A review by sharonleavy
The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season by Molly Fader

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Hope is in search of a safe place to stay with her ten year old daughter Tink after she flees an abusive situation. She ends up at Orchard House, her Aunt Peg's farm in Michigan, just in time to help with the cherry harvest. 

Peg, Hope, and even Tink are all holding things back that they don't want other people to know - three generations of women all with a secret, all needing to find solace. 

I liked this a lot. I could have done without the romance element but I thought it was a good family drama with really strong characters. Peg was my favourite, she gave me big Frances McDormand vibes.

I definitely preferred the first two thirds of the book - we knew that there would be secrets revealed, but we didn't know what they were or how they'd eventually come out. I liked how the story unravelled, but as I mentioned above, given the seriousness of Hope's situation prior to her arrival at the farm, I found the romance unrealistic and premature. 

Still, this was a good book.