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Happy Wednesday, all! Today I am super excited to share my review of another book I group read, and we unanimously endorsed, The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray, now available from Berkley!

My Thoughts:

In the opening scene of The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls, Althea, the female head of her family, is in jail and awaiting a trial. We quickly learn some backstory on the Butler family. Althea is the oldest of her siblings, and when her mother passes away, she’s in charge of everyone else. 

Althea later marries Proctor, a man she met at her mother’s funeral when they were both young children. Althea and Proctor are charming, vital members of their local community, owning their own restaurant and giving back to the community. 

One day, seemingly out of the blue, Proctor and Althea, now parents to twin daughters, are arrested at their business. The worst part? They are charged with stealing from their local community members. 

With Althea in prison, her sisters, Viola and Lillian, now step in to help her with raising her teenage daughters. 

Who is at the center of the drama as it unravels this family?  There are real issues addressed, including eating disorders and addiction, layers of pain, heartache, and scars. 

I connected to Althea from the start. When she described her experience in prison, I felt like I was right along side her experiencing the same things.

The story is told through Althea, Viola, and Lillian’s narrations, which offers a unique perspective on the goings on in this family. The Butlers seem to be in a downward spiral, and I wanted something to happen to right them again, to make it all stop and glue them back together. I was invested in their outcomes. 

Overall, The Care and Feeding is an insightful and original perspective on complex family dynamics and hope for second chances. 

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own. 

Synopsis:

The Mothers meets An American Marriage in this dazzling debut novel about mothers and daughters, identity and family, and how the relationships that sustain you can also be the ones that consume you.

The Butler family has had their share of trials—as sisters Althea, Viola, and Lillian can attest—but nothing prepared them for the literal trial that will upend their lives.

Althea, the eldest sister and substitute matriarch, is a force to be reckoned with and her younger sisters have alternately appreciated and chafed at her strong will. They are as stunned as the rest of the small community when she and her husband Proctor are arrested, and in a heartbeat the family goes from one of the most respected in town to utter disgrace. The worst part is, not even her sisters are sure exactly what happened.

As Althea awaits her fate, Lillian and Viola must come together in the house they grew up in to care for their sister’s teenage daughters. What unfolds is a stunning portrait of the heart and core of an American family in a story that is as page-turning as it is important.

Check out these reviews by the other Book Besties:

Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark

Holly at Dressed to Read

Kendall at Goodreads

Mackenzie at PhDiva

Have you read The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jenni THR