Title: If You Must Know
Author: Jamie Beck
Published: June 1, 2020 by Montlake Romance
Source: Received from the publisher
Type: e-copy
Blurb:
Life turns upside down for two sisters in Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jamie Beck’s emotional novel about how secrets and differences can break—or bind—a family.
Sisters Amanda Foster and Erin Turner have little in common except the childhood bedroom they once shared and the certainty each feels that her way of life is best. Amanda follows the rules—at the school where she works; in her community; and as a picture-perfect daughter, wife, and mother-to-be. Erin follows her heart—in love and otherwise—living a bohemian lifestyle on a shoestring budget and honoring her late father’s memory with a passion for music and her fledgling bath-products business.
The sisters are content leading separate but happy lives in their hometown of Potomac Point until everything is upended by lies that force them to confront unsettling truths about their family, themselves, and each other. For sisters as different as these two, building trust doesn’t come easily—especially with one secret still between them—but it may be the only way to save their family.
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This book was such a beautiful surprise. I love the family aspect and how they came together in a moment of crisis. Jamie Beck delivered and emotional story with real characters, with flaws, problems and hopes.
We have a dual perspective: Amanda and Erin, while being sisters, they cannot be more different. Amanda has always followed the rules and has built what seems to be the perfect marriage, with a decent job and a good reputation in town. Erin is more of a free spirit. She does what makes her happy and she intends on earning from her passion. She takes risks, she makes mistakes but she is also brave enough to face the consequences.
When Amanda’s marriage seems to slowly dissolve and with their mom’s health wakening, the two sisters become closer than they ever were. Family comes together to help, they disagree , they argue, but in the end this is the most stable support system.
The author has not created perfect characters, but real ones. I could relate to their stories and, in most of the cases, I think I would have acted the same. I have the feeling the author sympathizes more with Erin, because taking risks is what makes us stronger, bolder and even a tiny bit happier. The ending was left a bit open. There were a lot of things which I wanted to know more of, but life goes on and life is unpredictable. The objective was to have the siblings together and their mom to gain her tranquility.
I’ve listened to the audiobook narrated by Susannah Jones and Therese Plummer and it was such a fantastic narration. Both absorbed our characters’ personalities with their unique traits. It was such a delight to listen to this book.
All things considered, “If You Must Know” is a manifest for family. It is a beautiful, beautiful book showing how, despite all their differences, siblings will be there for each other. The loss of a parent is shown from all perspectives (how it affects children and spouse). Sisterhood with positives and negatives is thoroughly analyzed as well. I can’t wait to read or listen to the other books in the series and discover more of Jamie Beck’s writing.
Cover Review: I like the cover, it feels cozy somehow. It has elements that tie to the story (the note – where it all starts from, the family pictures) and the dark orange color feels relaxing in a way. I like it.
Favorite Quote: “Pity. Life must be boring for those without any sense of humor.”
About The Author 
Jamie Beck is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of 18 novels, which have been translated into multiple languages and have sold more than three million copies worldwide. She is a two-time Booksellers’ Best Award finalist, a Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR award finalist, a National Readers’ Choice Award winner, and critics at Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist have respectively called her work “smart,” “uplifting,” and “entertaining.” In addition to writing novels, she enjoys dancing around the kitchen while cooking and hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family.
Fans can learn more about her on the web (www.jamiebeck.com). She also loves interacting with everyone on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JamieBeckBooks) and Instagram (@writerjamiebeck).
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