Trust Me on This is a beautiful story that takes two sisters on a road trip through grief, understanding, and moments both poignant and humorous. I read this on kindle and loved it so much I had to run right out and by a physical copy.

Thank you Lauren Parvizi, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

3/5 Stars – A Heartfelt but Uneven Story of Sisters and Secrets

Lauren Parvizi’s Trust Me On This sets out to explore the fragile bonds of family, the scars of unresolved trauma, and the difficult path toward forgiveness. At its heart, it’s a road trip novel about two half sisters who have little in common but who must travel together to confront the past, face their dying father, and uncover long-buried truths. It’s a premise full of emotional potential, and while Parvizi occasionally delivers moments of raw tenderness and insight, the novel ultimately struggles with uneven pacing and a reliance on familiar tropes.

The central dynamic between Zahra and Aurora drives the book. Zahra is the older sister, introverted and guarded, shaped by a traumatic childhood that has left her distrustful of intimacy and resistant to reconciliation. Aurora, by contrast, is extroverted and effervescent, a rising Hollywood actress whose career success doesn’t shield her from loneliness or her longing for a closer bond with Zahra. Their personalities and worldviews could not be more different, and the novel wisely mines this contrast for both conflict and growth. Parvizi sketches the tension between them with a certain sharpness—Zahra’s prickliness and Aurora’s sunny persistence create believable clashes that ring true to anyone who has navigated complicated sibling relationships.

The structure of the story—an emotional road trip to their father’s bedside—gives the novel both literal and metaphorical momentum. Road trips in fiction often serve as catalysts for transformation, and Trust Me On This fits neatly into that tradition. Along the way, Zahra and Aurora are forced to confront not just each other’s flaws but their own vulnerabilities. The physical journey mirrors their emotional one, and when the sisters finally reach Seattle, there is a sense of earned if fragile reconciliation.

However, while the emotional arc is clear, the execution often feels uneven. Parvizi’s prose is competent and occasionally moving, but it sometimes lapses into predictability. Dialogue, in particular, can feel scripted, with characters spelling out themes in ways that lack subtlety. The “secret” their father has been holding onto is telegraphed early and, when revealed, does not deliver the level of shock or poignancy that the buildup suggests. Readers familiar with family dramas of this type may find themselves anticipating many of the beats long before they arrive.

Another limitation lies in the novel’s character development. Zahra, with her guardedness and buried pain, is more fully realized than Aurora, whose “bubbly actress” persona often feels one-dimensional. While Aurora does evolve over the course of the story, her growth seems more told than shown, leaving her emotional journey less satisfying. Similarly, secondary characters, including their father, function more as plot devices than as nuanced individuals.

That said, Trust Me On This does succeed in capturing the messy, contradictory nature of sisterhood. The moments of tentative connection, awkward humor, and shared grief between Zahra and Aurora are the book’s strongest. In these flashes, Parvizi reveals a genuine understanding of how love and resentment can coexist within families, and how forgiveness is rarely neat or complete.

Ultimately, Trust Me On This is a heartfelt but somewhat formulaic exploration of family bonds. It offers moments of warmth and insight but doesn’t quite rise above the conventions of its genre. A pleasant read, but not an unforgettable one.

“We all wear masks. What’s underneath makes us human.”

This story was an engrossing family drama told from alternating chapters as the Starling sisters, Zahra and Aurora, travel together along the west coast in a dilapidated Volvo, to reach their ill father’s bedside. The thirteen year age gap between the two sisters may have created a distance between them, and a feeling that they have nothing in common other than their father, but as they traveled, the issues that caused hard feelings come to light, and the current life dramas they are both learning to manage bond the sisters in a way neither was expecting. During their time together, both end up learning it's possible to be a different and better version of themselves.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me the opportunity to read the advanced e-copy of; Trust Me On This by Lauren Parvizi.

Trust Me On This by Lauren Parvizi is a heartfelt and engaging story about family, forgiveness, and second chances. Zahra and Aurora’s journey from estranged sisters to genuine connection is touching and authentic, with moments that made me both smile and tear up. I enjoyed this beautiful read and rated it five stars.

I loved this story about two half sisters who are total opposites who take a road trip together to see their dying father. There are secrets, things from their past and their differences that come out. I could easily relate to each sister. This was full of emotions for me, so real and feelable. I really enjoyed this. I enjoyed her last novel and will be looking forward to the next one.

Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley

Being one in a family of 5 1/2 sisters probably influenced my decision to read this debut. That appealing book cover played a part as well. And while the story of a reclusive recipe developer with a younger TV celebrity half sister sounded iffy, the prospect of a West Coast road trip and tangled family emotions sold me. And y’know what? I made a wise choice. The straightforward plot pulled me in right away, the many secrets revealed with effective pacing, and the unexpected developments made for an enjoyable quick read for this usually-not-women’s-fiction reviewer.

I thought this was a beautiful novel that explores the complexities of blended families, sisterhood, and forgiveness.

This book was both incredibly healing and heart rendering for me to read.

Whilst the circumstances were slightly different, I also lost a Dad to cancer that I had a strained relationship with. A father whom, as much as I loved, and as hard as I worked to make him proud, I never matched up to my siblings in his eyes, either.

My husband and I also had a(n early term) pregnancy loss. My brother was also a red seal chef, and my Gran was very similar to Zahra’s in using food to connect family. So I resonated with Zahra’s story, and her cooking/recipes, deeply.

And minus the fame part, Aurora reminded me in ways of my own younger sister.

A beautiful tale of the walls we build to protect ourselves after trauma, and the (sometimes unexpected) healing lessons we can find along the way, and that’s what it’s never too late to start over as long as you’re still breathing. And the importance of forgiveness and love during grief.

