This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel
There’s so much to love about this book. The
storyline revolves around Poppy, who was born the family’s 5th son, Claude, but by kindergarten was on her way to becoming their only daughter. However, I think the main story is this family. The characters are rich and complex, each has personality and true and complex relationships with each other. The parents are loving and well-intentioned, trying to do their best to raise five kids. I loved the family dynamics, the truthful descriptions of raising kids, of life with boys, of parenting and I loved this family’s love for Poppy. In the afterward the author said she has a daughter who was born her son, so while it’s not a true story or autobiographical, I believe it is, at its heart, an honest story of a family and their secret lives trying to do nothing more or less than love and protect a child. 5/5 Stars
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Just-Joshin Reads 