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Call the Canaries Home
Three estranged sisters reconnect in their Louisiana hometown to face an unresolved past in a heartfelt novel about family, grief, secrets, and forgiveness.
Savannah was four years old when her twin sister, Georgia, went missing from their small Louisiana town, fracturing their family. Twenty-eight years later, Savannah convinces her estranged older sisters, Rayanne and Sue Ellen, to honor the pact they made as children and retrieve the time capsule they buried in their old backyard. But coming home means confronting old ghosts…and their stubborn grandmother, Meemaw.
Sifting through the artifacts, they come across a photograph taken on the day Georgia disappeared and spot a familiar woman lingering in the background. While Sue Ellen and Rayanne want to move on with their lives, Savannah is determined to find the woman—and perhaps a clue to the past.
When old tensions, rivalries, and memories resurface, the sisters must reconsider what they thought they knew about that fateful day, about each other, and about themselves. On their search to uncover what happened to Georgia, each of them will discover what Meemaw has known all along: family is everything.
Savannah was four years old when her twin sister, Georgia, went missing from their small Louisiana town, fracturing their family. Twenty-eight years later, Savannah convinces her estranged older sisters, Rayanne and Sue Ellen, to honor the pact they made as children and retrieve the time capsule they buried in their old backyard. But coming home means confronting old ghosts…and their stubborn grandmother, Meemaw.
Sifting through the artifacts, they come across a photograph taken on the day Georgia disappeared and spot a familiar woman lingering in the background. While Sue Ellen and Rayanne want to move on with their lives, Savannah is determined to find the woman—and perhaps a clue to the past.
When old tensions, rivalries, and memories resurface, the sisters must reconsider what they thought they knew about that fateful day, about each other, and about themselves. On their search to uncover what happened to Georgia, each of them will discover what Meemaw has known all along: family is everything.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,864 reviews
June 7, 2023
I really wanted to love this book, but after finishing the story, I felt somewhat misled by the narrative. While I understand it is the author's prerogative to determine how character arcs progress, by the time I got halfway through the novel, the interpersonal conflicts between the sisters tended to loom too large, leaving little room for nuanced character development.
By the time I got about two-thirds of the way through the book, I felt myself growing exhausted by the character interactions, as it often felt that these tensions were inserted to unncessarily draw the narrative out. I rushed through the last section of the book and felt grateful when I reached the end.
By the time I got about two-thirds of the way through the book, I felt myself growing exhausted by the character interactions, as it often felt that these tensions were inserted to unncessarily draw the narrative out. I rushed through the last section of the book and felt grateful when I reached the end.
June 9, 2023
4 charming stars for this small town Southern story!
It’s impossible for me not to love a book with a main character grandmother named Meemaw! Unapologetic Meemaw was the heart of this story - I adored her! Meemaw raised her three young granddaughters after her daughter died. She embraces the girls with her whole heart. Her granddaughters, now adults with their own lives, come back home for a weekend reunion with Meemaw.
This story is very much centered around sisterhood and this aspect was done extremely well. The family dynamics were messy, multilayered and full of heart. I found myself immersed within the sisters relationships and secrets, rooting for them to get the answers they were searching for.
A family mystery pulls the plot forward with the narrative scattering pieces of the past timeline throughout. The pace was steady and consistently revealed important pieces of the family history, tying into the present day storyline. Much of the family’s story happened before the reader meets the characters and through these past timeline perspectives, the weight of those pieces of history shine through, adding depth to the story and creating an emotional connection to the characters.
This was a refreshing, heartfelt, change-of-pace novel that had me invested in the characters and family. It is not my typical type of book, but one I thoroughly enjoyed and am thankful to have received an advanced copy of.
Thank you to the author and publisher for my gifted review copy!
It’s impossible for me not to love a book with a main character grandmother named Meemaw! Unapologetic Meemaw was the heart of this story - I adored her! Meemaw raised her three young granddaughters after her daughter died. She embraces the girls with her whole heart. Her granddaughters, now adults with their own lives, come back home for a weekend reunion with Meemaw.
This story is very much centered around sisterhood and this aspect was done extremely well. The family dynamics were messy, multilayered and full of heart. I found myself immersed within the sisters relationships and secrets, rooting for them to get the answers they were searching for.
