Kaye's Reviews > The Party Line

Lila Matthews returns to her home town of Ditto, Texas after inheriting her aunt Gracie’s estate. It includes a large home and a strawberries farm. While cleaning out the house she finds clues from Grace’s past that no one seems to know about. Carolyn Brown is the queen of writing warm, folksy stories set in small Texas towns. I appreciate the title and remember my family having a party line till I was 8 or 9.

There is a romance for Lila with Connor who recently left the military. They want to go slowly with picnics and sweet talks. There is no drama but a slow building connection. Much of the story is focused on Gracie. I love how Lila cares for and befriends Gracie’s neighbor and best friend Jasper. He has answers to many of her questions. And I appreciate Lila’s easy and honest relationship with her mother.

This is seemingly a stand alone novel from Brown and I enjoyed reading it. Yes, it can be predictable but I found the pacing good and flew through it quickly. Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the digital copy and I am leaving an honest review.