Title: Somebody’s Daughter
Author: Rochelle B. Weinstein
Narrator: Tavia Gilbert
Published: April 2018, Brilliance Audio / Lake Union Publishing
Length: 10 hours 59 minutes / 320 pages
Source: Audio – Brilliance Audio / Print – Lake Union Publishing via GetRed PR
Summary:
From USA Today
bestselling author Rochelle B. Weinstein comes an emotional novel for
mothers, daughters, and anyone who has ever felt imperfect.
Emma
and Bobby Ross enjoy a charmed life on the shores of Miami Beach. They
are a model family with a successful business, an uncomplicated
marriage, and two blessedly typical twin daughters, Zoe and Lily. They
are established members of a tight-knit community.
Then, on the
night of the girls’ fifteenth birthday party, they learn of Zoe’s
heartbreaking mistake—a private and humiliating indiscretion that goes
viral and thrusts her and her family into the center of a shocking
public scandal.
As the family’s core is shattered by disgrace,
judgment, and retribution, the fallout takes its toll. But for Emma, the
shame runs deeper. Her daughter’s reckless behavior has stirred
memories of her own secrets that could break a marriage, a family, and
friendships forever.
My thoughts: If there is one book you read this year…one book that you pick up, I highly suggest this one be it. Whether you are a parent or not, this is such an important book. It provides so much food for thought and is told in such a compelling, thoughtful way that you will be thinking about it long after you finish that last page.
I have to say upfront, I am not a parent, but I have many, many nieces and nephews growing up in today’s world – a world much different than the world I grew up in. Social media wasn’t part of our vocabulary growing up and so we could do “silly” things as teenagers and not really have to worry about it going viral. Not so much in today’s world, where one act can literally haunt you forever if it is captured and shared. And this is what Rochelle Weinstein has shown us in this book.
This is an emotional book. I felt all the emotions right alongside the characters – that’s how real and relatable this book is. It is powerful and raw, yet it is so timely and important, too. We live in a society that is all about social media. Think how many times you go anywhere – you see people of all ages on their phones, using Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. All it takes it one compromising photo, whether you give your permission or not, and it’s out there for all to see. But that’s not all…what about the other side? How many of us that use these apps use it as a sense of self-worth? I know this is especially true in the teen generation, but I really don’t think it’s limited to that. If you are on Instagram, can you honestly say you haven’t been bummed when your post hasn’t gotten a ton of likes? Since when do we use this as a measure of success? This is just a small slice of the trap that is Social Media and I don’t think any of us, at any age really understand the true pitfalls of it.
This book really made me think, really made we wonder just what it is that we can do to help the younger generations to come fully understand all that is involved in Social Media. But it’s so much more than that, too. This book is also about the love and bond of a family that is struggling with a mistake one makes and how to effectively, supportively, and constructively deal with the fallout. A great read, and one that would be excellent for book clubs – so much food for thought!
Audio thoughts: I really enjoyed this audio book and thought Tavia Gilbert did an excellent job with the narration. She was able to give all the characters their own voices and she infused just the right amount of tension and emotion into her voice as needed. Her pacing and tone were spot on and really made the characters come to life.
Sounds interesting and very topical right now.