A family mystery pulls the plot forward with the narrative scattering pieces of the past timeline throughout. The pace was steady and consistently revealed important pieces of the family history, tying into the present day storyline. Much of the family’s story happened before the reader meets the characters and through these past timeline perspectives, the weight of those pieces of history shine through, adding depth to the story and creating an emotional connection to the characters.
This was a refreshing, heartfelt, change-of-pace novel that had me invested in the characters and family. It is not my typical type of book, but one I thoroughly enjoyed and am thankful to have received an advanced copy of.
Thank you to the author and publisher for my gifted review copy!
February 26, 2023
I just finished this one and I had to RUN to tell y'all about it. 🙌🙌🙌🙌
First things first, thank you @laura.barrow.writer for the ARC of her DEBUT novel Call The Canaries Home!
I was raised in the south (S/O Ladonia, AL), so it was not difficult at all to picture a small Loiusinana town and the characters who inhabit it. 😝
To me, Meemaw sounded like every southern grandma I've ever met, and I could hear her voice SO clearly. (I put sticky flags by my favorite words of wisdom from Memmaw because you just never know when you might need them. 🤷♀️)
The amount of character growth throughout this book is truly top tier. It was incredible to see how all three sisters underwent life-changing transformations for the better over the course of their weekend together in Muscadine. ❤️
AND THE FORESHADOWING!! WOW!!
There were enough little clues to lead me down the right path, but still managed to surprise me in the end.
This story was everything I hoped for and more. I'm a fan for life. 10/10 highly recommend!
First things first, thank you @laura.barrow.writer for the ARC of her DEBUT novel Call The Canaries Home!
I was raised in the south (S/O Ladonia, AL), so it was not difficult at all to picture a small Loiusinana town and the characters who inhabit it. 😝
To me, Meemaw sounded like every southern grandma I've ever met, and I could hear her voice SO clearly. (I put sticky flags by my favorite words of wisdom from Memmaw because you just never know when you might need them. 🤷♀️)
The amount of character growth throughout this book is truly top tier. It was incredible to see how all three sisters underwent life-changing transformations for the better over the course of their weekend together in Muscadine. ❤️
AND THE FORESHADOWING!! WOW!!
There were enough little clues to lead me down the right path, but still managed to surprise me in the end.
This story was everything I hoped for and more. I'm a fan for life. 10/10 highly recommend!
June 10, 2023
Ghastly
A plodding, often confusing, relentlessly Ill-written tome with absolutely no interesting plot twists and lacking the scarcest of plot development.
A plodding, often confusing, relentlessly Ill-written tome with absolutely no interesting plot twists and lacking the scarcest of plot development.
July 16, 2023
Well I wanted to love this book. The writing wasn’t horrible. It started off with holding my interest, but it just slowly became about the sisters drama and little about the missing sister. Tidbits here and there about what could have happened, and then right at the end a tidy little bow of how to wrap up the story of her.
I did not love all the jumping around of their point of views. Would’ve helped to stick to one or two. Overall disappointed of what could have been a great book.
I did not love all the jumping around of their point of views. Would’ve helped to stick to one or two. Overall disappointed of what could have been a great book.
July 13, 2023
This book is set up to be a mystery and then hardly revolves around the mystery. The twist is lackluster at best. The conflicts between the characters are over the top and drawn out for way too long and then suddenly resolved throughout. Lots of random side stories that don’t really contribute? Idk - I finished it. It was interesting enough, but I wouldn’t recommend.
June 10, 2023
A good women’s fiction novel. It was a bit confusing to keep track of whose point of view each chapter was being told from. The story is interesting, as a whole, and everything is sorted out by the ending. I do recommend.
August 4, 2023
This book was the biggest waste of time. I literally don’t know how it has 4 stars
May 7, 2024
First, this author uses my least favorite method to tell a story. POV changes for each chapter, and going back and forth in time as well. It was confusing at times and I had to reorient myself often to who and where and when, but I’m going to take the blame because of my short attention span 😄. Still, I should have been more than annoyed. The book also hovers just above chick lit, which I despise. It’s not chick lit, though, it’s got way too much soul for that.
