Review: Lies and Other Acts of Love by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Lies and Other Acts of Love

by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 352

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  After sixty years of marriage and five daughters, Lynn “Lovey” White knows that all of us, from time to time, need to use our little white lies. 
 
Her granddaughter, Annabelle, on the other hand, is as truthful as they come. She always does the right thing—that is, until she dumps her hedge fund manager fiancé and marries a musician she has known for three days. After all, her grandparents, who fell in love at first sight, have shared a lifetime of happiness, even through her grandfather’s declining health.
 
But when Annabelle’s world starts to collapse around her, she discovers that nothing about her picture-perfect family is as it seems. And Lovey has to decide whether one more lie will make or break the ones she loves . . .


Kritters Thoughts:  A family drama that centers around a grandmother and her granddaughter as they are both in transition in their lives and trying to get comfortable in their new normals.  Lovey is the nickname of the grandmother and her husband has become bound to a wheelchair and is basically unresponsive and she is remembering moments from their past and realizing that her best years are in the past and her girls are a great legacy.  Annabelle has her life ahead of herself, but she isn't sure if she is in the right location and with the right main and after some ups and downs she realizes potentially where she should be.

The characters were everything in this book.  I loved that both Lovey and Annabelle narrated the book and absolutely adored the juxtaposition of Lovey in her old age while Annabelle is young and fresh.  I love with grandmothers play a big part in their grandchildren's lives and it is portrayed in a sweet way in fiction.  I also adored that there was full on woman power in this book and the women made the decisions in this family and through the grandmother they were empowered to be strong and fearless.

The one thing that I didn't love was that I felt like there was a long build up before the lies starting emerging.  There was a lot of set up and by the point that the secrets started coming out I felt like the story was more than halfway over.  I wish that they had started coming out earlier and then we could have seen more of the fall out of those things that were kept hidden.  

Kristy Woodson Harvey is a great author.  I love how she can truly do the south and doesn't do it up like Hollywood does, but it feels real and honest.  It makes me want to move back to North Carolina where the living is simple and easy!

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.