If You Must Know Potomac Point by Jamie Beck is the First book in the Potomac Point Series. This is the story of Amanda and Erin who are sisters. Although they are sisters, they have never been close and each chooses a different path in life from the very start. Amanda choose to be the good daughter who followed the rules, married and became a school teacher. Whereas, Erin took the path of a free spirit, taking live as it came and never not giving back attitude. When they father dies it starts the break in the lives they have chosen and the closeness they lack. This was a really good page turning story.

You know you are reading a good book when you are having conversations with the characters. I was actually telling them what to do or not do. Amanda and Erin are sisters who are as different as night and day. Amanda likes things in order and Erin lives by the seat of her pants. They are sisters though and that bond is a hard one to break. Both have been hurt by their family but both want to have a strong relationship. When Amanda's husband leaves her pregnant and high and dry, it is her family that she turns to. When Erin breaks up with her boyfriend, she turns to her family. Together, they will work it out.

I got annoyed with their mother. I admit it. She had this need to not let things out of the family because of the shame. She had her reasons but she was definitely one of the people I was gently talking to. Or not so gently.

I loved the evolving of the sisters. They are both such layered characters and with glimpses of their past, we understood exactly where both were coming from. I would love to see what happens next in their lives. Hint hint.

Thanks to Netgalley and Montlake for an advance copy of this book. I look forward to the next installment.

If You Must Know by Jamie Beck is a new book that comes out in June. She is a new author to me, but I have been interested in her books in the past. I am glad to read a novel that starts a new series called Potomac Point and quite frankly after reading the first book, I am looking forward to the next one in the series.

Amanda is the older of the sisters. She is a teacher working part time and is pregnant. Her husband is in Florida working on a deal. Amanda is always a rule follower with a well planned life, until it wasn’t. Erin is her younger sister. She is a free thinking woman. She teaches yoga and makes her own soap with natural ingredients. Erin has always felt her mother didn’t like her. Amanda thought her father loved Erin the moat. Then there is Kevin, the brother. When life suddenly changes for the sisters and the mother, all have to find a new way forward and allow the past - to stay there.

The story looks at families and changes that happen in life. The characters were interesting. The byplay with the sisters and the mother seemed realistic. I enjoyed how the story revealed the changes and growth of the characters. If You Must Know by Jamie Beck is a good read.

Amanda believed that she has found her happy ever as she enjoys her teaching job, is married to a man she loves and is happily pregnant until she realizes that her life is nothing but a lie and her world comes crashing to the ground.

Her sister Erin couldn’t have been more different as she is a yoga instructor who enjoys the freedom of her life. When it comes to men it is a series of bad choices and her last relationship was no different.

They are still trying to heal from the loss of their father, help their mother heal and deal with the turmoil both their lives are facing . Even though they are very different they must lean on their love for each other as they try to handle what life is throwing at them and find a way to meet in the middle.

This is a heartwarming story about family, relationships and new beginnings.

I am a huge fan of Jamie Beck's romances and this was a fantastic read. Wonderful story with richly crafted characters. You won't be disappointed.

A great read with a crazy cast of characters each unique with their own faults and short comings, a family dynamic that is truly lacking with all that entails, and three women trying to heal from the loss of a husband/father and all the other things that life has thrown at them. One finds the power it takes to say no, to choose herself and her child and the strength to continue to grow. Another finds herself growing, becoming someone she can be proud of and a relationship with the sister she never had before. And their mother may just find that living without her husband is painful, but life is worth living and both her daughters deserve to be loved and treated with respect despite their differences.

I really struggled with this book. I’ve been trying to branch out into the women’s fiction genre more, but it’s very hit or miss for me. This was definitely in the miss column.
I enjoy Jaime Beck’s romance books, but when she branches outside the HEA, I find myself skimming pages and flipping through chapters. I found the character of Amanda to be extremely annoying and holier-than-thou. I just wanted to smack her for being an idiot and a doormat. I Liked her sister Erin so much better, but it annoys me greatly when authors make siblings so diametrically different that the reader almost needs to choose sides in who to like. And their mom as an annoying piece of work, too.
While the teaser for the second book looks more interesting than this one, I might just go back to my romance roots and stay there.