Then why didn’t I DNF? I didn’t stop reading because I love southern fiction and simply enjoyed it too much, despite all my complaints! This book made me happy, made me sad, and made me laugh. Laura Barrow’s writing absolutely hooked me!
Three sisters meet at their Meemaw’s house in a small town in Louisiana to dig up a time capsule they buried when they were children. They aren’t excited about this trip, and feel a bit bullied, but a pact is a pact. The years have changed them, and they have little in common now that they are adults. The sister that stayed in her hometown, Savannah, had a twin sister named Georgia that came up missing when the girls were four years old. The case is cold, but Savannah can’t let it go.
This isn’t a mystery/thriller as I mistakenly thought it would be. The mystery of what happened to Georgia is the glue that holds the story together, but this is a character driven novel. And what characters! This story is full of family drama, with plenty of humor and heart! Solving what happened to Georgia isn’t necessarily the point, it’s the journey to get there that counts.
I’m kicking myself for liking this so much, but I can’t help it! Five stars!
Then why didn’t I DNF? I didn’t stop reading because I love southern fiction and simply enjoyed it too much, despite all my complaints! This book made me happy, made me sad, and made me laugh. Laura Barrow’s writing absolutely hooked me!
Three sisters meet at their Meemaw’s house in a small town in Louisiana to dig up a time capsule they buried when they were children. They aren’t excited about this trip, and feel a bit bullied, but a pact is a pact. The years have changed them, and they have little in common now that they are adults. The sister that stayed in her hometown, Savannah, had a twin sister named Georgia that came up missing when the girls were four years old. The case is cold, but Savannah can’t let it go.
This isn’t a mystery/thriller as I mistakenly thought it would be. The mystery of what happened to Georgia is the glue that holds the story together, but this is a character driven novel. And what characters! This story is full of family drama, with plenty of humor and heart! Solving what happened to Georgia isn’t necessarily the point, it’s the journey to get there that counts.
I’m kicking myself for liking this so much, but I can’t help it! Five stars!
August 4, 2023
I didn’t fully know what kind of book I was reading when I started this one.
It was a little slow in the beginning but once I got into it. I didn’t want to stop reading.
The book goes between 4 different perspectives- Savannah, Meemaw, Sue Ellen, and Rayanne. I enjoyed the book as you see the sisters come together. The had a tough childhood and lost a sister at such young ages. As adults they come together and search for answers about their lost sister and they come to learn new things about their family. A very good read
It was a little slow in the beginning but once I got into it. I didn’t want to stop reading.
The book goes between 4 different perspectives- Savannah, Meemaw, Sue Ellen, and Rayanne. I enjoyed the book as you see the sisters come together. The had a tough childhood and lost a sister at such young ages. As adults they come together and search for answers about their lost sister and they come to learn new things about their family. A very good read
July 16, 2023
What a fantastic surprise this turned out to be! This riveting, multi-generational family drama pulled me in right from the start and never let go. Laura Barrow has written the ultimate story about a complicated southern family of a grandmother (MeeMaw) and her three estranged granddaughters.
The sisters who are scattered away from home return due to a pact they made to dig up a time capsule they buried twenty-eight years ago. They each return with their own unresolved demons due to a tragedy that occurred when the youngest, Savannah’s twin sister Georgia was murdered when they were five years old.
Barrow skillfully leads the reader through the alternating points of view of the four of them, Meemaw, Savannah, Rayanne, and Sue Ellen. Meemaw is a hoarder, no doubt trying to make up for all the losses in her life, and cherishes her granddaughters to the point of suffocation. Each has old hurts from the past and as they come together will new memories and forgiveness heal their remaining family.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, for the opportunity to read it in exchange for my honest opinion. Laura Barrow is a name to keep on your radar and I expect to see more good work coming from her. I gave it four stars.
The sisters who are scattered away from home return due to a pact they made to dig up a time capsule they buried twenty-eight years ago. They each return with their own unresolved demons due to a tragedy that occurred when the youngest, Savannah’s twin sister Georgia was murdered when they were five years old.
