Becky's Great Book Reviews The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood

The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood has a beguiling premise. The Fisher family is on vacation when the three adult daughters pose for a photo in front of an enormous tree. When the tree lets out a loud crack and begins to fall towards the women, their father Patrick makes a decision that impacts the sisters immeasurably. He dashes past his older two daughters, Alex and Nancy to grab the youngest, Eva, out of harm's way.

Everyone is stunned: the fallout from that one action casts a shadow on the week they're to spend together. Chapters alternate between the perspectives of the three sisters and of their septuagenarian mother, Vivienne. Jealousies and memories (good and bad) of the Fisher daughters bubble to the surface through the filter of their father's reaction to the tree falling. Vivienne's flashbacks reveal marital secrets and act as a backdrop through which readers paint a picture of the family. The Fishers' love for one another is fierce, but so are the insecurities running like a current amongst the sisters.

I wanted to love this novel. The premise is right up my alley: family domestic drama told through the eyes of the women. However, I didn't love it, I liked it. It kept my interest, and it was funny at times, although the characters didn't fully come alive for this reader. The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood gets three and a half stars out of five from me.