THE SPACE BETWEEN SISTERS by Mary McNear

 

Publisher:    William Morrow

Published:   June 14, 2016

ISBN:        William Morrow P

Genre:       Women’s Fiction

Format:     Ebook / Print

Obtained via:  Publisher  

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com

TWO-1/2 HEARTS

 

At one time Poppy and Win were as close as two sisters could be. And then something happened. Poppy withdrew and became a flake.  Flitting from job to job, man to man, place to place. Unreliable because her middle name.

Win, on the other hand, became even more stable. She took control of her life and continued to control every little detail. Rearranging her kitchen drawers is a high point of her day.

While they’ve kept in touch, Win has remained at Butternut Lake in the house left to her by her grandmother and Poppy visits here and there.  And then one day Poppy shows up—unannounced.  And not just shows up, she brings all her belongings and most especially her beloved cat, Sasquatch. She’s not there for just a visit.

Poppy has left yet another job and has really no idea where she plans to go next with her life. While Win doesn’t want to give up her solitude, she doesn’t really have a choice but to let her sister move in. As the days and weeks go by, Poppy and Win have a chance to not only reconnect, but to forge a new, stronger, relationship.

I’m at a loss with Mary McNear’s latest, THE SPACE BETWEEN SISTERS.  Her Butternut Lake series is one of my favorite go-to reads. This one was, in many ways scattered.  It just never got off the ground for me. By time what was really going on with Poppy I’d already pretty much lost interest in the story.  I felt bad for her, for what she went through. But I didn’t really like her or Win. At first I wasn’t even sure she loved her cat and when that story thread was addressed I felt bad for Sasquatch, I hurt for him, but not for her.

I don’t know why two romances were dealt with in one book except maybe there wasn’t enough of a word count to write two separate stories. 

The earlier books were just wonderful. I settled in to read them and didn’t want the stories to end.  Usually when a series is as good as this one has been there is always one book that falls short.  THE SPACE BETWEEN SISTERS is, I hope, that book. McNear is such a good writer that I will check out the next in the series and see where she goes with it.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

BUTTERNUT SUMMER by Mary McNear

Publisher:  William Morrow

Published:   August 12, 2014

ISBN:  978-0062283160

Genre:   Contemporary, Women’s Fiction

Format:  Print

Obtained via:  Publisher  

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

FOUR HEARTS

Almost two decades ago Jack Keegan packed his bag and walked out on his wife, Caroline and young daughter, Daisy.  In the ensuing years he first ran from himself and then found something to run to.  Devastated by her husband’s abandonment Caroline did the best she could to raise Daisy—who turned out to be a pretty awesome young lady.  She excelled in school and athletics.  She was an unaffected golden girl who left Butternut Lake only for school.  Each summer she returned to work at her mom’s coffee shop, Pearl’s. 

This summer, however, is a summer of changes and reckonings.  Daisy is about to embark on her last year of college.  Carolina is on the verge of not only losing her daughter to adulthood, but losing her coffee shop and home because of a mortgage payment she simply cannot make.  And Jack, after years of sobriety, is on the verge of losing what he once threw away. 

When Jack returns to Butternut Lake it is initially at Daisy’s behest but it is also because he never stopped loving Caroline and never stopped hoping to have his family, the very family he threw away, back in his life.  Each member of the Keegan family has something precious to lose…but they each have something to gain if only they can allow the secrets of their pasts come to light. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Mary McNear’s debut novel, UP AT BUTTERNUT LAKE and couldn’t wait for book 2, BUTTERNUT SUMMER.  Ms. McNear does not disappoint.  There are myriad layers to BUTTERNUT SUMMER, making it a bit more complex than UP AT BUTTERNUT LAKE.  Building on the community and the ups, downs, secrets and chatter of a small town McNear tells dual stories of a mother and daughter coming to terms with the changes in their lives.  Some of those changes are foisted on them; others are changes they themselves seek.

