Review: Things I Never Told You by Beth K. Vogt

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

It's been ten years since Payton Thatcher's twin sister died in an accident, leaving the entire family to cope in whatever ways they could. No longer half of a pair, Payton reinvents herself as a partner in a successful party-planning business and is doing just fine--as long as she manages to hold her memories and her family at arm's length.

But with her middle sister Jillian's engagement, Payton's party-planning skills are called into action. Which means working alongside her opinionated oldest sister, Johanna, who always seems ready for a fight. They can only hope that a wedding might be just the occasion to heal the resentment and jealousy that divides them . . . until a frightening diagnosis threatens Jillian's plans and her future. As old wounds are reopened and the family faces the possibility of another tragedy, the Thatchers must decide if they will pull together or be driven further apart.

My Review

This wasn't as difficult of a book to read as I had imagined. It deals with sisters, loss, and grief, but it focuses more on the process of healing that they go through- not only with their grief but also their fractured relationships. There was an underlying sense of change and turning towards something new, even when some of the characters felt helpless or hopeless. Payton had an authentic voice, and her part of the story is told in first person, so I would consider her the main character. We also see some third person point of view from Jillian, the sister diagnosed with cancer, and Zach, the acquaintance from high school that is seeking to make things right with Pepper's death. The journey is heartfelt but never corny or cliche. The dynamics of the sisters' relationship is forefront in the plot as they are brought together and undergo a little pressure cooking from wedding planning, the cancer, memories of Pepper, and the holidays. I appreciated that part of the change in the end involved forgiveness and choices to try harder and allow a new dynamic to form. One of my favorite quotes from the book came from Jillian's thoughts: 

"Could things be changing between her and Johanna and Payton? Shifting so they could have better- more respectful- communication? Learn to accept one another as adults, not just continue to react to each other the way they had growing up?"

Also this from Pepper: "Sometimes you just have to forget all the other stuff and remember we're sisters."

I'm glad that I read this book as it prompted me to examine the relationships I have with my own sisters and think of ways I can be a better sister and friend. And that's what really good books do ;)

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)