Hello From the Gillespies by Monica McInerney

Synopsis from Goodreads:

For the past thirty-three years, Angela Gillespie has sent to friends and family around the world an end-of-the-year letter titled “Hello from the Gillespies.” It’s always been cheery and full of good news. This year, Angela surprises herself—she tells the truth....

The Gillespies are far from the perfect family that Angela has made them out to be. Her husband is coping badly with retirement. Her thirty-two-year-old twins are having career meltdowns. Her third daughter, badly in debt, can’t stop crying. And her ten-year-old son spends more time talking to his imaginary friend than to real ones.

Without Angela, the family would fall apart. But when a bump on the head leaves Angela with temporary amnesia, the Gillespies pull together—and pull themselves together—in wonderfully surprising ways.

What family doesn't have it's ups and downs? What mother doesn't feel taken for granted? What marriage doesn't have a lull in the romance, especially after 20 + years?
Hello From the Gillespies is a poignant story about the truth of family, a mother's feelings, and forever love. Miss McInerney has created a story that could be based on any family. She has written about that letter that breaks down each family member's year. An annual undertaking. For some a family tradition, and for others an addiction, and for others-a dreaded occurrence. But what Miss McInerney does is takes this letter to a whole new level. What happens if the truth is told instead of the embellishment that most of her recipients expect?
Angela's love for her four children is apparent, yet she expresses her concerns for each child that exposes embarrassing secrets about each child. And her relationship with her husband of 30 years is not as ideal as most would think. But what happens when Angela puts her honest thoughts on paper? While nothing she writes is supposed to be sent out to her yearly recipients, the letter accidentally gets e-mailed to everyone.
I laughed, I cried, I became frustrated, and I felt sad for all the characters in this story. Miss McInerney does a wonderful job of pulling out the realism of the family in this story. You will feel yourself pulled into the family dynamics. You will feel like you are a part of this family as they go through this eye-opening time in their life. You will come out at the end of this story feeling like you climbed a mountain of emotions and conquered that mountain and came out stronger.

I loved this story and highly encourage you to delve into this book to see how a family can overcome anything as long as they pull together and hold on to the love that binds them.

Happy Reading!!