Have you heard about Karen?

by Karin Aharon

So you think you know Karen? Think again....Karen, Tara, and Rylie are friendly neighbors in a suburban town, who think they know each other well. Karen seems to have it all - an amazing job as a programmer, a handsome husband, and three beautiful daughters.

But, recently her neighbors have noticed that she has been keeping something from them. As time goes by, her secrets begin to push her friends away.

When Tara and Rylie notice a mysterious man entering Karen’s home, they immediately assume that the secret she has been keeping is an affair. But things are not always as they seem...

Is Karen’s life heading towards a crisis? Do her friends even know her at all?

Have You Heard About Karen? is a gripping and emotional novel about friendship that highlights the disparity between what we see over neighbors’ fences and what truly goes on in their lives.

Genres: Contemporary

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Siv30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/הדשא...

[Píaras Cíonnaoíth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spellbinding, entertaining and humorous read...

Have you heard about Karen? by Israeli author Karin Aharon is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with wonderfully drawn characters and settings. The author weaves a spellbinding, entertaining and humorous novel with plenty of twists and turns that kept me engaged from the first page to the last.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘Karen, Tara, and Rylie are friendly neighbors in a suburban town, who think they know each other well. Karen seems to have it all - an amazing job as a programmer, a handsome husband, and three beautiful daughters. But behind the scenes, things are not quite as they seem… Recently her neighbors have noticed that she has been keeping something from them. As time goes by, her secrets are pushing all her friends away… When Tara and Rylie notice a mysterious man entering Karen’s home, they are astounded as to why their friend would be having a secret affair behind the back of her perfect husband… Is Karen’s life heading towards a crisis? Or does everything look different from up close?’

I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the story in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. It’s a well written story of intertwined friendship with perfect pacing.

When we assume that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, we tend to look at things beyond ourselves, beyond where we are, beyond what we have, beyond who we are and beyond the time we are at now. This very enjoyable read is a reflection of that.

Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me.

[bella · Rating 1 out of 5]

Contained many micro aggressions which were unneeded and just horrible. Wouldn't recommend definitely better books out there.

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘A look at life from both sides now…’

Israeli author Karin Aharon writes from the heart – the struggles friends can face and survive. Living with Multiple Sclerosis, she has served as a lawyer, a social media manager and a Supernanny while also performing as a belly dancer and as a wife and mother for her autistic son and hyperactive daughters!

For those who enjoyed A PART OF ME, Karin’s debut novel, rest assured that HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT KAREN? lives up to her high standards of humorous ideas about inter-relationships. She opens with a chat between the main character Karen’s friend, Tara, and her lawyer, a hint of the storyline ahead: ‘So, what’s the next step in this battle?’ I ask my lawyer, feeling like a boxer before a title match, except that my opponent has been sleeping next to me every night for the past thirteen years. “First of all, tell no one. Ethan must not hear about it too soon. The element of surprise is important,’ she answers with out a hint of emotion. When I think of it, I realize I’ve never seen her smile. ‘Anything else?” ‘I suggest you start organizing every document that might be relevant…’

Meeting one friend in an imaginative situation entices the reader to discover the significance. The synopsis gels the essence: ‘Karen, Tara, and Rylie are friendly neighbors in a suburban town, who think they know each other well. Karen seems to have it all - an amazing job as a programmer, a handsome husband, and three beautiful daughters. But behind the scenes, things are not quite as they seem. Recently her neighbors have noticed that she has been keeping something from them. As time goes by, her secrets are pushing all her friends away. When Tara and Rylie notice a mysterious man entering Karen’s home, they are astounded as to why their friend would be having a secret affair behind the back of her perfect husband. Is Karen’s life heading towards a crisis? Or does everything look different from up close.’

It is a fine little intrigue among friends that makes this novel spin. Appearances versus realities have rarely been so deftly described and resolved. Karin Aharon continues her trek into yet another career, and she is obviously an author to watch. Highly Recommended.

[JLR · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m almost wondering if I even read the same book as the other reviewers bc this book was not good. Story and characters were rushed and disjointed - the interesting parts were glossed over and the rest of it was filler. Obviously it’s all leading to the big medical diagnosis and even that was anti-climatic and boring.

Family dramas in a neighborhood are usually the easiest to get into but this just wasn’t it. Very disappointing and entirely forgettable book.