Barrow skillfully leads the reader through the alternating points of view of the four of them, Meemaw, Savannah, Rayanne, and Sue Ellen. Meemaw is a hoarder, no doubt trying to make up for all the losses in her life, and cherishes her granddaughters to the point of suffocation. Each has old hurts from the past and as they come together will new memories and forgiveness heal their remaining family.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, for the opportunity to read it in exchange for my honest opinion. Laura Barrow is a name to keep on your radar and I expect to see more good work coming from her. I gave it four stars.
June 4, 2023
I chose well with this Kindle First Reads pick, this was an engaging story about three sisters and their grandmother. It's told in alternating POV of the four women, and there are some time jumps to the past.
When Rayanne, Sue Ellen and Savannah reunite for the weekend to dig up their time capsule, it's the first time they've been together in awhile and there is plenty of tension. All three are defensive about their lives, and very judgmental about each other's. The time spent together starts to heal things between them, and they try to piece together what might have happened to their sister Georgia. Their Meemaw is a colorful character, a hoarder whose life has been full of tragedies, and clings so hard to her remaining family that she suffocates them or drives them away.
There's a bit of a mystery element with what happened to Georgia, but it didn't go in the obvious direction I thought it would. The heart of the story is the complicated family dynamics and I enjoyed it very much.
When Rayanne, Sue Ellen and Savannah reunite for the weekend to dig up their time capsule, it's the first time they've been together in awhile and there is plenty of tension. All three are defensive about their lives, and very judgmental about each other's. The time spent together starts to heal things between them, and they try to piece together what might have happened to their sister Georgia. Their Meemaw is a colorful character, a hoarder whose life has been full of tragedies, and clings so hard to her remaining family that she suffocates them or drives them away.
There's a bit of a mystery element with what happened to Georgia, but it didn't go in the obvious direction I thought it would. The heart of the story is the complicated family dynamics and I enjoyed it very much.
July 28, 2023
It's probably an unpopular opinion, but I didn't care for this book. The characters lacked depth, and the relationship with each of the sisters repeated so often throughout the book that I couldn't wait for it to end. I was hoping for Where the Crawdad Sings type book, and it wasn't that by far. However, I did love the Meemaw character because she reminded me at times of my own grandmother.
February 26, 2023
Review to come!
September 13, 2023
It's only star, but it would actually be 1.5 stars.
This story felt shallow. I've read the 'family secret being unveiled' stories before and I really like them, but this was just not engaging, I never felt like I had to know. I didn't have to rush through the story to know what happened. It was fairly boring, honestly.
The plot was fairly disjointed. The missing sister seems more like a plot after thought, not actually what the author wanted to deal with (simple dysfunctional family drama). It could have been replaced with any family tragedy, and it barely felt like it was connected to the plot for most of it.
This book had me sympathy cringing while watching all these characters making the worse possible decisions because you know that will only bring about all their fears and make their lives worse. Which, was really sympathetic and engaging at first. Then it kept happening and they learned absolutely nothing. Then I started to get annoyed. I know that the characters did grow (though even that felt off- they just solved all their issues with each other in three days? Then it's perfect between them). Despite the 'growth', I still feel all these just need to walk away and figure out their own messes because damn do they only make them more toxic and self destructive.
Most of all, it's WAY too forgiving of insane helicopter parenting. If I never hear 'they did their best' as an excuse for messing up your kids it will still be too long. Meemaw was messed up, and everyone deciding that 'no wait, it's actually our father that gave us all our issues' does not erase that fact.
I do love the phrase 'love too much' though.
This story felt shallow. I've read the 'family secret being unveiled' stories before and I really like them, but this was just not engaging, I never felt like I had to know. I didn't have to rush through the story to know what happened. It was fairly boring, honestly.
The plot was fairly disjointed. The missing sister seems more like a plot after thought, not actually what the author wanted to deal with (simple dysfunctional family drama). It could have been replaced with any family tragedy, and it barely felt like it was connected to the plot for most of it.
This book had me sympathy cringing while watching all these characters making the worse possible decisions because you know that will only bring about all their fears and make their lives worse. Which, was really sympathetic and engaging at first. Then it kept happening and they learned absolutely nothing. Then I started to get annoyed. I know that the characters did grow (though even that felt off- they just solved all their issues with each other in three days? Then it's perfect between them). Despite the 'growth', I still feel all these just need to walk away and figure out their own messes because damn do they only make them more toxic and self destructive.
