My Sweet Audrina

This is my first V.C. Andrews experience. I watched one version of the Flowers In The Attic movie a long time ago, but this is the first I've read of her. I picked this up on the recommendation of MFM, and specifically for the prompt Recommended by Your Favorite Podcast/Vlog/Blog on the PopSugar Reading Challenge for 2020.

It's hard not to be spoilery but I'm gonna do my best because there are plenty of spoiler filled reviews on here. I don't believe in guilty pleasures (as I've said before), but if guilty pleasure was a genre of book, that's what My Sweet Audrina would be. The story starts with Audrina as a seven year old girl living at her family's estate, Whitefern. Her older sister, the First and Best Audrina, was killed on her ninth birthday in the woods next to their home. This Audrina, the Second and Worst Audrina, is therefore always cautioned to stay out of the woods. She has what she calls a “swiss cheese memory” with random holes and things unknown to her. She lives with her mom, dad, aunt, and cousin. They're all strange and elusive. We follow Audrina as she grows to be in her mid-20s and she's trying to fill in the pieces of her memory.

Doesn't sound like a Jerry Springer plot, but oh, it is. The cast of characters grows and develops, with us finding out more and more and EVEN MORE family secrets up until the very last page. So many times while reading this, I stopped, looked up at my husband, and said, “This is bonkers.” Unfortunately, I felt like the big plot twist and secret was pretty obvious from the very beginning, which is why I gave this four stars. But the writing moved along quickly and kept me entertained.

Would I recommend?
Definitely look up trigger warnings because there are some big ones that I'm not going to list, but they're easy to find on here or elsewhere. Otherwise, if you want an entertaining trashy mystery family secret book, YES. I'm definitely going to be reading some of her other books.