Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

The Reliable Narrator by Grace Sammon follows Darby Small as she struggles to survive. Darby is a ghostwriter living quietly in Croton-on-Hudson who has spent her entire life becoming invisible. It first started in her own family, then in the pages of other people's books. However, her invisibility façade cracks when her lifelong best friend Phoebe texts her out of nowhere. The two haven’t spoken to each other in a year. Phoebe is terminally ill and has one final, simple request. She wants Darby to write their story. As the two women reconnect between the Hudson Valley and the New Mexico desert, Darby is forced to confront the childhood wounds and family silences she's spent decades ghostwriting around in everyone else's lives but her own. She now has to face her demons and somehow come out of the ordeal victorious. But can she?

Author Grace Sammon did a fantastic job of creating such a believable character. Darby is the perfect protagonist. She is reliable, human, and makes the reader root for her from the beginning. I felt a connection with her, which surprised me. The author beautifully shows how someone skilled at capturing other people's truths can be so distant from her own. Watching her trust herself and write about her reality through her bond with Phoebe felt genuine. Phoebe herself is such a great character. Even from that very first camp memory, I realized that she is warm, funny, and completely unforgettable. She is exactly the kind of friend worth crossing silence for. The narrative is fantastic, and I enjoyed how the Hudson Valley and the New Mexico desert were described. It is very atmospheric, and I loved that. This novel deals directly with some heavy themes, including sexual abuse, grief, and suicide, but the author handles them with real care. The Reliable Narrator is a beautifully written story about friendship, memory, and finally being brave enough to tell your own story.