Family and Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Family & Other Calamities

by Leslie Gray Streeter

Published by Lake Union Publishing on June 1, 2025
Setting: Baltimore, Maryland
Genres: Romantic Mystery
Pages: 253
Format: Audible Audiobook, Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback
Source: the Publisher
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon

A successful journalist returns to her hometown just as her biggest mistake becomes headline news in this vibrant, funny, and heartfelt novel about facing the past, and its secrets, head-on.

Entertainment journalist Dawn Roberts has a lot to work a widow’s grief, betrayals of family and friends, and scandals that almost tanked her reputation. Not that Dawn dwells on the past. Well, hardly. When she returns to Baltimore with her husband’s ashes, she can’t avoid it. In fact, she’s diving into decades of backstabbing and treachery for her first trip home in years.

She’s looking at you, Joe Perkins. Her former mentor, whose explosive exposé about big-city corruption is being turned into a slanderous movie, is also back in town. The villain of the piece? Dawn. The good news is that this could all be a chance to reset—heal family wounds, admit to her own mistakes, and maybe even reconnect with the one who got away. Oh, and get even with Joe any way she can.

With the surprising help of an up-and-coming journalist and a legendary R & B diva, Dawn will finally set the record straight. Returning home might just be the biggest story in Dawn’s life, a fresh start—and happy ending—she never expected.

Family and Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter is fantastic! I love the characters.

Will Dawn clear her name and explain why it took so long?

Dawn Roberts is our main character, and she is marvelous. She is genuine. Let me clarify that she is an outstanding journalist, but she isn’t completely honest with herself. When she needed to choose between fight or flight, she chose the latter. In her defense, she was in love and young. Dale, the man that she moved for and married, kept her sane, gave her a good life, and truly loved her. So, the decision wasn’t a wreck, but now that Dale is gone, she needs to right some wrongs. As it seems, her old friend is out to ruin her completely and Dale’s reputation.

Dawn and all the characters in her world are so fantastically written. I can see all of them in my mind, from the crazy outbursts to the sisterly disagreements and the loud arguments. One of my favorites is Vivienne St. Clair. What a diva! Yet, don’t forget Dawn’s mom, Nita, is the best. She is down-to-earth and yet stands back and lets her girls be themselves.

Joe Perkins is our bad guy, but honestly, he is just an angry man who stole a story from someone who thought of him as a friend and a mentor, but he was just a jealous, petty man. Joe consistently reveals his true colors. However, Dawn didn’t see any of it because she is just a good person. Almost too good to be a journalist, at least in the media today. That is just my opinion, not a premise in the book.

Five Stars

My rating for Family and Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter is a beautiful story, filled with realistic characters and a believable story. Ms. Streeter brought Baltimore to life for me. I have never been there, and yet I feel as though I have. I highly recommend this story to everyone. It will make you laugh, cry, and want to call your family members.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Family and Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter.

Until the next time,

 

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2025 Goodreads RC JEN
• 2025 Traveling the World JEN

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