Edge of Summer By Viola Shipman

 

Title: Edge of Summer

Author: Viola Shipman

Source: Paperback

Genre: General Fiction

Rating: 5 enthusiastic paws up

Sutton Douglas is devastated by the death of her mother.  After her death, Sutton makes an impulsive decision to move to Douglas, Michigan to search for answers to her past.  She is not prepared for all she is about to discover.  After buying a jar of buttons from the estate sale of Bonnie Lyons, Sutton begins an unlikely friendship with the woman and begins to wonder could she be the grandmother Sutton dreamed of having.  Sutton begins to unravel the truth to her mother's past; but will she find the family she has craved for, or will her search end in heartache?

I stumbled upon Viola Shipman a few years ago because I was doing am ABC reading challenge where I read a book by an author who's name began with each letter of the alphabet, Viola was my "V". Since then, I have pretty much devoured every book published.  The books are actually written by Wade Rouse who writes under the Viola Shipman name to honor his grandmother, which makes me love these books even more because I now know there is a deeper meaning behind them.  Such as Edge of Summer was inspired by Rouse's grandma's button jar.  Knowing this bit of information adds a certain personal quality to the novel.  It adds sentiment.

When I recommend this author, regardless of books I always say Rouse (Shipman) knows exactly what my heart needs to say or hear.  I cannot tell you how many times I teared up at this novel because it touched something deep within and in a way helped heal my heart from the grief I experience.  He tells the story in a way that it doesn't feel like I am reading a novel, but that I am listening to a cherished friend share their story.  I love the family legacy aspect of all the novels, and that along with the love story and what not, family is at the base of every novel.  Edge of Summer is no different.  There is so much to fall in love with in this novel from the family bonds, the descriptions of a Michigan sunset, to the emotions each character struggles with.  It all feels so real and radiates from the pages into the readers.

 I cannot decide if this has become my favorite Viola Shipman novel or not, they are all just so wonderful to read.  Never knew what I'd find when I stepped outside of my comfort zone.  I recommend this novel to everyone.  I feel like at times it made me acknowledge the way my heart continues to ache for not only my grandmothers, but also my dad.  It was honestly a wonderful book to read while grieving.

Viola SHipman has become one of those authors that I will buy their book without reading the synopsis.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell Book Review

Title: Then She Was Gone

Author: Lisa Jewell

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Source: Ebook - Netgalley

Rating 4.5 out of 5 paws

Ellie Mack's life was perfect, she had a loving family, the cutest boyfriend in school and she was on the fast track to passing her school exams.  As a 15 year old girl, she was looking forward to the summer after all her hard work. Then she was gone.  Just gone.  No one seen what happened to her.  Now 10 years later her mother Laurel Mack is trying to piece together her own life.  Only months after finding final clues to close Ellie's case, Laurel meets a charming man in a café.  The flirtation takes right off and quickly develops into something much more serious.  Before she can turn away, she meets his daughters.  Poppy is his youngest, and she stops Laurel in her tracks.  Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie.  This sparks new unanswered questions within Laurel and she becomes determined to find out who Floyd really is and who is the mother of his daughter.

I have seen this book numerous times through social media like goodreads and book clubs so when I seen it on Netgalley I decided I needed to give Then She Was Gone  a chance.  The plot synopsis makes it sounds beyond interesting, and after the first few pages I was hooked.  I was spellbound and captivated throughout the rest of the story.  It took everything in me to be able to put the book down and sleep or go to work.  There was nothing that I did not like about this book, or about Lisa Jewell's writing.  Lisa has the ability to pull her readers away from reality into a new world.  With her words she provides thrill and suspense many readers are searching for, a sense of suspense we may not find in the movies.  There is not one way that this book does not meet my expectations, it exceeded everything I was hoping to find in this story.


This the first Lisa Jewell novel I have read and I have to say I am wildly impressed.  She had me on the edge of me seat all the way through.  I enjoyed the different perspectives and the way she did was not confusing or hard to follow.  By the end of the novel (epilogue included) the story ties together well, there are no loose ends, not lingering questions..everything is solved and provided for the reader in a satisfactory way that leaves everyone happy. I loved the bits about Noelle and how she meet Floyd and what drove her to do what she did.   Jewell masterfully drags her audiences into the story whether it is this one or one of her other books.  It felt like everything was set on hold while I read this book and could not focus on anything else.


It was easy to understand where Jewell was headed with this novel, but she gives the readers the information.  I think having the readers realize where she was going was intentional, but we didn't know how she would get to that point.  I felt that while it was genuinely suspenseful and thrilling, it was also a look into how different people respond to grief, how they heal and learn to move one.  Most of the family was able to after some time, but still 10 years later and Laurel is still struggling to which she calls Poppy Ellie.  I love that Jewell gives readers a compelling plot with a little bit of romance and inner dialogue to reveal the emotional and psychological depth of her characters I have very few authors who have been able to accomplish this. Every one of the characters in Then She Was Gone were interesting.  I wanted to see more of Hanna and Jake even Blue.  I was intrigued with Blue seeing auras and could tell something wasn't right.  I had hoped she would push a little more on it, but at the same time understand why she didn't.  We still get that thought implanted into Laurel's mind.


If you enjoy suspenseful thrillers then this would be a great book for you to pick up from amazon, or your local bookstore or library. Definitely pick up this book and give it a go, you won't be disappointed.  This was my first novel by Lisa Jewell, and I am looking forward to reading more novels by Lisa Jewell.  May have found a new favorite.


Get it now: http://amzn.to/2Gaj2RA