Caroline BondReseñas

The Forgotten Sister by Caroline Bond is a novel that centres on a teenager named Cassie and her quest to uncover her past. Adopted at a young age, Cassie discovers she was separated from her older sister, who was seven at the time and not adopted with her. Initially unaware of her sister's existence, Cassie's desire to find her birth mother is complicated by her adoptive parents' reluctance to reveal her sister's existence, opting instead to conceal it. Throughout the narrative, Cassie confides in her younger sister, Erin, highlighting the deep connections and potential bonds between siblings, reflecting on what might have been with her older sister. Eventually, Cassie locates her older sister and they begin to meet secretly, following a social media search that brought them together. However, their reunion is fraught with challenges, leading to events that ultimately expose their secret to their parents.

The Day We Left begins with Lizzie, 31 weeks pregnant with twins, starting the day in a panic because she's overlaid. Later on that day, she unexpectedly goes into early labour. The twins, Oli and Joe, are tiny and have to spend weeks in the hospital. Fast forward sixteen years and Lizzie is now Beth, living with Oli who has grown up strong, and Joe, always the weaker of the twins. We follow the boys through their twenties until they (and us) are confronted with the secrets of their past.

The story moves along nicely, aided by lovely short chapters, as each twin tries to find their own way in life. Whilst Joe seems to have the harder time of it, it was interesting to witness Oli's side of things and how he often felt pushed aside. Caroline Bond always writes family dynamics really well and the relationship between the twins, and between them and their mother, were really intriguing.

There are some hefty issues in this story but it's still a really light and easy read. There are no real surprises but this is more about family and how circumstances and decisions affect everyone involved, rather than twists and turns. This story felt true to life, with all the ups and downs that come with it. I enjoyed The Day We Left.

Two women from different backgrounds and situations form an unlikely and surprising friendship and go on a road trip together. They are both running away from their pasts but can they run forever?

This story is reminiscent of Thelma and Louise and is obviously inspired by it. I really enjoyed it. I loved the bond between the two women and their interaction. Some of their adventures are quite funny! I especially liked it when they ended up in Bamburgh in Northumberland, a place I know quite well. It’s a well written tale with plenty to engage the reader. It’s definitely about the power of friendship and having the courage to take the bull by the horns. Quite a powerful read, really. A page turner.

I read The Forgotten Sister by Caroline Bond three years ago. Ever since I've been meaning to read another of her books because I loved it so much but sadly I didn't get round to it until now, with Thea and Denise, and I'm kicking myself because this is an author who really is right up my street.

Thea and Denise. Think Thelma and Louise but considerably less dramatic or crime-ridden. Our eponymous heroines meet by chance and become friends, somewhat unlikely ones as Thea is quite glamorous and confident in comparison to Denise's more downtrodden demeanour. I think it's a case of right person and right time as each provides the other with the friendship they need at a difficult time in their lives.

I thought this was a brilliant book. The story goes along at a great pace and I was hooked right from the beginning. Part 1 sets the scene and brings the women together and then from Part 2 onwards it's a rollercoaster of events and emotions as Thea and Denise head off on an impromptu road trip together.

It's the ideal read for women of 40+, dealing with mid-life issues such as the impending menopause, relationships that have become stale and taken for granted, and maybe the prospect of having to start all over again. I found it uplifting, enriching and inspirational and I think that Caroline Bond is a fabulous writer tackling relatable family-led topics and doing it intuitively and incredibly well. I loved Thea and Denise and will try very hard not to leave it another three years before I read another book by this author.

A simplistic and superficial look at family dynamics, but a nice light read all the same.

It gives an interesting perspective on a family’s dynamic and how they cope with the death of a parent. It depicts how the umbrella of childhood influences the familial roles we assume as adults, which I think a lot of readers can probably identify with.

I found the characters of Olivia, Noah and Chloe to be insipid and one dimensional, and as a consequence didn’t warm to any of them. I just wanted someone to bang their heads together, if I am honest. Eloise just seemed cold-hearted and self-centred having given up on them almost from birth and only appears out of nosiness and as a ploy to elicit some of Megan’s story.

