Blog Tour & Review: If Only I Could Tell You by Hannah Beckerman

Title: If Only I Could Tell You

Author: Hannah Beckerman

Published: October 2019, William Morrow Paperbacks

Format: Paperback, 368 pages

Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours

Summary: 

Hannah
Beckerman pens a life-affirming novel that tells the story of a family
divided and the secret that  can possibly unite them—a must for fans of This Is Us.

Audrey
knows that life is filled with ups and downs, but she can’t help
feeling like she’s been dealt more than her fair share as she’s watched
her family come undone over the years. Her dream as a mother had been
for her daughters, Jess and Lily, to be as close as

only sisters can be.
But now as adults, they no longer speak to each other, and Audrey’s two
teenage granddaughters have never met. Even more upsetting is the fact
that Audrey has no idea how to fix her family as she wonders if they
will ever be whole again.

If only Audrey had known three decades
ago that a secret could have the power to split her family in two, but
ironically, also keep them linked. And when hostilities threaten to
spiral out of control, a devastating choice that was made so many years
ago is about to be revealed, testing once and for all Audrey and those
she loves.

Is it too late for one broken family to heal and find their way back to each other…?

A
beautiful novel of mothers and daughters, the bonds of family, and the
secrets that can sometimes divide us yet also bring us together, If Only I Could Tell You will remain on your mind long after the last page is turned.

My thoughts: It’s no secret that I love books about family drama. Add in secrets and dysfunction and I am totally sold. That is why I knew I had to read Hannah Beckerman’s latest novel – it just sounded like too good a novel to pass up, even if it sounded like one where I might need a box of tissues to get me through it!

This book is pulled me in right from the start. It has all the feels and then some, taking you where you least expect it and having you walk beside this family as they deal with some heavy issues such as cancer, suicide and miscarriage. It’s an emotional roller coaster of a  book, yet it’s very addicting once you start reading it. You find yourself wondering just what caused the rift between the sisters, what the decades-long secret is that has festered so out of control. 

Coming from a large family, I am always drawn to books about sibling relationships. And I found this one to be very realistic. I get that lines can be drawn in the sand and once drawn, they are not so easy to be undone. Communication is key and a simple misunderstanding can so easily be misconstrued. 

This book is full of mysteries and family secrets as well as grief and unconditional love. It will break you…be prepared with lots of tissues! 

About the author: Hannah Beckerman studied English at King’s College (London) for her
undergraduate degree, and at Queen Mary  and Westfield (London) for her
master’s degree. She spent twelve years working in television, first as a
producer for the BBC and subsequently as a commissioning editor for
arts and documentaries at Channel 4 and the Discovery Channel USA. She
lived in Bangladesh for two years, working for the BBC World Service
Trust. She is now a full-time author and journalist as well as a book
critic and features writer for the Observer, the FT Weekend Magazine and the Sunday Express.
She is also a regular chair at literary festivals and events and has
been a judge for numerous book prizes including the Costa Book Awards. If Only I Could Tell You is Hannah’s second novel. She lives in London with her husband and daughter.

Author links:Website |  Facebook  | Twitter  | Instagram

Purchase Links:   HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Be sure to check out all the other stops on the blog tour and follow the tour on Twitter (hashtags:  #TLCBookTours & #ifonlyicouldtellyou).