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cstarfire26's review against another edition
4.0
This was only a small sample of the book to come, but so far I am definitely interested in reading the complete book! It took me a little bit to get into it, but after a couple chapters I was hooked. I'm excited to see how the friendships grow!
*I received an advanced partial copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review*
*I received an advanced partial copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review*
kvangundy's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a breath of fresh air. I have been reading a lot of more intense reads lately, and this was just what I needed. The story of a group of women who bond over the caretaking and deaths of their loved ones seems like it would be a difficult subject matter, but it was written in a way that played out very well. There was friendship, hardship, and love. It showed that the power of friendship and family can bring you through any hardship you face. Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC. 4 stars
mishale1's review against another edition
3.0
This book is about finding happiness and friendship again even when you’re going through the worst time of your life. This group of friends, aka The Sunday Potluck Club, actually Met at the hospital when their parents had cancer. Each one has since lost a parent, except one whose father went into remission. So, they are all gathered at the last funeral as this story begins.
Bridget’s mom has just died but she’s pasted a smile on her face because she said her mom wanted the funeral to be a celebration of her life. All of Bridget’s friends think she isn’t dealing with the death but they have all always agreed that everyone has to grieve in their own way.
They might be a bit surprised by how Bridget finally grieves though. She decides to throw herself into the massive project of adopting out all of the animals at the animal charity before Valentines Day. It’s only a few weeks off, there’s dozens of animals there and she enlists all of her friends to help.
But this is Amy’s story.
Amy’s mom died a few months ago and she’s having a really hard time. She’s about to go back to her job as a teacher after a year spent caregiving and then grieving. She’s feeling empty and sad.
The night before she does back to work she gets into a car accident. She brakes suddenly to keep from hitting a dog and gets rear ended. She tosses the card of the man who hit her and tries to not think of how handsome and sweet he seemed. But their paths cross again the very next day when she meets his day going her class. She is so quiet that Amy is worried about her and sends a note home to her parents. She hears back from Trent and he’s the guy she got into the car accident with.
She decides to help Trent with what his daughter is going through. She finds herself very involved In Trent’s family and is scared that it’s too soon.
All of these characters need each other, and so do all the dogs and cats involved. They’re so used to helping everyone else that they can’t see when they’re putting themselves last.
There’s also some fear of getting too close and losing someone again.
I enjoyed this story. I thought it was sweet and I liked the characters most of the time :) I would have liked more talk of the food since it’s a Potluck Club for goodness sakes lol what did they cook? Tell me about it lol
I won an early copy of this book from Kensington Press. I also have an early edition ebook of the next book in this series that I received from NetGalley. I look forward to continuing to get to know these characters and what’s in store for them.
Bridget’s mom has just died but she’s pasted a smile on her face because she said her mom wanted the funeral to be a celebration of her life. All of Bridget’s friends think she isn’t dealing with the death but they have all always agreed that everyone has to grieve in their own way.
They might be a bit surprised by how Bridget finally grieves though. She decides to throw herself into the massive project of adopting out all of the animals at the animal charity before Valentines Day. It’s only a few weeks off, there’s dozens of animals there and she enlists all of her friends to help.
But this is Amy’s story.
Amy’s mom died a few months ago and she’s having a really hard time. She’s about to go back to her job as a teacher after a year spent caregiving and then grieving. She’s feeling empty and sad.
The night before she does back to work she gets into a car accident. She brakes suddenly to keep from hitting a dog and gets rear ended. She tosses the card of the man who hit her and tries to not think of how handsome and sweet he seemed. But their paths cross again the very next day when she meets his day going her class. She is so quiet that Amy is worried about her and sends a note home to her parents. She hears back from Trent and he’s the guy she got into the car accident with.
She decides to help Trent with what his daughter is going through. She finds herself very involved In Trent’s family and is scared that it’s too soon.
All of these characters need each other, and so do all the dogs and cats involved. They’re so used to helping everyone else that they can’t see when they’re putting themselves last.
There’s also some fear of getting too close and losing someone again.
I enjoyed this story. I thought it was sweet and I liked the characters most of the time :) I would have liked more talk of the food since it’s a Potluck Club for goodness sakes lol what did they cook? Tell me about it lol
I won an early copy of this book from Kensington Press. I also have an early edition ebook of the next book in this series that I received from NetGalley. I look forward to continuing to get to know these characters and what’s in store for them.
bluegrass_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Read an excerpt from this novel and enjoyed the friendship between Bridget and Amy and their bond made of grief and loss. The chapters read have me looking forward to the full length novel and the stories that will unfold for this teacher and vet student.
alstrath's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those feel-good novels. Four women going through similar trauma's bond and form a close friendship.
I liked the characters. They felt well rounded and full of emotions.
The style of writing is also very easy to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to sample this book.
I liked the characters. They felt well rounded and full of emotions.
The style of writing is also very easy to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to sample this book.
bowlergirl81's review against another edition
4.0
I just got an excerpt of this book from NetGalley. When I first started the book I wasn't sure that I would like it at all. The four women in the book all met at the cancer ward of the hospital when their parents were all undergoing treatment. The book starts when three of them are headed to the funeral of the fourth woman's mother. After that funeral, the focus shifts to a reentry into the world of work and the struggles that includes. This book seems like it will be an emotional roller coaster. In the excerpt, I laughed and I cried, and I can only assume that will continue in the rest of the book. #TheSundayPotluckClub #NetGalley
addieyoder's review against another edition
3.0
I am rounding this up from 3.5. The Sunday Potluck Club really had the potential to be a downer. Its the story of 4 friends who have lost parents and have formed a form of support group and friendship through their loss. The first 50 pages are pretty heavy in that grief and loss and the main characters sad state of mind following the loss of her mom. (and rightly so) But, it really turned from heavy to uplifting when Amy started to move through her grief and her friends did, too. We get to see the friends each figure out their grief in their own way and especially watch Amy as she grants herself permission to move forward and be happy. This is very well set up to be a series around each friend. The lower star rating for me is because I am not sure I am attached enough to keep going. It was a good, fast, heartwarming read, but maybe not a series I will hang out in.
gracey_reads's review against another edition
Thank you to NetGalley, Goodreads and Kensington Books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I was a bit leery when I first got a hold of this book. I was expecting it to be depressing based on the synopsis. It was anything but that.
