This book wasn’t my favorite.
I struggled to connect with the characters, and I expected it to have a bit more humor from other reviews I read.
Dawn returns to Baltimore with her husbands ashes right when she becomes headline news. Will she recover and be able to start over?
Like I said, I think maybe this book is for some, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. Love the cover though. So fun!
Thank you netgalley and Amazon Publishing Creator for my copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Liked it, fun while I was reading it
This was very uneven for me. At times, i was super engaged and at others, I felt like I was just biding my time to get to the good parts and there were plenty of good parts, which kept me going. A solid like, but not love.

The narrator, Bahni Turpin, did a good job, I had no trouble understanding who was saying what, where, when, and with what expression/intension.

Thank you to Brilliance Publishing, NetGalley, and author Leslie Gray Streeter for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Family & Other Calamities is out June 1, 2025.

At first I wasn't sure about Family & Other Calamities, but it grew on me and I did really enjoy it.

The beginning bothered me because there were some racial stereotypes that I was picking up on; but it turns out that they weren't quite as black and white as I thought that they might be. (Kudos to the author for that.)

Lots of ties to journalism and family (unsurprisingly) in Family & Other Calamities. This book just turned out to be fun.

Great narration by Bahni Turpin.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio for approving my request to listen to the advance copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest review. Released June 2025. Approx 8hr 30 min.

The book is funny but also emotional. Characters are well written and relatable. Dawn feels like a real person—sometimes strong, sometimes unsure. It’s about family, truth, and starting over, even when life gets messy.

Dawn Roberts is an entertainment journalist and a recently bereaved widow, who is desperately trying to do right by her and her late husband's families, all while seeking justice on a decades-old slight by a trusted friend. Family & Other Calamities goes behind the curtain of Baltimore's news scene and shows what it takes to get ahead in a cutthroat industry, and more importantly, what it takes to get even.

The main storyline follows Dawn who suffered a betrayal in the 90's when a trusted friend, Joe, in the industry stole her career-defining story and gained huge recognition for it. Dawn left town with her new boyfriend who she later married and decided to build herself up again despite this hurdle. Fast forward, Dawn is back in town to deliver her husband's ashes to his family who she has a strained relationship with, when she finds out Joe now has a movie deal to bring his stolen story to the big screen. Dawn discovers that the script not only paints her in a bad light, but also her late husband, which is the final straw. Dawn and her loved ones who she isn't fighting with, plus a junior journalist who originally set out to embarrass her, will go to whatever lengths they can to discredit Joe and tell the world the truth about his call to fame.

I was interested in the major plot line, as well as Dawn's struggles with her in-laws and how her husband's death added to these trials. Unfortunately only two of her in-laws are really examined and the rest feel like white noise in the background. It was nice to have one relationship in this dynamic to really focus on and I like the way this relationship changed, but I didn't feel connected to the family as a whole because there were too many gaps left to the reader to fill in. All of the conflict was very much "told not shown" as well which makes it hard for me to relate.

There were a couple of good reveals and I liked most of the main characters but they weren't written cohesively. There were a couple of scenes where a character would start talking and I stopped and said "what are they doing there" because it wasn't always clear when cutting to a new scene who was present/where they were. This felt like an editing issue above anything else.

Dawn is a black woman and I really appreciated how this book explores her experiences as a black woman both professionally (at different stages of her career) and when marrying into a white family and the racism she faced throughout her life.

I think the concept of this book is better than the execution but readers who are more into contemporary mysteries may enjoy it more than I did!

I almost feel guilty for how much I liked this because some of the events weren't credible-- but does that matter when I'm enjoying it and like the main character so much? The other great thing was that the plot about the stolen story was central to everything that happened, instead of relying on unlikely romances or subplots.
I genuinely felt tension at the end and was very involved with this family. I felt like I was visiting them for a brief bit.
The narrator was fantastic! Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this wonderful audiobook

✍🏾 🆂🅴🆅🅴🅽 🅻🅸🆃 🆃🅷🅸🅽🅶🆂 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆 ✍🏾
|| 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 & 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 by Leslie Gray Streeter||
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: June 1, 2025
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary, Humor

Thank you partners @otrpr, @LeslieGrayStreeter + Lake Union Publishing for the tour spot. Please take a few moments to read 7 lit things and scroll through my newspaper article slides in Canva.

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲?
* Yes, because Streeter’s writing is fun, relatable, and vibrant.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿:
* It is extremely easy to choose Joe because he is a backstabbing, thief and liar who betrays a friend. The worst kind is the ones you don’t see coming and that is him.

𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆:
* One major takeaway from this novel is how Streeter explores the ripple effects of grief. When we’re hurting, we often don’t realize how our pain spills over onto others. Grief doesn’t pause our relationships; it complicates them. Streeter’s characters show us what happens when we don’t manage that pain with care, and why healing is essential not just for ourselves, but for the people around us.

