The Butterfly Garden by Sophie Anderson really packs an emotional punch. Two family dramas unfold on the pages, and both have some pretty shocking revelations. Erin is a young woman that is returning to her hometown “in disgrace” and the topic of gossip everywhere she goes. But she needs a job finds a place with an old woman, Maggie, that needs help writing her final book.

Erin and Maggie gradually become close in their own odd and special way. They seem like a rather unlikely pair, but their relationship is something very special. Maggie’s last book is different than what she usually writes, and Erin soon finds herself on a trip to Costa Rica to deliver the manuscript to Maggie’s estranged son, Lucas.

Costa Rica was incredibly beautiful, and I would love to see all the places Erin visited, but the storyline fell a little flat there. The characters all seemed so contradictory to themselves. While I understood Lucas’s on and off again personality, the rest seemed like pieces that didn’t fit the puzzle. Erin’s whole time here seemed as if it didn’t quite fit – which is odd because Lucas is a vital part of the story.

Erin’s family has their own issues they will need to confront as well, and her time with Maggie helps her realize that secrets aren’t always meant to hurt. This family secret takes the story in a somewhat different direction but still maintains the theme of parents and their children.

I enjoyed the story a lot, and I wish I could have seen how everyone turned out beyond the ending. I feel like there is still so much to say about their lives and their impact on the people around them.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**