Review: The Address

The Address

by Fiona Davis

Why did you choose this book? The synopsis was intriguing and so was the cover

When did you read this book? Jul 2017

Who should read this book? Readers of historical fiction; particularly those who love novels set in NYC

Source: Penguin First To Read

Here is a synopsis of The Address from Penguin First To Read

My Rating: ☆☆☆☆ -  4 Stars

Fiona Davis, author of The Dollhouse, returns with a compelling novel about the thin lines between love and loss, success and ruin, passion and madness, all hidden behind the walls of The Dakota—New York City’s most famous residence.

After a failed apprenticeship, working her way up to head housekeeper of a posh London hotel is more than Sara Smythe ever thought she’d make of herself. But when a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house The Dakota, leads to a job offer, her world is suddenly awash in possibility—no mean feat for a servant in 1884. The opportunity to move to America, where a person can rise above one’s station. The opportunity to be the female manager of The Dakota, which promises to be the greatest apartment house in the world. And the opportunity to see more of Theo, who understands Sara like no one else...and is living in The Dakota with his wife and three young children.

In 1985, Bailey Camden is desperate for new opportunities. Fresh out of rehab, the former party girl and interior designer is homeless, jobless, and penniless. Two generations ago, Bailey’s grandfather was the ward of famed architect Theodore Camden. But the absence of a genetic connection means Bailey won’t see a dime of the Camden family’s substantial estate. Instead, her “cousin” Melinda—Camden’s biological great-granddaughter—will inherit almost everything. So when Melinda offers to let Bailey oversee the renovation of her lavish Dakota apartment, Bailey jumps at the chance, despite her dislike of Melinda’s vision. The renovation will take away all the character and history of the apartment Theodore Camden himself lived in...and died in, after suffering multiple stab wounds by a madwoman named Sara Smythe, a former Dakota employee who had previously spent seven months in an insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island.

One hundred years apart, Sara and Bailey are both tempted by and struggle against the golden excess of their respective ages—for Sara, the opulence of a world ruled by the Astors and Vanderbilts; for Bailey, the free-flowing drinks and cocaine in the nightclubs of New York City—and take refuge and solace in the Upper West Side’s gilded fortress. But a building with a history as rich—and often tragic—as The Dakota’s can’t hold its secrets forever, and what Bailey discovers in its basement could turn everything she thought she knew about Theodore Camden—and the woman who killed him—on its head.

With rich historical detail, nuanced characters, and gorgeous prose, Fiona Davis once again delivers a compulsively readable novel that peels back the layers of not only a famed institution, but the lives—and lies—of the beating hearts within.

My Review

I was attracted to this one because I’ve heard good things about the author’s previous work and both the cover and the synopsis pulled me in. When I had the chance to get an advance copy through the Penguin First To Read program, I grabbed it!

The story is set in The Dakota, the building famous for being the residence of John Lennon at the time of his murder outside the building. The main characters are young women living in the building 100 years apart, and the story alternates between these time periods. Sara Smythe is a young English woman who immigrates to the US to become ‘managerette’ of the building when it opens and hoping for a better life than she could have in England. Her life gets messy as she gets closer to Theodore Camden, the architect who resides in the building as he oversees the opening.

Bailey Camden is a young woman who is indirectly related to the Camden family. Her grandfather was a ward of Theodore Camden, but he wanted nothing to do with the family that left him out of the family legacy. Bailey’s best friend is her cousin Melinda Camden, who, along with her twin brother, is an heir to the Camden legacy. In subtle ways, she always manages to remind Bailey of the family legacy that Bailey is not part of. Bailey has just come out of rehab for an addiction problem, but Melinda ignores that problem and encourages Bailey to party with her and her boyfriend. The girls grew up together playing in the apartment that Melinda now occupies, learning the story of how Melinda’s great-grandfather, Theodore Camden, was murdered by the Sara Smythe, the insane managerette. The mystery is that no one know what drove Sara to murder.

The story drew me right in and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened — until about the middle of the book. Then it slowed down for me tremendously, to the point that I almost put the book aside. Both Sara and Bailey were making some very bad choices, even while telling themselves they were making bad choices, and that was difficult for me to read about! Luckily that only lasted for a short time, and the story picked right up again! The story of Sara and Theodore was much more compelling for me than that of Bailey. I understand that the Bailey story was necessary to give us some of the details, but I really wanted to rush through her parts of the story and get back to the Sara story!