Megan’s brooding and quiet grief I did find more plausible, especially faced with Jonathan’s family and all their petty squabbling, rudeness and childness. I found their behaviour towards her positively disgusting.

Lisa’s role as the carer was more thought provoking, interacting with Jonathan and Megan, caring for them both effectively. Her role provided an element of serious contemplation as to the nature of death and dying with a terminal illness, although like the rest of the book only at a superficial level. I can’t help feeling this could have been a better and braver book and have been better for it.½

A family drama story about a man who, suffering from a terminal illness, plans for his own death, leaving a Will with a legacy to be disposed of as his three children wish. It may sound uncomplicated but it’s not as easy as that!

I enjoyed this slow burner of a tale . It’s very much a character based story, none of them at first seeming particularly pleasant. But, of course, as it progresses, we see them evolving. Family dynamics are really well depicted and the siblings’ individual journeys and their interactions with each other make for an interesting and tense read. I loved how they all came together at the end as well as the separate concluding chapters for each character. It’s not an action packed tale, more of what I would class as a ‘slice of life’ story. It definitely gives food for thought!

Publisher’s synopsis
A death in the family rarely brings out the best in people - even the deceased Jonathan Coulter planned for his death meticulously, leaving nothing to chance. His will states that his three adult children must decide between them how to dispose of his estate. If they cannot come together over their inheritance, then they risk losing it. But Liv, Noah and Chloe never agree on anything. And now, with only one weekend to overcome their rivalry, tensions begin to rise. Why has Jonathan left the decision to them? And why has he made no mention of his new partner, Megan, or the children's mother, Eloise? If he wanted to teach them a lesson from beyond the grave, what is it? And can the siblings put their differences aside for long enough to learn it? A powerful novel about love and loss, and what we truly pass on to our children.

