One Woman Book Club Review: The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth

First of all, y'all know I love me some Barbara O'Neal, so I had the highest of expectations for The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth. And I am happy to report that she did not let me down in the least. I don't know that this one outshines When We Were Mermaids for me (read my review here), but it comes darn close.

I'm going to admit that I wasn't fully prepared for what this book is, but I'm also not ashamed to say that if the parts I didn't know were mentioned in the blurb, I would have passed this book right on by and missed a helluva good story.

So, synopsis: Mariah is a former Olympic skier who suffered a traumatic, career-ending injury that she is still recovering from a year and a half later. When she discovers plans for her late mother's unfinished book project, Mariah decides to retrace her steps and finish the project. Knowing that she needs help physically as well as with the research aspects of the project, Mariah ends up hiring Veronica, a recently divorced woman who's trying to figure out what's next. They're joined on their journey by Henry, a former war photographer who was a close friend of Mariah's mother. Together the trio travels to London, Paris, Marrakech, Mumbai, and Delhi, following clues found in a series of letters Mariah's mother wrote to her sister during her time studying in India.

Told in third person limited, the story alternates points of view between Mariah and Veronica. Although everything kind of revolves around Mariah, which makes sense considering its her project, she didn't feel like the main character to me. Veronica felt like the focus of the narrative, even from Mariah's perspective. Though it would be unfair to compare them, both women are healing from their pasts, and each needs the other in order to move forward.

As for Henry, I fell a little bit in love with him, I'm not gonna lie. I feel like every Barbara O'Neal book I read has one male character that just resonates. Henry, for his part, is both a love interest and father figure. I also love that he's a photojournalist.

This book is not terribly long. It's 381 pages, fifty-nine chapters total. It took me a few days to read it. The story is told in a linear timeline, but there are old letters from Mariah's mother interspersed throughout to help guide the characters on their journey. Both Mariah and Veronica have flashbacks, but those are relegated to scenes, usually through dialogue, versus full chapters.

To avoid spoilers, skip to the end of this post.

***Spoilers***

The story begins with a prologue told from Veronica's point of view that helps to establish her backstory, so we'll start there.

Eighteen months ago, Veronica is going through a divorce. Her husband of nearly thirty years, Spence, got a visiting professor pregnant and wants to start a new family with her. Since their home is actually Spence's family's home, Veronica has to move out and can't find an apartment that will allow her to keep her dog, Sophie. So the dog is living with Spence and his new wife, Fiona, and Veronica has specific times that she is allowed to come to the house to do things with her dog -- if you couldn't guess, those times are when the new wife isn't there.

The dog gets sick and has to take medicine. Veronica goes over every afternoon to handle that, but when she has to work two days in a row and misses her time slot, Spence and Fiona fail to give the dog its medicine, and she dies. Veronica, having lost everything else she cares for, loses her mind a little bit. She takes a brick from the garden that she cultivated over the course of her marriage and begins breaking the windows on the house. She's arrested and charged with domestic violence and ends up having to take anger management courses.

Mariah, meanwhile, is experiencing a darker trauma. She and her mother, Rachel, are at a grocery store in Denver when a gunman comes in and goes on a shooting spree. Rachel is killed instantly; Mariah is shot several times and almost dies. One of the bullets shattered the bone in her leg and nicked the femoral artery. Miraculously, surgeons are able to save her leg, though she'll never ski competitively again, if at all.

Now, in the present day, Mariah is still recovering physically and hasn't processed her grief or trauma over the shooting and suffers from PTSD. When she discovers notes for an unfinished book her mother was working on about Parsi cafes, Mariah's aunt, Jill, encourages her to finish the project. Jill plans to go along with Mariah as a sort of companion, but then her husband suffers a medical emergency that requires her presence. Not wanting to cancel the trip, Mariah starts looking for a travel companion.

Veronica, meanwhile, is struggling to make ends meet. Her monthly alimony check just isn't enough, and her ex is trying to get her to agree to an even lower amount. Worse, he's still coming around for sex, and Veronica never refuses his advances. In fact, she rarely if ever tells him or any of their three children no. When her children inform her that they will not be seeing her for Christmas, Veronica knows something needs to change. Then she comes across Mariah's job posting, applies, interviews, and accepts the position.

First stop -- London, where they meet up with Henry. There are definite sparks between him and Veronica, but they don't act on it at first, which is good since Mariah feels pretty weirded out by any hint of impropriety between the two of them since Henry dated her mom at one point, and Mariah regards him like a father figure.

Mariah, meanwhile, is struggling. She's taking too many pain pills, drinking too much, and not eating like she should. Henry, in true fatherly fashion, manages to convince her to take better care of herself so that their journey will be successful.

Basically, they eat their way through three countries using Rachel's notes as a guide. However, the first cafe the visit in London is a bust. The owner actually kicks them out because she recognizes Mariah as Rachel's daughter. Confused and completely in the dark, they reach out to Jill who agrees to share letters Rachel wrote to her from the time she spent as a student in India, which is where Rachel's love of Parsi cafes  began.

As they travel from country to country visiting the cafes on Rachel's list, they learn more about the past she never shared with Mariah. While studying in India, Rachel became involved with the Irani family, who owned a popular Parsi cafe in Mumbai. Something happened, though, that ended the friendship with Rachel and caused the family to leave India, scattering to three different counties. However, none of Rachel's letters that Jill shared explains what led to the break.

You've probably figured it out by now, but the journey Rachel had planned for the book was one of redemption, and now Mariah wants to see it through. With Veronica doing the research and now officially under contract to ghostwrite Rachel's last book posthumously, Mariah, Veronica, and Henry begin to unravel the secrets surrounding Rachel's past.

The further they travel, though, the more apparent it becomes that Mariah's PTSD is getting worse. She has several episodes that threaten to end the whole adventure, including one where she thinks she sees her mother in a mall, but she manages to convince Henry and Veronica to see it through to the end.

