If you had asked me a week ago whether I could possibly love a book with almost no romantic thread in it, I would have said it was impossible. So many books in the past have failed to hold my interest due to a weak or non-existent romantic storyline, and had I known prior to starting this book that this was not a love story, I would have probably refused to read it. And what a colossal mistake that would have been! This is by far one of the best written and most engaging stories I have had the pleasure of reading this year and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is seeking a book that will own you cover to cover, a book that is so mind-blowingly unique in its delivery, plotline, pace, attention to detail, a book that will leave you reflecting on its storyline long after you’ve read the last page.
From the moment the story started, I felt like I was in a high speed car chase, with no seatbelt on, a heart-stopping surprise at every turn, but at no point did I lose faith in the author to get me safely to the finish line. Every piece of the puzzle is skillfully executed, nothing is fortuitous and everything has its place in one of the most intricate storylines I’ve ever come across. We are following so many characters, hearing so many voices and yet, it all somehow fits together, completing a spiderweb of subplots that eventually gives us a glimpse of the complete picture.
“Had they been watching out for her all along, and she just didn’t know?”
It all begins with a little baby in need of a bone marrow donor and all the Thompson sisters being potential matches. The youngest of them, Andrea, is called to return to the States from her new home in Spain to be tested as a donor, but her return suddenly turns into an abduction, her escape from her kidnappers starting an avalanche of events, the least expected of them being the way it brings the Thompson sisters closer together and how their collective childhood memories start piecing together a family picture that has always been incomplete and confusing to them individually. The story focuses on the unwavering bonds between the six Thompson siblings, despite a very unconventional upbringing, or the lack of parental love and support they all so desperately craved to have. As we hear their voices, we quickly realize that they all had very different experiences and perceptions of their mother Adelina, a woman who comes across as being unpredictable, unemotional and reserved, but whose own life story leaves us breathless and almost incredulous that a woman with such a horrid past could raise six loving and compassionate young women such as her daughters.
There is nothing more I can reveal in a review that would not spoil this captivating storyline, as every major discovery the sisters make or realization they come to is a crucial part of the overall plotline. I will, however, say that there is nothing predictable about it all, the author being such a tremendous storyteller that every major twist hits us unexpectedly, but right in the bullseye. And even though this book is action-packed to the rim, the unbreakable sisterhood ties between these young women are the ones pushing the story forward and making us so completely invested in the wellbeing of these characters. This is a story that will touch you deeply and leave you somewhat baffled by how an “anti-romance” could possibly leave you feeling so emotionally fulfilled and satisfied. An absolute gem of a book, and I am already desperately craving for the sequel.
“Always, Adelina. Always.”
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Rachel’s Peril - Recommended Reading Order
(spinoff series from The Thompson Sisters series)
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