The Precious One: A Novel by Marisa de los Santos

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Belong to Me, Love Walked In, and Falling Together comes a captivating novel about friendship, family, second chances, and the redemptive power of love.

In all her life, Eustacia “Taisy” Cleary has given her heart to only three men: her first love, Ben Ransom; her twin brother, Marcus; and Wilson Cleary—professor, inventor, philanderer, self-made millionaire, brilliant man, breathtaking jerk: her father.

Seventeen years ago, Wilson ditched his first family for Caroline, a beautiful young sculptor. In all that time, Taisy’s family has seen Wilson, Caroline, and their daughter, Willow, only once.

Why then, is Wilson calling Taisy now, inviting her for an extended visit, encouraging her to meet her pretty sister—a teenager who views her with jealousy, mistrust, and grudging admiration? Why, now, does Wilson want Taisy to help him write his memoir?

Told in alternating voices—Taisy’s strong, unsparing observations and Willow’s naive, heartbreakingly earnest yearnings—The Precious One is an unforgettable novel of family secrets, lost love, and dangerous obsession, a captivating tale with the deep characterization, piercing emotional resonance, and heartfelt insight that are the hallmarks of Marisa de los Santos’s beloved works.

my thoughts:

The Precious One is a fantastic story about family, love, and letting go of the past.  I absolutely loved this book!

Taisy, her twin brother Marcus, and their mom are a family.  Her father abandoned them all ages ago for the woman he knocked up and left her mom for.  They never hear from him and have grown up fatherless.  So, of course they all have issues with their dad, Wilson.  How could they not?  Especially when its been nearly twenty years since you've seen your father! 

Now in her thirties, Taisy has grown up to be successful and happy.  Life is great.  And then she gets a call from her father inviting her to visit.  He even asks her to bring her brother along for the visit.  Taisy is excited that this means her father will finally express his love for her and Marcus.  Her brother is against the visit from the get go and urges her not to go.  Taisy of course goes and winds up disappointed when she finds out that all Wilson wanted her for was to write his memoir - you see, she's a top ghostwriter and he knows this and wants to use her writing skills to tell his story.  Talk about a slap in the face!  Once again, Wilson is showing his lack of love for Taisy.  Nonetheless, she agrees to the task and sets out to uncover her father's past.  She wants to find out what made him become so heartless toward her, Marcus and their mom.  Why is it that he can be so passionately in love with Caroline and obsessed with his daughter Willow, but pretend that his other children and ex-wife don't even exist?

Filled with family drama, sibling rivalry, first loves, heart breaks, and so much, The Precious One is a moving and heartfelt story that will just melt your heart.  Reading Taisy's interpretation of her family's dynamics compared to Willows is eye-opening.  I loved learning all about Willow's childhood with Wilson and how she's adjusted from home-schooling to attending a local high school - talk about bullies and sexual predators!  As for Taisy, the more she unearths about Wilson's past, the more she learns that he is just not a nice man (nor a nice child).  Oh, and sometimes first loves really do endure.  Cripes, there's so much I want to tell you about this book, but I can't and won't.  You need to read it for yourself and find out what all the fuss is about, because it really is a wonderful story.  Suffice it to say, this is one book you won't want to miss.  I found the writing to be superb, the characters to be unforgettable, and the story to be unputdownable.  I just loved this book!  I would definitely recommend The Precious One to fans of women's fiction and fans of Marisa de los Santos - you will LOVE this book!!

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Precious One

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book tours for providing me with a copy of this book!