[Zohar · Rating 4 out of 5]

ספר ממש נחמד אבל מסתיים פתאו באמצע בלי פואנטה

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Have You Heard about Karen?" by Karin Aharon tells the parallel stories of three women living in the same suburban neighborhood. Tara, Karen, and Rylie are casual friends but not close confidantes, and from the outside looking in, it's easy to assume that they are each living their best life. There is a lot more going on in each of the women's lives than it seems, however; marriage and family conflicts, health concerns, work and financial stresses, and more are hidden beneath the seemingly perfect surface. As more secrets about Tara, Karen, and Rylie are revealed, readers are reminded that we never really know what happens behind closed doors, and showing compassion to our neighbors is always a good idea because we don't know the struggles they might be facing.

All three women were mostly likeable and sympathetic, but I found myself empathizing with Karen the most because I've had similar health challenges that were difficult to diagnose. I especially liked that the women ended up becoming true friends in the end, having gotten to know and understand each other a bit better. I also appreciated that not all of their problems were magically fixed by the end of the story because it felt realistic to me; life is messy and our problems don't usually get tied up into neat little bows.

Overall, "Have You Heard about Karen?" was a quick but entertaining read, and I would recommend it for all fans of contemporary women's fiction. I would read more of this author's work in the future.

*Review copy provided by the author via Hidden Gems Books. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Janet Cardillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice ending

I thought this was to be a fluffy girls book and decided to read it anyway. But it really had a slice of life feel to it. Each family had issues,some more serious than others but all traumatic to each family. It's not as if I hadn't read about the issues, and even lived thru a few, but the way it was written was enjoyable. And while not every issue was resolved, it left off in a satisfying way.

[Belle Cope · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great story but too many micro aggressions to overlook

I loved almost everything about this book.

I gave it one star because of the several racist microaggressions. The author refers to cheap phones as "Chinese" and one character asks herself "am I going to have to get a Filipino?".

If the author had removed these problematic sentences then I would have greatly enjoyed this book. As it stands I'm disappointed that I read it and I'm thankful that I didn't spend much on it.

[Jennifer Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends really care about each other

The story starts out slow and confusing, as if you are reading three stories at one time. It does get to the point where you can understand how they all connect. The story is about three women and what is going on in each of their lives. They each think the other has it so much better than they have. After one gets sick they then realize the grass isn't as green as they thought elsewhere.

[Pat Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Grass Looks Greener

Friends living in the same neighbourhood have different perceptions about each other. They notice little things and jump to conclusions. Its only when they discover one of them is suffering from ms that they rally around her, supporting her, and being non-judgemental friends. This camaradarie is exactly what she needs! A nice story.

[Doylas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This was an interesting read about Karen who developed MS and did know how to tell her family and friends about her illness. She found out that she had great friends who was willing to help her in every way when they learned of her illness. You never know who your true friends are until you get sick. Great read!

[Debbie Natsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been an interesting dive into the lives of these women, but it seemed very surface level, with no real climax. It took me more than halfway through the book to keep the three main characters straight the way the book jumped around. But, an easy enough read and I did find myself rooting for these characters.

[Karen greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is the reality of life. If you have ever had to deal with chronic health issues, imperfect families or the ups and down of relationships you will enjoy this book. This book is funny, heartfelt and oh so real. I truly enjoyed this book.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book

I truly enjoyed this book. The characters were real, the story was believable, and it was well written. I look forward to reading more by this author

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 different families who are neighbors. I was disappointed in the ending for some reason.

[Andrea Brenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, touching, funny and just a fun and quick read

[heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light fun read

Great read! Friendly and fun. I even teared up a bit in the end. A feel good book that makes you want to keep reading.

[Kaylee J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the plot line of this story, but the actual events in the book were lacking for me. The characters didn't really seem to connect either. Definitely not a bad airport read, just not my personal favorite

[Lee Simpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this story when I read the description, but I struggled through it once I started reading it. I could not get into the story and could not relate with the characters at all. I received a copy of this book at no charge. I freely leave this review.

[Shell Roush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as exciting as the description made it seem. A reminder that everyone has more going on that what we see, even the people we think we know. But nothing exciting with this book, with a lot left unresolved- but nothing I’d want to see played out in a sequel.

[Karen Post · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I could relate the the characters. They were very likable. I felt their pain. I cheered for them. I was sad when the book ended. I wanted to keep the characters around longer.