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀/𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀:
* Grief & Healing
* Family Dynamics & Dysfunction
* Reinvention & Second Chances

𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?
* Yes—the family is a central source of the protagonist’s turmoil, but the novel also explores other events and challenges that extend beyond family dynamics. Through dual timelines, we see how these “calamities” unfold both literally and metaphorically, blending serious emotional weight with moments of humor.

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁/𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂?
* The characters are a messy bunch. Reminds me of my aunts and cousins.

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱?
* I wanted more characterization for Eddie and more development for the ending.

𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
* Any book narrated by THEE Bahni Turpin is always done well. Turpin is exceptional with the array of voices she can maneuver back and forth. Her voice narration made the storyline fun and vibrant. In the middle of the audiobook, there were several places where the audio itself was muzzled and I couldn't hear the words (only on Netgalley ALC). Luckily, I had the book so I could go back and reread those sections. The audio is a great companion to the book.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Family dysfunction, laugh out loud commentary and the most lovable FMC, I loved this! Such a feel-good story that brought me right out of my reading slump. Dawn has my heart and forced me to do some deep thinking about my own life.

How delightful, to have a fiction debut from Leslie Gray Streeter!

I had a lot of fun with FAMILY & OTHER CALAMITIES. This is the beach read for you, if you're not a big genre fiction reader (read: looking for something besides a thriller or romance).

Dawn is heading home with her husband's ashes when she runs into her nemesis on the plane. I want to detail their background, but I also don't want to spoil a bit of the story... suffice it to say, she has an actual grievance with him. And Dawn is a character that'll instantly have you rooting for her.

I particularly enjoyed how I could feel the love between all Dawn's family members. They treated each other like a real family: the good, the bad, and the funny.

And of course, expert narrator Bahni Turpin did this story justice and was a joy to listen to. Her inflections were perfect.

This was an enjoyable read. I appreciated the sense of humor. There were sections that dragged for me, but overall this was a fun wander through flashbacks and family drama.

I really enjoyed this fast paced book wonderfully narrated by Bahni Turpin. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advance audiobook.

thanks Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

i don't think i was the target audience for this book, unfortunately. it didn't really grab my attention in the beginning and i was struggling to care by the end.

This book was so good! so messy and at the same time such a fun ride! It had everything, a little bit of romance, mystery, depth, fun, family drama. I couldn't let it go until the end. It was about mistakes, decisions, things that work out well in life and also, prices you pay for your errors. I truly enjoyed this one. The narration was excellent, I felt all the rage and pity and wit, just great.

90's references, flashbacks, family drama, and personal growth.
All good things you can find in this story.
We have a young journalist, Dawn, who is struggling with the grief of losing her spouse to cancer. In the midst of all of this, her reputation gets spat on when her former mentor's expose is turned into a movie with her as the star villain.
Sawn has to clear her name.
The banter was funny. I found it witty and sharp.
I think you will enjoy this as a light, quick, poolside read for the summer.
The plot is well structured and the pace is great.
The characters are well developed and show growth.
You will also find warmth and growth in this book despite the hard themes (death).
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Happy Reading!

Book Tour, Review, and a GIVEAWAY!! Also a great picture to post from Clearwater Beach! I have been on a wonderful
vacation but had to take a minute to join in this tour and tell you about Family & Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter.
‌
I love it when an author has a great central
character, like Dawn, and surrounds them with equally compelling aide characters. It just makes the book feel full and makes every page turn worth it. They are realistic, flawed, just the people I would want to know.
‌
Family is messy, but it is still family and that is where Dawn finds herself when she returns home, grieving her husbands death from cancer, and confronting a past that made her run from Baltimore in the first place. Dawn is a journalist and the book tells the story of her time as an up and coming intern in one timeline and the present day in another. The author did an excellent job of converging the two into an easy read.
‌
While home, Dawn has to deal with her former mentor who had written a book about government corruption and it is being made into a movie, where the villain is made out to be Dawn! While trying to clear her name she is also trying to establish a relationship with her sister, throw her mother a big birthday party, interview an annoying R&B Diva and, of course, make nice with her late husband’s family and give them half his ashes. That’s all.
‌
This was a fun book that actually
gave me some funny dreams since I read it before bed. It was a good one. Thanks so much to @LakeUnion and @otrpr for my advanced copy of this book.

This was SO fun! I love Bahni Turpin as a narrator and she perfectly captured the heart and soul of this one. But make no mistake, narration alone didn't sell this one - the fantastic storytelling and marvelous characterizations did that on their own.

