Is it a romance? Women’s fiction? Or literary fiction. Jaime Beck’s latest work, “If You Must Know
The story of two sisters – Amanda Foster and Erin Turner. Physically, it is easy to see that they are blood relatives. Personality-wise, they are as different as night and day.
Amanda is a rule follower, and always toes the line. Erin is a rule breaker and does not stay within the lines. Very close when they were young, their separation was slow and subtle. It was not until they realized that they were on opposite sides how far they had drifted apart.
Entering their third decade, a double whammy of family tragedy forced the sisters to unite so that they can avert anymore disasters coming their way. As they work together, they slowly rediscover each other and find the bond that sisters have.
But, trust once broken is hard to get back. And that is what Amanda and Erin must work on – for the sake of their mother, their brother, Amanda’s unborn child and Erin’s budding romance.
Jaime Beck’s novels have always been thought-provoking and always have conflict built in. “If You Must Know
There is romance, but it is not the focal point. The focus is on the relationship between the sisters, their relationship with their mother and to a certain extent, their brother.
The characters are more grown up. You can even call them more mature. And somehow, that also extended to the author. Ms. Beck had shown more depth as she tackled the family dynamics. Dysfunctional from the get-go, Ms. Beck skillfully brought the characters together.
Amanda and Erin were two dimensional in the beginning. But on each page, we saw them grow and become three-dimensional. When we reach the end, we feel full. The book was a gourmet meal.
A great read! “If You Must Know
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Story
If You Must Know
A great read! “If You Must Know” should be on your TBR list for the summer.
Title: If You Must Know
Author: Jamie Beck
Release Date: June 1, 2020
Publisher: Montlake
Summary
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.
