A review by bookloverjulie
Family Tree by Susan Wiggs

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

One of the biggest lies perpetuated by our society is that you should “never give up your dreams for a man.” I understand the sentiment, but I feel that it’s often misguided. My first issue is that our “dreams” are almost always tied up in our career aspirations. We place entirely too much importance on what we do for a living. At the end of the day, it’s just a job and you can always find another. It should not be your sole focus in life. Love is about sacrifice. You will each have to bend a little for one another. I think in actuality, it would be more helpful to advise young women to never give up their “happiness” for a man, and not to sacrifice for someone who is not equally willing to sacrifice for you. True love and connection are rare and it should not be thrown away because you are young or because you are living in different cities for a time. If it’s real, you will make it work. The MC’s struggled with this issue well into adulthood and it was clear to me that they would both have been happier if they would have sacrificed more to make it work. It bothered me that they took so long to realize this and that they were still yo-yo dating as full grown adults.