Veronica manages to convince Jill to send Rachel's final letter from India which details what happened. However, Jill doesn't want Mariah to read the letter due to her current mental state. The letter reveals what happened between Rachel and the Irani family, which Veronica learns in person after a harrowing solo journey through Delhi to a bookstore owned by one of the Irani sisters.

Rachel became romantically involved with the elder brother, Darshan, but ended things when she realized what being together would mean for Darshan long-term. Darshan did not take the break-up well and took his own life, which cast a shadow over his family. They closed their cafe and then split off to different countries where they opened new cafes and one sister a bookstore.

Soon after, the trio return to Denver where Veronica doesn't have an apartment to return to. While they were traveling, her ex-husband canceled her alimony payment, which meant Veronica could not pay her rent for the month. She tried to get her daughter to help out, but she couldn't be bothered, and her sons were no help either. She reached out to a friend she made through anger management classes to see if she would be interested in becoming roommates, but the landlord took one look at her friend's ankle bracelet and shut the entire deal down. The landlord also discovered Veronica's domestic violence arrest info and evicted her.

Thankfully, over the course of the trip, Veronica and Mariah become close. Mariah, who very obviously still needs help, offers Veronica a place to stay for a few months while she sorts everything out. Henry, being the chivalrous guy he is, makes arrangements to get all of Veronica's things from her apartment while they're still overseas.

The book ends with a flash forward to six months later. Veronica has moved out of Mariah's house into her own place. She and Henry are officially seeing each other, and she and Mariah are like pseudo-family. They're all gathered at Veronica's new apartment to celebrate Mariah's birthday and to introduce both her and Henry to Veronica's kids.

Veronica is writing Rachel's last book. She also has a job working at a greenhouse. She's trying to mend her relationship with her kids and has, thankfully, cut all ties with her ex-husband, who I must say got his comeuppance. Henry is still working as photographer, and Mariah has finally gotten the help she needs. All in all, a very happy and realistic ending.

***End Spoilers***

This book was just so good. Just like in When We Were Mermaids and This Place of Wonder, Barbara O'Neal tackles a serious story in such a beautiful way. And she does it all around the table. Food and restaurants seem to be her thing, at least in these three books. Her character development is so on point and so relatable.

This is definitely not a book to speed read your way through. The characters are so deeply complicated and their healing process is not linear. At times, Mariah was very unlikeable -- she's blunt and curt and can be quite rude. You don't know the extent of her trauma until you're about a third of the way through the book. Once you know that, you begin to understand her more, though her obsession with psychics is still a bit odd to me.

Veronica is so dynamic. She evolves so much throughout the book. At the beginning, she's such a pushover and so non-assertive. I'm not going to lie; all of Veronica's interactions with her children  and her ex-husband made me angry on her behalf. It was such a pleasure watching her take her life back and remind her family that she's a person, too.

I said at the start of the post that I fell a little bit in love with Henry, and it's because of the way he treats Veronica. When they first admit their attraction to each other but their moment gets interrupted, he calls her so they can dance to Veronica's favorite Leonard Cohen song over the phone (this is the song they dance to if you're interested). There are so many moments like that, and I love how he just lets her be herself with no expectations that she change to fit into some preconceived mold.

So, final thoughts and recommendations. Read this book! Then read everything else you can get your hands on by this author. You won't regret it.

A Massive February Outfit Roundup

My bi-weekly outfit roundup got thrown off schedule last month. We were out of town the week it was supposed to post, and this isn't one that can be scheduled ahead of time since I'm usually sharing things I wore in that actual week. Not that I took any outfit photos that week, since we were at the state hog show, and all I wore was jeans and a t-shirt all week. No sense in styling a super cute outfit for the pig barn, ya know.

Anyway, these outfits date all the way back to the week of February 9th. I do have two weekend outfits and one outfit from the week of our winter break before we left for the state show. In total, I have thirteen outfits, so almost two full weeks. Our weather has been all over the place temperature wise, so there are sweaters and short sleeves in the mix.

Pretty much everything I'm sharing this go 'round is old. Some of it is still available, so I'll link to exact where I can. Otherwise, I'll link to similar options when I can find them.

Let's talk about my sizing info for a minute. I am 5'2", but I rarely wear petite sizes. Why? Because I'm on the tall end of petite sizing, which means those sizes don't always work for me proportionally. It's also really difficult to find petite sizing in my local stores, and I'm not one to order multiple sizes online just to try them -- I hate dealing with returns and will not purposefully set myself up to have to do one. I am a solid size 6 most of the time, but I go back and forth between small and medium. Usually a size small is for size 4-6, which means I'm on the larger end and it can be tighter than I want, especially in the shoulders and hem. So a lot of times I end up getting the medium. Sometimes I go up to a large to ensure a looser fit. What this means is that hems are going to be longer on me, so I buy a lot of cropped pants styles, midi length skirts and dresses vs maxi length, and can sometimes get away with buying cropped tops that fit like a regular-length one.

Okay, now that that explanation is out of the way, let's get to the outfits! I'm trying something new with this roundup. In addition to linking to individual pieces, if you click on the picture itself you'll be redirected to my LTK shop to see all the linked items in one place.

Shirt | Vest (similar) | Dress (similar, similar) | Shoes

I put this outfit together on a whim then wasn't confident enough to wear it. So I let it hang in the front of my closet where I could see it for about a week or so. After being greeted by it every single day, I decided what the heck. And what do you know -- this became one of my favorite outfits of the entire month.

I've had this purple floral print maxi dress for several years. It's one of my favorites to wear, especially in warmer weather, but I haven't experimented with it much. I've been trying to be a bit more adventurous with pattern play, and I just could not get the idea of this dress layered over this mixed-floral-print mesh shirt. The outfit felt incomplete, so I added my trusty denim vest, which I buttoned up to create more of a shirt look, then matched my shoes to the vest.

