The Beautiful Daughters

Summary (from the publisher): Adrienne Vogt and Harper Penny were closer than sisters, until the day a tragedy blew their seemingly idyllic world apart. Afraid that they got away with murder and unable to accept who they had lost—and what they had done—Harper and Adri exiled themselves from small-town Blackhawk, Iowa, and from each other. Adri ran thousands of miles away to Africa while Harper ventured down a more destructive path closer to home.

Now, five years later, both are convinced that nothing could ever coax them out of the worlds in which they’ve been living. But unexpected news from home soon pulls Adri and Harper back together, and the two cannot avoid facing their memories and guilt head-on. As they are pulled back into the tangle of their fractured relationships and the mystery of Piperhall, the sprawling estate where their lives first began to unravel, secrets and lies behind the tragic accident are laid bare. The former best friends are forced to come to terms with their shared past and search for the beauty in each other while mending the brokenness in themselves.  

 

Review: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.

 

After five years, college friends Harper and Adrienne will reunite after the tragedy that pushed them apart and forced them both running from their past. In the wake of the death of Adri's fiancé David, Adri fled to Africa to pursue a career in nursing and Harper became entangled in a destructive relationship and hiding her true identity. When Adri's fiancé's mother dies, leaving Adri the family estate Piperhall, both women come home and must confront their secrets.

 

Both women have endured five years of their own self-devised punishment. "She dragged her thumb through the ashes of her life and stained her own forehead. The rest of her days would be her own unending Ash Wednesday, an unholy offering of repentance and discipline." Through flashbacks, slowly the two friends reveal the supposedly dark secrets that sent them in different directions.

 

Although I liked the story of homecoming for two friends who doubted they could ever reconcile or forgive themselves, the characterization of most other characters felt weak. Adri and Harper were part of a larger friend group in college that called themselves The Five. However, the characterization for the male members of the friend group was lacking at best. Since the book really centered on Adri and Harper's friendship, I think the author would have been better off making them the focus. Additionally, Victoria, the owner of Piperhall is a shadowy figure and it was never very clear why she would leave her vast estate to Adri. Likewise, Sawyer, Harper's boyfriend/captor, was a fully evil character; his status of pure villain felt unlikely and served merely to put pressure on Harper to reveal the full truth to her friend.

 

In the end, when the truth behind David's death is finally revealed, it felt somewhat antic-climatic. However, I appreciated that this book is at heart about friendship and not a romantic relationship. Additionally, I loved how the girls resolved the question of how to use the mansion once Adri returned to her life in Africa. The resolution of this book felt very fitting and true and I was satisfied to see how Adri and Harper chose to pursue their separate paths while still remaining good friends.

 

Stars: 3