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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Caroline Shelby was a rising star in the fashion world, on the cusp of living the dream she sat out to achieve a decade ago. However, after a famous designer sabotages her career and her best friend dies, leaving Caroline as guardian to her two children, she’s left scrounging for a way forward— professionally and personally. And while she never thought she’s return to her childhood home of Oysterville, her family and old friends might be the only people who can help her navigate the new life thrust upon her. But settling into the flow of her former life also means digging up small town ghosts, good and bad.
At the start, Caroline is pushing through perhaps the lowest point in her life. Author Susan Wiggs expertly navigates these early chapters, raising Caroline as someone on the verge of getting everything she’s ever wanted. And yet, through no fault of her own, it’s all ripped away. Between the downward spiral of her career at the hands of a rotten designer and the death of her friend, Angelique, she’s forced to change her life. This beginning is beautifully understated, with a careful friction placed against Caroline’s wants— with a massive independent streak, it’s not the kind of life she ever anticipated for herself, but she still commits to the two children she’s now responsible for, Addie and Flick.
Of course, Caroline is the main reason Wiggs’s work clicks together. Though Wiggs plays with alternating timelines, dragging up complicated relationships, forgotten feelings, and a community in flux, the focus is Caroline. Determined and with passion, she drives the action forward and the narrative draws parallels between her previous and current lives— really, she becomes two complex characters rolled into one.
Wiggs doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, including race, immigration, and domestic abuse— ultimately, Caroline forms a support group for survivors. However, she treads lightly, pulling away from the heaviest details while maintaining her point. It’s a balancing act, and Wiggs succeeds in showcasing harsh realities without them becoming too overwhelming or sterile.
Ultimately, Wiggs has crafted an intimate book with immense heart. Most importantly, it feels believable.
Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.
Review also posted at https://pluckedfromthestacks.wordpress.com/
At the start, Caroline is pushing through perhaps the lowest point in her life. Author Susan Wiggs expertly navigates these early chapters, raising Caroline as someone on the verge of getting everything she’s ever wanted. And yet, through no fault of her own, it’s all ripped away. Between the downward spiral of her career at the hands of a rotten designer and the death of her friend, Angelique, she’s forced to change her life. This beginning is beautifully understated, with a careful friction placed against Caroline’s wants— with a massive independent streak, it’s not the kind of life she ever anticipated for herself, but she still commits to the two children she’s now responsible for, Addie and Flick.
Of course, Caroline is the main reason Wiggs’s work clicks together. Though Wiggs plays with alternating timelines, dragging up complicated relationships, forgotten feelings, and a community in flux, the focus is Caroline. Determined and with passion, she drives the action forward and the narrative draws parallels between her previous and current lives— really, she becomes two complex characters rolled into one.
Wiggs doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, including race, immigration, and domestic abuse— ultimately, Caroline forms a support group for survivors. However, she treads lightly, pulling away from the heaviest details while maintaining her point. It’s a balancing act, and Wiggs succeeds in showcasing harsh realities without them becoming too overwhelming or sterile.
Ultimately, Wiggs has crafted an intimate book with immense heart. Most importantly, it feels believable.
Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.
Review also posted at https://pluckedfromthestacks.wordpress.com/
Really liked this book especially when Caroline became guardian of the two children of her friend and moved back home. Loved that she started support group for abused women so that she could understand why her friend never let her know she was being abused. Loved that she was so creative and started her own line of clothing.
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Caroline is a NY fashion designer who is forced to move home to Oysterville, a small beach town in Washington state. She takes with her the two children of a close friend who has recently passed away.
Without giving away too much, cause you should really read this book….Once in Oysterville, Caroline starts a support group for victims of domestic violence. The result is as transformative to Caroline and her loved ones as it is to the ladies involved in the Oysterville Sewing Circle.
Once again, Susan Wiggs brought to life a story filled with characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. This was my second Wiggs book and I’ve definitely turned into a fan. She manages to provide twists and turns in the storyline that are not at all predictable. I cried multiple times AND my jaw dropped to the floor multiple times--neither of which I even saw coming!
Read this book! You won’t regret it.
Without giving away too much, cause you should really read this book….Once in Oysterville, Caroline starts a support group for victims of domestic violence. The result is as transformative to Caroline and her loved ones as it is to the ladies involved in the Oysterville Sewing Circle.
