Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with The Bloom Girls, this lovely debut novel by Emily Cavanagh.

When the Bloom sisters, Suzy, Violet and Cal, were young and in school, their father was a caring teacher and swim coach. Due to horrific accusations by some of his students, he was  forced to resign. The stress and embarrassment of being in the spotlight combined with an unspoken personal secret lead to the break up of his marriage. The relationships with his daughters changed dramatically and became fractured as he tried to rebuild his life in a new place, always feeling the void of his beloved family.

Years later, Suzy, the youngest, now in her late 20s was living with her own secret, Violet, the middle daughter was rejecting her loving, unconventional boyfriend, and Cal was feeling unsatisfied with her job and overwhelmed with family responsibilities. After hearing the shocking news of their father’s unexpected death, the girls are devastated and are faced with questions, unspoken words and regrets. The Bloom sisters come together for his funeral where they learn more about him through his community.   Mourning together provides the girls with time to understand his painful past, process how it impacted their young lives and to find forgiveness as they make decisions for the future.

This was a heartfelt story of sisters, complexities in families, and how secrets can eat away at happiness and poison relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey of The Bloom Girls and look forward to Emily Cavanagh’s next novel.