The Beloveds by Maureen Lindley Review

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I thought this was going to be a story about a jealous sister, and maybe some kind of crazy psychopath sibling rivalry. You get a tiny bit a that, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I just felt like I read a novel about a girl bitching about everything for 336 pages. Plus, the whole premise of the novel is that Elizabeth (the jealous sister) is completely in love with a HOUSE, that is called Pipits. Fun name for a house, but I just didn't get it. Final thoughts, it was very fell flat to me, the place was incredibly slow, I didn't love the characters, and the ending is not really an ending. However, what kept me going was the writing, Maureen Lindley is an incredible writer. Just not the story for me.

Thank you to Gallery Books for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions.

Synopsis

Oh, to be a Beloved—one of those lucky people for whom nothing ever goes wrong. Everything falls into their laps without effort: happiness, beauty, good fortune, allure.

Betty Stash is not a Beloved—but her little sister, the delightful Gloria, is. She’s the one with the golden curls and sunny disposition and captivating smile, the one whose best friend used to be Betty’s, the one whose husband should have been Betty’s. And then, to everyone’s surprise, Gloria inherits the family manse—a vast, gorgeous pile of ancient stone, imposing timbers, and lush gardens—that was never meant to be hers.

Losing what Betty considers her rightful inheritance is the final indignity. As she single-mindedly pursues her plan to see the estate returned to her in all its glory, her determined and increasingly unhinged behavior—aided by poisonous mushrooms, talking walls, and a phantom dog—escalates to the point of no return. The Beloveds will have you wondering if there’s a length to which an envious sister won’t go

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