For All She Knows by Jamie Beck
- Published on March 21, 2022
- Shalini
- in Book Posts, Book Reviews, Digital Reads Media, Digital Reads PR, Digital Reads Reviews, Fiction
Blurb
Grace first met Mimi when she blew into their sons’ toddler playgroup like a warm bay breeze that loosened Grace’s tight spaces.
Despite differing approaches to life and parenting, the fast friends raised their kids together while cementing a sisterlike bond that neither believed could be broken.
But when a string of ill-fated decisions results in a teen party with a tragic outcome for Grace’s son, the friendship is ripped apart and an already-splintered community explodes.
Accusations are leveled, litigation ensues, and the people of Potomac Point take sides, all of which threatens Mimi’s business and her current custody agreement.
Her sole salvation is a young cop who just might be her second chance at love.
That fact only antagonizes Grace, whose marriage is crumbling beneath the weight of blame and the echo of past mistakes.
With their lives unraveling, the former friends stand to lose everything they love unless they learn to forgive—both themselves and each other.
My Review
What was it all about
For All She Knows was a beautiful story of consequences. A decision to send her son to a party organized by her best friend’s son had gruesome consequences for one and shocking truths revealed for the other.
Grace’s son had his life ripped apart while Mimi and her son were learning new rules of motherhood.
How it made me feel
My heart strings were pulled in all directions, mostly toward Grace whose son had to go through some of the worst tragedies. My heart broke for his loving mother whose life centered around her kids and friendship with Mimi.
Mimi too had to face the downfall of her decisions when she faced derision from all. Somehow, my heart was biased toward Grace.
Righteous anger flowed in my veins as the bullies in the school got away with just a rap on the knuckles and the tragedy was deemed as accident.
No other book in recent times evoked so many different emotions. I had to admit forgiveness came so much later even after all the characters had forgiven each other.
After a long time, I was that involved in a book, and I loved the moments I was so immersed in author Jamie Beck’s writing.
The Good
The writing with emotions steeped in it had to be one of the best that I had read in a long, long time. The book had one accident around which lives of all the people got changed. There was something so real about the words chosen that they immediately touched my heart.
Alcohol taken by the kids in high school on the backdrop of fiction was sensitively dealt with.
Grace’s rigid stance in wanting justice for her son, while ignoring all overtures made by Mimi made the book read fast. I kept swaying like a pendulum when I read both their viewpoints.
Different parenting styles while giving strength to the characters along with emotions of family, love, friendships, forgiveness, and healing were the core factors that made this book an awesome read.
The Bad
Grace’s backstory was mentioned many times as that too had drastic consequences, but I had no clear idea what happened to her sister.
I found myself getting angry with Mimi as I felt she never really understood what her best friend and her son were going through. She wanted forgiveness, but I doubted she would have doled it out had her son been the one affected.
I could understand Grace’s pain but disliked the way she treated her younger daughter.
Some of their rumination felt to be repetitive.
The Conclusion
As said above, the book really pulled me in all directions. I was quite emotional while reading the book. And it had to be noted, I went to amazon and got another book of hers – The Happy Accidents – that I was more than 70% done with. In a day.
Book Links
Book Details
Publication Date: March 2021
I downloaded the digital version of the book from an online retail, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. STRICTLY HONEST and UNBIASED.
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