Shirt | Skirt | Converse

I don't remember much about this day other than I needed a pick-me-up in the form of an outfit. So I put together the most colorful look I could come up with at the time.

This skirt was part of a matching set, and I have to make a confession. I got rid of the shirt. I love the skirt. The shirt, not so much. The fit was much too boxy for me, and it just felt awkward. So the skirt stayed in my closet, and the top went into the donate basket.

The graphic tee is recent. It's been waiting patiently in a drawer for me to find the right time (ahem, temperature) to wear it. While I really love the design, I don't love that it's not sublimation. The design is crinkly, and I know it's eventually going to start peeling. However, the shirt itself is so so soft.

Sweater (similar) | Dress (similar) | Shoes (similar)

I bought this dress and sweater at the same time with the intention of wearing them together, but it hasn't actually happened until almost a year later. This was one of those days where it felt like winter in the shade but summer in the sun.

My dress is definitely not school appropriate on its own; it's a halter neck, so needs something either layered underneath or over the top. This crocheted, open-stitch sweater was the perfect solution. It not only provided just enough warmth that I wasn't cold in the shade but also didn't cause me to get hot.

These flats are probably the most comfortable pair I own. I don't wear them very often because they're just so plain, but man are they soft and squishy on the inside.

Sweater | Undershirt | Jeans | Belt | Boots

Repeat outfit alert! I shared this exact same outfit at the beginning of the year. I still love it so much.

This sweater is so much fun. I love the bright, rainbow colors and the open weave. I even like that it's cropped. It just adds so much interest to the overall look.

These jeans have been my go-to for the past several months, and I'm sorry to report that one of the back pockets is starting to get a hole in the corner. You know the kind. On the inside top corner of the back pocket -- the type that you can't fix. I can't say that I haven't gotten my money out of them, though.

Shirt (similar) | Cardigan | Skirt | Shoes (similar)

This is what I wore on the Friday before Valentine's Day. It's kind of a repeat outfit -- I've worn the shirt and skirt together before. This go 'round I added my heart-button cardigan and some embellished black mary janes.

I can't remember where I got my tee from. It says, "Books are my love language," which is so perfect. I can't find anything similar, so I'm linking to one that has the same vibe. My skirt has been in the closet for a couple of years now and is still available. So is the cardigan, which has heart-shaped buttons and hearts in the weave of the sweater.

My exact flats are almost fully sold out, but I found a pair that looks almost exactly the same somewhere else. These are the only pair of mesh mary janes that I own, and I've learned that the mesh rubs everywhere. It's not enough to cause a blister, but I can see it being irritating if you're doing a lot of walking, so fair warning. They are really cute, though.

Overalls | Tank | Blouse | Boots

This is actually what I wore on Valentine's Day, which was the date of our local hog show. I liked this look overall, but I know that other people found it kind of weird.

These are not your typical overalls. They've got bandana-printed fabric in a few places: on the bib pocket and down the side of each leg. I think this gives them interest. I also like that they're pretty thin, instead of super thick denim.

This particular day, I knew I was probably going to get hot, so I wanted layers, which is tricky with overalls. So I started with a bright blue ribbed tank, then I layered a button-up shirt over the top but left it undone. The shirt is a deep burgundy but it's got colorful flowers embroidered all over it, including one in the same shade of blue as the tank top.

So yeah, I liked the overall look of this outfit, but I recognize that it definitely wasn't everyone's cup of tea.

Sweater (similar, similar) | Skirt | Belt | Boots

I really enjoyed this look overall. To be so neutral and  beige, it didn't feel boring. I almost included it in my February favorites, and truly it is one of my favorite looks from the month, but the fact of the matter is that this really isn't one of my favorite sweaters. I keep it because the color is fantastic, but the material is so scratchy that it's not all that comfortable...which is why you don't see me wear it very often.

This skirt has been such a good addition to my closet. They really are worth all the hype they've gotten online. I currently own two patterns and have a third sitting in my Amazon cart right now. The only negative thing I have to say about them, is that they are narrow enough at the hips that tucking something in can result in bulkiness...which is why I added this fabulous medallion belt. It's one that is designed to sit a bit lower on your waist/hips, so it helps to disguise that unwanted bulk.

Shirt | Pants (similar, similar) | Shoes | Bag

Another repeat outfit! I actually wear this exact outfit a lot; I just don't always take a photo. I wore this to go get a haircut. I wanted to be comfortable but look like I actually tried.

This Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers concert tee is one of my favorites. I've had it for a few years now, but I did find it on Poshmark so I'm linking to that for you.

My linen pants are long sold out. They were that viral reddish-striped pair from Old Navy that people went nuts over, and honestly they really are that good. They currently have a striped pair in a brighter red, so not quite the same vibe as this outfit is giving, but I'm linking to that pair for y'all. I'm also linking to a pair that has good reviews on Amazon. The brown-and-white stripe look very similar to this pair.

Sweater (similar) | Skirt | Leggings | Boots

I don't love this outfit. I like all the pieces individually, but I don't know. Together, they just don't work for me. I think it honestly is the boots. It was so cold this day, though, that I wanted something that I knew would add another layer of warmth to my legs. They just stick out to me in a bad way.

Also, you need to know that this skirt is completely see-through. It's so cute, but you can see everything. I layered a pair of black leggings underneath, which wasn't the best choice because they're definitely noticeable. I got away with it this day because it was so cold that it made sense to have something underneath. I need to invest in a good slip.

My sweater is one of Old Navy's SoSoft ones, and it's unfortunately sold out in most sizes.

Dress | Vest | Leggings (CVS) | Boots | Bag

I found this dress on a clearance rack in my local Old Navy, but it's still almost fully stocked online. I went up to a medium, so it's very loose on me, but I feel like the sleeves will shrink in the wash.

