content warnings:

Spoiler

precanon loss of (many) loved ones, grief, terminally ill major character (cancer), colloquial use of "g*psy", on-page panic attack

While an engaging enough read to get through, this is tropey in a way that makes it predictable (except perhaps the very last twist, though I personally felt that

Spoiler

the revelation that Aubin was in the car with Anna Kate's parents when it crashed, and that it was indeed an accident, and AJ indeed refused to bow to his parents' pressure

didn't really add a ton besides mildly satisfying closure). The romances in particular are super obvious from the beginning, and not altogether necessary to the narrative.

The interviews-with-locals opening for some chapters, seemingly at random, didn't do much for me. In general I think it can be a fun structure, but it only seemed to show off Southern small-town "charm" or insularity. By the last instance,

Spoiler

where the reporter speaks to Anna Kate herself,

honestly I was completely over it.

The dual-perspective also didn't seem necesssary. I liked both Anna Kate and Natalie, and having both their arcs helped beef up the story, but apart from the obvious they didn't quite cohere in my mind.

The magical-realism elements felt underdeveloped, kind of hand-wave-y; I was particularly disappointed by

Spoiler

how quickly and prosaically the mystery of the blackbird pies was solved; I'd half hoped Anna Kate would figure it out but the readers wouldn't be told ... or at least not until the end

. And for all the to-do about

Spoiler

blackbirds and the cat and Celtic ancestresses

, it didn't really seem to lead anywhere.

To be quite frank, [b:Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune|42051103|Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune|Roselle Lim|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544267261l/42051103._SX50_.jpg|61454595] features many of the same tropes —

Spoiler

prodigal (grand)daughter returning to a tight-knit community to inherit a cafe, with every intention to leave; learning family recipes and developing their own; realizing that there's more to life than traditional success; "unlikely" romance; etc etc

— but with more depth and thus in a more engaging way.

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CONVERSION: 7.6 / 15 = 3 stars

Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact: 4 / 10
Development / Flow: 5 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10

Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5
Memorability: 1 / 5