By Adrienne Young
Delacorte Press, 2023. 320 pages. Fiction
One woman's deeply emotional story of self-discovery, family, and love - but make it time travel! In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm -- and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow's disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and spend her life haunted by rumors.
It's been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren't there. She knows nothing of the time travel that plagues the women in her family; June thinks it's mental illness. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere--the signs of the family curse that June always knew was coming. But she is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.
After her grandmother's death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother's decades-old disappearance, except that they lead only to more questions. Could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she's been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.
I don't usually read romance. I definitely don't usually read about time travel. This book made me wonder why! I absolutely flew through the audiobook on a recent road trip. The story has many layers and each character is nuanced; I truly felt transported along with June. Throughout, I was hooked by the intriguing clues and unexpected twists, as well as just generally trying to wrap my brain around all of the time travel. I wouldn't have picked this book for myself in a million years, and I'm so glad I decided to listen to a friend's recommendation!
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As a young woman, Addie makes a deal with the devil to save herself from the tedium of an arranged marriage - asking not to belong to anyone. The devil grants her immortality, but curses her to a life of horrible isolation because no one she meets is able to remember her. After 300 years of moving through the world like shadow, Addie hears the words she thought she never would: "I remember you." This book was reviewed by another Provo City Librarian in 2021, linked here. Weyward
By Emilia Hart
St. Martin's Press, 2023. 329 pages. Science Fiction
Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, the Weyward family women give us an enthralling novel of female resilience. In 1619, Altha Weyward is on trial for her life, accused of witchcraft in the death of her best friend's husband. In the 1940s, tomboy Violet Weyward, is a disappointment to her frosty father, who is darkly silent regarding Violet's dead mother. In 2019, Kate Weyward flees an abusive relationship, seeking shelter in the cottage bequeathed to her by her great-aunt Violet. Tension and suspense are skillfully maintained as these women seek to extricate themselves from dire circumstances and discover secret strength.
Wrong Place Wrong TimeBy Gillian McAllister
William Morrow, 2022. 402 pages. Fiction
Can you stop a murder after it's already happened? Jen can't believe what she sees when her funny, happy teenage son kills a stranger, right there on the street outside the house. Devastated and in despair, Jen wakes up the next morning only to discover that she is living that fateful day over again. The net day, it is the day before yesterday. Every morning, she wakes up a day earlier, another day before the murder, with another chance to stop it. This book was reviewed by another Provo City Librarian in 2023, linked here.
LKA
