The Sea Keeper's Daughters

This is realistic fiction at its finest. The way Mrs. Wingate weaves in such tangible heartbreak and regrets yet keeps a thin thread of hope for the characters to tug on along the way is superb.

The stepfather/stepdaughter story was incredible. I liked that even though the guy was rough around the edges, there was clear and undeniable love deep below the surface just longing to burst forth. The journey toward closing the chasm that stood between them was so heartwarming and worth every heartrending moment along the way.

Speaking of heartrending, every backstory in this book fit that bill. I loved it!

There was a rich faith thread that featured trusting God through one's daily life. This made my heart melt in a very good way.

The seashell shop made an appearance! That's always fun.

Another fun thing was the quirky squirrel thread. It was lighthearted and added some extra charm to this book.

The cover is not my favorite of Mrs. Wingate's books, but I could overlook that for the story, which I rather enjoyed.

Content: alcohol, replacement expletives, suicide mentioned, crude term, replacement profanity, crude sexual terms, teen substance abuse, derogatory term, teens “staying together” in the same house (sleeping arrangements not given), unwed pregnancy