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now_booking's review
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was an okay continuation to the Hedgehog Hollow series. One think I can say about these books is that they’re page turners and really draw out emotion from the reader. Reading this I was frequently frustrated and annoyed, and yet I appreciate the stories of extravagant forgiveness the author is trying to write across this series even though I think the balance with accountability is sorely lacking.
The premise of this continuation to the Hedgehog Hollow series is that Sam is preparing for her wedding but is in a spot of trouble after her volunteer accountant, Phoebe’s family, her nemeses, embezzle the finds for the hedgehog rescue center. Meanwhile Phoebe has to figure out how to deal with the toxic situation at home and save herself and the people she loves.
My issue with this novel is one I’ve had with novels across the series- I believe in forgiveness and its benefits, but I feel like this series gaslights the victims of severe harms into forgiving and building relationships with those who aren’t really ready to be accountable for what they did. This happened with Sam in book 1 and how her entire family left her in a lifelong toxic and emotionally-abusive situation from babyhood without doing anything or in Book 2 with a Josh and his dad and Beth and their flimsy excuses rather than just taking accountability without excuses, or in Book 3 with Chloe who… nobody believed she had really changed despite the hard things she had lived through, and now in Book 4 with Sam and her mother. It is not that I believe these conflicts aren’t forgivable, it is that I do not believe as much care is taken of the Pollyannas like Sam and Josh and possibly next even Phoebe, to not just forgive and accept their perpetrators, but to also be protected from them. Perhaps the author is in some way modeling some of the more Pollyanna main characters after Christ and that sort of divine forgiveness is supposed to be a theme or lesson we take away from this, but I think even then it is incredibly clumsy. The characters are written with such vulnerability and yet given no protection. The villains are given difficult back stories that I suppose are meant to justify their villainy and bad behaviour and will be pulled out at the drop of a hat to gaslight their victims and make forgiveness “okay.” I would much rather they just admit they are 💩-y people who did 💩-y things and planned to try to do better. I frequently felt as manipulated as the main characters. If in the next book, Phoebe’s wicked stepmother and her family move in with her to Hedgehog Hollow, it totally wouldn’t surprise me- all they would have to do is mention a difficult childhood and an apology wouldn’t even really be required.
I think these books are really interesting and really difficult to put down in a soap opera sort of sense. They’re definitely not romance but perhaps on the soft women’s fictions spectrum. In the vein of Virgin River but maybe less romantic. I think as annoyed as I was reading this, I probably would still check out the next book in this series because I care about these perfect flawless Pollyannas that populate these books- Sam, Josh and now Phoebe and feel quite protective over them. I wish reading this was more of a relaxing than frustrating activity but I always say I enjoy a book that triggers emotion and this certainly delivers. I recommend this if you’re looking for a book you will want to throw out the window but will also go look for in the bushes because you want to know how it ends. Also a heads up that this seems like it’s setting up to be a super long, prolific series so gird your loins.
The premise of this continuation to the Hedgehog Hollow series is that Sam is preparing for her wedding but is in a spot of trouble after her volunteer accountant, Phoebe’s family, her nemeses, embezzle the finds for the hedgehog rescue center. Meanwhile Phoebe has to figure out how to deal with the toxic situation at home and save herself and the people she loves.
My issue with this novel is one I’ve had with novels across the series- I believe in forgiveness and its benefits, but I feel like this series gaslights the victims of severe harms into forgiving and building relationships with those who aren’t really ready to be accountable for what they did. This happened with Sam in book 1 and how her entire family left her in a lifelong toxic and emotionally-abusive situation from babyhood without doing anything or in Book 2 with a Josh and his dad and Beth and their flimsy excuses rather than just taking accountability without excuses, or in Book 3 with Chloe who… nobody believed she had really changed despite the hard things she had lived through, and now in Book 4 with Sam and her mother. It is not that I believe these conflicts aren’t forgivable, it is that I do not believe as much care is taken of the Pollyannas like Sam and Josh and possibly next even Phoebe, to not just forgive and accept their perpetrators, but to also be protected from them. Perhaps the author is in some way modeling some of the more Pollyanna main characters after Christ and that sort of divine forgiveness is supposed to be a theme or lesson we take away from this, but I think even then it is incredibly clumsy. The characters are written with such vulnerability and yet given no protection. The villains are given difficult back stories that I suppose are meant to justify their villainy and bad behaviour and will be pulled out at the drop of a hat to gaslight their victims and make forgiveness “okay.” I would much rather they just admit they are 💩-y people who did 💩-y things and planned to try to do better. I frequently felt as manipulated as the main characters. If in the next book, Phoebe’s wicked stepmother and her family move in with her to Hedgehog Hollow, it totally wouldn’t surprise me- all they would have to do is mention a difficult childhood and an apology wouldn’t even really be required.
I think these books are really interesting and really difficult to put down in a soap opera sort of sense. They’re definitely not romance but perhaps on the soft women’s fictions spectrum. In the vein of Virgin River but maybe less romantic. I think as annoyed as I was reading this, I probably would still check out the next book in this series because I care about these perfect flawless Pollyannas that populate these books- Sam, Josh and now Phoebe and feel quite protective over them. I wish reading this was more of a relaxing than frustrating activity but I always say I enjoy a book that triggers emotion and this certainly delivers. I recommend this if you’re looking for a book you will want to throw out the window but will also go look for in the bushes because you want to know how it ends. Also a heads up that this seems like it’s setting up to be a super long, prolific series so gird your loins.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, and Drug abuse