Following their initial shock when they were told about their father’s will, in which the only specific instruction he left was for a lump sum to be given to Lisa, his carer, Liv, Noah and Chloe realise that, having been appointed joint executors, they have no option but to find a way to act cooperatively if they are to fulfil his final wishes. In order to reach an outcome on which they can all agree, they decide they need to spend a weekend together at their childhood home, the house in which a grieving Megan is still living, having moved in with their father five years earlier.
As the story unfolds it exposes layer upon layer of old rivalries and resentments between the three siblings, feelings which, it soon becomes clear, have continued to affect their behaviour and interactions as adults. Liv, the eldest, has a successful career and has always been the responsible, well-organised one; Noah appears to be wary of commitment, selfish, competitive and instinctively rebellious, whilst Chloe is the over-indulged youngest, who still has no idea what she wants to do with her life and, for a few months has been living back in the family home. As the weekend progresses, all their juvenile feelings are resurrected, often erupting in a disturbingly visceral way, as they struggle to reach agreement on how to comply with their father’s wishes and settle his estate.
Not included in any of their discussions, in fact, with her presence barely even acknowledged, Megan is expected to cater for her late partner’s offspring, forced to be a reluctant witness to their endless squabbling whilst struggling with her own grief over the death of her partner. Their ongoing resentment of her as the blameworthy ‘other woman’ in their parents’ divorce, shows itself in myriad ways in their interactions with her, perhaps never more so when they invite their mother to join them for the weekend – although she at least does have the grace to stay in a local hotel!
I found this to be an exceptionally well-executed exploration of family dynamics in the aftermath of a death, a time when emotions are heightened and people are at their most vulnerable. I think that through her credible, well- developed characters, the author captured the complex interrelationships and ambivalences which exist within families and how, when faced with any sort of crisis, previously buried resentments and rivalries bubble to the surface, demanding to be addressed before any rational decision-making can take place. I was impressed throughout by her empathetic portrayal of her characters’ rapidly fluctuating emotional reactions, their shifting alliances, the conflicts they each felt as they struggled to reconcile personal expectations with a desire to ‘do the right thing’. Her masterly use of a third person narrative enabled me to very quickly feel caught up in the intense, painful rawness of their emotions. Throughout the story I felt my sympathies and alliances shifting as she gradually revealed their personal histories, demonstrating how their experiences and their firmly-established roles in the family were influencing not only their reactions to their father’s death, but also to the fundamentally-contentious and ambiguous nature of his will – at times I think I probably felt as angry with him as everyone else did about the power he was continuing to exert! I thought that the resolutions for each of the characters, as well as the final decisions about the dispersal of Jonathan’s estate, were entirely credible and liked the fact that these contained surprises which enabled me, even in the closing pages of the story, to gain extra insights into the characters’ behaviour.
A theme which ran through the story explored the emotional and physical effects on people caring for someone with a terminal illness, particularly as the ‘patient’ becomes increasingly dependent on carers to attend to the most basic of physical needs. I think the author very perceptively captured how the relationship between Megan and Jonathan was affected by his illness and the increasing stresses she faced as his physical condition worsened. The author brought similar insights to her exploration of the impact Lisa, the part-time carer employed to help during the final months of his life, had on both Megan and Jonathan. Her descriptions of Megan feeling overwhelmed by the relentless pressure, the sense of guilt she felt about needing help, as well as the eventual rivalry she felt about sharing his care with an outsider, captured many of the complex, ambivalent feelings experienced by carers.
Although most of the ‘action’ takes place in the increasingly tense, stifling and claustrophobic atmosphere of the family home, there is occasional relief from this when the characters venture out into the bracing air of Scarborough. These outings not only bring back some happier memories, but also enable some shifts in perspective which, in turn, lead to some changes in behaviour. I know the town well so was delighted to be allowed to ‘revisit’ it, to see its essential ‘character’ so evocatively portrayed – and to be reminded that a walk along the front really can do much to blow away some emotional cobwebs!
I’ve read only one of Caroline Bond’s previous novels (One Split Second) but it seems to me that what she excels at is her ability to capture the nuances of family relationships, warts and all, thus enabling her readers to identify with the struggles her characters face – as well as to make allowances for all the things they get wrong as they attempt to resolve them! I imagine it would be all but impossible for anyone to read this book without imagining how they and their relatives would behave in similar circumstances.
The explorations of loss, grief, how families cope when under intense pressure, the exposure of lies and acts of betrayal, the struggle between a sense of personal ‘entitlement’ and a recognition of the need to make decisions which are ethically, and morally, right, the power of family bonds etc, are all themes which would make this novel an ideal choice for book groups.
With thanks to Readers First and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hard-hitting and emotional, this book really explores the complexities of a broken family and the lifelong impacts of adoption.

