L V

The red herring. That little twist. Okay, Miss McFadden. 👏

I hated her. I liked her. I hated her again, then she’d do something to make me forgive her. I enjoy when authors create characters I can love/hate at the same time. Decent read. Not too many twists, but the plot is engaging enough to make you want to keep on reading to see what happens next.

Whoa. I went into this blindly. A dark tale about abuse and how it can stall your future. Yet, by the end, I felt like Victor was gaining control and would pull through. At least this is what I hope for him. I sure wish there were a follow-up story. May the abusers of the world get what they deserve twice over.

Maureen describes David’s eyes as dark and brown, but in Book #2 Queenie described them as a bright blue, like Harold’s. I wonder if this was a little mistake made by the author, or if the women’s experiences and love for the men made them both see David differently. At any rate, it was a beautiful and bittersweet journey for Harold, Queenie and Maureen in working through their grief and wanting to right their wrongs. A solid little series that reminds us not to take for granted all the beautiful gifts we have been given.

“Without any exchange of words, they had taken up each other’s loss, and given meaning to what was unbearable.”

Queenie, I love your warm, quiet, beautiful soul. I was torn with the ending, when the letters were delivered to Harold; but upon reflection, I came to realize the beauty in it. You continued loving quietly and unconditionally, and there’s so much strength and elegance in loving that way. I will think of you often.

2026 Review: I read this ages ago and remember enjoying it. When I saw that it was a part of a series, I decided to reread it and I am glad I did. This story should act as a reminder that although people you may confront seem to be living a serene and “normal” life, one never knows the struggle that person may be going through to keep up appearances just to keep existing. Be kind, don’t be quick to judge, and lend an ear when you can.

It’s amazing what being alone and having time on your hands can do for you. The memories that keep flooding back, whether you want them to or not. The guilt of past sins creeping up unexpectedly. This story is about how Harold’s experiences and memories help shape his present. A bittersweet tale. I wish he would’ve said more to Queenie, but I think she knows all he wanted to say but couldn’t. They shared a quiet and meaningful bond. And I am happy that through this journey Maureen got to work through some of her own demons.

“People were buying milk, or filling their cars with petrol, or even posting letters. And what no one else knew was the appalling weight of the thing they were carrying inside. The superhuman effort it took sometimes to be normal, and a part of things that appeared both easy and everyday. The loneliness of that.” Ch 8

2012 Review: My memory of this read is a bit muddled because it's been a while since I read it. I recall that upon completion of reading it, I was left with the realization that most of the time happiness is a matter of perspective. One should not hold off on righting all of their wrongs. And a good long walk is sometimes the perfect thing to do to help reflect and clear all the chaos that can accumulate and consume your soul.

It amazes me how this author can write so minimally yet leave the reader reflecting on so much long after her stories have been read. I felt I knew each character, I felt each snowflake and draft. I could smell the coffee and feel the warmth of the white stones. I felt all the longings and panics and fears of the characters. Keegan is immensely gifted. I love her work so much.

Well, here it is, the first DNF of the year. I started this book on Feb 13, it is now March 5. This is a fairly short read, but reads like a tome. I really tried to stick with it because lately all I’ve done is complain about choosing mediocre reads. But this one tops them all.

A wife who has been married for 15 years, and is still madly in love with her husband, is totally insecure about whether he loves her back. And she’s been this way since the start of their marriage. For an educator and translator of books, she cannot communicate the simplest of thoughts or questions with him.

I tried to stick with it to see whether dynamics change, but her complaining about him not being as passionate as she’d like him to be just got to be too much. At this point, too much time has passed by for me to even care whether I should've seen it through for fear that I quit right when it was about to get good. Adios, my husband.

Waiting on my feel good reads to come through from Libby and Hoopla so had to resort to reading this super short story ever so slowly. It did not disappoint, this writer’s work is always a mood booster.

The first chapter grabbed my attention, but I found the rest to be a little slow paced. Although each of the characters get a lot of time on paper, I just couldn’t connect or care for any of them. The tone was to be a sad, full of grief, but it was written in such a sterile way that the emotion just wasn’t there (not for me anyway).

I plodded through it, but it came close to ending up in the DNF pile. A shame because the storyline, though a bit unbelievable, is pretty good. This could have been a thrilling mystery mixed with romance, grief and family dynamics, but it misses the mark in a disappointing way.

Or maybe I read this at the tail-end of a slump and am a little grumpy that it has overshadowed the 5 star book I recently read that got me out of it. I feel like I’m in quicksand and hope this book doesn't pull me back into that slump