Tuesday, April 19, 2016

The Girl Who Stayed

I am a sucker for books set in South Carolina.  I devour books by Dorothea Benton Frank and have savored Pat Conroy tales.  I will try just about anything to get a little Charleston / Sullivan Island / Folly's Beach in my life.  Which is super strange since I have never been there but have planned many vacations there that have yet to happen.

Description: Zoe Rutherford wasn't sure what she was expecting when she returned to Sullivan's Island. The house on Sullivan's hadn't represented home to her in decades. It was the place where she endured her father's cruelty. It was the place where her mother closed herself off from the world. It was the place where her sister disappeared. But now that her parents are gone, Zoe needs to return to the house, to close it down and prepare it for sale. She intends to get this done as quickly as possible and get on with her life, even though that life seems clouded by her past, both distant and recent. But what she discovers when she gets there is far beyond her imagining and will change her in profound ways.

This book sounded like my kind of book.  And it started out that way.  It had mystery.  It had beach.  It had a potential for danger.  It had a learning to be yourself aspect.  There was beer.  And wine.  And grandma's who told Gullah stories.  And somewhere after the first couple of pages it started to just fall flat.

I was even okay with it being a feel good story and not that horrifying or awful in the mystery/suspense aspect until the second to last chapter, I believe.  Then I was just annoyed with the ending.  I felt I deserved a better ending for reading the book.

Also? I wanted to like the main character.  Really did.  The components were there.  But just fell flat.  I was disappointed because I really wanted to love it.  Like I said, it possessed all the things I love, it just didn't jive for me. 

About the Author:  Tanya Anne Crosby is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-five novels. She has been featured in magazines, such as PeopleRomantic Times and Publisher's Weekly, and her books have been translated into eight languages. Her first novel was published in 1992 by Avon Books, where Tanya was hailed as "one of Avon's fastest rising stars." Her fourth book was chosen to launch the company's Avon Romantic Treasure imprint. Known for stories charged with emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, Tanya is an award-winning author, journalist, and editor, and her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. In 2013, she penned her first romantic suspense novel, Speak No Evil, which appeared on the USA Today list. The Girl Who Stayed brings her full circle to work with Lou Aronica, President and Publisher of The Story Plant, who first published Tanya at Avon Books. Tanya and her writer husband split their time between Charleston, SC, where she was raised, and northern Michigan, where the couple make their home.

Is there a certain geographical area that you are drawn to read about? What types of descriptions make you want to pick up a book? Have you been to Sullivan's Island?

I received a copy of this book from TLC tours.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.



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