Where There's a Will by Beth Corby

Where There's a Will by Beth Corby

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Hodder & Stoughton through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Resigned to be the family loser, Hannah is preparing to move back in with her parents after failing to land a post-college job as she reaches her graduation. Hannah is 25-years-old and has no idea what she’s going to do with her life. Everything changes after attending a family reunion of sorts called by her estranged great-uncle Donald because he liked her enough to leave her a mysterious inheritance. The catch? She must complete a series of tasks in order to find out what she’s inherited. Confused and sad about the loss of the man she never knew, she agrees to take on his mysterious request and see what happens.

I absolutely love this book. It has such a vibrant cast of characters and a storyline, while requiring readers to suspend a smidge of belief, is heartwarming and relatable. In a family of success stories, Hannah’s the loser who changed her college major a couple times and has no clue what she’s doing with her life. She feels the suffocating pressure of life as she lives in the long shadow that her mean older sister, Laura, casts. I really felt for her throughout the novel as well as related to her in some ways, especially regarding her sister. Laura perfectly embodies the essence of every mean person I’ve ever encountered in my life and I totally understand the dynamics of their relationship. I have my own Laura in my life, although not a sister, so I totally understand how Hannah feels throughout the story.

I love the way that Hannah got to know Donald. He’s such an interesting character that I wish she got to know better during his lifetime rather than through a series of letters he left her. He’s such a fascinating guy that I miss him even though he’s a fictional character that we only meet once. How well loved he is makes complete sense and I really feel for the characters who mourn him.

Beth does such a wonderful job at portraying how different each character is as well as bringing Hannah’s family to life. Each character is so realistic that they don’t even feel like fictional characters. I also love the way that she brings Donald’s tasks to life. Hannah gains new experiences that she’ll never forget while also getting to know the late Donald better than just through his letters. There’s also a little bit of a mystery that was fun to watch develop. It was just one more piece of the puzzle that was Donald’s life. This was a wonderful read and I look forward to checking out more of Beth’s work in the future.