How cute is this crocheted vest? I've had it awhile and just not known how to style it. I love it with this dress and can't wait to find more ways to use it.

These leggings came from CVS of all places. They were an emergency "I need something to wash pigs in" buy that I ended up actually loving. I don't know what brand they are -- I didn't actually look since I wasn't really planning on keeping them -- but they are so soft and comfy. Definitely not a pair to wear in warmer months, though. I think they're made of terrycloth? They're very thick at any rate.

Shirt | Cardigan (similar) | Skirt (similar) | Belt | Socks | Boots (similar)

I loved this outfit while I was wearing it, but I don't love this picture. Maybe it's the cardigan? Maybe it's my hair, which just looks bleh (I got rained on). I don't know what's off in the picture, but I try to be honest with you guys. As I said, though, I was really comfortable wearing this all day, so it definitely worked in the real world.

I picked this shirt up on a random trip to Tractor Supply. I got it in a medium, but I wish I had sized up to the large. It's more fitted than I was expecting for this type of t-shirt. Anyway, the tee was the basis for the outfit. Next came the skirt, which I've shared before, but haven't actually worn that much. It was perfect for this though.

This was another one of those days where it felt like winter in the shade and summer in the sun, so I needed an extra layer. This plaid cardigan has been in my closet for a long time. I think I got it from Walmart, but I can't remember. It was a nice complement, not necessarily for being an exact match but for the vibe.

Lace Tee | Vest | Dress (similar, similar) | Shoes (similar)

I think this might be my favorite outfit of the entire post. I just love it so much.

This started with the vest. I knew that I wanted to wear it one more time before it gets too warm. As I was looking through my closet for what to wear it with, this floral-print dress caught my eye. I realized I hadn't worn it in awhile, and I liked the idea of the chunky sweater over the more delicate dress. I needed something in the way of sleeves, though, since it was still February. That's where the lace tee came in.

Only buttoning the top button of the vest was honestly just a coincidence. I had it buttoned like that to keep it on the hanger where I was building the outfit the night before and just pulled it on over my head without unbuttoning it. I liked that it was almost like wearing a cape, so I left it.

Blouse | Jeans | Belt | Boots

These are my favorite jeans, hands down. Every time I wear them, people want to know where they came from, and I am all too happy to share. What sets them apart for me is the texture. It just takes them to the next level and makes them feel like so much more than a pair of blue jeans. They are definitely one of the best things I have taken a chance on.

My blouse is recent but not what I would consider new. It's just been chilling in the closet waiting for a good day. It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is not your ordinary blouse. It's got lace detailing on the bodice and the sleeves. The material also has a slight texture to it and has small cut-outs. I had to layer a camisole underneath to keep it school appropriate. I liked the overall effect of the print and texture mixing.

February Favorites: 10 Things I Loved + Your Favorites Too!

I'd like to start this post with an explanation. It's been nearly two weeks since my last post -- life has been busy! Not only did I literally not have time to post, but also I fell into a kind of creative slump where I was struggling to come up with ideas of what to post. In fact, I took a break from writing this post because I just didn't know what to say.

I know I said it a few times that January was a tough month. Unfortunately, February didn't get any easier. This school year has been difficult -- for a lot of reasons -- and we're now in the busiest time of the school year. The clock is ticking to end-of-the-year state testing, and I've still got quite a bit to cover between now and then. Honestly, I'm not sure it's going to happen, and I'm a bit stressed over it.

We did get a full week off this month, but it wasn't really a break for my family since it lined up with our local and state market hog shows. I guess I did technically get a break from school, so it was a bit of a mental reset if not a physical one. That did bring show season to an end, though, so now our afternoons are a bit freer. Now I just have a mountain of other things to get caught up on that have fallen to the wayside the last few weeks.

Hog show definitely consumed most of this month, but there were some other things happening. Alexis was recognized as the Young Georgia Author for her grade level. I got a haircut. Alexis and I had a mother-daughter day that included lunch at Panera, shopping, and an overdue visit to the Boba tea shop.

That sums up life lately. Let's get to this month's favorites.

My Favorites

Alexis winning a ribbon at the state hog show -- Obviously I'm going to start with the most exciting thing to happen this month. In her second-ever hog show, Alexis had a pig to place in the top 10 of its weight class at the state show. That means she got to bring home a big ribbon, and it made up for not doing so great at the local show.

Wiley Wallaby Classic Red Licorice -- These are my new favorite snack. They're similar to Twizzlers but, in my opinion, are much better...and I love Twizzlers, too. I get these at our Tractor Supply store, but I'm pretty sure you can find them in other stores, too.

mangetout by Wet Leg -- I'll be the first to admit that I didn't like this song at first, but it's become a favorite that keeps getting stuck in my head. And now that I actually know all the words, I can relate to the lyrics. I think most women can honestly.

The Great Divide by Noah Kahn -- Have you heard this song yet? It's such a good one! And it has a great message.

Different Kind of Love by Young the Giant -- This one is just pretty. I love it.

Gamer Girls series -- This is not a new read for me, but I reread it at the best possible time. It's about women trying to be successful in the gaming industry, from playing professionally to designing the games, but an online hate group is doing everything they can to stop them both virtually and in reality.

Dinosaur Skirt Outfit -- First off, I absolutely adore this dinosaur print skirt. It's so much fun and very unexpected, I think. I've been trying to untrain my brain from everything I wear having to be a perfect match. I always lean toward green tones with this skirt, but I wanted to try something different and landed on this pale blue, and I love the way it turned out.

Red Vest Outfit -- I really liked this outfit. It just felt right. It's a lot of layers: a lace t-shirt under the spaghetti-strap dress with the chunky knit vest over all of it. Only buttoning that top button just felt like the perfect finishing touch. I love the statement of the big, gold buttons plus the bold flowers on the dress.

