter, Izzy, is lost in the shuffle. And despite Haley’s insistence that she’s fine, her actions scream otherwise.

Fearing that she’s about to lose a second child, Julia decides to take Haley on a cross-country drive. Maybe somewhere between Nevada and Maine they can bridge the gulf between them. But first there will be painful questions to face - is Julia a good mother? Did she secretly love responsible, respectful Caitlin more than defiant Haley? Can Haley ever find peace with her mother - and herself - again?

Haley is 17 and was driving Caitlin, one of her younger sisters, home one night when she ran through a stop sign. Haley wasn't hurt but Caitlin flew through the windshield and was killed. Six weeks later, Julia, their mother, hasn't left her bed and is crying all the time; Ben, their father, is working all the time or spending time with his mother and brothers; Haley feels guilty and is acting up (why didn't they get her help right away to deal with the accident?!); and 10-year-old Izzy hasn't spoken to her sister since "she killed Caitlin".

Once Julia realizes how out of control Haley has become, she figures the only way to straighten her out is to go on road trip with her ... drive across the country and spend some time with Laney, her best friend, who lives in Maine. Ben doesn't agree but Julia feels this is best for her and Haley. And off they go. 

It's not a happy topic (I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a child in an accident) but I thought this story was okay. It is written in first person perspective in Julia, Haley and Izzy's voices (the chapters are labeled). The ending was a bit of a surprise but I was okay with it ... it was the best way to end the story. As a head's up, there is swearing and self-harming.

There is a confusing timeline posted at the beginning of each chapter ... the story moves forward without jumping back and forth but the timeline posted didn't make sense to me. For example, the first chapter is "47 days" which I assumed was 47 days since the accident. But chapter two, in which the action happens right after the first chapter is "46 days, 13 hours". Chapter three is "still 47 days" and chapter four is "3 years,  months" but is happening right after the preceding chapters. Huh?!

I liked Julia and surprisingly Haley. I felt nothing for Ben ... he was barely there physically and emotionally and provided zero support to his wife and daughters. I really disliked Izzy ... she was annoying and I cringed when I read her chapters.

Book ~ "Our New Normal" (2019) Colleen Faulkner

From Goodreads ~ Liv Ridgely prides herself on being the responsible wrangler of all things stay at home mom, caretaker of elderly parents, supporter of husband Oscar’s career, savior of her wayward sister. 

Now with her son off to college and her ambitious daughter, Hazel, a year away from following him, it’s Liv’s turn. She’s even established her dream career of bringing beautiful old homes back to life in the most picturesque part of Maine. Until she learns that 16-year-old Hazel is three months pregnant. Hazel insists she will have the baby and raise him with her boyfriend, Tyler, who’s no one’s idea of a model father. 

Clearly, there are going to be some conflicts to iron out. Liv just doesn’t expect them to be with her husband. As it turns out, Liv and Oscar have very different ideas about what to do. Perhaps it’s because Liv, who was adopted, has a unique perspective on this baby’s future. And perhaps it’s because, as a mother, she knows better than anyone how Hazel’s young life will be changed forever. As the family fractures in every direction, past resentments and pain come tumbling out. After years of putting others first, Liv wonders if she can do what’s best for her daughter, her parents, and her marriage - while still being true to herself.

Liv is married and in her 40s. Her son, Sean, will soon be off to university and her daughter, Hazel, is almost finished high school. Finally Liv can focus on herself and start her home redesign business. Then 16-year-old Hazel announces she is pregnant and though she has plans of eventually becoming a doctor, she is adamant about keeping the baby ... having an abortion or putting the baby up for adoption are out of the question. Everyone thinks Liv is selfish and controlling because she thinks Hazel keeping the baby is a bad decision, especially since they know Tyler, Hazel's boyfriend, is a loser. Liv knows a lot of the responsibility will fall on her (she's already taking care of her parents) and she's not willing to take that on at this point in her life.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I hated it. It is written in first person perspective in Liv and Hazel's voices (the chapters are labeled). I didn't care for most of the characters. Liv tried to stand up for herself and be honest about how Hazel's baby would affect their lives and everyone thought she was being controlling and selfish. Liv's parents are ailing and it's up to her to take care of their needs. Her father's mind was failing should have been put in a home but no one thought he was bad enough (huh?! at one point he didn't even recognize himself in a picture!). Beth, Liv's younger sister, who was apparently their mother's favourite, was flakey and left everything for Liv to take care of. Oscar, Liv's husband, was a jerk and gave her no support and expected her to put her life on hold again so she could raise Hazel's baby. Granted Hazel was only 16 and apparently a smart girl but she was a spoiled brat ... she's lucky her family, especially her mother, supported her as much as they did considering how she treated them. If I was Liv, I would have bailed a lot sooner and let them all take care of themselves.

Book ~ "As Close As Sisters" (2014) Colleen Faulkner

From Goodreads ~ Since the age of twelve, McKenzie Arnold has spent every summer at Albany Beach, Delaware, with her best friends Aurora, Janine and Lilly. The seaside house teems with thirty years of memories - some wonderful, others painful - and secrets never divulged beyond its walls. This summer may be the last they spend together, as Janine contemplates selling her family cottage. 

For now, all four enjoy morning beach walks and lazy evenings on the porch, celebrating Lilly's longed-for pregnancy and offering support during McKenzie's greatest crisis. It's a time for laughter and recriminations, a time to forge a new understanding of a long-ago night when Aurora sealed their bond with one devastating act. And as the days gradually shorten, events will unfold in ways that none of them could have predicted, to make this the most momentous summer of all.

Aurora, Janine, Lilly and McKenzie are in their early 40s and have been best friends since they were 12. Aurora is single and a successful but unhappy artist; Janine is a gay police officer; Lilly is married and pregnant with her first child; and McKenzie is divorced, with teenage twin daughters and has terminal cancer. 

Every summer the four spend a month at Janine's family cottage on the beach and this will probably be the last one the four will be there together. Since it's the only time the cottage is used, Janine is thinking about selling it. As the friends enjoy their time together, they deal with tragic events from the past along with coming to terms with having to say good-bye to McKenzie.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was okay. Because the friends are dealing with McKenzie's cancer, it is a bit of a downer at times (though McKenzie usually deals with her cancer with humour) and some of the backstories were a bit extreme. It is written in first person perspective in each of the friends' voices (the chapters are labeled). I wasn't crazy with the ending and would have liked it to have ended differently for one of the friends. As a head's up, there is swearing.