The short review - loved it!!! This story is told from the perspective of two sisters who are very different. While they are both going through the same things, the way they view these situations from their own perspectives was really well developed. Both grieving the loss of their father, both grieving the loss of relationships, and both dealing with it in their own way while struggling to understand why the other does what they do. It was wonderfully told. This says #1 and i'd definitely read a follow up.

I enjoyed this story more than I expected two when I first started reading it. Not a romance, not necessarily a thriller but definitely a bit suspenseful. Three women, all enduring the loss of someone they loved, or they liked, or perhaps they could live with out (in a roundabout way). When you've lived your life with expectations of each other, or maybe lack of expectations, can you find a way to band together to make it through some definite hardships, deaths, losses, and come out the other side stronger in the end? A mother and her two daughters learn that they can either be all in together or constantly on the outs with each other and that the way they see/remember things may change based on a different point of view.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Erin and Amanda are sisters, but polar opposites. They’ve never really gotten along, but rally together and grow closer when their mom needs some help and Amanda faces tough times.

Erin was my favorite and her story with Eli was great. I’m glad Amanda came into her own as she was quite annoying in the beginning of this book.

Overall, a riveting read that kept me hooked. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is my first Jamie Beck book and it was amazing! Life can sometimes throw you a curve ball and if you don't watch out it will knock you to the ground. With exceptional, matter of fact story telling Beck drops you right into the mitts of these fabulous characters and how they handle their devastation. I highly recommend this book to everyone! Enjoy!

4.5/ 5 stars

If You Must Know is the first book in the Potomac Point series. It can be read as a standalone.

I would categorize this book as Women's Fiction. The book is a family drama with some romance.

There are two female narrators who are sisters: Amanda and Erin (1st person POVs).

These sisters could not be any more different. Amanda is married and pregnant. She is a nursery school teacher. She likes everything tidy and organized. She thinks things through carefully.

Erin is a yoga teacher. And has an Etsy business. She is the complete opposite of her sister. She is carefree, spontaneous, disorganized and messy.

I found the beginning to be very strong. Each sister had an interesting story. I was equally invested in both narrators.

Honestly this book was not what I was expecting at all. For some reason I thought that this book was a contemporary romance. And that it would be sexy. It was nothing like that. This was an emotional and compelling read that focused on two sisters and their dynamic with their widowed mother.

There was a lot happening with this family. And I could not put this book down.

There were definitely a few things that happened to each sister that I saw coming. And there were a few reactions especially from Amanda and the mom that just made me roll my eyes. But other than that I really enjoyed this book a lot.

I'm not exactly sure if book two has any connection to this book (maybe just where the stories take place). But I did not recognize the name of the woman who is the narrator of book two.

This book does not end in a cliffhanger and can be read as a standalone.

I kind of went into this story blind. I sometimes prefer it. This time is one of those times.

I loved watching the sisters relationship blossom. Meanwhile, the relationship between daughters and mother have changed from beginning to end and back again.
I feel this book is an honest portrayal of family life and that made it easy to read. You can imagine yourself there.

Overall it was a good book that was easy to follow. #netgalley #arc

Another very good Jamie Beck book. The main characters - Amanda, Erin and their mother all had issues, Most of them were not their fault Amanda was likeable but was too trusting. Erin was still realing from the death of her father. I felt for all of them, but the story was riveting. I loved the confrontation with Amanda's husband. All and all, I read until the middle of the night because I couldn't put it down. Very good read

An entertaining and well written story of two sisters who lead entirely different lifestyles. I enjoyed the plot. I highly recommend this book. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Amanda and Erin might seem very different but they are sisters and when push comes to shove......Amanda's life is upended when she discovers her husband is having an affair and to add to it, she's pregnant. Erin has her own love life issues. They both have a challenge in dealing with their mother, who besides having a health problem, isn't very nice. Amanda and Erin find that once they spill their secrets, they will heal- and heal tougher together. It's a classic dysfunctional family tale where the sisters make it back to one another. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Nicely written and good storytelling make it a good read.