I think this will be a great book for book clubs! There are so many things I would like to discuss right now, but I can’t because it would give spoilers! I can say that many of them have to do with motivation of the characters for the actions they took, and the consequences of their decisions.

Visit the publisher’s website to read and excerpt. Visit the author’s website to learn more about the book and a conversation with the author about her inspiration for the book.

I received an advanced review copy of this book through the Penguin First To Read program.

DNF Review: You Were Here

You Were Here

by Gian Sander

Why did you choose this book? The synopsis was interesting

When did you read this book? May 2017

Who should read this book? Readers of suspense and mystery who have the patience for a slow start

Source: Penguin First To Read

Here is a synopsis of You Were Here from Penguin First To Read

My Rating:  DNF

Readers of Kate Atkinson will delight in this suspenseful debut novel about a woman haunted by nightmares and her grandmother's role in a doomed love triangle almost seventy years before.

What if the past is never buried?

Death, accidental and early, has always been Abby Walters's preoccupation. Now thirty-three and eager to settle down with her commitment-shy boyfriend, a recurring dream from her past

returns: a paralyzing nightmare of being buried alive, the taste of dirt in her mouth cloying and real. But this time the dream reveals a name from her family's past. Looking for answers, Abby returns home to small-town Minnesota for the first time in fourteen years, where she reconnects with her high school crush, now a police detective on the trail of a violent criminal. When Abby tries on her grandmother's mesmerizing diamond ring, a ring she always dreamed would be hers, she discovers a cryptic note long hidden beneath the box's velvet lining. What secret was her grandmother hiding? And could this be the key to what's haunting Abby? As she begins to uncover the traces of a love triangle gone shockingly wrong nearly seventy years before, we, too, see that the layers of our lives may echo a past we’ve never known. With mesmerizing twists and a long-buried secret that may finally rise to light, You Were Here weaves together two worlds separated by decades, asking if the mistakes made in past lives can ever be corrected in the future, and if some souls are meant to find one another time and time again.

My Review

I really tried....twice....but I just could not get into this book. It got off to a really slow start, and I was not able to make it past the first 100 pages either time. That's too bad, because the synopsis is pretty interesting. Sadly, I had to DNF it!

If you read through some of the reviews at other sites, you will find my experience was not unique, and that many complained about the slow start to the book. And like me me, many of those readers DNF’d the book. But you will also see that those that pushed through were glad they did, and say that at about the midway point the book transformed from a chore to struggle through to a book they could not put down!

My recommendation: if the synopsis sounds interesting and you have patience, give this one a try. I may just pick this one up again sometime and test that advice!

I received an advanced review copy of this book through the Penguin First To Read program.

Review: Boardwalk Summer

Boardwalk Summer

by Kimberly Fisk

Why did you choose this book? The synopsis was interesting

When did you read this book? May 2017

Who should read this book? Readers of summer romance, especially those who also enjoy NASCAR

Source: Penguin First To Read

My Rating:  ★★★★     4 Stars

Here is a synopsis of Boardwalk Summer from Penguin First To Read

In the town of Tranquility Bay, summer is the season of second chances...

Single mother Hope Thompson has built a happy life for herself and her twins in beautiful Tranquility Bay, Washington. She doesn’t dwell on her painful past—especially not on the man who broke her heart all those years ago. But when Hope’s beloved son needs help, she takes a desperate chance and reaches out to her children’s father.

Nick Fortune lives life in the spotlight as a champion race car driver. He’s shocked to hear from Hope and even more surprised to learn that he’s a father. He immediately heads to the Pacific Northwest to confront the past—and the woman he once loved.

There, on the quiet lakeshore, Nick and Hope must work together to save their son—even if it means facing their complicated past—for a second chance as a family.

My Review

I saw this one offered as part of the Penguin First To Read program and the synopsis intrigued me. Getting a call out of the blue telling you that not only are you the father of a 15-year-old son that you never knew about, but that he needs your help, is sure to make for a good story!

This is a perfect summer read for an afternoon by the pool. With no interruptions you should be able to finish this book in an afternoon, and it has everything you want from a good summer romance; conflict, steam, and a happy ending. However, if you choose to take it to another level, that is also possible. This could be a great selection for a summer book club. Not only will it keep the reader entertained, but the book should lead to some great discussions. Discussion topics could include Hope’s decision to keep fact that he is a father from Nick, and the relationship of Hope with her mother, as well as many others.