A group of teenagers is travelling home from their high-school graduation party when the car they’re travelling in crashes into a brick wall. The consequences are devastating and far-reaching, not just for them but for their families, peer group and members of the wider community. Although no one is left unaffected, some are more deeply affected than others, not just as a result of physical injuries but also because of the profound psychological impact on everyone involved. People want to know why the accident happened and who was to blame. Who needs to take responsibility for the crash? How should they be punished? But how could any punishment ever feel adequate to compensate for the life-changing effects of this trauma?
The opening chapter, set thirty-two days after the accident, describes a very moving scene which informs the reader that one of the young people has died, although it’s not until much later that we discover who it is. The emotionally charged impact of these first two pages, one of the most powerful I’ve ever experienced at the start of a book, immediately drew me into the story. It also acted as a warning that what would follow would be probably take me on a tension-filled, emotional roller-coaster of a journey as I learnt more about the characters, their backgrounds and the events which preceded the crash. This demonstration of the author’s ability to capture the very essence of human behaviour and emotion set the scene for her sensitive, but unflinching, explorations of the impact this tragic accident will have on everyone involved.
The early chapters of the book introduce all the main characters and cover the crash, with all the shocking, unforgettable scenes which face the early witnesses, particularly Pete, the local resident who heard the crash and was first on the scene to try to help and comfort the injured. With the immediacy of modern technology, the first photos of the crash appear on social media just sixteen minutes later, making parents across the community desperate to make contact with youngsters who were still out, to receive confirmation that they were safe. For most their prayers are answered but five families are faced with a frantic drive to the hospital, only to be directed to a small waiting room where they must face an anxious wait to discover the fate of their child. Eventually the parents’ names are called, one by one, and they are taken to discover how badly injured their child is, but the almost unbearable tension which developed as they waited was captured in what felt like a real-time scenario – I felt like pacing the room as I waited with them, sharing not only their desperation to find out, but also their visceral fear that finding out will possibly confirm what they most dread hearing.
Two of the youngsters are transferred to ICU and the scenes as their parents maintain their vigil in this clinical space, surrounded by machines and feeling totally powerless, are captured in an equally tension-filled and powerful way. The differences in the severity of the injuries sustained by each of the victims provided an opportunity for the author to explore the conflicting feelings people can have when they discover that their loved one is one of the “lucky ones”. The huge sense of relief is often accompanied by feelings of shame as they wonder whether their good fortune has been gained at someone else’s expense. However, for all involved, the question “why me, why not them?” can feel pernicious when the people know each other well and have previously enjoyed good relationships.
Told from alternating perspectives, the story then follows the personal journeys of the surviving teenagers, their parents and their siblings as they struggle to cope with the physical and emotional repercussions of how their lives were, in just one split second, irrevocably changed. The different ways in which each of them reacts to the traumatic experience and copes with the aftermath enabled the author to explore a range of immediately recognisable reactions to sudden tragedy – confusion, blame, anger, regret, different aspects of loss, grief, overwhelming sadness, a desperate clamour for retribution, for someone to be held to account, for punishment etc. She highlighted how people cope with loss, grief and bereavement in a range of different ways and that these differences can so easily create emotional rifts between them, rifts which can seem impossible to bridge, leaving each individual feeling isolated with their grief and vulnerability at a time when they are most in need of loving support. These explorations allowed her to demonstrate that there’s neither a “blueprint” for dealing with grief and loss, nor is there a “timetable” for how long the process should take. Each individual must face their own journey and, in their own time, find resolutions which will bring them a level of peace and acceptance. The characters in the story discover the cathartic effects of being able to be truly honest in expressing their feelings, whether positive or negative, both to themselves and with others. It’s never an easy process but it is only through this honest reassessment of relationships that they’re able to achieve a resolution which enables them to move towards a more hopeful future.
A major theme which ran through the story focused on forgiveness and whether, in the face of devastating loss and pain, it’s possible to forgive someone whose actions have changed your life forever – but if you can’t, what will you do with all your rage and resentment? One way the author explored this was through tracing how two characters (one parent and the teenage driver) used the Restorative Justice system to attempt to find both understanding and some closure. She used her perceptive understanding of the complexity of this issue to present a moving and entirely credible account of each person’s motives for agreeing to meet, their reactions when they finally came face to face and the eventual outcome of their encounter. In a similar way she used the story to look at the question of organ donation. When relatives are in a state of shock and pain in the immediacy of the death of a loved one, this is a request which whilst important if the lives of other families loved ones are to be saved, requires huge sensitivity on the part of the medical team. She showed that, if people do feel able to offer this “gift of life”, at some point in the future this will probably become a source of comfort, a sense of something life-affirming coming from their personal loss.
This is an insightful and compassionate exploration of tragedy and its aftermath, with the emotional journeys of each of its complex and totally credible characters being convincingly portrayed – I really appreciated the fact that Pete, the first character we meet, reappears at the end of the story, allowing us to see how he has coped. Although heartrendingly sad at times (I was often in tears, but I found myself sobbing at the end of the final two pages), it is a story which is also full of love and hope and I recommend it without reservation. It would be an excellent choice for book groups.
With my thanks to Corvus and Real Readers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

17 year old Cassie has a normal life. She has a job, she goes to college, she has a boyfriend and a loving family. Only Cassie thinks her parents are holding back on her. She has always known that she was adopted, but it never seemed to matter until recently, when she started having dreams about her childhood that don't seem to square with what she has always been told about her birth mother.