This book is about a group of women that started a friendship while taking care of their parents that had cancer. All but one woman has lost their parent by the time this book picks up. The book follows one of the gals who lost her mother, but you still get to learn about all the other women involved.
This is an easy and fun read. You can’t help but fall in love with the different characters and their stories.
There’s love. There’s laughter. There’s tears. But it’s all joy.
I was a bit leery when I first got a hold of this book. I was expecting it to be depressing based on the synopsis. It was anything but that.
This book is about a group of women that started a friendship while taking care of their parents that had cancer. All but one woman has lost their parent by the time this book picks up. The book follows one of the gals who lost her mother, but you still get to learn about all the other women involved.
This is an easy and fun read. You can’t help but fall in love with the different characters and their stories.
There’s love. There’s laughter. There’s tears. But it’s all joy.
wulfwyn's review against another edition
5.0
This is an amazing book. I finished it last night but have been unable to move on. I couldn’t begin the review until I thought about so many things that came at me while reading it. I still am not certain what to say. This book has layers.
I knew, after reading the first two pages, it would make me cry. I was ready for that. I got a box of Kleenex ready. I wasn’t ready for the push, pull of the book. The push to read on, wanting to know what was going to happen next, especially with Amy, Trent and Olivia. The pull to stop and absorb; to exam my feelings and connections.
Maybe it is because my mom has Alzheimer’s. Not the same as cancer but equally hurtful and devastating. There is two deaths in Alzheimer’s. Did you know that? The first death comes when your parent no longer knows you and you only get glimpses of who you knew was your mom, or dad. The second, the final one, the I’m still not acquainted with, the one I dread. My mom will be gone with no glimpses a possibility. I thought about how different it is from cancer yet the same. I thought of Amy and how closely I felt to her. How much I felt understood and validated by her internal emotional swings. I stopped quite a bit to examine her..and me. I wasn’t as close with my mom as Amy. My mom hurt me. I’ll never know why now. It’s locked up. I’ll never get the apology either that I wanted. Though, in reality, I wanted it with no real hope of getting it. I forgave because I needed to move on. I needed to cling to the belief that it wasn’t me, that I was so bad I didn’t deserve to be loved. But even so, I wanted to hear it from her. Now, even if she wanted to tell me it wasn’t me, she can’t. It’s never coming so I have to deal with that.
The book is a romance, a testament to friendships and, in an odd way, a coming of age. A different age from the usual teen into adult, but still, a coming of age. Amy, Bridget, Nichole and Hazel are all becoming someone different yet the same. All but one have gone from being a daughter into some new role. The memories are there. The love remains. But the arms are empty, the ears don’t hear and the only time you see them, is when you catch a glimpse in the mirror or, if you have them, in your children. You are still you but you have been changed. Death has left its mark just as walking the rocky road to adulthood does. So yes, a coming of age book.
Now, go, read the book.
*Thank you to the Kensington publishing family for gifting me this book. No review was requested or expected. It was a gift, unexpected yet delightful. I wrote this review because I was truly touched by this book. I recommend it because I believe you will be touched, too. All thoughts, opinions and ramblings came from my head and my heart.*
I knew, after reading the first two pages, it would make me cry. I was ready for that. I got a box of Kleenex ready. I wasn’t ready for the push, pull of the book. The push to read on, wanting to know what was going to happen next, especially with Amy, Trent and Olivia. The pull to stop and absorb; to exam my feelings and connections.
Maybe it is because my mom has Alzheimer’s. Not the same as cancer but equally hurtful and devastating. There is two deaths in Alzheimer’s. Did you know that? The first death comes when your parent no longer knows you and you only get glimpses of who you knew was your mom, or dad. The second, the final one, the I’m still not acquainted with, the one I dread. My mom will be gone with no glimpses a possibility. I thought about how different it is from cancer yet the same. I thought of Amy and how closely I felt to her. How much I felt understood and validated by her internal emotional swings. I stopped quite a bit to examine her..and me. I wasn’t as close with my mom as Amy. My mom hurt me. I’ll never know why now. It’s locked up. I’ll never get the apology either that I wanted. Though, in reality, I wanted it with no real hope of getting it. I forgave because I needed to move on. I needed to cling to the belief that it wasn’t me, that I was so bad I didn’t deserve to be loved. But even so, I wanted to hear it from her. Now, even if she wanted to tell me it wasn’t me, she can’t. It’s never coming so I have to deal with that.
The book is a romance, a testament to friendships and, in an odd way, a coming of age. A different age from the usual teen into adult, but still, a coming of age. Amy, Bridget, Nichole and Hazel are all becoming someone different yet the same. All but one have gone from being a daughter into some new role. The memories are there. The love remains. But the arms are empty, the ears don’t hear and the only time you see them, is when you catch a glimpse in the mirror or, if you have them, in your children. You are still you but you have been changed. Death has left its mark just as walking the rocky road to adulthood does. So yes, a coming of age book.
Now, go, read the book.
*Thank you to the Kensington publishing family for gifting me this book. No review was requested or expected. It was a gift, unexpected yet delightful. I wrote this review because I was truly touched by this book. I recommend it because I believe you will be touched, too. All thoughts, opinions and ramblings came from my head and my heart.*