While the book was a little bit predictable — I was sure from the beginning of how the story would turn out — that did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. There was also an epilogue to let me know what happens in the future. The only thing I felt was lacking was more details about Heather’s mother, Clare. I would like to know if their relationship continued to evolve.

Anyone looking for a good summer romance will enjoy this. NASCAR fans will enjoy it even more, as there are many details taken from the world of racing included in the novel.

 I received an advanced review copy of this book through the Penguin First To Read program.

Review: Small Great Things

Small Great Things

by Jodi Picoult

Why did you choose this book? I routinely read Jodi Picoult’s books

When did you read this book? September 2016

Who should read this book? readers who enjoy Jodi Picoult or contemporary drama

Source: Penguin First To Read

Here is a synopsis of Small Great Things from Goodreads

Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?

Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy's counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other's trust, and come to see that what they've been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.

With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game.

My Review

I have read most of Jodi Picoult’s books as soon as they are released in recent year, so I was excited when I saw this one offered through Penguin’s First To Read program and I couldn’t wait to read it. In many ways the synopsis felt like a ‘drawn from the headlines’ story with the racial implications, and in fact, in the author notes at the end, we learn she was inspired by a real incident in that took place in Michigan.

The book was a quick read and a good story. It was easy to like Ruth, the labor and delivery nurse charged with failing to fulfill her duties, though I did question her actions at times when it seemed she purposely made things harder for herself and her son than was necessary. It was so easy to not like Turk, the ‘White Supremist’, or his family. As regular readers of this blog know, one of my pet peeves is books that leave me hanging and wondering what happened next,  so one thing that I really appreciate about this book is that the author gave me a glimpse into the future. I know a little of what happened in the lives of many of the main characters. Some of this seemed to be a bit too neatly tied up, and I would have liked to know how it came about and what happened with some of the lesser characters, but overall, I am satisfied with the glimpse I got.

This is a timely story which includes some difficult conversations about race and about what it means to be racist. I don’t entirely agree with everything said in the book, but I do think the point is well taken that we need to be having these difficult conversations. This book will make an excellent book club selection for the right group, however, I think everyone needs to be prepared to be open-minded and to really listen to what others are saying and feeling. If your book club doesn’t handle controversy well, I’d recommend steering clear of this one. That doesn’t mean that YOU shouldn’t read it, though. This is definitely a book with ‘food for thought’!

My Rating:  ✰✰✰✰½             4½ stars

I received an advanced copy of this book for review purposes through the Penguin First To Read program.

Review: A Place We Knew Well

A Place We Knew Well

by Susan Carol McCarthy

Why did you choose this book? the premise sucked me in

When did you read this book? September 2015

Who should read this book? readers of period fiction set in the 60s

Source: Penguin First To Read

Here is a synopsis of A Place We Knew Well from Penguin First To Read

“Susan Carol McCarthy blends fact, memory, imagination and truth with admirable grace,” said The Washington Post of the author’s critically acclaimed debut novel, Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands. Now McCarthy returns with another enthralling story of a family—their longings, their fears, and their secrets—swept up in the chaos at the height of the Cold War.

Late October, 1962. Wes Avery, a one-time Air Force tail-gunner, is living his version of the American Dream as loving husband to Sarah, doting father to seventeen-year-old Charlotte, and owner of a successful Texaco station along central Florida’s busiest highway. But after President Kennedy announces that the Soviets have nuclear missiles in Cuba, Army convoys clog the highways and the sky fills with fighter planes. Within days, Wes’s carefully constructed life begins to unravel.

Sarah, nervous and watchful, spends more and more time in the family’s bomb shelter, slipping away into childhood memories and the dreams she once held for the future. Charlotte is wary but caught up in the excitement of high school—her nomination to homecoming court, the upcoming dance, and the thrill of first love. Wes, remembering his wartime experience, tries to keep his family’s days as normal as possible, hoping to restore a sense of calm. But as the panic over the Missile Crisis rises, a long-buried secret threatens to push the Averys over the edge.

With heartbreaking clarity and compassion, Susan Carol McCarthy captures the shock and innocence, anxiety and fear, in those thirteen historic days, and brings vividly to life one ordinary family trying to hold center while the world around them falls apart.