Jack’s character is far more complex than that of an alcoholic to is back in town to make amends.  While he wants to, and tries step by step to make up for the past with Caroline, he learns perhaps the more valuable lesson of forgiving himself. 

BUTTERNUT SUMMER can be taken at face value as a wonderful contemporary fiction or the reader can dig deeper into the complexities of the characters and their lives.  Either way it is a wonderful read you do not want to miss.

Both UP AT BUTTERNUT LAKE and BUTTERNUT SUMMER can be read in any order as each is a stand-alone, but you don’t want to miss either one.  No matter what our favourite genre, this is one series any reader will enjoy.  I can’t wait for the next entry.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

UP AT BUTTERNUT LAKE by Mary McNear

Publisher:  William Morrow

Published:   April 8, 2014

ISBN:  978-0062283146
Genre:   Women’s Fiction

Format:  Paperback
Obtained via:  Publisher  Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

FIVE HEARTS

Doing what she thinks will be best for her young son Wyatt and herself, Allie Beckett has returned to her childhood home at Butternut Lake. For what has felt like too long, yet not long enough after her husband’s death she needs to return to herself.  Her friends meant well, kindly telling her she was young, she can love again, marry again and have more children.  But for all their well meaning words, they haven’t helped her.  Who can truly put a time limit on grief?  So she has returned to that place in her life where she felt right.  Where she felt complete—Butternut Lake.

When she arrives at the family cabin much is as she remembered.  But there is the part that has aged, fallen away and leaves her wondering if she’s done the right thing, especially for her young son.  Hoping for the best the morning after she arrives she heads into town and finds little has changed.  Oh, there are a few new things and people she knew have grown up or older, but the core of the town is everything she has remembered.  Well almost.

Walker Ford is new to town, or at least to Allie.  Walker and his brother, Reid have a lucrative business buying and restoring boat yards.  Something about Butternut Lake spoke to Walker, so much so he built a cabin on the lake and while Reid wants him to return to the city, day after day he has another reason to stay.  When he meets Allie he has yet another reason.

Can a simple attraction grow into something more?  Or will the ghosts of our past continue to dwell in our future?

I’m not a fan of women’s fiction because for the most part they are depressing to me.  There’s just too much struggle to find even the smallest grain of happiness.  I read to escape to another time and place and contemporary fiction/women’s fiction is just too reality based for me.  I’m less of a fan of books with “cute” children.  They have their place but far too often them remind me of the unruly brats running around Costco while their parents look on and smile as if their climbing on the grocery shelves is the cutest trick ever.

But I also believe in supporting local authors even if it’s only to read their books and that is why I picked up Mary McNear’s UP AT BUTTERNUT LAKE.  I may have picked it up because she is a local author, but I became a fan in her opening pages and by the end of the book she moved to one of my top reads.  What an incredible story! 

The characters are fully developed.  Each is unique with his or her own story to tell.  They could be your neighbour or even yourself.  They are complex and multi-dimensional with stories you can relate to on a number of levels.

Ms. McNear creates a town at Butternut Lake that anyone would want to spend time in.  While the town itself could be anywhere, it is the people who live there who make it a safe haven. 

The story takes you down real life paths but not in a sad or overwhelming way.  While there are a number of life experiences that come up in the story, the one that really spoke to me was the question of when do you know you are ready to move on from a loss—from the death of a loved one?  And even more important—how do you do it.  Allie does something I think we’d all like to do at one time or other when faced with an impossible situation—by going to Butternut Lake she ran from what was no longer comfortable, leaving what was in essence one known for an unknown, yet familiar place.  At Butternut Lake she didn’t have to live her life on someone else’s time clock but could look at her life and make her decisions when it was right for her.  I got teary when I read the scene where she is finally able to say goodbye to her deceased husband and truly lay him to rest.  It is the rare book that can bring me to tears and in this case it felt all the more personal because of what a wonderful story teller Ms. McNear is.

This is one book I would recommend to anyone, no matter what their favourite genre.  It is a well told story that will stay with you long after the last word is read.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.