I LOVED this book so much. I binge read most of it around taking care of my little ones on a day we were helping my family move, so the fact I read this in about 2 days during a busy time is a testament to how incredible this book is.

The imagery was vivid and beautiful. Whilst parts were hard to read in some ways because of my own trauma, this was simultaneously such an easy read for me (a compliment) because the words and conversation flowed so naturally - almost as simple as something that is breathing air. (Essential, and sometimes the poignance of it keeping you alive is accidentally forgotten. )

This book was like a breath of fresh air in the forest or taking a cold plunge into a lake on a summer’s day after being stuck in a freezing winter for months. This book was the refresh I didn’t know I needed until it was staring me right in the face. One of my easiest 5 stars ever. 🥰🫶🏻

Thank you so much NetGalley for the free ARC.

Sometimes going in blind on a book is the best way to find something that you absolutely love. I can honestly say that I picked this book for its cover. I was slowly drawn into a story about two sisters that were as different as night and day. I couldn't put this one down. If you need a family read, then please pick this book up and join Zahra and Aurora.

When two half sisters are summoned to visit their dying father they hope to reconnect on the trip. Zahra Starling and her younger half sister, Aurora, are driving because Zahra is terrified to fly. They begin to bond and after arriving their dad drops a bombshell that threatens their newfound bond. I enjoyed the last part of the book when the women were bonding and keeping up with each other.

A great story of two very different sisters in a forced road trip to see their dying father for the last time. I had sympathy for both sisters and where each was coming from with their relationship between each other and also their father. This story has some not so perfect endings to some of the interwoven threads, which I appreciated as not all dynamics are easily resolved and unfortunately sometimes time does run out and opportunities are missed.
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc of this book to review.

I couldn't wait to read this book by Lauren Parvizi because I enjoyed her previous novel La Vie, According to Rose. Parvizi is skilled at creating fully-drawn characters that you feel like you truly know and are rooting for. The world that she created for this road trip book was immersive, charming, and ultimately heart-warming. As result of feeling like I knew the characters so well, it was satisfying to observe how they slowly but surely opened up, grew and connected throughout the course of the story.

If you enjoy smart, fast-paced sister stories, I think you should move this book to the top of your TBR for summer reading.

This book showed me that forced proximity works in books that are not romance. While the circumstances that forced the sisters together was not the best it gave them time to reflect on their life and face some of their issues. I found both POV interesting and got a great sense of their personalities. They both went on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the road trip. It was beautifully written and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you @laurenparviziauthor @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

I enjoyed the story. However the writing style was not my favorite. Some spots felt a little slow and juvenille. I don’t know if I would recommend

This was such a delightful, heart-tugging read! Trust Me On This follows half-sisters Zahra and Aurora, who couldn't be more different but are forced into an impromptu road trip to visit their dying father. What starts as a chaotic, awkward journey soon unearths buried grudges, half-forgotten memories, and the complex layers of sisterhood. The banter is sharp, the sibling tension is real, and the emotional punches land hard. Zahra’s love of cooking adds a rich, sensory layer to the story, making it feel as much about finding one’s place in the world as it is about family. If you’re a fan of messy, complicated sister stories with a dash of dark humor and a whole lot of heart, this one’s for you. Highly recommend!

If you’re drawn to stories that delve into the messy, layered dynamics of family, Trust Me On This is a gem. Lauren Parvizi captures the emotional complexity of relationships with such honesty and nuance that I found myself deeply invested from the start.

What I loved most was how the novel never shied away from the tensions and contradictions that exist within families—the love and the resentment, the distance and the unspoken bonds. Parvizi’s writing is both sharp and tender, filled with insight and subtle humor that makes the emotional weight feel earned rather than forced.

The characters feel real and flawed in a way that’s refreshingly relatable. The story doesn’t offer easy resolutions, which I appreciated—it’s more interested in truth than tidy endings.

I did not expect this well written, emotional novel to impact me as much as it did. What an excellent story of two half sisters finding their way to understanding themselves and each other. Zahra had a hard shell, trying to protect herself after loss and grief. Her father abandoned her when he left her and her mother for a pregnant mistress. Aurora is the younger sister, beautiful, optimistic and trusting. When her acting career hits a publicity snag, Aurora has to face new truths about herself. The two travel together when their father calls to tell them he is dying. The road trip provides the reader with insights, and I could not put the book down. I highly recommend this emotionally charged novel. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

”He had fathered one and raised the other. He had abandoned one and devoted himself to the other. It was true. It wasn’t the whole truth." This quote was BRILLIANT.

I really liked the road trip setting, the dual POV, and the family dynamics, but my emotional connection to the characters fell a bit short for me. Overall, a worthwhile read because it's a moving and touching story about sisters.

If you are looking for a really good road tripping sister drama... look no further!

The story follows two half-sisters : Aurora and Zahra who are forced together on a road trip to go visit their ailing father. The two have drastically backgrounds and circumstances and yet there are pulls that bring them to reconsider their relationship. I really enjoyed the themes of desire, reconciliation, paternal expectations, familial obligations, and found family. The book just takes place over the span of several days- yet the book felt longer than that.

I really came to love Parvizi's craft and writing style and her character development. This had elements of Persian heritage which I found lovely and

Fans of Claire Lombardo, Ann Napolitano, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Ann Patchett would enjoy!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC!

I won’t lie - I wasn’t totally sure I would like this book for about the first quarter. Then it stole my heart. The characters were not necessarily relatable to me, but I did come to appreciate and root for them. The story keeps moving and you really do want to find out what happens. This story encompasses A LOT but it does all come together in the end.