My Review

I saw this one offered as part of the Penguin First To Read program. When I saw the cover on this one, I loved it! It is so ‘early 60s’! I’ve been wanting to read some historical fiction set in the 60s, so I picked this one up. One thing I really enjoyed about the book is the feeling of ‘nostalgia’ I got while reading it. I really don’t remember the Cuban Missile crisis as I was a very young child when it happened. In fact, until I read this book, I thought the the terms ‘Cuban Missile Crisis’ and ‘Bay of Pigs’ were interchangeable! I think I have a vague memory of duck and cover drills, or maybe I just remember being told about them. And I definitely remember the black and yellow signs that designated the basement of my elementary school as a ‘fall out shelter’. But reading about these things made me laugh because — did people seriously believe you could go into a basement for a couple of days and avoid contamination from radioactive elements!? But the tension over the Cuban Missile Crisis and the panic people felt over the possible ‘end of the world’ seemed very real.

I also enjoyed the descriptions of the old filling station run by Wes and the excitement of homecoming. What I didn’t enjoy so much was the actual story line. I never really felt much of a bond with most of the characters.  Also there was a bit of a twist that was kind of sprung on us, and then it was left dangling. We are told that Charlotte felt these were dark days because of that twist, and that she didn’t care to remember them, but I never really ‘felt her pain’. All in all, while I enjoyed reading the book and experiencing a bit of what the Cuban Missile Crisis must have felt like, this is a pretty forgettable book. However, if you are looking for a book with an early 60s flavor, you will probably enjoy this one!

My Rating:  ★★★1/2     3-1/2 Stars

I received an advanced review copy of this book through the Penguin First To Read program. The expected publication date is September 29, 2015.

Review: Ana of California

Ana of California

by Andi Teran

Why did you choose this book? Loved the cover!

When did you read this book? June 2015

Who should read this book? readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories

Source: Penguin First To Read

Here is a synopsis of Ana of California from Penguin First To Read

In the grand tradition of Anne of Green Gables, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and The Three Weissmanns of Westport, Andi Teran’s captivating debut novel offers a contemporary twist on a beloved classic. Fifteen-year-old orphan Ana Cortez has just blown her last chance with a foster family. It’s a group home next—unless she agrees to leave East Los Angeles for a farm trainee program in Northern California.

When she first arrives, Ana can’t tell a tomato plant from a blackberry bush, and Emmett Garber is skeptical that this slight city girl can be any help on his farm. His sister Abbie, however, thinks Ana might be just what they need. Ana comes to love Garber Farm, and even Emmett has to admit that her hard work is an asset. But when she inadvertently stirs up trouble in town, Ana is afraid she might have ruined her last chance at finding a place to belong.

My Review

This one was just an ‘ok’ read for me. I didn’t hate it, but it was a struggle for me to get through. This is billed as an Ann of Green Gables retelling, so it’s possible that my problem is that I’ve never read Ann of Green Gables.

In some ways, this story reminded me a bit of The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbach, in that both novels centered around girls on their last chance in the foster system. However, for me, Ana was a much more likeable character than Victoria — Ana seemed to appreciate being given one more chance. There was also a similarity to Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain with the social workers in both stories being women who truly cared about their charges and tried to help.

For some reason this story never really clicked with me. There were a lot of side stories that either never really developed, or developed so slowly that by the time they came into play, I no longer cared. Even at the end, there were a lot of unanswered questions. Ironically, had this been a short story, ending after about 100 pages when Ana’s ‘trial period’ on the farm ended, I think I would have enjoyed this story much more.

My Rating:  ★★     2 Stars

I was provided an advanced review copy of this book through the Penguin First To Read program. This did not affect my opinion of the book.

Review: Sweet Forgiveness

Sweet Forgiveness

by Lori Nelson Spielman

Why did you choose this book? Loved the cover!

When did you read this book? April 2015

Who should read this book? readers of women’s fiction who enjoy a mystery

Source: Penguin First To Read

Here is a synopsis of Sweet Forgiveness from Penguin First To Read

A story about embarking on a journey of forgiveness and finding the courage to right past wrongs to keep a family together.  

The Forgiveness Stones craze is sweeping the nation—instantly recognizable pouches of stones that come with a chain letter and two simple requests: to forgive, and then to seek forgiveness. But New Orleans' favorite talk show host, Hannah Farr, isn't biting. Intensely private and dating the city’s mayor, Hannah has kept her very own pouch of Forgiveness Stones hidden for two years—and her dark past concealed for nearly two decades. But when Fiona Knowles, creator of the Forgiveness Stones, appears on Hannah’s show, Hannah unwittingly reveals on air details of a decades-old falling out with her mother.

