This is the debut novel from Anissa Gray to be released on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is an emotional, raw read. We meet the Butler family, all of whom have to been to hell and back, and get a glimpse into the life of an American family. The eldest sister, Althea, and her husband, Proctor, get arrested for running a charity scheme where they were taking the money and using it on themselves. Their own daughter turns them in. Yikes.
Althea goes on a personal journey while she is in jail and I can’t help but feel heartbroken for this broken woman. While she is on the inside, her sisters Lillian and Viola are left to pick up the pieces with their twin daughters. Lillian is doing all she can but can’t reach them and desperately needs Viola. Each sister is facing ghosts from their past and through the book they work through them. Just when you thought no one was there for you, your family ends up being what you need.
I felt so much emotion while reading this book, yet, I felt something different for each character. Sometimes I was angry and sometimes I was sad. After finishing this book I had to just breathe for the day before I picked up another. I don’t feel it is a heavy read, however, it does pull at the heartstrings. I really liked how Gray ended the book.
We see the problems each character have become resolved in a manner that is absolutely appropriate for the book. Loose, flowing ends are tied up into an appropriate bow.
4 star read for me. The vernacular used on the characters in this book was also so spot on I felt like I was transformed from my living room into theirs. There is the use of some foul language so if you are easily offended this may not be the book for you, however, it is absolutely appropriate in each setting it is used in. If you enjoy stories about families and the struggles they face, this book is for you!
Have you read this? Have this on your list? I think everyone is going to be raving about this one in the upcoming next few weeks. Definitely put this on your to-read list immediately!
Title: The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
Author: Anissa Gray
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: Expected February 19, 2019
ISBN-10: 1984802437
Donna's Reading Chair 