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bookish_leslie's review
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
What To Expect:
- Dual POV (Emme & Cora Bee)
- American South
- Family secrets
- Healing from the past
- Magical realism
- A sense of community
- Special connections with nature
- A little bit of mystery
- A little bit of romance (no spice)
Themes: belonging, family, home, roots, stability, nature, secrets, community, friendship, healing, hope, trust, self-growth, intuition, love (of all kinds), acceptance
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My Thoughts:
This book admittedly took me a bit to get into, but once I did, it felt like a warm hug.
It covered some pretty heavy topics - like domestic abuse, childhood trauma, divorce, grief, and recovering from addiction, among others - but I thought the author did an amazing job of giving these topics enough gravitas to feel weighty and real, without making them feel oppressive or completely depressing. And any heaviness was balanced so well with warmth, the beauty of nature, and just a touch of romance, mystery, and magic.
I loved the setting. The flowers, that garden, the food, the bees, the gazing pool, the open-air market, Hickory Lane…it all felt so immersive and atmospheric.
It covered some pretty heavy topics - like domestic abuse, childhood trauma, divorce, grief, and recovering from addiction, among others - but I thought the author did an amazing job of giving these topics enough gravitas to feel weighty and real, without making them feel oppressive or completely depressing. And any heaviness was balanced so well with warmth, the beauty of nature, and just a touch of romance, mystery, and magic.
I loved the setting. The flowers, that garden, the food, the bees, the gazing pool, the open-air market, Hickory Lane…it all felt so immersive and atmospheric.
"The dining table had been decorated with jars full of flowers of varying colors, heights, scents. Caladium, salvia, violas, snapdragons, or "snaps" as Glory called them. I'd learned their names - and forgotten half a dozen others as Glory and I had strolled through the garden earlier. Votive candles set into pale-pink glass holders flickered along the table runner. The glass and silverware sparkled in the early evening sunlight, while dust motes floated lazily through the air. The roast chicken and whipped potatoes, pull-apart rolls, green bean salad, and cucumbers and onions soaked in Italian dressing had been consumed."
I really loved some of the characters, too. Glory was so warm and inviting and just oozed Southern charm. I’m not sure how I would feel about Dorothy in real life, but in print she was a lot of fun. I liked watching Emme slowly unfurl, set down some roots, and start to heal, and I enjoyed her blossoming friendship with Cora Bee, too. The chapters bounced back and forth between Emme & Cora Bee’s POVs, and I will say that it was sometimes hard to differentiate whose POV I was in because, while their characters were quite different from each other, their voices seemed almost identical. The two love interests, Jamie and Chase, were also pretty interchangeable, though I did like how kind both men were.
While I sometimes yearned for a little…more (of what, I’m not totally sure), I thoroughly enjoyed my overall experience of reading this book. There were a few things that didn’t make sense to me, and I didn’t love the epilogue, as I felt it tried to tie things up a little too neatly, but I was intrigued with the slight mystery, fell in love with the bits of magic, felt invested in the characters, and desperately wished I, too, could spend some time with Glory in the kitchen or in her flower garden.
This was my first time reading this author, and I definitely plan to check out some of her other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
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