This is the first book that I have read from the author, Viola Shipman and was not aware until I was finished that it is the pen name of Wade Rouse. I was very impressed with the author's writing and will be reading more!
This book, The Clover Girls, was such a great story about the relationship between four women when they were teenagers and then between them as adults in their forties, after they meet again. The story is told with a dual timeline between summer of 1985 and summer of 2021. This is a story of growing up, growing apart and then reconnecting along with learning about their own-selves and what truly makes them happy.
I LOVED this book! It was great to read about women close to my age (over 50) and relate to their place in life. The story made me smile, it made me cry big fat tears, it brought some anger at times along with laughter. It brought back memories of being a child and camping with my family and the friends I made along the way. The Clover Girls was so well written that I felt like I was actually there. I could picture the camp, the lake, the trees, the campfire, I could feel the emotion. I was so sad when I turned to the last page, not because of how it finished, but because it was finished.

This is a book that I have recommended over and over again on social media and will continue to recommend after it has been published (May 18, 2021).

Thank you so much to Harlequin-Trade Publishing and to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this true 5 star book!

This is the first Cynthia Ellingsen book that I’ve read and have now added her to my list of authors to read more.

The book was well written. I enjoyed the storyline as it progressed and the development of the characters. Human emotion was shown as it really exists. Showing both the good and bad sides of people, although not really bad. Just real. Descriptions of the resort and the city were also well done. It was easy to see and hear the scene and in many cases, wish I was there!

Occasionally I would read a sentence that would make me stop and think....
“It also made me wonder how many women gave up their power in the name of love. Tilly had wanted her husband to be happy, so she’d gone along with his vision for their future. I’d done the same with Tristan, for much too long.”... I reread it few times before I carried on. I think this was a turning point for the main character, Julie.
Or this one....
“The darkness of the night surrounded the porch on all sides. I held my mother as tight as I could, leaning into her shoulder and breathing in the strength of her love. I wondered what I had been doing, what I had been thinking, trying to carry this burden on my own. My mother had always been there, waiting for me, to find the way back home.”.... just so good!

A few times in the first half of the book, I jumped paragraphs because of the repetition of details. The story seemed to have stalled for a couple of chapters but maybe it was just me? Maybe I just really wanted to know what happened next. The second half moved along well and kept leaving little bits to make me want to keep reading to find out more.
I was happy with the Julie’s choice of where she wanted to be. Its the choice I hoped she would make. I would’ve like to have seen more about her relationship with Chase developed instead of a paragraph in the epilogue. And what about Chase’s memory box?!? Where is it?!

Overall, it’s a great story about family, emotion, a bit of mystery and how the choices we make shape our lives and that of others.

Much thanks Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me this opportunity and introducing me to another great author!

My review is also posted at: https://genuinewordz.blogspot.com and https://www.instagram.com/genuinewordz/

I’m kind of stuck on how I feel about this book hence the 3 stars. I wasn’t completely in love with all parts of the story. When I started the story I wasn’t pulled in. I kept reading but it took a bit of time to get me to the point that I didn’t want to put it down. Usually it takes me about 5-7 days to read a good book. This one was double that.
At a point a little over half way through, I lost that connection and started skipping paragraphs, then pages. There was just so much drama for one small family and no action. Nothing seemed to be happening. A missing husband/father, a family ordeal from the past, a second chance romance, a criminal ex-wife, cancer, an unexpected teen pregnancy, sexuality questioning. This book covers it all and at some point was hard to imagine it was possible.
Even with all of the drama and the characters to go with it, the storylines were easy to follow. Once I got through to the last quarter of the book I started being interested in reading all the pages and paragraphs once again.
The ending brought the decision that I hoped would happen but I was really disappointed there wasn’t an epilogue. I would’ve liked to have read how all the many dramas had been resolved, not just the few.
Thanks to HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

Ps...
I rarely make comment on quotes from the books I read but there is one in this story that I have to... “I might die, Quinn, but my love for you never will.” My heart took a hit as I read this quote. I went back and read this sentence a few times. And even as I wrote this review I was remembering it and had to go back and get the exact quote. There is so much in these few words said from a mother to a son. It is sticking with me. ♥️

Lisa Gardner has been a favourite writer of mine for many years. I’ve read so, so many of her books but then took a break. When I saw this one listed on NetGalley, I knew I had to read this stand alone book. Now I need to go back and get to know D.D. again. Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP for helping me see that!

This story was great right from the start! As soon as I started reading I felt I was in the story and could see what was being described as if with my own eyes. The plot continued with many twists and turns and I found myself turning the page to see what happens next! Gardner’s ability to write with this much accuracy and imagination just amazes me. How does she think of all this and make it so realistic. Sometimes I find myself guessing the ending and being right. Not this time. I never figured this is!

I only gave four stars though because in some parts of the story felt like they dragged on too long. There was just too much “thinking out loud” or hashing over the same details, just with a different character. I found myself skipping a few paragraphs here and there. To me a five star read is when I read every paragraph, every word.

I grew to love Frankie and hope that things worked out for her and that her life would take a turn toward happy. The ending left me feeling bittersweet. I was on the sidewalk watching Frankie walking off into the day, on to her next search. I miss her already.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group - Dutton for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

My review is also posted at: https://genuinewordz.blogspot.com and https://www.instagram.com/genuinewordz/

I loved this book!! Absolutely everything is included in 'Absolutely Everything' starting with the Big Bang all the way to today, the year 2020! The information is written for the middle to older children age level but I found it informative for adults as well. I enjoyed re-learning historical events that I learned about when I was in elementary school as well as other lessons that I was not knowledgeable about. I found myself listening to many chapters at a time and was completed in three days!
I 'read' the audio version narrated by the author himself and found Christopher Lloyd very easy to listen to. I would love to also read a hardcopy version to see the illustrations past reviews have mentioned. I do plan to listen to the book, starting from the beginning again. I am sure that I will learn even more... there is that much information included!
I well deserved 5 stars have been given with recommendations to buy the hard copy and the audio!

Thanks to Publisher Spotlight Audio and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this wonderful book!!

The story was okay. I did finish it. Unfortunately I figured it out part way through and wasn’t surprised. When I was reading the epilogue I was surprised to not find any reference to Bonnie. She was such a big part of the story but left off in the end.
The “love”story between Tug and Sutton fell flat. There was barely a spark there.
I found myself skipping pages because it was too wordy especially when Sutton was reminiscing and thinking about the life and lessons with her mom.
I’m not a religious person at all but I’m able to ignore religion when it’s used in a story. This story was close to too much for me.
The continual referencing to Covid was over the top, unfortunately.
Not the authors fault but I feel like this book was published too fast for some reason. There are too many typos and grammars mistakes. It looks like the book missed a final proofread.

I did enjoy learning the history of the area. I found myself looking at google maps to see where everyone was.