Getting It Right

by Karen E. Osborne

Getting It Right is the story of Kara and Alex, half-sisters who have never met, one the product of an abusive foster-care setting, the other of dysfunctional privilege. The novel is set in Harlem, the Bronx, and the wealthy community of Bedford, New York, during two weeks in March.

Haunted by crippling memories, Kara falls for the wrong men, tries to help her foster-care siblings suffering from PTSD, and longs for the father and half-sister she only knows from a photograph. Alex, meanwhile, struggles to keep her younger sisters out of trouble, her mother sane, and her marketing business afloat. Now she has a new responsibility: from his hospital bed, her father tasks Alex with finding Kara, the mixed-race child he abandoned. Alex is stunned to learn of Kara's existence but reluctantly agrees.

To make things more complicated, Kara loves a married man whom the FBI is pursuing for insider trading. When Alex eventually finds her half-sister, she becomes embroiled in Kara's dangers, which threaten to drag them both down. If Kara doesn't help the FBI, she could face prosecution and possible incarceration, and if Alex can't persuade Kara to meet their father, she will let him down during the final days of his life.

This novel explores grit and resilience, evolving definitions of race and family, and the ultimate power of redemption and forgiveness.

Genres: Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2017

About the author

I can't remember a time when I didn't want to write or wasn't writing.
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As a little girl growing up in the Bronx, I told my friends stories I made up, but pretended were true (imagined reality was better received by the audience). I wrote my first short story when I was twelve. In middle school, I'd submit book reports about my own stories with fake author names. Never caught and always received an A. Under my graduation picture in the Evander Childs High School yearbook next to "ambition," it said writer. Marriage, children, and career sidelined my true passion, but didn't squelch it.
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Getting It Right came to me in scenes. I finished the first draft in a year. It took a very long time to re-write it. Since finishing it, I've written two more books and am working on a fourth.
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Tangled Lies, an award-winning mystery, came out last year and Reckonings, women's suspense fiction releases June 2022.
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More About Karen
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For seven years, Karen was an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University's Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. She founded The Osborne Group, a philanthropy and organizational management consulting firm, now run by her son, Robert Osborne, Jr.
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Awarded for excellence as a motivational speaker and trainer, she is the recipient of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's Crystal Apple for public speaking and the Ashmore Award for Outstanding Service. Karen serves on the boards of Easterseals Florida and Wise Giving Alliance in DC.

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

An apt name for a novel rooted in family ... stepsisters Alex, struggling with her place within her birth family; and Kara, struggling with her place within the family she has created around herself. Getting It Right is a noble, seldom reached goal whatever form your family takes.

Karen Osborne’s first novel is compelling and well paced, with characters who feel real and relevant. I was as frustrated with Kara’s choice of a lover and Alex’s allegiance to her father as I might have been with my own sisters. I found myself wanting to move into Mrs. E’s house with the gang and share a nosh. Each character is genuinely flawed but likeable despite it.

I find myself hoping for a sequel to learn whether Pigeon matures as promised, whether Vanessa comes to terms with her unhappy childhood and possible addiction, whether Kara realizes Danny is her future, whether Flyer recovers his mental well being. So many unanswered questions.

That being said, I found the insider trading/FBI storyline detracted from, rather than added to, the novel. Would a woman as streetwise as Kara be so insecure as to allow herself to be used as a mule? Ms. Osborne has a talent for characterizations and human interrelationships and didn’t need that scheme to drive the plot, in my opinion.

Overall, an admirably freshman effort. I look forward to Ms, Osborne’s next novel.

[Michael Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

On its simplest level, “Getting it Right” by Karen E. Osborne is a story of two half-sisters, Kara and Alex, who circumstances bring together for the first time as adults and who, in the wake of unsettling revelations, must navigate what it means to be family. But there is nothing simple in the story of Kara and Alex. While they share the same father and an uncanny resemblance to one another, each has grown up in very different worlds – Alex in privilege and affluence; Kara in poverty and suffering unfathomable abuse. Alex with a difficult mother and often absent father; Kara, when her mother dies tragically at a young age, in foster care, completely abandoned by the same father. Kara’s mother is African American; Alex’s white and married to their successful father.
Within this juxtaposition, Osborne takes each of the sisters on a journey of self-discovery, richly developed and transformational.

Osborne’s writing is simply perfect, clean, and drawing the reader into the minds of Kara and Alex, with a well-drawn assemblage of supporting characters, each integral in the exploration of the complex psychologies of the main protagonists.

I loved this book. It was lyrical, sad, tragic, and affirming, and it kept me invested in Kara and Alex through every page. I’m looking forward to more from Karen E. Osborne.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a page-turner. It's a fantastic debut novel & mystery. The characters, two half-sisters, initially unknown to each other, find a way to connect. Kara and Alex, are the main characters. The author writes in a compelling way about the struggles the two sisters have had, and eventually overcome. One sister, Kara, was raised in a horrible, abusive (not graphic) foster family. On the opposite side of the coin, there's Alex, whose job is now to find her half-sister. As I read the book, it made me think about how we define family, and how they can help us overcome some wretched circumstances. Along the way, it's a fun mystery as well. You've got the FBI, and some insider trading to liven up the plot and kept me returning to the story. I was touched by the stories of Kara and Alex, and their families. The story reminds me that we can have some interesting family configurations --and those people can help save us, and see us through troubled times. I think the author did a wonderful job of taking this journey and mystery. I would love to read more from this author, and perhaps follow Kara and Alex in further journeys.