Once again, Susan Wiggs brought to life a story filled with characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. This was my second Wiggs book and I’ve definitely turned into a fan. She manages to provide twists and turns in the storyline that are not at all predictable. I cried multiple times AND my jaw dropped to the floor multiple times--neither of which I even saw coming!
Read this book! You won’t regret it.
A good piece of women's fiction. It loses a star for me because of the narrator interruption -- those interludes where some omniscient narrator breaks into the story to preach, to tell about the particulars of thematic elements in news publication fashion. The power of fiction at its best is to show, to let us see the lived experience of characters, live phenomena with them -- and to thus understand the phenomena better. Fiction need not break the narrative to insert facts on addiction, domestic abuse, or any other societal problem.
If you like the Hallmark channel, you will like Susan Wings' books. They are good summer reads. In this one, an up and coming fashion designer find herself suddenly in a career crises and alone to care for two small children. She this back home to restart surrounded by friends and family and discovers a new purpose in life.
4.5 stars
As much as I love this author, I just realized this is the first book I’ve read of hers that is not part of her Lakeshore Chronicles series. I have many of her stories on my TBR list, but haven’t gotten to them as of yet. I’ll have to remedy that. Susan Wiggs is such an insightful writer.
Before I get started on the meat and potatoes of this review, I want to give a trigger warning. In case you don’t get what’s being laid down in the description of this book, this story deals with abuse. Different types of abuse, so I’m just giving a blanket warning to those sensitive to such subjects.
That being said, the author handles these very touchy subjects with care and compassion. The reader learns some hard truths right along with the heroine Caroline. We get to see the subject of abuse from a lot of different sides and, hopefully, learn how to help those around us in the process.
Do my first few paragraphs make this book seem dry and boring? Because it’s not. There is joy along with the sadness. There is a remembering of those feelings of young love and first love. Of heartbreak and healing. This story gives so much power to the women and doesn’t judge their circumstances or their choices. It is the perfect book for any time, but especially relevant in our current culture of strong women and holding people accountable for their actions.
The main part of this story is Caroline’s. She was always the oddball of her family and even her small town. She was always loved and accepted, but just didn’t feel like she fit in. Of course, she took off to find her true bliss as soon as high school ended. And she did quite well for herself. Quite a few unforeseen situations change things for her in a big way and she ends up back in her small-town taking care of two young children when she never wanted kids or to live the small-town life. Turns out, her hopes and dreams have changed and are continuing to change. Which is a theme throughout this book for all the characters. What one wants and dreams of at 13 is different at 20 and alters again by 30, so on and so forth. And that’s okay. That’s life. It’s what’s beautiful about life and what is scary about life…change.
A lot of Caroline’s story circles around Will. Beautiful, wonderful, kind, and thoughtful Will. Who is also totally clueless. Even as an adult, he can’t see what’s right in front of his face. Maybe that was a good thing in the past, but what about now? And, considering the place he is in his personal life, should it even matter?
Then there is Caroline’s best childhood friend (other than Will), Sierra; who I never quite figured out. But what I love is that the author still didn’t judge, even this character who I wanted to dislike but couldn’t quite fully get there. I believe that was the author’s intent. (That’s just my own guess, but I like to think she knew what she was doing with this Sierra the whole time.) I refuse to believe that young teenage Sierra was so obtuse to not discern Caroline’s feelings during that day on the beach, when Caroline’s two best friends meet for the first time. This made her unlikeable to me. And, as Sierra said herself, it’s hard to like her overly much when she’s with the perfect man in which all of her actions are judged. Will doesn’t judge, but the small town does. The perfect citizen deserves a perfect mate, right? So I was on a yo-yo with this character.
While there are many more characters, some of great importance, these three are the where all the themes of the book play out. They all have their own paths and growth and they are all so different yet the same. Just an amazing weaving of their fates.
This is an important story and I strongly urge you to pick this one up. I found the first bit to be a bit slow, but it’s an important set-up for the story. Once Caroline is firmly in Oysterville the story takes off and kept me turning the pages.
You can read more of my reviews at All In Good Time.