Most of all, it's WAY too forgiving of insane helicopter parenting. If I never hear 'they did their best' as an excuse for messing up your kids it will still be too long. Meemaw was messed up, and everyone deciding that 'no wait, it's actually our father that gave us all our issues' does not erase that fact.
I do love the phrase 'love too much' though.
March 4, 2023
Call The Canaries Home is the debut novel by Laura Barrow. It’s the story of three estranged sisters and there “Meemaw” that reconnect in their hometown of Muscadine, Louisiana. A story of heartbreak, loss, love and forgiveness.
The book was a real winner for me and am looking forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you Laura Barrow for the ARC! Would highly recommend to anyone that enjoys southern fiction/mystery.
The book was a real winner for me and am looking forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you Laura Barrow for the ARC! Would highly recommend to anyone that enjoys southern fiction/mystery.
June 4, 2023
Reading the description lead me to believe this was not just a general novel about family and sister, but also one of mystery and possibly suspense.
I'm sad to say that wasn't really the case. While there was a little mystery in here, it was more in the way or a few twists, not in the way of a good mystery would be told.
Still, it was a good read, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
I'm sad to say that wasn't really the case. While there was a little mystery in here, it was more in the way or a few twists, not in the way of a good mystery would be told.
Still, it was a good read, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
July 24, 2023
First of all, I want to thank Netgalley, Laura Barrow and the editor of this book, Lake Union Publishing, for giving me the opportunity to read 'Call the Canaries Home'!
Now my honest review:
I really liked this book! The plot is very original and with each page there is always something new.
I loved ALMOST every character (if you know you know), they felt so real.
Meemaw is ICONIC! one of my favourite character EVER 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻
the prose is very easy to follow, which was definitely a plus for me as english is not my first language, and alsooo there aren't many swear words or teased about the Christian religion i think (another plus point hahahahah)
For anyone who wants to read this book, i recommend to read the tws. Even if there is no shortage of light and funny moments, we still talk about traumas...
This fantastic story didn't end the way I wanted but that's okay (screaming, crying😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😪😪😪😪)
🚨🚨🚨SPOILER ALLERT!!!! 🚨🚨🚨
Dear Laura Barrow, PLEASE write plus chapters about the sisters!!! (especially about the evolution of the love story about Sue Ellen and Derrick! I have so many questionsss!!! For example did they get married?? As readers, we NEED to knowwwww 🤭
I love Derrick btw 🧍🏻♀️)
Now my honest review:
I really liked this book! The plot is very original and with each page there is always something new.
I loved ALMOST every character (if you know you know), they felt so real.
Meemaw is ICONIC! one of my favourite character EVER 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻
the prose is very easy to follow, which was definitely a plus for me as english is not my first language, and alsooo there aren't many swear words or teased about the Christian religion i think (another plus point hahahahah)
For anyone who wants to read this book, i recommend to read the tws. Even if there is no shortage of light and funny moments, we still talk about traumas...
This fantastic story didn't end the way I wanted but that's okay (screaming, crying😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😪😪😪😪)
🚨🚨🚨SPOILER ALLERT!!!! 🚨🚨🚨
Dear Laura Barrow, PLEASE write plus chapters about the sisters!!! (especially about the evolution of the love story about Sue Ellen and Derrick! I have so many questionsss!!! For example did they get married?? As readers, we NEED to knowwwww 🤭
I love Derrick btw 🧍🏻♀️)
July 1, 2023
4.25⭐️
Call the Canaries home is a beautiful and heart-rending tale about sisters, complicated families, the grief of loss, the things that tear us apart, and the things that can bring us back together again.
I thought I knew for sure where the mystery at the heart of the story was leading, but I was wrong, and, without adding spoilers, I’ll say that I’m still processing the direction it ended up taking, and the myriad emotions thus conjured. What a story.
Thank you Laura Barrow, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.
Call the Canaries home is a beautiful and heart-rending tale about sisters, complicated families, the grief of loss, the things that tear us apart, and the things that can bring us back together again.
