Review: This Bright Beauty by Emily Cavanagh

This Bright Beauty by Emily Cavanagh

Published: March 1, 2018

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Format: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Franci and Lottie may be identical twins, but that’s where the similarities end. Franci has always been the stable one, while Lottie has bipolar disorder, constantly battling depression and mania. After years of taking care of her sister, Franci moves across the country to build a life for herself. Now, all the two share is distance.

But when Lottie gets in an accident, Franci reluctantly steps back into her familiar role as protector. She returns to find her sister’s life in complete disarray and makes a shocking discovery: Lottie has an infant daughter she never told Franci about. Although Franci swore she wouldn’t get sucked back in, she can’t leave the baby alone in Lottie’s care.

As Lottie further unravels, a secret is revealed that she has kept since childhood—one that has the power to reframe the sisters’ entire relationship, forcing Franci to ask herself if the secret was too much for Lottie to bear. Was the accident really an accident, and who has been protecting whom all these years?

My Thoughts

In This Bright Beauty twins, Franci and Lottie have had a lifetime of sorrow. They lost their mother after a freak accident and now their father has Alzheimer’s. Franci seems to have the perfect life with a loving husband and twins of her own, she seems to have it all. Lottie, on the other hand, has always had the bad end when it came to life. She is bipolar and it has affected her life in so many ways, she has been with her boyfriend for many years and he and Franci see to it that Lottie is on her meds and does what she has to do to stay stable.

However, everything came to a halt years ago when Franci and Lottie have a falling out and years have passed since then and they haven't even talked until one day when Franci gets a call saying Lottie has been in an accident and she needs to come to look after the baby. Franci is shocked because she never even knew her sister had a baby and when she comes to help she’s even more shocked to find out she and her longtime boyfriend have ended their relationship and the baby isn't his. During their time together they clash and during these times is when secrets are revealed some that will test their relationship like nothing has before. I liked the relationship between the sisters and how while one clearly took care of the other, one knew why more things than the other did.

What I really liked was how in depth they went into Lottie’s disorder. We saw its highs and lows and how it played with her mind and how it changed who she was. It gave us a good look into how this disorder not only affects the person but those around them. This story was touching and emotional especially the ending and it brought me to tears. Its a story of sisterhood and how loving someone with mental illness is a daily struggle and how it can take its toll on everyone. This is definitely one story that will pull at your heartstrings and is well worth the read.