Spurned by her fans, doubted by her friends, and accused by her boyfriend of marring his political career, Hannah reluctantly embarks on a public journey of forgiveness. As events from her past become clearer, the truth she’s clung to since her teenage years has never felt murkier. Hannah must find the courage to right old wrongs, or risk losing her mother, and any glimmer of an authentic life, forever.

My Review

I saw this one offered as part of the Penguin First To Read program and it sounded interesting, so I picked it up. I wasn’t sure what I was getting with it, but I thought it would be a light happy read. I wasn’t exactly wrong; it was a very good read, but with a lot more depth than I had anticipated. The book opens with the ‘Forgiveness Stone’ craze sweeping the country. This reminded me a lot of the Pet Rock craze of the 70s when people were paying for a …. box with a ROCK!? In the Forgiveness Rock craze though, you get TWO rocks (WOW!); one to send as a token of forgiveness, and the other to send as a request for forgiveness. Hannah Farr is a popular talk show host in New Orleans, who ironically, is the recipient of one of the original Forgiveness Stones. She went to school with the originator.

Hannah has a past and she needs to forgive someone, as well as to be forgiven. She knows she needs to seek a reconciliation with her mother, but there is a complication; she is dating the Mayor of New Orleans, and HE feels bringing up her past will be bad news for HIS political ambitions. If there was one thing that annoyed me about Hannah, it was her naivety. It was obvious to everyone but Hannah, including the reader, that she needed to dump this guy….and quickly! Aside from the mayor though, Hannah had some very interesting, and kind, people in her life; the mother of the man she almost married,  her makeup artist, and the vintner she met on a trip to Michigan, among others.

This was a quick, fun read with a good story about forgiveness. I enjoyed it very much and would definitely read this author again!

My Rating:  ★★★1/2     4 Stars

I received an advanced review copy of this book through the Penguin First To Read program in return for an honest review.

Review: The House of Hawthorne

The House of Hawthorne

by Erica Robuck

Why did you choose this book? the cover drew me in

When did you read this book? May 2015

Who should read this book? lovers of classic literature

Source: Penguin First To Read

Here is a synopsis of The House of Hawthorne from Penguin First To Read

The House of Hawthorne explores the tension within a famous marriage of two soulful, strong-willed people, each devoted to the other but also driven by a powerful need to explore the far reaches of their creative impulses.

From Erika Robuck, bestselling author of Hemingway’s Girl, comes a brilliant new novel about a literary couple. The unlikely marriage between Nathaniel Hawthorne, the celebrated novelist, and Sophia Peabody, the invalid artist, was a true union of passion and intellect.…

Beset by crippling headaches from a young age and endowed with a talent for drawing, Sophia is discouraged by her well-known New England family from pursuing a woman’s traditional roles. But from their first meeting, Nathaniel and Sophia begin an intense romantic relationship that despite many setbacks leads to their marriage. Together, they will cross continents, raise children, and experience all the beauty and tragedy of an exceptional partnership. Sophia’s vivid journals and her masterful paintings kindle a fire in Nathaniel, inspiring his writing. But their children’s needs and the death of loved ones steal Sophia’s energy and time for her art, fueling in her a perennial tug-of-war between fulfilling her domestic duties and pursuing her own desires.

Spanning the years from the 1830s to the Civil War, and moving from Massachusetts to England, Portugal, and Italy, The House of Hawthorne explores the tension within a famous marriage of two soulful, strong-willed people, each devoted to the other but also driven by a powerful need to explore the far reaches of their creative impulses. It is the story of a forgotten woman in history, who inspired one of the greatest writers of American literature…

My Review

I saw this one was available through the First To Read program and the cover really drew me in. Just look at that cover! It leads me right into wanting to know more about these people and why the woman on the cover is watching the man walk away!

Even though I love the cover, the book didn’t really live up to my expectations. It took me a LONG time to get into the story. The writing is actually beautiful and very detailed, and to me, it felt much like I was reading a classic. And that is one of the problems. I don’t usually enjoy classics! (Though ironically,  I did enjoy The Scarlet Letter, authored by the subject of the novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne!) After trudging through about a third of the book, I did get to the point that I felt the story flowed, and I liked it enough to continue reading. Like all good historical fiction, this book caused me to take frequent ‘Google breaks’ to learn more about what I was reading!