I thought I knew for sure where the mystery at the heart of the story was leading, but I was wrong, and, without adding spoilers, I’ll say that I’m still processing the direction it ended up taking, and the myriad emotions thus conjured. What a story.
Thank you Laura Barrow, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.
October 6, 2023
This book was so good. It was a different read than what I’m used to and spoke to my heart so much! “Family is family.”
July 13, 2024
I’m not entirely sure what I thought this book was going to hold. I thought was a big piece of the book was the disappearance of Georgia, Savannah’s twin, and finding out what happened and figuring out family secrets. The adult interactions between the older girls and their internalized resentment/traumatic upbringing was realistic enough.
The whole book just seemed like a lot of dialogue between them and learning why they secretly hated each other and themselves.
I appreciated Memaw’s perspective of family and raising kids/grandkids, but her fierceness came from fear of losing everything she loved so that love was scary sometimes. I’m not a mother so I don’t know how to empathize with Memaw’s thought process. But I can appreciate the way this was written to help me try to understand, even if it sounded baffling in some parts.
I didn’t hate this book, it may not have been my cup of tea. I just thought the disappearance of the sister would have been a bigger part of the book.
The whole book just seemed like a lot of dialogue between them and learning why they secretly hated each other and themselves.
I appreciated Memaw’s perspective of family and raising kids/grandkids, but her fierceness came from fear of losing everything she loved so that love was scary sometimes. I’m not a mother so I don’t know how to empathize with Memaw’s thought process. But I can appreciate the way this was written to help me try to understand, even if it sounded baffling in some parts.
I didn’t hate this book, it may not have been my cup of tea. I just thought the disappearance of the sister would have been a bigger part of the book.
September 29, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for an eARC of this book. The following review is my honest reflection on the text provided.
2.5 stars
I feel misled by the book synopsis for Call the Canaries Home. I went in expecting an amateur detective story: three sisters tackling the disappearance of their sister, a supposedly solved case with no body and no closure. Instead, Call the Canaries Home is a convoluted family drama where everyone keeps dying off and no one is happy.
I struggled to tell the sisters apart in my head. I don’t know if I was just disinterested or if there wasn’t enough in the writing to tell the perspectives apart, or if it just didn’t matter to the narrative, but until the very end, I was still waiting for identifying characteristics to tell which sister was which. Last time I checked, ‘has kids’, ‘lives on the east coast’ and ‘never left home’ were not their names.
Having said all that, Call the Canaries Home isn’t bad, just a little boring. There’s a lot of material here that could’ve been used to explore generational poverty and family dynamics. There are some allusions to food deserts, poor education and limited future prospects, but there’s no effort made to dig any deeper. I considered DNFing the entire time I was reading, but I kept hoping there might be a twist or things could get interesting. Unfortunately, that never happened.
Review originally posted here on Britt's Book Blurbs.
2.5 stars
I feel misled by the book synopsis for Call the Canaries Home. I went in expecting an amateur detective story: three sisters tackling the disappearance of their sister, a supposedly solved case with no body and no closure. Instead, Call the Canaries Home is a convoluted family drama where everyone keeps dying off and no one is happy.
I struggled to tell the sisters apart in my head. I don’t know if I was just disinterested or if there wasn’t enough in the writing to tell the perspectives apart, or if it just didn’t matter to the narrative, but until the very end, I was still waiting for identifying characteristics to tell which sister was which. Last time I checked, ‘has kids’, ‘lives on the east coast’ and ‘never left home’ were not their names.
"For the first time since we'd lost Georgia, I sensed something tugging on the other end of the invisible thread that tethered the two of us together. It wasn't a feeling I could explain to Rayanne and Sue Ellen, but it was there just the same. My sister was not dead. Because as soon as I saw that photograph of the two of us, it was as if I heard a familiar voice calling out, as clear as if she'd been standing right next to me.But most disappointing was the mystery. Occasionally, someone would mention the missing sister or the lack of evidence or closure, but it felt more like a reminder that ‘oh yeah, that’s what this book is supposed to be about’. There’s very little effort put into the mystery, even when suspicious and interesting facts are being discovered by accident.
