3.99 AVERAGE


The Lights of Sugarberry Cove by Heather Webber is a story about family, hope, choices, expectations, disappointments, and magic. I thought The Lights of Sugarberry Cove was well-written with vivid descriptions. The authors word depictions transport you to Sugarberry Cove. The characters are realistic and developed. They will remind you of your family members and friends. The story is told from Sadie and Leala’s point-of-view. They are sisters who used to be close but grew apart after Sadie’s fall into the lake. Eight years prior when Sadie was eighteen, she tripped, hit her head, and ended up falling into Lake Laurel. It was ten minutes before Sadie resurfaced forever changed. I like that we see events from each sister’s perspective. Their mother has a heart attack which has both sisters returning to Sugarberry Cove to help her. The weekend turns out to be a revelation for Sadie, Leala, their mother, and their guests. You can feel the emotions coming through the pages. Readers can relate to what the characters are experiencing because who of us has not dealt with heartbreak, concerns about a marriage, the loss of a dream, or feeling hopeless. It is the magic that sets this book apart. Imagine that you live near a lake where a lady will grant wishes on a certain day in August. Her magic weaves into the lives of those who live near the lake. But she does not grant just any wish. It really gets your imagination working. There are good life lessons included with my favorite being that our lives do not always turn out the way we thought they would. Events happen beyond our control. We need to find a way to move forward and find joy. My favorite phrase from the book is, “Everyone bears scars, inside and out. And behind every single one of those healed wounds is a story of strength and resilience and recovery. My scar is simply part of me, part of my story.” The Lights of Sugarberry Cove is a novel that is not be rushed. You will want to sit and cherish this story until the very last page (make sure that you will have uninterrupted reading time with a cool beverage and plenty of chocolate nearby). The Lights of Sugarberry Cove is my favorite book by Heather Webber. I am looking forward to her next spellbinding tale. The Lights of Sugarberry Cove is an enchanting story with a lady in the lake, haunting hair, rampant renovations, a mulish mother, a lost love, a cute canine, and lighted lanterns.

For some reason this was not a book I could ready quickly, it was a slog at times but it wrapped up very nicely and kind of surprisingly. I tend to read quickly and this book requires savoring, which is not a bad thing on occasion. I enjoyed the characters and the magical realism, as always.

There is magic and healing in the writing of Heather Webber. I cannot express how much her stories move me. The beauty of love, forgiveness and purpose are shown in The Lights of Sugarberry Cove. How we need to face the hurt of our past, try to remember everyone has their own hurt and they deal with it differently. But conversations that lead FORGIVENESS and LOVE that drives it are the balm of the soul.
emotional lighthearted mysterious

Very much just what I needed
hopeful lighthearted

This isn't really my genre anymore, but it's a sweet story and I can see where some people would really enjoy it.
challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I enjoy a small town lake story, not heavy on the romance. This one was a slow read for me, I wasn’t as engaged as with the author’s “blackbird cafe” but still glad to have read it.
hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-paced