‘As an eldest sister, I truly enjoyed this story of five sisters and the bonds that hold them together even when they’d prefer to break free. Ask Me How I Know is an auspicious debut, and Colangelo is a writer to watch’ Mary Beth Keane, author of ASK AGAIN, YES
The Carpenter sisters are navigating a lot more than grief these days. Morgan’s bitter heart is broken. Yes, it has to do with her father’s death, but it’s not just that. Falling for her co-worker, only to discover he was never planning to leave his wife, she’s found a new low. Caroline’s perfectly coiffed life is upended when she makes a shocking discovery on her son’s iPad. Beth’s husband has decided to run for mayor, thrusting her into the spotlight, while she’d rather hide at home with her five rambunctious children, the Peloton she never uses, and a freezer full of Lean Cuisine. Jillian is about to marry her childhood sweetheart, but recently he’s felt more like a brother than a fiancé – a truth she can’t bear to admit to anyone – least of all herself. Ashlyn, the youngest, has endured a lifetime of shame stemming from a terrible secret she never intended to reveal. Now, she’s finally ready to confront the family about the truth of what happened all those years ago.
As the sisters grieve their father and shoulder the care of their distant and difficult mother, they must also reckon with their individual and collective demons. While battling self-sabotage, perfectionism, burnout, and betrayal, will the Carpenter women band together or fall spectacularly apart?
‘An unflinching portrait of sisterhood that shows that while we’re not obligated to like our siblings, there’s no getting around learning from them – and what a privilege that is’ Heather Aimee O’Neill, author of THE IRISH GOODBYE
The Carpenter sisters are navigating a lot more than grief these days. Morgan’s bitter heart is broken. Yes, it has to do with her father’s death, but it’s not just that. Falling for her co-worker, only to discover he was never planning to leave his wife, she’s found a new low. Caroline’s perfectly coiffed life is upended when she makes a shocking discovery on her son’s iPad. Beth’s husband has decided to run for mayor, thrusting her into the spotlight, while she’d rather hide at home with her five rambunctious children, the Peloton she never uses, and a freezer full of Lean Cuisine. Jillian is about to marry her childhood sweetheart, but recently he’s felt more like a brother than a fiancé – a truth she can’t bear to admit to anyone – least of all herself. Ashlyn, the youngest, has endured a lifetime of shame stemming from a terrible secret she never intended to reveal. Now, she’s finally ready to confront the family about the truth of what happened all those years ago.
As the sisters grieve their father and shoulder the care of their distant and difficult mother, they must also reckon with their individual and collective demons. While battling self-sabotage, perfectionism, burnout, and betrayal, will the Carpenter women band together or fall spectacularly apart?
‘An unflinching portrait of sisterhood that shows that while we’re not obligated to like our siblings, there’s no getting around learning from them – and what a privilege that is’ Heather Aimee O’Neill, author of THE IRISH GOODBYE
Reviews
Old wounds crack open when the five Carpenter sisters reunite to care for their mother after their father's death. An unflinching portrait of sisterhood that shows that while we're not obligated to like our siblings, there's no getting around learning from them - and what a privilege that is
As an eldest sister, I truly enjoyed this story of five sisters and the bonds that hold them together even when they'd prefer to break free. Ask Me How I Know is an auspicious debut, and Colangelo is a writer to watch
From the opening line Mary Grace Colangelo immerses us in the complicated lives of five very different sisters as they process the sudden loss of their father and decide what to do about their enigmatic mother. A sweeping story that explores the fraught relationships between mothers, daughters, and sisters, and, ultimately, what it means to be family