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alwaysbooking's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 all the drama and more stars
I feel like I have to preface this review with I have read many Brenda Novak books and loved each and every one of them. This one however was not my cup of tea. I struggled with character connection and the plot line. It had a great idea behind it, but it just had every single thing you could think of thrown into and the kitchen sink and it was just over done for me. Missing husband check, old high school romance check, psycho ex check, busy body in everyone’s business check, cancer patient check, someone questioning their sexuality check, underage pregnancy check, parent with super secret background story check, etc. etc. etc. Maybe if it would’ve had one or two and gone with it, I could’ve gotten more into the story. This book did have some fine moments between the characters that I did like, but for the most part it took me way to long to get through. Usually with Novak’s work I can hardly put it down and just love reading it in one day. As with any book I do not connect to, it may just be me so if you feel like this may be the book for you go ahead and pick it up, it just wasn’t for me this go around. I will still be recommending Brenda Novak to everyone.
Thank you to Brenda Novak and HQN for a copy in lieu of my honest review.
I feel like I have to preface this review with I have read many Brenda Novak books and loved each and every one of them. This one however was not my cup of tea. I struggled with character connection and the plot line. It had a great idea behind it, but it just had every single thing you could think of thrown into and the kitchen sink and it was just over done for me. Missing husband check, old high school romance check, psycho ex check, busy body in everyone’s business check, cancer patient check, someone questioning their sexuality check, underage pregnancy check, parent with super secret background story check, etc. etc. etc. Maybe if it would’ve had one or two and gone with it, I could’ve gotten more into the story. This book did have some fine moments between the characters that I did like, but for the most part it took me way to long to get through. Usually with Novak’s work I can hardly put it down and just love reading it in one day. As with any book I do not connect to, it may just be me so if you feel like this may be the book for you go ahead and pick it up, it just wasn’t for me this go around. I will still be recommending Brenda Novak to everyone.
Thank you to Brenda Novak and HQN for a copy in lieu of my honest review.
lezapal's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 stars rounded up. I gave it this high of a rating because there were some parts of the book I really liked. Some of the characters were very real and had interesting backgrounds. But I think the author tried to take on too many issues and didn’t really do any of them justice.
jillmlong's review against another edition
4.0
This book revolves around three generations of women and the secrets that they keep. I found the writing to be very good and the author does a great job tying all three story lines together. This is the first Brenda Novak novel for me and I look forward to reading more from her.
jfeine's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable read. Characters were interesting, a little stereotyped and the book has some difficulty handling the sexuality issues, but plot moved well. The ending sort of surprised me. Great way to spend a couple of days!
andrea_author's review against another edition
5.0
Autumn's husband has been missing for eighteen months. To help her teenage children cope, she takes them to spend the summer with her mother at a small town on the beach. There she meets up with her high school crush, who wants to date her. But can she move forward with her life when her husband's fate is uncertain? And what happens when she discovers the secrets her mother and daughter are keeping?
This is an engrossing women's fiction with well-developed characters and a vibrant setting. I felt immersed in the conflicts and obstacles the family faced. If the book had ended at the 90% mark, it would have been a wonderful, uplifting romance. But a new complication was added that took it out of the realm of romance for me, and put it solidly into women's fiction territory. That shouldn't discourage anyone from reading it—it's a wonderful book—but adjust your expectations accordingly.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This is an engrossing women's fiction with well-developed characters and a vibrant setting. I felt immersed in the conflicts and obstacles the family faced. If the book had ended at the 90% mark, it would have been a wonderful, uplifting romance. But a new complication was added that took it out of the realm of romance for me, and put it solidly into women's fiction territory. That shouldn't discourage anyone from reading it—it's a wonderful book—but adjust your expectations accordingly.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
crackingspines37's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
kdurham2's review against another edition
3.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Autumn Divac has spent the last year and a half looking for her husband who went missing on a work trip that went very different from what he predicted. After losing a year and a half of her life to a search, she decides to escape Florida for the summer and go to her mother's home in a beach town in Virginia and just get away from it all for a summer. Little does she know that her mother has some secrets that are about to come to light and her kids will have more than a transformative summer than she could have predicted.
My favorite thing is when an author hints at secrets, but lets the reader in on the secret before the characters. On the other side of the coin, I don't love when a secret is hinted at and the reader is left in the dark! Brenda Novak lets the reader in on the secrets and the anticipation is more about how the characters will react when these secrets come out. While there were a lot of characters with secrets, for me this didn't feel over the top.
Autumn Divac has spent the last year and a half looking for her husband who went missing on a work trip that went very different from what he predicted. After losing a year and a half of her life to a search, she decides to escape Florida for the summer and go to her mother's home in a beach town in Virginia and just get away from it all for a summer. Little does she know that her mother has some secrets that are about to come to light and her kids will have more than a transformative summer than she could have predicted.
My favorite thing is when an author hints at secrets, but lets the reader in on the secret before the characters. On the other side of the coin, I don't love when a secret is hinted at and the reader is left in the dark! Brenda Novak lets the reader in on the secrets and the anticipation is more about how the characters will react when these secrets come out. While there were a lot of characters with secrets, for me this didn't feel over the top.
andreagraves5's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this on audible. The narrator was okay - not amazing for me. Story was okay. The ending felt like there was so much build up and then the author was done. It didn’t feel finished.
k_myers's review against another edition
5.0
While the ending becomes a bit more typical cheesy romance, this book kept me turning the pages! I couldn’t put it down or stop talking about it. I LOVED having the secret past of the grandma mixing with the mom’s missing husband and then the teenage daughter dealing with a possible pregnancy and exploring her sexuality (all of which is covered early on in the book so no spoilers here)! The three big plot lines weave together seamlessly while also exploring second chance romance, teenage summers, friendships, and cancer/diseases. If all of her books are like this, sign me up for more Brenda Novak!
kawarwick's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the story of the three generations of women figuring who they were and want they wanted. Yes, it was predictable at times but still a fun read. Well, in my case a good book to listen to. Thanks Libro.fm.fm for this one!