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Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One small dog. It’s just a normal weekend. What could possibly go wrong?

Erika and Clementine have been friends since school. Now, years later, both are married. The uber-organized Erika and her husband Oliver invite Clementine, her husband Sam, and their two young daughters over one afternoon. Before the day is done, the happy couples find themselves at an impromptu barbeque thrown by larger than life neighbors, Vid and Tiffany. All is well until the Unspeakable happens.

For the next 327 pages, readers will be teased by the hints found in the memories and of those that attended. Not only will they learn the backstory of the women, but many unnecessary details of everyone involved.

Fans of the following genres may like this book:
-Family Saga
-Domestic Thriller
-Dark Humor

I like that Moriartyisn't afraid to tackle big subjects such as sex, parenthood, and irrational family members in a way some might consider taboo. To me, it makes the characters more relatable.

The characters in her books are very thought out and well developed. In this one, the only character I didn't enjoy was Erika. I didn't have any type of connection with her until the last couple of chapters.
Clementine is the character I most identified with in this book. Her home life and family reminded me of my own experiences. The dynamics between the two women are more intricate than I first thought. Because of this, I think the slight curve in the storyline is perfect.

About the suspense...while I didn't like being frustrated with the curiosity of knowing about the Unspeakable Accident for two-thirds of the book, I appreciate the fact that the author still kept me on the hook until the end. I told myself, several times, to walk away from Truly Madly Guilty, yet still, I picked it back up.

On the flip side, I didn't like being dragged through so many flashbacks to get to the Big Reveal. It lasts five chapters too long for my taste. As a result, it felt anti-climatic. I thought to myself, What the hell? That's it? I mean, it's a revelation I didn't see coming. But because she took so long I had pretty much lost interest in the end story. Pure nosiness kept me reading. Which is a shame because if the Big Reveal had taken place just a little earlier it could have opened up the plot and been way better than it is now.

I'm so torn on whether or not I recommend this book, that I nearly gave up writing a review. On the one hand, I feel like the page after page of suspense was an extravagant ploy to pad the plot. However, there is something to be said about an author with the ability to string readers along for over half a book.

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Created Apr 30, 2020 at 2:10am • Submit your own review...