Purple Floral Dress Outfit -- This is another layered outfit. I actually had this outfit put together and hanging in my closet for awhile before I wore it. I wasn't sure if it actually worked, then decided that I liked all the pieces together and that was all that mattered. Once I had it all on, everything looked purposeful and all the different patterns and colors just pulled together nicely.

Necklace-Style Lanyards -- These are a very new addition to my life, as in just this final week of the month, but I'm really happy with them. Our school just got new security badges that we have to wear while we're in the building, so I needed a lanyard, but I wanted something that didn't look like a lanyard. These ones look like a necklace and came in a three pack so I can swap them out to match my other jewelry. They're also lightweight and stainless steel so I don't have to worry about them bothering my skin.

Your Favorites

Red Striped Set -- Why is this so popular right now? It's February! I really don't get it. Are all of you planning spring break trips already?

Vicks Saline Spray -- I have no idea where y'all are even seeing this for it to be getting this much traction, but I get it. It's allergy season, and this is definitely one of my medicine-cabinet must haves.

Medallion Belt -- I love that statement belts are trendy right now. It gives me all the early 2000s nostalgia.

Storage Cabinet -- This one feels pretty random, but it is a good one. I have two that are very similar to this that I use for my shoes.

White Cable Knit Sweater -- This sweater is almost completely sold out, and I don't anticipate a restock this late in the season. It's been one of my favorites this winter. Old Navy's SoSoft line lives up to its name. They're soft and not itchy, which is essential in a sweater for me.

Black Converse -- I don't know that these have ever made the list, but I don't hate it. I actually am going to need to update mine soon. They're starting to wear pretty thin in the soles.

Pink Floral Maxi Skirt -- This is such a pretty skirt. It's one of my favorites and one of those skirts that went viral not all that long ago. This one, in my opinion, is worth the hype. It doesn't feel tied to a specific season like the other one that was so popular, which means I'll wear it all year long.

Plaid Skirt -- I actually no longer have this plaid skirt; I donated it about a year ago. The material was really thick, and I just didn't wear it much because it didn't mesh with our usual climate. It's a good skirt, though. I just found a thinner plaid skirt that I like better.

Studded Jeans -- I'm surprised these are still available. Might have to order a pair...

Mid-Rise Wow Baggy Jeans -- These are currently my favorite pair of non-embellished jeans. But fair warning, my pair is getting a hole at the corner of one of the back pockets, and it's the kind that really can't be fixed. I think it's because they're cut a bit narrow in the hips, so I have to really tug to get them over mine. They fit perfectly once I get them up, but that tugging is starting to show, and I don't think going up a size will work.

New on My Kindle: 12 Books I Downloaded This Month

We are halfway through February. Feels like the perfect time for an updated TBR post!

Truth be told, I'm constantly adding titles to my list of things to read, and I want to do a better job of keeping you guys updated on what's been catching my interest lately. Of course, this doesn't mean I'll be reading any, all, or even most of these quickly. Case in point, I shared an updated TBR list with y'all back in January, and I haven't read any of those titles yet, but let's be real -- my TBR currently has hundreds of titles on it.

There are just way too many good books out there for me to be able to read them all in a timely manner!

So how do I keep track of the titles I want to read? I primarily download samples onto my Kindle; this keeps all the titles I want to eventually read right in front of me (it's kind of like having my own personal bookstore right there on my ereader). I also have a running wish list in my library app, a saved collection on Facebook, and a Pinterest board dedicated to all things book.

I do not use Goodreads or any other tracking service -- I've tried them but ultimately decided they weren't for me. Instead, I make and publish reading lists here on the blog and keep track of what I've read with my reading roundups. I've also been trying to do a better job of sharing reading updates in my stories on Instagram.

So without further ado, here are the books I've downloaded in the last month or so onto my Kindle.

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years (The Time Traveler's Passport)

Author: John Scalzi

This is technically a short story -- the first in a series of six -- but it sounds really interesting. Anyone with the means, a.k.a. money, can travel anywhere back in time, and no matter what they do or change in the past, their future stays exactly the same. It's all thanks to the time travel technician. But on this particular day, the technician must step away from his controls and take action.

The Amalfi Curse

Author: Sarah Penner

Sarah Penner has become a favorite author of mine in recent years, and this book of hers is right up my alley. Haven travels to Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. She is trying to find the priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive, but upon her arrival, strange things tied to an ancient curse begin plaguing the region, threatening its destruction.

The Water Women

Author: Bonnie Blaylock

This is my Amazon First Reads pick for February. The water women of the island of Sardinia spend their days weaving the fine threads of mollusks into golden cloth and tapestry. For Allegra and her daughters, it is an honor and a duty to maintain this tradition. But by 1942, Germany has arrived in Italy, and Allegra's family withdraws from the community in fear. Then, her daughter, Zaneta, meets a German deserter, revealing a secret that will haunt Zaneta and her daughter, Mira, for years to come.

Chasing Stardust

Author: Erica Lucke Dean

Zoey is on a cross-country journey to spread her mother's ashes along David Bowie's 1972 Ziggy Stardust tour. Her grandma, G-Lo, followed that same path, claiming that Zoey's mother was conceived somewhere between Memphis and Malibu and that David Bowie himself is Zoey's grandfather. The trip seems destined to fail when Zoey breaks down outside Nashville, until she meets Dash at an all-night diner and he offers to drive her on the remainder of her trip.

The Sirens

Author: Emilia Hart

After Lucy wakes from a dream with her hands around her ex-lover's throat, she flees to her older sister's home on the Australian coast. She hopes Jess can explain her strange nightmare, but her sister is nowhere to be found. While she waits for Jess to return, Lucy learns of the rumors surrounding the town: men going missing at sea, a baby found hidden in a cave, and sailors hearing women's voices on the waves. Desperate for answers, Lucy begins to read Jess's teen diary. Jess was a lonely teen diagnosed with a rare water allergy. She always felt different until her young and charming art teacher took an interest in her drawings. In the 1800s, twins Mary and Eliza were forced to leave Ireland for Australia. The further they get out to sea, the more unexplainable changes they start to notice in their bodies.

Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure

Author: Rhys Bowen

When Ellie's unfaithful husband divorces her after thirty years of marriage, she decides it's an opportunity to start over. So she takes the Bentley, her housekeeper, and an elderly friend and heads for the South of France. They break down in Saint Benet, a fishing hamlet, and Ellie rents an abandoned villa. She makes friends among the villagers and meets the handsome Nico. Things are going well until the threat of war.

Good Grief

Author: Sara Goodman Confino

Two years after her husband's death, Barbara feels as if she's finally emerging from her grief. Then her mother-in-law, Ruth, shows up on her doorstep to help with the children. As days turn to weeks, Barbara realizes that Ruth has got to go, so she comes up with a  brilliant plan: introduce Ruth to some nice men and marry her off. Soon, though, she realizes that Ruth is doing the same thing to her.

The Book of Doors

Author: Gareth Brown

Cassie works in a bookshop in New York City. Her life is ordinary until one of her favorite customers dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. All she has left to remember him by was the last book he was reading: the Book of Doors. It promises that any door is every door if you only know how to open them. Then she meets Drummond, a librarian who keeps watch over Special Books, and the one that Cassie now holds is coveted. Now she's being hunted by those who would use the book to do evil.

Tell Me You Love Me

Author: Emilia Finn

Y'all know I love me some Emilia Finn fighter stories. This one is set in a new town in a new gym, but I have high hopes. I love the way Emilia writes her men. Ten years ago, Alana left town, and Tommy, without a goodbye. Now she's back with a kid who was born seven months after she left, and it doesn't take a genius to know just whose kid it is.

The Last Letter

Author: Rebecca Yarros

The synopsis for this one is a letter asking Beckett to take care of Ryan's sister, Ella, and her twins. Ella is a single mother raising the twins alone. She's lost her grandmother and parents and now her brother. The Amazon listing page for this book has an excerpt from chapter 1, so I don't feel like it's much of a spoiler to tell you that Beckett and Ella have been exchanging letters for awhile, although Ella doesn't know Beckett's actual name. This one promises to be a tearjerker, so we'll see if it lives up to the hype.

The Wild Card

Author: Carolyn Brown

Carla Wilson is a professional poker player whose luck has run dry. Now she's the proud owner of the Tumbleweed Bus Stop and Diner. Her plan to sell the cafe and move on is simple, until she meets some people that start to feel like family and a man who's playing for keeps.

The Second Mrs. Astor

Author: Shana Abe

Madeleine Talmage Force is John Jacob "Jack" Astor's second, much younger wife. They honeymoon in Egypt, where they are able to escape the shadow of scandal attached to their nuptials. In April 1912, they board the Titanic to return home, but the ship hits an iceberg and sinks. Madeleine is rescued, but Jack goes down with the ship. Four months later, Madeleine gives birth in the Astors' mansion in New York. In the wake of the disaster, she's no longer tainted by scandal but regarded as a virtuous, tragic heroine. Now all that's left to decide is what she'll do next.

14 Books & Series I Love About Love

Valentine's Day isn't really a big deal in my house, but I absolutely love a good love story. It's been a few years since I did any type of Valentine's Day-themed reading list. The last time was back in 2023 and only featured five books.

This year, I wanted to focus on some of my favorite romance books that I've ever read. This isn't the first time I've done this type of post -- four years ago, I shared 14 books about love to read in February. It's interesting to see what's changed in that lineup and what has stayed the same. If you were around back then, you'll see some repeats on this year's suggested reading list, but quite a bit new...and I still would recommend every book on the original list too!

I'm sharing these titles in no particular order since it would be truly impossible for me to actually pick a favorite. Mostly they're in the order that I thought about them.

Gamer Girls series -- We'll start with this favorite series since I'm currently in the middle of a reread. It is a seven-book series focusing on six different couples. If you couldn't tell from the series name, it revolves around video games. The over-arching story is that an online hate group is targeting women who play video games, but the romance in each book is integral to the plot.

The Paper Magician series -- I still love this series so much. The romance in this one is a little bit subtler, but in one of the books, the main female character literally goes inside the heart of the main male character. If that's not worthy of a Valentine's reading list, I don't know what is.

Luck God series -- I discovered this series in 2024 and fell in love. It's based on a very unique magic system that uses a deck of cards as the inspiration. The main 'suit' of the books are the Hearts, and there's definitely romantic love all throughout, but I actually think the mother-daughter relationship is more important overall.

Love Letters to a Serial Killer -- This is such a crazy book, but it hooked me completely. A woman who is unhappy in her life becomes obsessed with an accused serial killer. She begins exchanging letters with him, then decides to go to his trial where he's found not guilty, seeks her out and proposes.

The Wicked Deep -- This is from last year's one woman book club and one of my favorites from the whole year. It's the story of a curse that spans centuries and begins and ends with love.

Bluebeard's Secret series -- This is one of my favorite series from a few years ago. It's loosely based on the legend of Bluebeard, but instead of a pirate he's a fae lord who has been stealing brides from the mortal lands for centuries. Izolda is his sixteenth wife and the one that will change everything.

Emilia Finn's intertwined fighter series -- I mean, I would read just about anything this woman wrote, but this particular saga is my favorite of hers. I reread it frequently. Checkmate and Stacked Deck are my favorites. While you can read each set separately, I recommend starting with the Rollin' On series and going in order so that you build all the backstories. It really makes the later seasons more intriguing.