The Forgotten Sister is a fascinating family drama looking at adoption, childhood and the lies we tell ourselves are for the good of our families.
The family depicted is very real, and I can recognise myself and other people I know in them. This book makes you think about your own worldview, and the way you treat those closest to you.

With some very sweet moments and heartwarming scenes, this book also has a lot of very uncomfortable concepts and scary ideas, all of which are important to think about and not ignore in real life. Concepts such as teenage rebellion leading to wild irresponsibility, stalking, being taken advantage of, the length we are willing to take "white" lies, being unprotected on social media; these are all things that the Forgotten Sister will make you think about.

There are some very harsh realities in this book, and I would be careful about reading it if you have any issues with self harm, abuse or mental health. Caroline Bond doesn't bring up anything we shouldn't be talking about as a culture, and books like this can be very beneficial for starting tough conversations.

I didn't find the writing style all that easy to get into, but once I passed the first hundred pages or so the story kept me going anyhow.
I love the cover, but the formatting and page layout left something to be desired in my opinion.

After trying for many years to have a child of their own, Grace and Tom adopted Cassie when she was three years old. They had immediately bonded with the bright, lively child and, when not long afterwards, Grace became pregnant, the arrival of daughter Erin completed their family. Whilst quite different in personality, the two sisters become very close, are mutually supportive and grow up confident that they are loved by their parents. Although Cassie has always known she was adopted she has never felt any need to discover more about her biological family. However, when she is seventeen, beginning to yearn for more independence and embarking on her first serious relationship, she visits the Family Planning Clinic and when she realises that she cannot answer some of the nurse’s questions about her, and her biological family’s, medical background her life is thrown into turmoil. If she can’t answer these questions, what more is there that she doesn’t know?
When she attempts to find out more from her adoptive parents she discovers that they either can’t, or won’t, provide the answers she needs. Although they promise to approach the adoption team at social services, she believes they are hoping she will give up and gradually becomes convinced that they are hiding something from her. So, determined to discover the truth about her origins, she decides to take matters into her own hands and to use social media to try to make contact with her birth family. It soon becomes clear that the circumstances behind her adoption were far more complicated than could ever have guessed, and that her parents have indeed withheld vital information from her. Her determined quest for the truth threatens the previously comfortable security of everyone in her family.
With switches between past and present, and from the perspectives of different characters, this is a very well told story. As it unfolds, with ever-increasing tension it explores in a sensitive and entirely credible way, the emotionally complex aspects of adoption from the points of view of all involved – the adoptive parents, the person who is adopted, siblings, the biological family etc. For many years I worked as a social worker in an adoption and fostering department so have considerable experience in this field and I was impressed by the way in which the author created such memorable characters to carry the storyline in such a convincing and compelling manner.
I think we all take comfort, and confidence, from knowing our roots and for those of us who are brought up within their biological family, so much information about our family history gradually evolves as we grow up. As we get older and maybe want to know more, it is easy to take for granted that this knowledge is readily available once we start asking questions. People who are adopted have to rely on the information their adoptive parents are able to give them and when specific details are either not known, or deliberately withheld, the individual, whatever their age, is brought face to face with the all questions raised by not knowing. In the past it was much more difficult for people to find answers and the process for doing so was tightly circumscribed. However, technological advances, and the advent of social media, have now opened up new channels of investigation but, this greater ease can increase the vulnerability of the person in search of “the truth”. I was impressed by the way in which the author dealt with this particular aspect of Cassie’s story, the ways in which the teenager was swept up in a vortex of emotions and information and her struggles to understand and process what she was discovering.
Equally impressive was the author’s exploration of the impact that Cassie’s need for knowledge, and honesty, had on other members of her family. Relationships which had felt secure and predictable were now having to be reassessed as each new piece of information, and each deception, came to light. Secrets in any family have the power to be very destructive but this story demonstrates how Grace and Tom’s decision to withhold vital information from their adopted daughter added an extra dimension to their dishonesty. Without spoiling the story it’s impossible to disclose exactly what this well-kept secret was, but for any existing or prospective adopters (and even for biological parents) who read this story, there is an important lesson to be learnt about the corrosive, undermining effects of such secrecy. Although I was, both on a personal and a professional level, very critical of the decision Grace and Tom took, the author’s skill in her portrayal of their motivations, enabled me to at least understand the roots of their fear. I loved the portrayal of the relationship between Cassie and Erin and the ways in which their relationship changed and evolved as a result of Cassie’s search for her roots.
At times this is a dark and disturbing story, and the fact that each one of the characters faces considerable pain and anguish as they are swept up in Cassie’s quest for the truth, also makes it a very moving one. However, there are a number of much lighter moments to offer a counter-balance – something I certainly appreciated! I also liked the fact that the author created a believable twist to the ending, one which didn’t rely on all the ends being neatly tied up – in real life they seldom are!
I think that one of the real strengths of this author’s storytelling comes from her ability to create complex, believable characters, a believable plot and to demonstrate how past experiences have a profound impact, either positive or negative, on how we develop our personalities. Many of the themes which emerged throughout the story, about family loyalty, nature versus nurture, divided loyalties, honesty, secrets and lies etc, were thought-provoking and would certainly lend themselves to making this a good choice for reading groups.
With thanks to Corvus and Real Readers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another great read via the Pigeonhole app! The Forgotten Sister begins with a call from the hospital to a mother about her daughter who has been hurt in an accident. The reader is then taken back in time to four months previously where Cassie, who was adopted as a toddler, finds out she has an older sister. This leads her on quite a journey, some of it disturbing.

