This is the first novel I've read by Liza Palmer, I was drawn to this story by the promise of a family meltdown. Much in the way other people love to watch reality tv, I can't resist a blow up when it's happening to a family other than my own. This book has episodes of anxiety and severe panic attacks, mentions of drug addiction and overdose, and some pretty unhealthy relationships.
Maren Winter has changed the culinary world, breaking glass ceilings and refusing to be cowed in a time when all the culinary masterminds in the kitchen were, ironically, men. But as she gets older, Maren starts to turn into the kind of person she fought against so long ago; refusing to adapt or listen to the advisors around her and becoming suspicious of everyone. Including her own daughters. One fateful night, tensions between the three sisters and their mother come to a breaking point when Maren cuts her youngest daughter out of her empire completely. Now Athena, the youngest and her mother's protégé, needs to figure out who she is and what she wants now that she's out of her mother's shadow; while her two older sisters battle with their guilt of not standing by Athena and their own ambitions to take their mother down while she's at her weakest point.
Let me say, this novel took me by surprise. I was a little disappointed at the beginning, the big blow up seemed tame to me although I'm sure it would have been heartbreaking to be on the receiving end. But I ended up really liking it. I was able to identify with each of the sisters in a different way and really cheered them on when they started to actually work on the parts of themselves they didn't like instead of just ignoring them. Liza Palmer was very clear about what was happening when her characters starting suffering from panic attacks, which I appreciated, and the discomfort and desperation to please that each of the sisters feels when they're around their mother seemed very realistic. This book even made me cry twice. I loved watching the sisters start to stand up straight and find each other, becoming the kind of sisters that they've always yearned for.
I'm giving Family Reservations by Liza Palmer 4.25 stars out of 5. I will definitely be looking for more of Liza Palmer's books.
See more from Liza Palmer at https://lizapalmer.com/
Pairs well with 90's jams and a kouign-amann, although I almost chose pork chops instead.
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