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kimberlymay4's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful
Barbara O’Neal writes with such beauty. I always fall in love with her characters and can always envision each scene with ease. I truly hate to finish one of her books!
Barbara O’Neal writes with such beauty. I always fall in love with her characters and can always envision each scene with ease. I truly hate to finish one of her books!
lindy1259's review against another edition
3.0
Out of Thin Air
No spoilers, but an engaging mystery was wrapped up at a nose bleed pace after a character wonders out loud about the murder and gosh darn it he’s right AND the police are already on it AND the criminals strike that very night AND are foiled within a page and a half. Ultimately unsatisfying ending.
No spoilers, but an engaging mystery was wrapped up at a nose bleed pace after a character wonders out loud about the murder and gosh darn it he’s right AND the police are already on it AND the criminals strike that very night AND are foiled within a page and a half. Ultimately unsatisfying ending.
rosemwood's review
4.0
Four generations of a female family all learning to deal with past hurts each has experienced. Mixed in with a mystery of a family friend missing and an old love.
jess_mango's review
4.0
Zoe Fairchild is living in Santa Fe with her 15 year old daughter Isabel, when she gets a call that her childhood best friend Diana has disappeared. So, Zoe and Isabel pack their bags and travel to Zoe's childhood home town on the Devon sea coast of England. The small village is scenic with thatch roofed buildings and quaint shops and gets lots of tourists. It also holds many memories for Zoe, some happier than others. She remembers running around with her best friends Diana and Sage.
When Zoe was just seven, her mother Poppy left Zoe to live with her grandmother, Lillian, in an old manor house. Poppy took off for India and didn't return for over a decade, leaving Zoe feeling abandoned and bitter.
Now, Zoe and Isabel are living with Lillian, while Zoe tries to avoid Poppy and look into what happened to Diana. There are many tensions and things left unsaid between the 4 generations of Fairchild women. They all try to work their way through it while also trying to figure out what is going on in town.
This novel was a good mix of family drama and mystery. The chapters alternated between the perspective of the 4 lead female characters. The village itself was charming and I could totally picture it in my head after my visit last year to some English villages (though I didn't get to Devon). It made me want to go back to the English countryside. So, good character development and a scenic charming atmosphere made this a satisfying read for me.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
When Zoe was just seven, her mother Poppy left Zoe to live with her grandmother, Lillian, in an old manor house. Poppy took off for India and didn't return for over a decade, leaving Zoe feeling abandoned and bitter.
Now, Zoe and Isabel are living with Lillian, while Zoe tries to avoid Poppy and look into what happened to Diana. There are many tensions and things left unsaid between the 4 generations of Fairchild women. They all try to work their way through it while also trying to figure out what is going on in town.
This novel was a good mix of family drama and mystery. The chapters alternated between the perspective of the 4 lead female characters. The village itself was charming and I could totally picture it in my head after my visit last year to some English villages (though I didn't get to Devon). It made me want to go back to the English countryside. So, good character development and a scenic charming atmosphere made this a satisfying read for me.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
rachaellaurenpotts's review
5.0
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would! It’s so beautifully written! And keeps you wondering how everything is going to unfold from the very beginning! This is my second book written my Barbara, and I definitely can’t wait to read more! She uses such detail to describe the landscapes in her books that I instantly feel like I’m where she’s describing!
readwkatie's review
3.0
Zoe knows that something bad happened to her teenage daughter, Isabelle - but she doesn't know what. Isabelle deleted all social media, destroyed her phone, and stays locked in her room. Zoe whisks Isabelle away from their home in New Mexico, to go back to her hometown across the pond to spend some time with her elderly grandmother. Once their Zoe finds out that Diana, her childhood friend has gone missing and the reason is more sinister than anyone could have ever imagined.
I read "When We Believed in Mermaids" by Barbara O'Neal and really enjoyed that one so I thought I would give some of her other books a try. Unfortunately, for me this one fell a little. I think if the focus was more on Diana's story and finding her, I would have enjoyed this more. Instead this story really spends time on Zoe and her relationship with her estranged mother and her high-school sweetheart and on Isabelle and her finding her way as a teenager after what happened to her back home in New Mexico. This wasn't a bad book by any means, I just wish the storyline was more about the mystery and less about family drama.
I read "When We Believed in Mermaids" by Barbara O'Neal and really enjoyed that one so I thought I would give some of her other books a try. Unfortunately, for me this one fell a little. I think if the focus was more on Diana's story and finding her, I would have enjoyed this more. Instead this story really spends time on Zoe and her relationship with her estranged mother and her high-school sweetheart and on Isabelle and her finding her way as a teenager after what happened to her back home in New Mexico. This wasn't a bad book by any means, I just wish the storyline was more about the mystery and less about family drama.
cannoli1116's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jsouther's review
4.0
I enjoyed the book very much! A story about the bonds we make, or break, with the women in our families. The storyline follows Zoe, who travels back to her home in England (from the states) to help look for a missing friend who also helped take care of her grandmother, who raised her. Once there she has to come to grips with her grandmother not being in good health as well as how she will address her non-existence relationship with her mother who abandoned her when she was a young girl. Traveling with Zoe is her own daughter who is struggling with, but won’t tell anyone, about something that has forever changed her. I would’ve given the book 5 stars if the storyline of the missing family friend, Diana, would’ve been developed more. Still, a wonderful story. I will be reading more of Barbara O’Neal’s books!
jamieduvall333's review
5.0
such a good story!
I really enjoyed this book and all the heartbreaking trauma that somehow found it’s way to better light. Well done.
I really enjoyed this book and all the heartbreaking trauma that somehow found it’s way to better light. Well done.
tchkdz65's review
5.0
wonderful story
Very much a story within a story. A story of friendship, mother/daughter relationships, trauma and love. This one touched my heart.
Very much a story within a story. A story of friendship, mother/daughter relationships, trauma and love. This one touched my heart.