I loved the way the author made her characters so fully human and relatable. Their interactions with each other - whether familial or professional - rang true at every turn. I enjoy books about authors/writing in general, but haven't focused on journalism (and its attendant issues of ownership, responsibility, and credibility) much in the past - but certainly will going forward, as I found it to open up a much broader set of possibilities for conflict and resolution than books about novel writers, which seem to be where I typically gravitate.

I loved the mashup of "old" v. "new" journalistic ideas and formats, and found the slightly curmudgeonly (but in a very good way) Dawn and the young-and-hungry Bria James to be perfect foils for laying out those challenges. And I LOVED the Divine Miss Vivi! Nothing adds sassiness to a book like a Diva (with a capital D, thank you very much)!

This one had heart and humor and a lot of fabulous life lessons as well and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I will definitely be on the lookout for more from Leslie Gray Streeter.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

This book never grabbed my attention and was honestly so hard to get through. I wanted to enjoy it but it felt so boring. Even the dynamic with the family gave no real purpose to the story.

It may just not have been for me.

3.5⭐⭐⭐✨ rounding up to 4 because of how much I liked the protagonist by the end of the story.

Entertainment journalist, Dawn Roberts, is returning home to Baltimore to inter her husband's ashes. The trip home is riddled with memories of old betrayals made worse when she finds out a film is in production based upon her stolen work from decades earlier. The worst part is that Dawn and her deceased husband are both scandalously portrayed, and their identities are hidden under the thinnest of veils. Dawn/Fawn anyone? She feels utter disgust at the way her deceased husband is presented and is compelled to act to restore his reputation and her good name. Her family resides in Baltimore and their relationships are messy but with big hearts at the center. I loved their interactions. Dawn grew as a character acknowledging flaws and learning from them. Her dialogue is punctuated with sharp snark, and I grew to appreciate her spirit. We visit two timelines 30 years apart and see Dawn as a young up-and-coming journalist, meeting her husband, and the heartache of her work being stolen by a trusted mentor. With the help of a millennial journalist and a legendary diva she is relying on a glimmer of hope to prove her allegations.

As I listened to the audio this one grew on me. At first, I was lukewarm about it but as Dawn's character became more vulnerable and showed different aspects of herself, she won me over. I laughed out loud and appreciated her spirit. The narrator voiced two supporting characters almost identical (and annoying) but otherwise the narration was decent. The wit and banter lightened what could have been a heavier read. The author struck an excellent balance. The ending was a little too neat, but I didn't mind because Dawn's road to get there was quite difficult.

I was sad for this one to end as it started to feel like hanging out with a dear friend each day.

Thank you to Brilliance Publishing for the Advance Listening Copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

There was a lot going on in this book to say the least, but it had my wheels turning until the very end. I didn’t find Dawn very likable at first. But with so much family drama, I couldn’t figure out if she had been traumatized or if she was the source of the family trauma. I’m leaning toward the latter. Nonetheless, her character was developed very well. I wish I could say the same for some of the other characters. I wish a bit more effort was put into the minor characters (at least a few of them).

I did enjoy the authors descriptive writing and the humor that was diffused throughout story. Some parts made me literally laugh out loud! Nonetheless, the ending seemed way too rushed to the point that it was unrealistic. However, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it. The audiobook was very well engineered and made for easy listening.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ARC audiobook!!

FAMILY AND OTHER CALAMITIES is a fast-paced, page-turning, rollicking read from Leslie Gray Streeter. I was fortunate to get early access to the audiobook on NetGalley, read by the talented Bahni Turpin, who brought Streeter’s story to vivid action.

Dawn Roberts is a successful journalist living in California who heads for her hometown of Baltimore to dispense with her late husband’s ashes and celebrate her mother’s 70th birthday.
Confident, dynamic, and opinionated, a loving sister, daughter, widow, and friend—Dawn nonetheless has beef with a lot of people back in Baltimore. Her brother-in-law, who blames her for separating her husband from his family. Her sister, who had a hand in a betrayal that nearly cost Dawn her career. And then there’s Joe Perkins, her erstwhile friend-turned-nemesis.

Dawn left town 30 years ago after fellow journalist Joe, posing as a mentor, double crossed her, stealing a story that wound up winning him a Pulitzer—a story about government corruption that Dawn first learned about from her sister Tanya. And now, the whole thing is going to be a feature film—with an unflattering characterization of Dawn herself. So, while Dawn is in town, she’ll settle some scores, make some amends, dodge some enemies, but also form new alliances.

I loved Streeter’s characters, the story and the narration so much, was so engrossed, that I found myself yelling back at the players, chastising Dawn, especially, to get out of her own way and listen to reason. Best of all, for me, a GenX Black woman, the narrative was full of delightful cultural references that had me laughing out loud.
Thank you to Leslie Gray Streeter and NetGalley for advanced access to the audiobook. Loved every minute of it. 5 Stars!!
See this review on Goodreads.