Felicia's Favorites

Felicia Morgan Weston, a 66-year-old woman, is killed by a deranged sniper during the New York marathon. One month later, her attorney, Scott Freeman, sends identical letters to her five daughters, requesting they come to a house in Connecticut to learn the contents of her will.

Felicia's husband, Bill Weston, a literary agent who worked for the prominent agent Robert Farr, died in a plane crash when the daughters were young. Three years later, Felicia returned to work as a book editor and, frustrated by the manuscripts she handled, wrote her own thriller in three months. She submitted it under the pseudonym Morgan Reed, and it became an overnight bestseller. Robert agreed to represent her and guard her identity. Over 27 years, she produced 108 books while her daughters believed she was merely Morgan Reed's private editor, living modestly and telling no one the truth except Robert and Scott.

The five Weston sisters each face distinct challenges. Charlotte, the eldest at 42, runs a successful online delivery service and is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO). Her marriage to a dishonest man ended in bitter divorce, leaving her deeply wary of men and raising her two children, Sean and Julia, alone. Quinne, 39, is a freelance TV producer who has lived with her partner, Cooper O'Neill, an Irish-born actor, for 18 years, avoiding marriage after watching Charlotte's divorce. Olivia, 37, was a promising ballerina with the American Ballet Theatre until a car accident at 25 left her with paraplegia, unable to walk or feel sensation below the waist. She broke off her engagement to François Vernier, a choreographer, refusing to burden him. She now teaches ballet from her wheelchair and designs sets for a small dance company. Veronica, 36, graduated magna cum laude from Columbia Law School but abandoned her legal career for Anson Phillips, a married US senator 21 years her senior. She has been his mistress for 10 years, with no career or social life of her own. Isabelle, 34, the youngest, has three children with her husband, Ian MacPherson, and has just learned of his affair with a young intern named Leila.

The sisters travel to Connecticut and arrive at a large stone farmhouse dating back to the American Revolution. Scott reveals the central secret: Morgan Reed never existed. Felicia wrote all the books herself. After estate taxes, each daughter will inherit roughly $18 million from Felicia's investment portfolio, plus a one-fifth share of the farm, which is valued at approximately $50 million. Scott distributes handwritten letters from Felicia explaining that she hid her fame to protect her family. The sisters tour the house, find photographs and familiar objects from their childhood, and decide to keep the property.

When they meet with Robert Farr, he reveals further secrets. Their father was not the hero Felicia made him out to be: Shortly before the crash, Bill told Felicia he was leaving her for a young colleague, and they died together. Felicia never told her daughters, protecting his memory. Robert also discloses that about 15 years before her death, Felicia fell in love with Spencer York, a famous widowed novelist and another of Robert's clients. When the farm next to Spencer's became available, Felicia bought it, and they lived side by side for 12 years. Spencer, devastated by her death, has retreated to London. His son, Andrew "Andy" York, an unmarried writer in his late 40s, is house-sitting next door.

The sisters begin adjusting to their transformed lives. Charlotte takes her children to Paris for Christmas. Veronica and Olivia spend the holiday at the farm, where they meet Andy and bond over memories of Felicia and Spencer. Meanwhile, Anson grows hostile toward Veronica's newfound independence, furious that she is spending time at the farm instead of remaining constantly available to him. Robert secures a TV series deal for one of Felicia's books and offers Quinne a role as executive producer. Veronica enrolls in intellectual property classes at Columbia to help manage her mother's literary estate.

When the sisters gather at the farm for Felicia's birthday in January, they share their struggles. Ian has moved out on Isabelle, still involved with Leila. Veronica admits Anson opposes her growing independence. Olivia announces she wants to have a baby, a desire she has harbored for over a year that sharpened after Felicia's death. Her gynecologist confirms she can conceive through intrauterine insemination (IUI) with a sperm donor.

Charlotte and Andy begin dating and grow close despite Charlotte's wariness of relationships. On Valentine's weekend at the farm, Andy declares his love, and Charlotte commits to the relationship. That same night, Olivia sends a tentative email to François after 12 years of silence. The tension between Veronica and Anson reaches a breaking point when he tells her bluntly that their arrangement is transactional and orders her to vacate the apartment, returning all jewelry. He cancels her phone and credit cards. Scott helps Veronica with the transition, bringing her a new phone and taking her to dinner. Over the following weeks, Veronica finds her own apartment, continues her studies, and begins a relationship with Scott. When Anson later asks her to return, she declines, telling him he did her a favor by setting her free.

François responds to Olivia's email and visits New York for performances with the American Ballet Theatre. They reconnect instantly. He reveals his marriage ended in divorce three years ago and proposes to be her sperm donor on the condition they marry first. Olivia accepts, and they plan a wedding at the farm for Memorial Day weekend.

Spencer York visits New York and meets the sisters, deeply moved by Charlotte's resemblance to Felicia. He asks Andy to move permanently into the Connecticut house, unable to live there himself without Felicia. Olivia asks Spencer to walk her down the aisle.

The wedding takes place at the farm with fewer than 20 guests. Spencer walks Olivia down the aisle, her train draped over her wheelchair. François lifts Olivia from her chair and carries her down the aisle after the vows. During the reception, Ian tells Isabelle he wants to come home, but Isabelle tells him it is too late and she wants a divorce.

The morning after the wedding, the couple undergo the IUI procedure. François surprises Olivia with a honeymoon aboard a yacht called The True Love in the Caribbean. After an initial negative result, a second pregnancy test confirms Olivia is expecting.

On the anniversary of Felicia's death, the family scatters her ashes at the farm and places a white marble heart under a tree. Months later, at the premiere of the TV series, Charlotte notices Olivia is unwell. Because Olivia has no sensation below the waist, she is unaware she is hemorrhaging from a detached placenta. Doctors perform an emergency Caesarean section, and their son, Felix, is born healthy.

Felix is christened on Olivia and François's first anniversary, with Spencer as godfather. On the same day, Charlotte and Andy marry in a simple ceremony at the farm. Veronica and Scott are engaged, and Veronica has begun working at a law firm. Quinne and Cooper thrive with their production company. Isabelle, her divorce finalized, is at peace. The novel closes with Olivia reflecting that they were all Felicia's favorites, as their mother told each of them at bedtime when they were children, and that Felicia lives within her daughters now, continuing to protect, bless, and love them.