The Thorne Witches series -- This series was one of my favorites from 2023. Each book focuses on a different couple who has to overcome ridiculous odds in order to be together, but there is an overall storyline that ties them all together.

Building the Circle series -- This is one of my favorite magical series ever. It's so different from anything else I've read. I absolutely loved the Trellis family dynamic. While each book focuses on a different sibling finding their true love, the family relationships are what kept me reading.

A Discovery of Witches trilogy -- It's actually been awhile since I read this one, but it is one of those series that I wish I could read again for the first time. It's about a witch and a vampire who fall in love and must discover the lengths they would go to to be with their true love. Book two is my favorite in the trilogy because of the time travel factor.

Regretting You -- This is my favorite Colleen Hoover book, and the one by her that I always recommend. A mother and her teenage daughter's world shatters when their husband and father dies in a car accident which also kills their sister/aunt. All of the emotions tied to that find the two in very different places, but they each manage to find new love and start working on being family once again.

The Coven saga -- I feel like I've been talking about this ongoing series for years, but I am so invested in the story. Essentially, there are 22 powerful witches based on Tarot cards working to prevent Lillith from breaking out of Hell. The story is broken up into different seasons with each focusing on a different couple, all soulmates. Warning: this series is known to cause addiction.

The Starless Sea -- This is one of the most beautifully-written books I have ever read. It is a story within a story, but it all comes back to the love story of Time and Fate, who have been repeatedly torn apart over the centuries.

[Bad Boy's Guide to...] Being Not Good -- When a high school girl is dumped by her boyfriend for being a goody two shoes, she convinces the school's bad boy to "date" her so she can learn how to be not good. This one made me laugh out loud several times, but it also had surprising depth. Highly recommend if you're looking for something lighthearted and fun.

7 Winter Outfits with Personality

Welcome to another edition of real outfit roundup, where I share the outfits I wore in real life along with brief explanations and links to shop the same or similar items.

How has it been two weeks already? Seriously, the last two weeks are kind of a blur...and not in a fun way. In my January favorites post, I mentioned that the start to the new year has been rough. Well, the first week of February wasn't much better unfortunately.

But I don't want to focus on that! I would rather focus on the fun outfits I put together through all the madness. This roundup is missing three outfits -- one because the bottom half got covered in mud at the barn, another because I was so ready to change into comfy clothes that I forgot to take a picture, and the last because it was basically a repeat of the second outfit I'm sharing.

Just like with my last outfit roundup, all of the outfits I'm sharing are using pieces that have been in my closet for awhile. I'm trying to find new ways to wear what I already have. So far, I feel like it's going well, but I am realizing that I probably need to weed some stuff out of my closet to make it a bit more useable. So stay tuned, I guess.

Anyway, here's most of what I wore over the last two weeks.

Sizing info: I'm 5'2" and weigh about 140 lbs. I typically wear size 6 or s/m in clothes and size 7 in shoes.

Sweater | Long-Sleeve Tee | Necklace | Skirt | Socks | Boots

When I bought this sweater and skirt, it was with the intention of wearing them together...and then I didn't. Until last week. Let me preface this by saying that it was cold this particular day -- that whole week really -- and this skirt was not warm enough. As gorgeous and fun and me as this outfit is, my legs were definitely popsicle sticks by the end of the day.

Don't let that discourage you from the skirt, though. It's made of a lighter fabric, and I was well aware of that when I put this look together. What I didn't take into account was the ridiculous wind that day. I needed another layer under the skirt for sure.

I did add an extra layer under the sweater as you can see. It's one of my favorite layering tees for cold weather. I really like that they don't add additional bulk to my outfit but still keep me warm. My sweater is a good one, too. The embroidered flowers are such a fun detail.

Sweatshirt (no longer available) | Button-down | Jeans | Boots

We got to wear jeans for the rest of the week, and for once I actually took part because it was frigidly cold. I still wanted to feel like a teacher, though, so I decided to layer this favorite bookstore sweatshirt over a white button-down. It added that academic vibe that I love and also a much needed second layer to keep me warm all day long.

My sweatshirt is no longer available sadly, and I can't find anything that really comes close. However, there are lots of fun bookstore-themed sweatshirts on etsy. Full disclosure, mine did not come from etsy, but my school librarian told me she buys most of her reading-related shirts, etc. from there.

Sweater (similar) | Jeans | Belt | Boots

This exact outfit has appeared on the blog several times in the last couple of years. It's one of my favorites, and one that typically gets a positive reaction. These jeans are always a hit with my students and coworkers. I mean, they are a good pair. I wear them quite a lot, even if I don't always take a picture with them. I love the floral print and the wide legs. They're also the perfect length for me, which is hard to find.

My sweater is several years old. I think I got it from Old Navy, but I can't really remember, and I cut the tag out because it was irritating. I linked to one that looks very similar from somewhere else but that has good reviews.

Sweater (similar) | Skirt | Boots

We're going to ignore the fact that the bottom of my sweater is flipped up a bit. This outfit was a good way to start this past week. The green with the pink floral skirt felt a bit unexpected. There is green in the pattern, but it's definitely not one of the focal colors. The sweater definitely complemented the skirt, though. I felt like I should be out in the garden of an English cottage in the country.

I tried to find something similar to this sweater, but the green is such an unusual shade that it was tough. I linked to one that's close but still not quite the same.

Also, my necklace is very old. I have no idea where I got it. I tried to find something even remotely similar and got frustrated.

Sweater Dress (similar) | Blouse | Tights | Boots

I finally got around to wearing this sweater dress I bought back closer to the beginning of the school year. I've wanted to wear it a few times but just could not wrap my head around how. I didn't want to go with the obvious white button-down shirt, but nothing else seemed to fit.

Finally, I decided to do some texture mixing. First up was the lace blouse. I love pink and black together, and I really like the juxtaposition of the lace with the softness of the sweater.