Come and find me, Savannah. It's time."
Having said all that, Call the Canaries Home isn’t bad, just a little boring. There’s a lot of material here that could’ve been used to explore generational poverty and family dynamics. There are some allusions to food deserts, poor education and limited future prospects, but there’s no effort made to dig any deeper. I considered DNFing the entire time I was reading, but I kept hoping there might be a twist or things could get interesting. Unfortunately, that never happened.
Review originally posted here on Britt's Book Blurbs.
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June 15, 2023
"In a world that was determined to forget, someone had to do the remembering."
"If I had learned anything from Meemaw, it was that life was too short to wait around on other people to get things right."
Not the best Kindle First I've read, but definitely not the worst. 3.25 stars.
I liked the writing a lot, but found the story to be just OK - I was thinking this was going to focus more on the disappearance of Georgia, and while it's kind of the underlying story, it focuses more on the relationship of the remaining sisters (Savannah, Sue Ellen and Rayanne), and their lives growing up with their grandmother (Meemaw). Each character is fairly well developed and grows throughout the story. I would read more by this author as I do like her writing style, I just don't think this story was for me. If you're a fan of family drama and learning more about one another, this may be a great option for you!
Stray thoughts:
You'll probably want to suspend your beliefs a bit -- I had a hard time believing the sisters remembered exactly where they buried a time capsule from 25 years prior (I assume any marker the young girls left would have been long gone), and everything in it was still intact (my friend who buddy-read this with me said it was a great advertisement for duct tape). And the fact they also managed to stumble upon their previous pet who had been buried.
Naming the twins Savannah and Georgia? Sigh. (I'm not from the south, is this a thing people do? Fine names by themselves, but for twins?)
A drinking game could have been created every time Sue Ellen muttered to herself. (You'd be drunk, she muttered a lot).
I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I found Meemaw to be INSUFFERIABLE. I understand wanting to protect her family, but man, was she kind of awful. Family members who LOVE to guilt trip can honestly just go away. I could have understood maybe a little more if it happened after her husband and daughter passed and Georgia goes missing; trauma can really mess with you. But based on the back and forth timelines throughout the book, we learn she's always been over the top.
I could see this book being a movie or TV show. I actually thought the scene where they hitched up Savannah's motor home and didn't realize her boyfriend and his lover were in it -- that was pretty entertaining.
"If I had learned anything from Meemaw, it was that life was too short to wait around on other people to get things right."
Not the best Kindle First I've read, but definitely not the worst. 3.25 stars.
I liked the writing a lot, but found the story to be just OK - I was thinking this was going to focus more on the disappearance of Georgia, and while it's kind of the underlying story, it focuses more on the relationship of the remaining sisters (Savannah, Sue Ellen and Rayanne), and their lives growing up with their grandmother (Meemaw). Each character is fairly well developed and grows throughout the story. I would read more by this author as I do like her writing style, I just don't think this story was for me. If you're a fan of family drama and learning more about one another, this may be a great option for you!
Stray thoughts:
You'll probably want to suspend your beliefs a bit -- I had a hard time believing the sisters remembered exactly where they buried a time capsule from 25 years prior (I assume any marker the young girls left would have been long gone), and everything in it was still intact (my friend who buddy-read this with me said it was a great advertisement for duct tape). And the fact they also managed to stumble upon their previous pet who had been buried.
Naming the twins Savannah and Georgia? Sigh. (I'm not from the south, is this a thing people do? Fine names by themselves, but for twins?)
A drinking game could have been created every time Sue Ellen muttered to herself. (You'd be drunk, she muttered a lot).
I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I found Meemaw to be INSUFFERIABLE. I understand wanting to protect her family, but man, was she kind of awful. Family members who LOVE to guilt trip can honestly just go away. I could have understood maybe a little more if it happened after her husband and daughter passed and Georgia goes missing; trauma can really mess with you. But based on the back and forth timelines throughout the book, we learn she's always been over the top.
I could see this book being a movie or TV show. I actually thought the scene where they hitched up Savannah's motor home and didn't realize her boyfriend and his lover were in it -- that was pretty entertaining.
July 1, 2023
2.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads for me.
