Sarah Addison Allen is one of my favorite authors. I’m so glad to see her publishing again! This book was quite a surprise for me, as it felt quite different from her others. This read like a mystery, and felt more like literary fiction than magical realism to me. I loved the setting, everything sounded beautiful and that’s where her magical realism shone! I found the quirky characters to be fun. I particularly loved Mac and Camille’s relationship. I know that the author was writing this book when her mom and sister passed away, and I’m sure that influenced the story, as of course it should, but it gave it quite a heavy tone that I don’t usually feel while reading her books. Almost all of the characters had relatively heavy back stories, and some of them were nearly impossible to like. There were pockets of this book that felt magical and whimsical, but overall I felt fairly somber while reading it. I’m glad that I read it, but it’s certainly not what I was hoping for based on her other books.