Thinking that you don't quite fit in is one thing, finding out that your family isn't your true family is quite another. The journey Nell takes in finding out the truth of where she came from and why it was kept secret is a great story.

Beautifully written and a page turner.

This novel is a touching story about what makes family family. Nell is much younger than her older sisters. As her Dad dies, he cryptically refers to the possibility of a family secret. Then her dementing mother also starts dropping snippets of information about her past. Nell tried to unravel the truths of her family and her childhood.

Many potential triggers in this one: child loss, perinatal mental illness, patriarchal healthcare. Books like this become harder to read once you’re a mother! I also found the ending quite frustrating as it lacked neat resolution. However, the book was well written and enjoyable. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I couldnt put this book down. It is such a good story. I wasnt sure if i would like this one but you have to read this one!

"An empty platitude, that there is no amount of time that can ever heal this grief."

The story goes on two different times. Nell and her two sisters lost their father and take care of their mother, who has Alzheimer's disease. Nell finds something that is never supposed to understand, her mother's secret, her parent's secret, an old secret that changes her life.

The second story is about a mother who lost her child. Annie struggles to survive, how can be still alive, breathe!

I'm not going to spoil anything so, this was a story in a short version of 340 pages. And I don't know why on earth I gave it 5-star. I hate this book, maybe the only hated book with 5-star. It is a very sad, heartbreaking, and cruel description that makes me cry. Well, ok I shouldn't say hate, but you know what I mean, don't you?

Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for giving me a chance to read The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman, I have given my honest review.

"It’ll get easier in time. So many people have said it, on so many occasions, ... none of them have ever lost someone they loved with the ferocity that ... Grief, does not follow a neat, linear trajectory. It does not, contrary to popular aphorism, get easier with every day. It does not gradually recede, like a tide that only ebbs but never flows. Instead , it is more like an unpredictable season of tropical storms that can be whipped into a tempest out at sea before crashing onto land, disabling everything in its path, without any warning."

The impossible truths of love is true to the title of an emotional story of love and friendships. I love the descriptive style of writing as I was able to visualise what the characters would approximately look like along with what the background looks like including the city. This description at times triggers the characters to recall memories just from looking at something that reminded them of their memory. Contains some medical jargon to which I feel so the readers obtain an understanding of what some of the characters are going through. This might trigger memories for the reader if they have someone close to them suffering from dementia, suffering from cancer, loss of a loved one. To readers who are left with an emotional upset over some sections of the story please know and understand that it’s just a fictional story and go seek help if required. There were times myself suffered some traumatic memories to which I firmly told myself that this is a fictional not a true story and the story is not yours. I recommend this heartwarming story about finding love, holding of deep and buried secrets and learning to let go of the secrets to readers who love reading fictional stories. The story shows the life of mother and daughter as the deep and buried secret twists and turns within their lives which unravels and becomes known to Nell. A great ending but leaves me feeling of wanting to know on what will happen next to Nell.

#TheImpossibleTruthsofLove #NetGalley
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley for my honest review of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own thoughts, feelings and viewpoints of the book.

A barely whispered, cryptic and troubling death-bed comment from a father (Bill, my favourite character) leads Nell on a family voyage of discovery that she never imagined she’d make. Whilst still grieving the loss of Bill, she and her siblings have to move Annie, their mother, who is beset with dementia, into a care home. If the truth is to be unearthed, time is of the essence so Nell probes and searches, gleaning snippets of information from a diminished Annie until she has the full picture.

Tragedy and loss, fractured relationships, estrangement and abiding love are key features of the story. The writing flows with ease and the Now and Then structure works well. The novel is not without its flaws though. It is unlikely, in my opinion, that the incident at the core of the novel would have happened in modern times. It is even more doubtful that the paper ‘evidence’ discovered by Nell in the parents house would still be around. The antagonism felt by Annie for Elsa (Bill’s co-worker) is not explicitly explained and it’s hard to understand Nell’s reluctance to share her feelings and discoveries with Josh (her boyfriend.) Furthermore, Nell decides not to let Clare and Laura (her siblings) in on what she has discovered (to preserve the memory of their parents) but it is clear from the very end that the story will not end there, the embers will be reignited and a potential conflagration will ensue. Better, surely, to broach the subject now?

An engaging story, worthy of a read but you may have to suspend belief on occasion and be mildly frustrated at times.

Hannah is so good at capturing sisters and families and all their interactions. THis story was very heartfelt, on so many levels, another great book.

I really enjoyed this book. When Nell's father, on his deathbed, tells her that he has always loved her even though she was never really his to love, she is left with a massive family secret to uncover. This is made more difficult by the fact that her mother, Annie, has dementia. The story is told in 2 time frames, Nell in current times and Annie from 35 years ago. This is a heart breaking story of love, loss and keeping secrets that can never be told. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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What a beautiful book of family saga. An emotional and deep story about the turmoils of a family, this book talks about the different problems, struggles and realistic endeavours of daughters, parents and a typical family.

The protagonist of the story is Nell, who is much younger than her sisters and struggle to fit in. Gifted with an aptitude in science, her main support system becomes her father Bill.

When he father makes a remark in his deathbed indicating a secretive past, Nell is worried. When he mother Annie who is losing herself to dementia also makes some statements, Nell tries to unravel the mystery.

