Real Life & Liars by Kristina Riggle

I enjoyed reading Real Life & Liars by Kristina Riggle - a first time novelist.  The main character's Mirabelle Zielinski has just discovered she has breast cancer and is celebrating her thirtieth wedding anniversary.  Her adult children come home with all of their own problems.  This novel did not always go as I anticipated and kept me interested.  I'd give it 4 stars.

Amazon - From Booklist:  

Mirabelle and Max Zielinski’s children have returned home for their parents’ thirtieth anniversary. Mirabelle must tell them that she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, but they’re preoccupied with their own crises. Katya, the eldest, hides behind a perfectly controlled front, but her marriage and affluent lifestyle are in jeopardy. Ivan, the moody middle child, keeps pursuing the wrong women and can’t get his songwriting career off the ground. The youngest, Irina, shows up with a surprise husband and pregnancy. Faced with her mortality, Mirabelle is stricken by how her children have diverged from her hippie upbringing and wonders if they still need her. Riggle crafts a moving and accomplished first novel about a family coming to terms with change. The characters are familiar but not stereotypical, and the quaint setting of Charlevoix, Michigan, a beachfront town, adds to the nostalgic feel. --Aleksandra Walker