This is quite an emotional read. It brought a tear to my eye! 😢. It emphasises that blood is not always thicker than water and parenting is about more than biology. It also points out that keeping secrets is not usually a good idea as it can lead to bigger problems later.

I liked the writing style, it’s very easy to read. The characters are realistic and believable. The story flows well and kept me engaged. At times it had me on the edge of my seat, keeping me on tenterhooks for the next stave to arrive. I liked that it ends on a note of hope.

The Forgotten Sister is an excellent family drama. It’s thought provoking and compelling. I was thinking about it for quite a while after I turned the last page. Remember, love is all you need! ❤️

This is going to be such a hard book to review as the blurb doesn't tell even half of the story. Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil it for you as I think it's better if it's a journey of discovery for you just as it was for me.

The Forgotten Sister is the story of a family: Grace and Tom, and their children, Cassie and Erin. Cassie is adopted but has never felt like the odd one out in the family or that she didn't belong in the same way Erin did. But a few questions from a doctor make her realise that she would like to find out more about her birth mother. From the moment she makes this decision a fracture starts to form in her perfect family. I can imagine why and I think it's probably a common situation for adoptees and their families.

We learn about how Cassie's decision and her behaviour following it affect her parents and her sister. There's a nice twist to the tale which I didn't see coming at all and which I thought was really cleverly done. It put a slant on the expected story for me.

I liked the writing style very much, in particular the way the author lets us see something from one point of view and then next from another person's point of view. It portrayed well the family dynamics and the way that actions can be misinterpreted. It also brings up the nature/nurture debate and whether you are a product of your birth or your upbringing. The Forgotten Sister leads me to think it's the latter and this is a book that really made me think.

I enjoyed it immensely. It's a thoughtful read and a moving story of a family in crisis and how they deal with it. I read it very quickly and found it completely compelling. I'm so glad I read it.

This impressive debut novel is both absorbing and thought-provoking, with the complexity of family life and relationships, and the stress of uncertainty, being convincingly portrayed.
The intriguing scenario, the discovery that parents have been raising children that are not their own, biologically speaking, is handled sensitively and realistically. We see the situation through the eyes of the various characters involved, learning about their motivations both in their own words and as viewed by others. This leaves readers to form their own opinions, likes and dislikes.
We are left guessing up to the end how matters are likely to be resolved , and it is clear that, as in real life, there will be further challenges ahead.

3*