[Kim G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great read such a page-turner had to keep reading to see how the characters developed. I wasn't prepared for this novel to be such an emotional read. Issues of abuse, the Foster Care System, and abandonment. It was good to see Kara(bi-racial) have support as she got older and continued with her therapy and not to be scared and speak up for herself and take charge of her life.

Karen E. Osborn did and excellent job writing this novel that dealt with many issues in the story. The way the book ended, and I am sensing a second installment to this story that would suit me just beautiful to see how the rest to the characters developed. And will Kara have a relationship with her half-siblings.

[Dan Leblanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written emotional story about two half sisters, their other family members and the families that raised them. Kara was a product of an affair of her African American mother and a well to do white lawyer, Worth Lawrence. Her half sister Alex and her sisters grew up in a wealthy childhood lifestyle, while Kara grew up in a physical and emotional abusive foster family. Their lives come together when Worth is on his death bed and request Alex to find his other daughter. This brings you down a very interesting and emotional journey into their past memories that Kara wants too forget forever.

[Kiera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is a great read about two half-sisters, Alex and Kara, kept apart by an imperfect father who creates a very different life for both of them – foster care for one and a privileged but dysfunctional family for the other. A death eventually brings the two half-sisters together and reveals the family drama Alex dealt with, along with Kara’s complicated relationship with a married man Kara has developed. The novel is well written from the points of view of the two half-sisters. The characters are well developed, and become real for the reader.

I would recommend the novel to anyone looking for a great read, full of drama, mystery, growth, and overcoming obstacles.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of two half-sisters who grow up separately despite having a living father in common. Alex is the chosen one who finds herself struggling to keep her family and business intact. Her father suffers a major heart attack, and fearing death, asks Alex to find his other daughter, Kara. Kara was raised in an abusive foster care environment and has a history of poor choices, including men. Her latest is wanted by the FBI for insider trading. Kara is not sure that she wants a "family" despite a lifetime of yearning for one. This is a story about family and obligations with lots of drams making it an entertaining read.

[Elaine Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this book!!!! I literally could not put it down. Osborne weaves a great tale. The characters were well-developed, the story well-crafted. The writing, though not literary, is fabulous. Drama all the way through, which makes it a great page-turner. I loved the fact that women were the central characters, and I loved the fact that this was a novel that naturally and quite easily involved both black and white families, with a realistic perspective...

I can’t wait for the sequel, and/or the movie!!!!

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won my advanced reading copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaways. I didn't think I was going to like this book the first chapter or so, but I quickly changed my mind about that and couldn't stop reading it. The story is about a very messed up family, and Kara the step-sister. I never knew which way this story was going but it was a great read. I understood the ending but did not like it. The characters are all very interesting.

[Brandi Nyborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through Librarything's giveaways. This author sure knows how to get you emotionally sucked in. I really felt for both Alex and Kara. The alternating chapters really help you see inside each of their minds, and it really s pulls all aspects of the story together. It's a good look at just how much damage secrets can do to a family. It's definitely worth a read if you enjoy family dramas.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads giveaways*

This was a really interesting story about two half sisters finding each other as adults and learning that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I had a hard time getting into this book at first but by the end I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend checking this book out!

[Elaine Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from a goodreads giveaway.
Initially I had a hard time getting into it, but eventually it picked up and
I enjoyed it. The plot about two half- sisters with very different lives finding each
other was interesting, but I thought character development and writing was somewhat weak.
This family drama is entertaining.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fast-paced story of sisters raised in different environments touched on hard to deal with themes, racism, sexually abuse, infidelity and keeping secrets. The characters are multidimensional and their situations are from the experiences of the author and many others. My book club read this selection and enjoyed a lively discussion with the author.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read! I literally couldn't put it down and was annoyed when I got interrupted! Was sad when it ended and really want to find out what happened to the characters....sequel please! Exceptional writing from a first-time author and a must read book.

[Lesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little hard to get into but became interesting as it progressed. Some intriguing twists but I felt some angles could have been explored more. Overall not a bad read...not one that "changes" the reader but a weekend read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book pulled me in and I wanted to share the character's journey and know the outcome! I would enjoy discussing this book with friends and the author!

[Jane Daly Seaberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a real page-turner. Vivid imagery and great character development. A great read.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trauma aside, the naivety of the central character was very frustrating and unbelievable esp., for a "city girl."

[Diane Billas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really kept my attention and was a great read! I loved the premise and I didn’t want to put it down.

[JP Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly written, beautifully told! I won't go into detail because... well... just read it. It's truly amazing!

[Kathy Kysar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book so much that I shared it with my sister, and that's saying something! Well-written, this book hit home with a storyline that was believeable without being predictable.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will a dying man's hospital confession bring two sisters back together? What happens when a family is divided by race, affluence, marital transgressions, abandonment, abuse and more? What is forgiveness? Is it ever too late for redemption?

All these questions and more make up the story in this book. Enjoyable reading. Writing a bit weak.

[Eva Silverfine · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this page-turner of a novel, Osborne deftly develops a story of half sisters whose experiences of the world have been vastly different. Kara, of mixed race, lived through an abusive foster-care placement, always yearning for her father and sister, known from a photograph, to come rescue her. Alex, White and the same age as Kara, has grown up in a privileged, if dysfunctional, environment. What I particularly liked about this novel is that Osborne does not gloss over the unresolved inequities, hurts, and consequences that remain even within the context of the main characters coming to terms with themselves and each other.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really struggled with this book. aside from the editing issues, the author got lost in weaving what could have been a good story and it fell flat.