Book Description
Robin Windsor has spent most of her life under an assumed name, running from her family's ignominious past. She thought she'd finally found sanctuary in her rather unremarkable used bookstore just up the street from the marina in River City, Michigan. But the store is struggling and the past is hot on her heels.
When she receives an eerily familiar book in the mail on the morning of her father's scheduled execution, Robin is thrown back to the long-lost summer she met Peter Flynt, the perfect boy who ruined everything. That book--a first edition Catcher in the Rye--is soon followed by the other books she shared with Peter nearly twenty years ago, with one arriving in the mail each day. But why would Peter be making contact after all these years? And why does she have a sinking feeling that she's about to be exposed all over again?
With evocative prose that recalls the classic novels we love, Erin Bartels pens a story that shows that words--the ones we say, the ones we read, and the ones we write--have more power than we imagine.
When she receives an eerily familiar book in the mail on the morning of her father's scheduled execution, Robin is thrown back to the long-lost summer she met Peter Flynt, the perfect boy who ruined everything. That book--a first edition Catcher in the Rye--is soon followed by the other books she shared with Peter nearly twenty years ago, with one arriving in the mail each day. But why would Peter be making contact after all these years? And why does she have a sinking feeling that she's about to be exposed all over again?
With evocative prose that recalls the classic novels we love, Erin Bartels pens a story that shows that words--the ones we say, the ones we read, and the ones we write--have more power than we imagine.
Review
I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.
This book was so much more than I expected. I saw books on the cover and thought, "Oh, I want to read that!", expecting it to take place in a bookstore and be a nice read.
It's so much more than that. Yes, there is a bookstore: that's all I was right about. Here are the elements I was not expecting out of a (what I thought would be) a fluffy read: a dying bookstore, a dual timeline, a grandmother that doesn't know what nurture is, convict parents. Oh, and let's not forget the crazy parrot.
That list is an odd mix - but trust me - they combine into a compelling story. At times it seems hard to believe, and yet, we see it in real life all the time. To see Robin grow and finally face the truth about her parents and their crimes is gripping. This isn't a thriller but it definitely had some plot twists that would rival the best of that genre. Subtly woven throughout the story is the theme of forgiveness in addition to facing your demons and taking risks.
*Note: after reading this book, I flipped to the back cover and realized that I had read another Erin Bartels' book earlier in the year that also landed on my "best of" list for the year. This author is now on my radar and I look forward to reading more of her work.
It's so much more than that. Yes, there is a bookstore: that's all I was right about. Here are the elements I was not expecting out of a (what I thought would be) a fluffy read: a dying bookstore, a dual timeline, a grandmother that doesn't know what nurture is, convict parents. Oh, and let's not forget the crazy parrot.
That list is an odd mix - but trust me - they combine into a compelling story. At times it seems hard to believe, and yet, we see it in real life all the time. To see Robin grow and finally face the truth about her parents and their crimes is gripping. This isn't a thriller but it definitely had some plot twists that would rival the best of that genre. Subtly woven throughout the story is the theme of forgiveness in addition to facing your demons and taking risks.
*Note: after reading this book, I flipped to the back cover and realized that I had read another Erin Bartels' book earlier in the year that also landed on my "best of" list for the year. This author is now on my radar and I look forward to reading more of her work.
I gave this book: ★★★★★
★ = I did not like it ★★ = It was okay ★★★ = I liked it ★★★★ = I really liked it ★★★★★ = I loved it
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