The book is emotional and deeply moving. It goes to the time of Nell’s parents 35 years ago and we get to live the life of Annie full of emotional encounters.

This is a very well written book although the book was a very sad one. The mystery wasn’t typical which was unexpected. Author has done a great job with the plot of the story where the readers lived with the women in the book.

This was an incredibly moving story about family secrets, hidden grief and a mothers love. As Nells father is on his deathbed he says something that starts her on a difficult search for answers. Her mother has dementia and so she has no one to turn to as she tries to deal with her grief for her father and her sense of who she really is.
Told from the persepctive of Nell in present day and Annie, her mother when she was a young mum struggling with a soul destroying tragedy. It was so well written and totally believable I was invested in Nell trying to solve the mystery of her familys past.

Somewhere beneath the surface of our daily life lies truths we're completely unaware exist. Could they be between our parents, our siblings, our upbringing? Perhaps these truths are more common than many realize as they never reach the surface. Buried below many layers of unconditional love, family gatherings and time. Other times those secrets float to the top unexpectedly and cause pain and question our entire existence. The Impossible Truths of Love contains those stories and the repercussions of unintended actions and what happens when time and distance bury them.

A gripping and powerful story about love, loss, and belonging.

When Nell's father makes a cryptic statement on his deathbed, it propels Nell into a search for the truth. The story alternates between Then and Now -- between Nell's search for the truth, and what happened to her mother.

Hannah Beckerman is a new author to me, and I was impressed by the quality of her writing and the way she handled sensitive subjects. The book deals with heavy themes, and the characters' emotions are portrayed with unflinching precision and empathy. I imagine this might be a difficult read for some, but I found it quite lovely and very engrossing. I couldn't wait to find out what the secret was that Nell's mother had been hiding.

A highly recommended read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing.a review copy of this book.

This novel is told in two timelines: the present day follows Nell as she’s left reeling following a deathbed confession by her father; and it follows Annie 35 years earlier as we see her starting her family and making decisions that will have consequences down the line. I love Hannah Beckerman’s writing and this book is beautiful. I really felt for Nell to have to deal with what her dad said and then not be able to talk to anyone about it as her mum has dementia and now her dad is gone, and to know she might never be able to find out what he meant. The fraught relationship that Nell has with her two older sisters felt really realistic and I ended up feeling for all of them. The two timelines move forwards and you’re left wondering how they’ll converge and what happened in the past. It wasn’t something I saw coming but it felt completely believable and was heartbreaking. I definitely recommend this book!

This story twists and turns throughout the pages. In the early stages I has to really concentrate but it was concentration worth investing in. It may have been a story but must be every couples darkest nightmare, saying anymore would need a spoiler alert!

I enjoyed the book and the descriptions of all parties relationships, the suggestions which lead up blocked allies but in the end, well that would be telling, go and read it, it is worth it.

I loved this book! A domestic fiction but touches of thriller/contemporary fiction. I loved the characters and the change of then and now POV's. I felt so much for Nell, a character that deserved more, definitely had the short end of the stick. Highly recommend.

It was a really interesting book.It always had something interesting going on.I would reread this book in a heartbeat.

A heart rendering book of love. How do you keep a secret until your dying day and leave a loved one wondering who they really are. A story that will keep you emotionally at tenterhooks that is brought about by events out of your control. A really good read

I enjoyed this book. Very different to what I usually really but engaging throughout and I highly recommend.

The Impossible Truths about Love by Hannah Beckerman
Thirty something, stem cell academic Nell's father has just died and she spends a weekend at the family home helping her 2 older sisters pack up the house as her mother has dementia and needs to move to a care home. On his deathbed her father (doped up on morphine) tells Nell that " you need to know that I have always loved you even though you were never really mine to love." This starts Nell searching through boxes in the attic and questioning her dad's business partner to find out what her father meant. The story has alternate chapters between "Then" - over thirty years ago exploring her mother, Annie's story and "Now" with Nell's quest.

This has pretty consistent glowing reviews on Goodreads and Amazon about how stunning and heartbreaking the story is.However, I didn't really connect with the characters, I got really bored and didn't ultimately care what the "big secret" was. Everything was related in minute detail, cups of tea, pieces of wrapping paper, shafts of sunlight etc. and there were endless similies like a piece of GCSE coursework - I felt like shouting "get a move on!" I found this a slog.

When Nell’s beloved father tells her on his deathbed that he has always loved her, even though she was “never mine to love,” she is thrown into confusion. She wonders if his mind was wandering or if his words hint at an explanation of why she has always felt different from the others in her family, why her relationship with her two sisters has never been easy and why her mother has been over-protective, keeping her as close as possible. Her mother, Annie, now has dementia, and she keeps referring to things Nell doesn’t understand before relapsing into forgetfulness again. As the narrative switches to the past, Annie’s secrets are slowly revealed as Nell pieces her story together. This is an intriguing and poignant novel, sensitively exploring themes of love, loss and family ties. The impossible choices Annie and Nell face are thought-provoking and the central mystery makes it hard to put down. The ending is satisfying, but it left me wanting to know more, which is a sign of how involving the story is.