That First Year

By: Margaret Kay

Narrated by: LC Kane

Length: 20 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Family relationships can be complicated, even during the best of times. And under the worst, amid loss, as family dynamics change, those relationships also change. Old relationships can be comfortable to fall back into, or they can feel oppressive and claustrophobic. Childhood memories revisited from an adult perspective offer different, and often humorous, glimpses into the past, and can help form new relationships with a deeper understanding.

Elyse Laramie created a happy, loving home for herself and her three children—Claire, Kade, and Kelsey—who now, as adults, are successful and living independent lives away from home. But it isn’t the life she’d planned on when, at 18, she discovered she was pregnant, and she married the only man she’d ever been with.

Tim Laramie was a career-focused and single-minded man who, at his own admission, was never really a part of the family. Their marriage was not what either of them wanted it to be, but it wasn’t something that either of them wanted to end either. Elyse had always secretly hoped the future would bring about a change that would rekindle that spark between them and renew what had become a platonic relationship.

Until a terrible accident changes everything.

In the aftermath, four adults pull together to grieve, personally and collectively, and redefine their relationships within the family. Will they be able to confront, resolve, and forgive old injustices and misconceptions as other aspects of their lives bring them new roles, new relationships, and new challenges they must also face?

Grief experts advise someone coping with the recent loss of their loved one to make no major life decisions or changes during that first year.

That First Year is a story of love, loss, family, and resiliency—with hope, tears, and laughter.

©2023 Sisters Romance (P)2023 Sisters Romance

Heartfelt, Poignant

This is a heartfelt, and at times, poignant family saga detailing “that first year” after the unexpected death of the family patriarch, showing what happens with the newly widowed mom and her adult children. The audiobook is over 20 hours long, which is a commitment, but I found it extremely enjoyable to listen to their first year unfold. The family came together and struggled, fighting and supporting each other, and ultimately came to a better understanding of themselves, each other, and their even-prior-to-his-death absent dad. Because this is so long, the author could truly delve into complicated family relationships. Coming from a family of five kids, the actions, reactions, and interactions felt real. This family has a lot of love, especially between the remaining members, but they all had a somewhat strained relationship with the one who had passed. In this book that details that first year after his death, they also have to struggle with what their relationships were with him and what that ultimately means for them now as they continue to grow, change, and add to their family. I found the book's first part a little confusing until I got to know the characters, and then everything made sense. If you love heartfelt family stories, this is one of them. Highly recommended.

A Year of Love, Growth and Moving Forward

This book is about a widow and her adult children in the first year after the sudden death of her husband. We are introduced to Elyse, the widow and her unique circumstances with her husband of many years. As well as her children who deal with their father's death in different ways depending on their perception of him. Tim, the dad was away on work most of their marriage and their childhoods. How are we supposed to behave when the person we lost has really been absent a long time?
You would think since he wasn't there much that his death wouldn't affect their lives much. But, that is not the case. His passing makes them all reevaluate their lives and priorities. This book is that story, each of them make decisions, while also dealing with unexpected changes. Life throws the unexpected at us all of the time, and it's how we deal with that which matters. For one person, a surprise brings chaos and for another the same surprise brings opportunity. Its all about perception and Elyse and her family show us how to see the opportunities in those events. A lot happens over that first year and I recommend that you take the journey with them.

Story of family, tragedy, and hope.

I thoroughly enjoyed "That First Year" by Margaret Kay. The book follows the family left behind a loved one's sudden death through their grief and struggle to come to terms with their new reality and find closure. There are also happy times with new additions to the family. Margaret writes a story that I laughed and cried along with the characters, and one that held my interest from beginning to end.