This was such a sad and difficult book - some of it relatable in the sense of motherhood and how easy it is to blame ourselves for things that go wrong, but a lot of the sadness and grief in the book is because the characters treated each other horribly thru most of the book. 

As the author states in the beginning, she wanted to paint a picture of how grief and guilt can permeate motherhood, and I think the book does that part well. You felt for Dorothy - and some of the other mothers at various times - and I think it was very realistic. 

However, so much of the book I struggled to like because I greatly disliked almost all the women in it. They were mean, petty, shaming, and just plain unkind. So much of everyone’s lives would have been different if they just offered a tiny bit of kindness and grace to each other, and just talked a bit (not gossiping but actually communicated) rather than making assumptions of the worst of each other. The same goes for Dorothy with Joseph also. Yes, the end started to turn around but I just wanted *someone* to be kind earlier than the last minute. It kind of ruined the book for me. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.