Reviews

Where Butterflies Wander by Suzanne Redfearn

that_bookaholic_gal's review against another edition

5.0

She sat on the edge of the bank, letting the cool river water rush past her feet. She sunk her fingers into the dirt and let the earth ground her. Birds chirped in the branches above, while a soft wind blew and whispered through the long grasses beside her. Time stood still right here in this moment, granting her some peace and a moment to let the trouble of life disappear.

Where Butterflies Wander is a contemporary fiction following a family struggling with grief as they move to a new place to try and reset their lives and move forward.

This book… simply put… amazing. Told through multiple POVs of a struggling family after the loss of a child/sibling and a woman who enters their lives and stirs things up, also struggling with her own losses. This was emotional and heart-breaking, yet heart-warming and a true hug at the same time. I loved watching these characters grow, learn, deal with their grief, transform into who they were meant to be… it was just such a wonderful read. Suzanne Redfearn’s stories always capture my heart and once again she’s penned another beautiful book.

I highly recommend this one, especially if you’re a fan of contemporary stories dealing with growth, working through grief, and the power of family.

crystalclearchapters's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

trinny's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Loss takes on many forms and changes characters, none more so than in this wonderful novel. A family grieving, all separately, move to Maria's old family home to prepare it for selling. But Maria didn't reckon on Davina, known locally and fondly  as the 'River Witch" living in a cabin at the edge of her land seemingly with Maria's late grandfather's permission. Battle lines are drawn with tragic consequences. Can the two women overcome their loss and grief to work forward.
This is an ideal book to remind us all that money and possessions are not the most important things. Sometimes the simplest things in life give the most pleasure. Beyond that is also a sense of love and community as the town rally around Davina in her time of need.

thebrunettebookjunkie's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

bakingbookworm's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This book pulled me in immediately and didn't let go. 

With a compelling story and interesting and flawed characters, Suzanne Redfearn has written a story about grief and healing that will captivate readers from its first page to its last.

The strength of this story is in its characters, a few of whom share their perspectives. These include members of the Egide family who are still reeling from a death and come to New Hampshire to renovate and sell an old family property so they can move on with their lives and Davina, the 'river witch' and war veteran, who lives on the property and has her own grief and healing to deal with.

Where Butterflies Wander is poignant, engaging and authentic. It is a story about strength and resiliency that pulls readers through many emotions. But ultimately, it is a story about hope, healing, acceptance and reconnection. May we all have a Davina to grace our lives.

Put this book on your 2024 must read list and preorder it today so you can enjoy it on its February 6, 2024 publication day.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the author for the complimentary copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review. 

reading2relax's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

4.0

constantine2020's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Contemporary

The Egide family flees to a New Hampshire estate in search of solace after the death of a member of their family. While there, they face a mysterious "river witch" and discover some shocking secrets.

The river witch, Davina, has an eerie affinity for the natural world and says Marie's grandpa gave her the cabin as a gift. The situation escalates into a tense standoff. Evicting Davina is something that Marie is motivated to do because she wants to sell the estate and move on with her life. Hannah and Pen, her two teenage daughters, have different perspectives on the matter. 

Pen is wary of Davina's peculiar behavior, while Hannah sees a kindred spirit in the woman who is shunned by society. Secrets start to come to light as tensions grow. The standoff intensifies between the two parties until the whole thing comes to a satisfying resolution. Both parties will find themselves facing their own insecurities, pain, and disturbing pasts. 

The narrative is thought-provoking, and the premise as a whole does not have complete black-and-white areas. There are no bad guys in this story, only those individuals who view things from their unique points of view. As a reader, this will make you judge the characters’ certain actions without being overly critical of their bigger motive. 

The story is beautifully written, and the characters are fleshed out. The only drawback for me is that the narration is in “own voice” and from six characters’ perspectives. When a story needs to be told from multiple points of view, I prefer the narration to be in a third-person style. This is something that pertains to my individual preferences, and if you are okay with such a structure, it should not have any impact on the enjoyment you get out of everything. The chapters are relatively brief, which means that you can read them in a concise amount of time. 

“Only when you lose the desire for the things that don’t matter do you start to have fun.”

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced reader copy of this book.

cassidypamela's review

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I was super excited to get this ARC as I have heard multiple good things about this author. The book itself was great, however, left me wanting a little bit more. I think this is due to the big expectations I had from hearing such great things!

This novel follows so many different characters (although they are all in the same family besides Davina), that it took me awhile to remember who was who and what their role was in the family. Davina and her loving personality was definitely my favourite character. I also felt like some parts of the story drug on, while others were glimpsed over way too quickly. In my opinion, there were a few parts that could have been dug into more.. such as the ended which ended far too abruptly. Even though I felt it lacked a few things, the novel beautifully covers grief & loss as well as found family.

Thank you NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC!