Source: Borrowed from the Pasco County Library System
Pub. Date: March 1, 2022
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

Why did I choose to read this book?

This has been the year of leaning into my growing love of mysteries and thrillers. I requested this as an advanced reader copy via NetGalley but was denied, so I added it to my library holds list. I mostly chose to read this book because I like to read stories about women who feel like they have to hide their past to be happy in the present, and there’s always a man there to unravel it all, and what they find is never what you expect.

What is this book about?

Emma and Leo are happy with their daughter Ruby. Emma gets cancer and as they are waiting to find out if she is in remission, Leo copes by doing his job: pre-writing obituaries. He researches her past and starts to see that a few pieces just don’t fit together, and so he goes digging where he probably oughtn’t have and that’s when we’re set on the rollercoaster of “what is Emma up to/who is Emma really.” It’s about discovering a past that a woman often has to hide in order to have a future because society is terrible to women.

What is notable about the story?

At the risk of spoiling you a tiny bit (or at least giving hints), I am ashamed to admit that I fell for it. I was absolutely convinced that Emma was having an affair, that she was seeking revenge on people, that she would actually end up being a terrible person. Rosie Walsh had me wrapped around her little finger the entire way and then she took me to task for automatically assuming the woman was bad and sneaky. It’s a book that asks us to be better to women, to treat them with respect and care not only with our actions but also in our thoughts. Walsh can consider my wrist slapped and my lesson learned. It was something I didn’t know I needed, and it was done subtly and kindly.

Also I have never been so ready to squad up for a fictional character. You’ll know what I mean when you read the book but I wouldn’t have been as kind as Emma, I would have thrown hands. I’m not going to give this one away. You’ll just have to read it, and then give me a call so we can meet up at the corner shop and carpool to beat up some jerks.

Was anything not so great?

This book was very emotional for me, so I took a week or so to let it sit in my mind, and thinking about it I honestly can’t think of a single thing that I would nitpick about this one. It was VERY convenient that Leo just happened to be in the obituary writing business but it was well established from the start, and how he met Emma was legit, so even though the plot relied on a VERY specific set of scenarios for any of it to hold up, Walsh’s storytelling makes it more a plausible situation and less a distracting set of unbelievable occurrences.

What’s the verdict?

4 stars on Goodreads. This is one you’ll want to get your hands on and let it take you on a journey. It’ll make you nervous, sad, furious, and vengeful; but in the end you’ll be satisfied. Borrow it from your local library today!

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