The book tells the story of the marriage of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sophia Peabody. In many ways Sophia’s experience parallels the experience of modern women, who often feel pulled between career and family. When Sophia makes the decision to set aside her career for a domestic career as wife and mother, she is taken to task for making that choice, even though she appears to be very happy with the choice.

One thing I really enjoyed about the book was the interaction of other historical characters with the Hawthornes. They ran around with a pretty impressive circle of friends; Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau to name just two! They would gather with their friends to discuss ideas and to discuss their art, though Nathaniel Hawthorne was more a listener than a talker. It reminded me very much of the Bloomsbury Group salons in Vanessa and Her Sister (which I still need to review!), except that these characters were much more likeable!

Though this will not be a memorable book for me, I did like it, and I learned from it. I think lovers of classic literature will love this book and rate it much higher than I did.

My Rating:  ★★★     3 Stars

I received an advanced review copy of this book through the Penguin First To Read program in return for an honest review.

Review: The Sound of Glass

The Sound of Glass

by Karen White

Why did you choose this book? Loved the cover!

When did you read this book? April 2015

Who should read this book? reader’s of women’s fiction who enjoy a mystery

Source: Penguin First To Read

Here is a synopsis of The Sound of Glass from Penguin First To Read

Sometimes, it's the deepest secrets that force us to face our fears and find the healing we need.

The New York Times bestselling author of A Long Time Gone now explores a Southern family’s buried history, which will change the life of the woman who unearths it, secret by shattering secret.

It has been two years since the death of Merritt Heyward’s husband, Cal, when she receives unexpected news—Cal’s family home in Beaufort, South Carolina, bequeathed by Cal’s reclusive grandmother, now belongs to Merritt.

Charting the course of an uncertain life—and feeling guilt from her husband’s tragic death—Merritt travels from her home in Maine to Beaufort, where the secrets of Cal’s unspoken-of past reside among the pluff mud and jasmine of the ancestral Heyward home on the Bluff. This unknown legacy, now Merritt’s, will change and define her as she navigates her new life—a new life complicated by the arrival of her too young stepmother and ten-year-old half-brother.

Soon, in this house of strangers, Merritt is forced into unraveling the Heyward family past as she faces her own fears and finds the healing she needs in the salt air of the Low Country.

My Review

I picked this one up because I liked the pretty cover. I love the soft blues and greens. But I really was apprehensive about reviewing this one because I’d never read Karen White before. While sometimes I enjoy a fluffy romance, I have to be in the right mood for it. I usually prefer a little more substance to a book. I am very happy to say that I was completely mistaken about Karen White. This book had plenty of substance to it, and will leave you thinking about it for days. This will be a great pick for book clubs!

The book is starts with a horrible plane crash in Beaufort, South Carolina. No one really knows what caused the plane to crash. This was back in the 1950s before black boxes were common. So we start out with an intriguing mystery. There is also a recurring theme in this book of domestic abuse. And of course, just to make this fun, there is a bit of romance!

The story is told from alternating points of view. Merritt is a young woman who was raised in Maine, and who lost her mother when she was still a child. She has also recently lost her husband, and and has inherited his grandmother’s house in South Carolina. Loralee is Merritt’s young, attractive step-mother, who has also recently lost her husband, Merritt’s father. Loralee has a ten year old son, Merritt’s half-brother, whom Merritt has never met. Loralee decides it is high time they did meet, and takes off for South Carolina, seemingly on a whim. I loved the character of Loralee. She is smart, and not afraid to be pretty, too! I love her southern mannerisms and phrasings. She was so much fun to be around!

This is one of those books that I lost sleep over, reading late into the night, and when I was done, I was left with ‘book hangover’! This will make a great book club selection with topics of domestic violence, step-parenting, grief, and many others. I haven’t yet found a reader’s guide, but I’m sure there will be one out soon. You won’t really need it though. Your discussions should flow very easily from the story! Enjoy!

Visit the author's website to read an excerpt or to learn more about The Sound of Glass. You can view a book trailer of Karen White discussing her book below.

My Rating:  ★★★★1/2     4-1/2 Stars

I received an advanced review copy of this book through the Penguin First To Read program in return for an honest review.