Published by Kensington Books Genres: Contempory, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Format: ARC, eBook
Ryan Flannigan, a former child actress, received a phone call informing her that a photograph taken of her after a horrible night of a blackout in 1977 has been found in the possession of a successful businessman/investor who has recently been revealed as being a sex trafficker and pedophile. The photo had been given to the man by Ryan’s mother who inscribed the back.
When the photographer, Henri, who was like a father to her, commits suicide, Ryan returns to NYC to attend his memorial. There she looks back on her childhood and her relationship with her mother, Fiona, an aspiring actress who had to take a backseat when it was Ryan who obtained fame.
Now Ryan’s mother, Fiona, is hiding while the FBI are searching for her to question her about the photo and her connection to the investor/pedophile.
The book is told through two timelines 1977 and 2019. Ryan looks back on her life, her modeling and acting career, those in her life, and her mother’s role in all of it. This is a heartbreaking book that looks at the life of a former child star. This book had me thinking about Drew Barrymore, Brooke Shields, and Jodie Foster. How they were forced to grow up at young ages. This book has a Jeffrey Epstein slant while looking at sexualized children, neglect, stage moms, friendship, and love.
I enjoyed how Ryan found her own family unit with Henri and Gilly. I also liked the relationship she had with her daughter. But my heart broke for her when looking back at how she was raised and how her “good mother” was not always so good. She was a parentified child living in all too grown-up world.
Thought provoking, heartbreaking and raw.
Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.