This was my favorite of Strawser’s books so far. I’m not in the medical field, so the reviews about inaccuracies there don’t affect me (I’m sure anything like that went right over my head). But the character development and family dynamics held my interest. I felt like the ending was a little rushed, but I enjoyed the book quite a bit.

This one took me a while, but I'm glad I took the time to read it. The story is told around two half-sisters who grow up not knowing of each other's existence. They have very different lives with one having a seemingly fairytale life and another struggling with a potentially terminal illness, a collapsed marriage, the loss of her mom and best friend, and trying to decide if she wants to fight for her life by looking for a kidney donor. They find each other through a DNA test which ends up with pain and betrayal, unearthed secrets, but also a chance at sisterhood that neither has ever had the opportunity to have. Even though it took me a long time to read this book because of outside circumstances, I never forgot what was going on or who everyone was, and I would quickly become immersed back into the book until I was interrupted yet again, lol! I really loved both sisters for different reasons, and I found their connection to be believable and found myself to be empathetic to both. This book covered so much about family relationships, what marriage can or should look like, how you can love people and still hurt them, but how you can also forgive even the most painful of hurts. I also appreciated all the research the author did about kidney transplants and the perspective of both the donor and the recipient, and how complicated it can all be. I also adored Janie, Sela's nurse, as well as one of the other donors that Caroline met on her journey. I would have loved listening to this as an audiobook, but also enjoyed reading it on my own. I would be interested in reading other books by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was so different from what I anticipated it would be like. In a good way. I figured it would be a typical Jodi Picoult drama with interwoven narratives and a predictable emotionally satisfying happy ending tied up in a neat little bow. Those kinds of stories are endearing and have their place, but that is not what this book was about for me. It made me really want to research more about kidney disease and how it affects a person's life. I have been privileged to not have to live with this disease and I didn't realize how much it impacts a patient. Anyway, the story was not just about DNA test results and surprise sisters and the complexities of kidney transplant waiting list. It was about all of that, but it was also about mental illness and how the health care system treats people with mental illness especially those in the greatest need. This was an excellent story and it had a surprise ending that I was not expecting. I highly recommend this book. It will leave me thinking about it for many days. Not many books I read do that.

It had really good tidbits of wisdom throughout the book. This one is my favorite. "One could be grateful without building a relationship on that gratitude, just as one could give sincerely without the slightest desire to see strings attached."

Indeed.

I’m grateful I’ve had some time to catch up on books I’ve really been wanting to read, like this one from Jessica Strasser that published back in March. I’ve read all of Strawser’s books and am already eager for her newest, The Next Thing You Know, arriving in 2022.

If you haven’t tried her books yet, I would categorize them as suspenseful contemporary with a side of juicy and tense drama.

A Million Reasons Why is about two strangers who take a mail-in DNA test that links them. They find out they are sisters. One is thrilled; the other’s world is completely rocked. Like it or not, they are now sisters and have to decide what that means together.

One sister, Caroline, is living the perfect, happy life with her family, while Sela is seeking a donor match due to advanced kidney disease. Her life and her son’s livelihood depend on her finding a match. You can probably see where this is going with two sisters finding one another; but the road they take after they find each other is uncharted and surprising.

Overall, A Million Reasons Why is an emotional and thought-provoking story of what makes a family, secrets, motherhood, and ultimately, perhaps, (hopefully) forgiveness.

I received a gifted copy.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

Family secrets, domestic drama, and DNA tests all add up to a story that I could not put down. Caroline’s husband buys a great present for her family. Unfortunately, the present brings drama and hurt. The DNA test shows a surprise connection that Caroline is not able to let go. As she learns more about Sela, Sela’s mother, and the mother’s relationship to her family she realizes that there are many things about her own family that she did not know about. Family secrets are let out, feelings are hurt, and relationships are tested.

I enjoyed seeing Caroline and Sela learn to be sisters. Their relationship was not easy. They did not even know about each other, they find each other, and immediately their relationship was put to the test. The people surrounding Caroline and Sela put stress on the relationship and they both had to stand strong to their selves.

As the story went along, I thought I could see where it would end until the twist happen. The twist…amazingly perfect. It added just the right ah ha at the right time to make me want to talk to everyone about this book.

I've read and enjoyed all of Jessica Strawser's books, and had this one on my wish list as soon as it popped up as a projected release. The books aren't completely my style, but I enjoyed the books. I'm not sure if it is this book, or if my reading tastes have changed over the last year, but this book was not enjoyable for me. There was just TOO MUCH going on. Maybe there are people who have this much drama in their lives, but it felt over the top.
But maybe it's just me - I have little patience for the newer tendency of authors to include elaborate back stories for every single character, for the characters going down the rabbit holes of 'what if?'. I've been known to go down the 'what if?' rabbit hole from time to time, but these characters do it ALL THE TIME and it was just SO annoying. This feels like it could have been a really great novella, but not a full length book.
I will probably read - or listen to - Strawser's next book, but I'm not looking forward to it as I had been with the others.

This would be a wonderful book club selection, with many plot points that would engage discussion. This book was engaging and, while I questioned the decisions of some of the characters, I found myself feeling very empathetic toward more than one or two. This was the first book I have read by this author, but I do plan to read more.

This book was so disapponting on many levels. The phrasing the author uses makes it difficult to follow in places. It lacks flow and has no natural cadence. The premise of the book was good, but the delivery was lacking. There is a plot twist towards about 50 pages from the end that felt like a total ripoff. It's not a "I didn't see that coming" type of twist, more like a "are you kidding me?" type of twist.
***spoilers***

One of the charaters turns out to be a hallucination. Sela turns out to be deranged. There is an improbable donor match that negates the central medical issue for Sela. If it was so hard to find a match, and Sela needed a familiaral connection, the liklihood that Hannah would be a match is way too convenient. Hanna's manipulation of her daughter is despicable. Finally, the nickname Ecca is annoying. No one named Rebecca goes by Ecca.

First things first. This book is a family drama. It is not a thriller, mystery or anything like that.

So if you are in the market for a family drama where everyone is explaining in detail what they think and all their doubts and second guessing all their decisions and pondering all the pluses and minuses, well this is the book for you.

The story is alright, but for me, a person expecting to read a thriller and a mystery book, it was not my cup of tea.