VBT# Siblings - Emma's Story - Hilary Coombes

VBT# Review - Siblings: Emma's Story - Book #1 The Siblings Books - Hilary Coombes - June 2025

Sometimes the best reads come from the most unexpected places. When Zoe at Zooloos Book Tours put out a call for extra bloggers, I found myself raising my hand for Siblings: Emma's Story – definitely not something I would have picked up on my own. But isn't that the beauty of book tours? They push us out of our comfort zones and into stories we never knew we needed.

Emma's journey hit me harder than I expected. Here's a woman who, despite not always recognizing it herself, embodies strength and resilience in ways that honestly reminded me of myself. Watching her navigate life's curveballs felt deeply personal, especially as she grappled with the fundamental question of identity after discovering her entire life had been built on lies.

The story kicks off with Emma in a messy friendship fallout over a guy – we've all been there, right? When she sides with their new flatmate Leo and moves in with him, things get complicated fast. Leo's bipolar disorder creates a toxic dynamic that Hilary Coombes handles with surprising nuance. It's not sensationalized or used as a plot device; instead, it's woven into the fabric of their relationship in a way that feels authentic and heartbreaking.

What really got to me was Emma's desperate need for her parents' love, only to discover they aren't her biological parents and never even formally adopted her. The revelation that her birth certificate is forged adds another layer of devastation – imagine not knowing who you actually are until it's almost too late. That sense of being untethered from your own identity is something I think many of us can relate to on some level.

The pacing picks up beautifully when Emma finally finds the courage to search for her birth family. Her journey to New York feels like both an escape and a homecoming. The twist with the lawyer's call about her birth mother's will and the introduction of two new half-siblings adds emotional weight without feeling contrived.

Hilary Coombes has crafted a fast-paced family saga that doesn't shy away from messy emotions and complicated relationships. While this is part of a trilogy focusing on Emma's siblings Holly and Kitt, it works perfectly as a standalone read. The ending feels complete while leaving you curious about the other family members' stories.

For anyone who loves women's fiction with real emotional depth, Siblings: Emma's Story delivers. It's about finding family in unexpected places and discovering that sometimes the people who matter most are the ones you never knew existed.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/44wLOoB