Red Thread of Fate
By: Lyn Liao Butler
Pages: 352
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this book.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Two days before Tam and Tony Kwan receive their letter of acceptance for the son they are adopting from China, Tony and his estranged cousin Mia are killed unexpectedly in an accident. A shell-shocked Tam learns she is named the guardian to Mia's five-year-old daughter, Angela. With no other family around, Tam has no choice but to agree to take in the girl she hasn't seen since the child was an infant.
Overwhelmed by her life suddenly being upended, Tam must also decide if she will complete the adoption on her own and bring home the son waiting for her in a Chinese orphanage. But when a long-concealed secret comes to light just as she and Angela start to bond, their fragile family is threatened. As Tam begins to unravel the events of Tony and Mia's past in China, she discovers the true meaning of love and the threads that bind her to the family she is fated to have.
First Impressions
I am a strong believer in fate and karma so when I saw that this book was specifically about that I was intrigued. I also think the cover is really pretty and would’ve picked it up based on that alone. With the Olympics currently in Beijing I was curious to read a story about a Chinese/Taiwanese family and Chinese adoption.
What I thought
Tam and Tony are set to adopt a little boy from China when Tony and his cousin Mia are killed in an accident. Tam finds out that she is named guardian of Mia’s daughter Angela while also still expecting her son from China.
There are so many twists and turns in this book that I don’t want to accidentally give away, so I apologize if my review is a little vague. The book is mostly told from Tam’s perspective with a few chapters from Mia’s until the second part which has chapters from Mia’s journal explaining the past.
This book is wild. It’s very dramatic and ever so slightly unbelievable but somehow completely believable and very enjoyable. Even though a lot of the characters were flawed, boarding on unlikable, they had redeeming qualities that didn’t make me feel like I hated them or that I couldn’t read about them.
I learned a lot about Chinese culture and Taiwanese, as well as a bit about Chinese adoption. I found that everything was explained clearly and I wasn’t overwhelmed, while also learning. Tam is a much stronger human than I could ever be and I was in awe of her throughout the entire story.
I think this book might be a bit much for some people but I loved the drama and the bit of unbelievability. I found I was unable to put it down, especially once we got to read some of Mia’s journal entries. I needed to know what had happened as well as what was going to happen. If you can handle a bit of drama and flawed characters, I highly recommend checking this one out.