A review by mppilk
Go as a River by Shelley Read

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

It’s only January and already I think I have read my book of the year. It is hard to believe this is the author’s debut novel, both the writing and characters are so well constructed. 
Victoria Nash, Torie at this stage, is a 17 year old going to market with her family farm’s peaches when she meets a confident young stranger who turns her world on its head. He tells her to “go as a river” and what follows is a series of rather dramatic and certainly life changing decisions by Victoria. 
I’ve seen this described as a coming of age novel but that does not do justice to either the story or the telling. How Victoria copes with the adversities of her life is not the only star of this novel however. The other is nature, the harsh Colorado winters and the reawakening in Spring. The careful transplanting of her family’s peach trees when their farm is flooded to build a reservoir goes hand in hand with her own survival. 
Buy this book when it is published in April, you will not regret a single minute spent with it. Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this review but also thanks to Shelley Read for writing this beautiful novel.