This is a Netgalley ARC review. All opinions are solely my own

If You Must Know by Jamie Beck is book one of her new series Potomac Point. This book is a departure from her previous series because it is more of a contemporary women’s fiction and there is not an overtly romantic plotline. This is something the author addresses in a post on her Goodreads page. For me it made no difference. This book was everything I wanted!!

“There ought to be a warning anytime you wake up on a day that will forever change your life.” This is the opening line of this book and I was immediately all in. This book really spoke to me as the older sister who is sometimes seen as the ‘unfun’ one. I could really relate to Amanda and Erin’s difficult sisterhood. Having lived a scene similar to the breakthrough in chapter 17, I can say that this book is a realistic portrayal of two very different sisters coming together as one. I was crying beautiful tears.

This book is written in a dual point of view but it is done seamlessly. Erin and Amanda have very different voices and tones but they weren’t muddy when switching between chapters. The author’s technical research is evident.

Jamie Beck has written a beautiful story about a family that really bands together even when they don’t necessarily like each other. With sisters, we will always love each other even when we don’t like each other.

Had seen many reviews on this one and wasn't really sure what to make of it. I love it when character chapters are done well, these were so that's a great start. At first I felt that the story was a little too set-up and the oh-so perfect Lyle was of course never going to be so perfect.

I liked the sister angle and especially the whole family story too. I found the ending to seem a little rushed in places. But I did enjoy the story and how much had changed for the sisters from the start and from the end. A good summer read but just didn't quite have enough to get 5 stars for me.

This book is somewhat of a departure for the author. It is not her typical HEA romance. They are all wonderful (read them all) and my question about this change/surprise is what took so long?? This is a fantastic read. maybe the best thus far and I have truly loved all of her other books. It’s about a complicated family, warts and all. The story revolves around two sisters. They are so very different that it is shocking that they are related. They couldn’t be more different even if they put forth herculean effort. Amanda what always been a rule follower. When you follow the rules there are no surprises and people tend to like and accept you. Then there is Erin. She lives a total bohemian free spirit existence and dances to her own tune even at her sisters expense. Their relationship has never been easy and has caused tension in the family forever, but that is mostly due to their mother. When their father dies they all must come together to support each other as well as deal with all of the other things going on in their collective lives. The writing is stellar, the character development wonderful and so much drama. It brings out all kinds of feelings while reading. Much realistic, but the way things changed in one sentence with the mom left me scratching my head. No one would be so accepting nor should they be. Go treat yourself to a copy of his book. I am very much looking forward to the next in the series.

If You Must Know by Jamie Beck was my first book by her and not a typical romance book. This was the author’s first foray into fiction. I will definitely read this author again as I enjoyed her writing style, characters and overall theme of the book.
At the heart of the book is the relationships involving the Turner Family. Sisters Amanda and Erin love each other, but do not see eye to eye on life and have not been as close as sisters can be. Add in their relationships individually and with their parents, and dysfunction is apparent amongst them all. When an unfortunate event leaves Amanda pregnant and alone, family bonds will help them all to heal and rebuild a better life, a better family and show the strength that they each possess.
The book tells the story of Amanda showing her “perfect” life, the cracks that she didn’t know were there and the image she wants everyone to see. Erin is more carefree, living life on her terms and feeling at odds with her mother and sister. All feeling the loss of the patriarch of the family, they charter the waters in their own way to find a way to move on.
I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters, and how they learned to understand and accept each other in a different and better way. There was a growth amongst them all, and an acceptance for the other that they couldn’t see before. The story is told from both sisters point of view letting you get inside each’s head and know the whys of their decisions and actions. I also enjoyed the supporting characters in the book, and would love to see Eli and Erin’s story developed more.
I definitely recommend this book.