This book just wasn’t what I was expecting. There were plenty of moments throughout the story that I found myself bored, and I only finished it because 1) I typically do not DNF books 2) I was doing a reading challenge with a book group and needed the book’s pages to count towards my challenge and 3) I wanted to see if what I thought was going to happen in the end was going to happen. And turns out, the book absolutely did not end the way I thought it was going to end, which was sort of upsetting, and it also just made me feel like the story was incomplete. Very glad I got this as a Amazon First Reads pick and didn’t have to buy it.
This book just wasn’t what I was expecting. There were plenty of moments throughout the story that I found myself bored, and I only finished it because 1) I typically do not DNF books 2) I was doing a reading challenge with a book group and needed the book’s pages to count towards my challenge and 3) I wanted to see if what I thought was going to happen in the end was going to happen. And turns out, the book absolutely did not end the way I thought it was going to end, which was sort of upsetting, and it also just made me feel like the story was incomplete. Very glad I got this as a Amazon First Reads pick and didn’t have to buy it.
August 23, 2023
This book was a let down for me. I was expecting a Where the Crawdads Sing vibe but this was anything but.
Three sisters meet up at their grandmother’s house where discussions centre around their tough upbringing and the loss of a twin sister. Of course different viewpoints will often result in disagreements, but for me the incessant conflict and arguing between the characters became very tiresome as it dominated the story.
The anti-climatic ending was a real disappointment and I have to say it was a relief to have reached the end of the book.
Three sisters meet up at their grandmother’s house where discussions centre around their tough upbringing and the loss of a twin sister. Of course different viewpoints will often result in disagreements, but for me the incessant conflict and arguing between the characters became very tiresome as it dominated the story.
The anti-climatic ending was a real disappointment and I have to say it was a relief to have reached the end of the book.
November 9, 2023
For me, this book got off to a slow start. It does pick up a little about mid-read, but never gained a full head of steam. MeeMaw, the grandmother's character is the most well developed, I couldn't help but have a love/hate relationship with her. The attempt at a plot twist in the last half of the book fell flat and left me disappointed.
August 9, 2023
You really have to read this book!
A story of so much love of family and the grief that comes when part of that family is lost. This is one of the best books I have ever read - you will be so glad when you start reading it!!
💖💖💖
A story of so much love of family and the grief that comes when part of that family is lost. This is one of the best books I have ever read - you will be so glad when you start reading it!!
💖💖💖
July 13, 2023
Set in small town in southern America, a story of family brought back together years after a family tragedy, and a reconnecting of memories. The narrative revolves mainly around uncovering the truth behind Georgia’s disappearance when she was just 4 years old, and how the events of that day impacted the lives and futures of the parents, sisters and grandmother. I did originally think this was going to be more of a suspense type book, uncovering what happened, but it is more of a coming together or family and acceptance of things. Whilst it’s not what I expected, it’s still a beautiful story and very enjoyable.
Written from multi narrator perspectives, we get lots of different views on life and situations, and have the odd flash back to the past. The characters are all a little flawed and impacted by their pasts, but you believe they all have good in them and are just trying to do their best in the circumstances.
The writing has a lovely easy flow to it which makes it a joy to read. This isn’t the type of book I would normally read but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was such a lovely story. Highly recommend!
Thank you to netgalley and lake union publishing for an e-arc of this book for review consideration. All views are my own.
Written from multi narrator perspectives, we get lots of different views on life and situations, and have the odd flash back to the past. The characters are all a little flawed and impacted by their pasts, but you believe they all have good in them and are just trying to do their best in the circumstances.
The writing has a lovely easy flow to it which makes it a joy to read. This isn’t the type of book I would normally read but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was such a lovely story. Highly recommend!
Thank you to netgalley and lake union publishing for an e-arc of this book for review consideration. All views are my own.
August 8, 2023
4.5 stars for me! I loved this book and the entire storyline had me hooked. Jumping from sister to sister and hearing their own voices and perspectives was neat, and the entire thing was just sweeter than pie with a little bit of southern sadness mixed in. A heartwarming story with a pleasant ending. Taking away half a star because I felt a smidge misled, that perhaps things would turn out differently than everyone expected.
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