As much as I love this author, I just realized this is the first book I’ve read of hers that is not part of her Lakeshore Chronicles series. I have many of her stories on my TBR list, but haven’t gotten to them as of yet. I’ll have to remedy that. Susan Wiggs is such an insightful writer.
Before I get started on the meat and potatoes of this review, I want to give a trigger warning. In case you don’t get what’s being laid down in the description of this book, this story deals with abuse. Different types of abuse, so I’m just giving a blanket warning to those sensitive to such subjects.
That being said, the author handles these very touchy subjects with care and compassion. The reader learns some hard truths right along with the heroine Caroline. We get to see the subject of abuse from a lot of different sides and, hopefully, learn how to help those around us in the process.
Do my first few paragraphs make this book seem dry and boring? Because it’s not. There is joy along with the sadness. There is a remembering of those feelings of young love and first love. Of heartbreak and healing. This story gives so much power to the women and doesn’t judge their circumstances or their choices. It is the perfect book for any time, but especially relevant in our current culture of strong women and holding people accountable for their actions.
The main part of this story is Caroline’s. She was always the oddball of her family and even her small town. She was always loved and accepted, but just didn’t feel like she fit in. Of course, she took off to find her true bliss as soon as high school ended. And she did quite well for herself. Quite a few unforeseen situations change things for her in a big way and she ends up back in her small-town taking care of two young children when she never wanted kids or to live the small-town life. Turns out, her hopes and dreams have changed and are continuing to change. Which is a theme throughout this book for all the characters. What one wants and dreams of at 13 is different at 20 and alters again by 30, so on and so forth. And that’s okay. That’s life. It’s what’s beautiful about life and what is scary about life…change.
A lot of Caroline’s story circles around Will. Beautiful, wonderful, kind, and thoughtful Will. Who is also totally clueless. Even as an adult, he can’t see what’s right in front of his face. Maybe that was a good thing in the past, but what about now? And, considering the place he is in his personal life, should it even matter?
Then there is Caroline’s best childhood friend (other than Will), Sierra; who I never quite figured out. But what I love is that the author still didn’t judge, even this character who I wanted to dislike but couldn’t quite fully get there. I believe that was the author’s intent. (That’s just my own guess, but I like to think she knew what she was doing with this Sierra the whole time.) I refuse to believe that young teenage Sierra was so obtuse to not discern Caroline’s feelings during that day on the beach, when Caroline’s two best friends meet for the first time. This made her unlikeable to me. And, as Sierra said herself, it’s hard to like her overly much when she’s with the perfect man in which all of her actions are judged. Will doesn’t judge, but the small town does. The perfect citizen deserves a perfect mate, right? So I was on a yo-yo with this character.
While there are many more characters, some of great importance, these three are the where all the themes of the book play out. They all have their own paths and growth and they are all so different yet the same. Just an amazing weaving of their fates.
This is an important story and I strongly urge you to pick this one up. I found the first bit to be a bit slow, but it’s an important set-up for the story. Once Caroline is firmly in Oysterville the story takes off and kept me turning the pages.
You can read more of my reviews at All In Good Time.
Good, easy, uplifting read. Mostly predictable, but a good lazy summer read. I felt like I just wanted to know what happened, though; not enough content to sink into.
I liked it. the characters drew me into their story. I first thought it was going to be a cozy little mystery from the title. Then I read the first few pages and thought, what's this now? And even though it is about the abuse of women, whether physical, emotional, it mostly comes down to the power the person has over the other. Its also about love, for home, family, another person.
the main character, Caroline, is a clothes designer and has been since she was old enough to pick up needle and thread. Having left the small town of Oysterville, WA for New York and design school, and becoming a foster mother of 2 small children and coming back to her childhood home. the story follows Caroline through the present day and flashbacks to her childhood and what shaped her life and Her 2 best friends, Sierra and Will, and how their lives intertwined with hers.
the main character, Caroline, is a clothes designer and has been since she was old enough to pick up needle and thread. Having left the small town of Oysterville, WA for New York and design school, and becoming a foster mother of 2 small children and coming back to her childhood home. the story follows Caroline through the present day and flashbacks to her childhood and what shaped her life and Her 2 best friends, Sierra and Will, and how their lives intertwined with hers.