I didn't want my legs to just be out, so I decided to add some polka-dot tights. These came in a pack with the navy blue tights I wore a couple of weeks ago. Despite being in the same pack, these two pair of tights were not created equal. Where I had zero issues with the navy blue, I fought with these polka dot ones all day long. They look super cute in the picture, but I will not be keeping them.

Sweater (similar) | Skirt | Belt | Socks | Boots

I absolutely loved this outfit, even though no one one but me seems to appreciate my dinosaur skirt. It adds just the right amount of whimsy for me, and I needed to create a little bit of joy this week.

I've had the skirt for a bit, and I always struggle a bit with what color to wear. I always circle back around to green, but I wanted to try something different. I pulled out a bunch of different options in several colors and ultimately landed on this light blue sweater. Turns out, the base color of the skirt is a deep turquoise, and what I thought was a light green dinosaur is actually more of a blue hue.

Sweater | Pants (similar) | Boots

For this last outfit, I just wanted to be comfortable. Like I said, it's been a tough few weeks, and I'm tired. It was finally cold enough for me to bring this gorgeous embroidered sweater back out. And great news! This exact color is back in stock. It's the beige. I sized up to a large so that it would be a bit oversized; I hate when sweaters are tight. The embroidery is beautiful and great quality, and the sweater itself is so soft and just the right amount of stretchy. This was such a great find.

My pants are old from Target. They're actually linen but a bit thicker than most linen pants that I own. What you can't see in this picture is that I stepped on the hem of the right leg and ripped the seam. I had no way to fix it at school, so I used a stapler to temporarily hem it so I wouldn't be stepping on it all day long. Now I'll actually hem them back up myself...maybe even take them up an additional inch or two so that they're a better length for me.

One Woman Book Club Review: The Restoration Garden

Welcome to the first One Woman Book Club review of 2026, featuring the January book club pick, The Restoration Garden by Sara Blaydes. This was my first book by this author, and I must say that I was not disappointed. In fact, I was totally unprepared for what this book turned out to be. In a good way!

This is a dual timeline historical fiction set in 1940 during World War II and the present day. Julia is the main female character in the present day timeline, while Irene is the historical MFC. I was expecting things to revolve around Julia, but it turns out that Irene's story is the real focus of the novel. Julia, while what I would consider more of a secondary character, is integral to understanding Irene's story. And what a story it is.

Here's a brief summary: In 1940, Irene falls for and marries a decommissioned RAF pilot, resulting in disownment by her family. Irene's husband is accused of treason against Britain, selling secrets to Germany. Irene, also branded a traitor, disappears in the fall of that year, never to be heard from again. Meanwhile, in present day, Julia is hired by Andrew, the godson of Irene's half-sister, Margaret, to restore the gardens of Irene's family's home. In order to restore the gardens to their former glory, Julia must dig up the past, which brings Irene's story into the light.

The stories are not really parallels -- as in there are very few similarities between Irene/James and Julia/Andrew. However, the timelines are set up so that the 1940 scenes occur just before or right after an important discovery is made in the present day. Essentially, the present day timeline is being used to help fill in the blanks of the past, and the author does an excellent job with this.

In order to tell this story effectively and briefly, I'm going to focus on the timelines separately. I think this will keep things from getting confused and make the review flow more smoothly. However, keep in mind when you read the actual book that the timelines are interwoven, and some of the truth of what happened in the past can only be revealed through the present day discoveries.

To avoid spoilers, skip to the end of this post.

***Spoilers***

Although the book itself starts in the present, I think it makes more sense for us to start in 1940 and tell this thing in chronological order.

Irene is our leading lady. She is the oldest child of John Clarke, a scientist who is working on a top secret project for the British government to try to counteract the German air force. Her mother died when she was young, and Irene and her father moved back to England so he could marry his real love, the Lady Montgomery. This union produces Irene's half sister, Margaret, who receives all of the love and affection from their parents. As you can probably guess, Irene never truly feels like a part of the family.

The Clarkes live at Havenworth, where the manor becomes an essential part of the war effort. The family takes in the children of families who believed they would be safer in the countryside, including Charlie, who becomes almost like a brother to the girls, and with whom Margaret forges a life-long friendship. The family also works with the Women's Land Army, a group of volunteers who use the family's land for farming.

Irene is an amateur artist. She only draws flowers and has created a florilegium documenting the gardens at Havenworth. It's her dream to attend a prestigious art school in America, but when she gets accepted into the program, her father denies her attendance, furthering the already deep divide between them. This isolated feeling is instrumental in everything that happens next.

The family has a dinner party in honor of a cousin who serves in the RAF. He brings an injured friend with him, James. James immediately sets his sights on Irene, who is isolated and naive enough to be easily seduced. Unbeknownst to Irene, James is a traitor working for the Nazis. His latest mission is to discover what Irene's father has been working on, and he plans to use Irene to do so. Irene does confide in James what her father is working on, a device known as the cavity magnetron, though she doesn't know anything more.

James convinces Irene to run away to London with him, despite him having been arrested on suspicions of treason; he was only released due to the influence of his affluent uncle. They pay off some officials so she can marry him without parental approval, and her family, having already expressed concerns over James' suspected fascist sympathies, disowns her.

Not long after arriving in London, Irene is coerced into working for an MI5 agent, Roger. He somehow knows that she is who told James about the cavity magnetron and threatens her with imprisonment if she doesn't spy on James. Roger claims that Irene is the only person who James won't suspect. With no other options, Irene agrees. She somehow manages to discover how James has been sending his messages and learns that James not only knows about her father's coming trip to America with the cavity magnetron but has deadly plans to prevent it. She also discovers that he's planning on getting rid of her, soon.

The week of her father's planned trip to America, the entire family comes to London, despite the Blitz being well underway. Margaret, who was sick when Irene left, hasn't gotten any better, and they've come to see a special doctor. Irene tracks them down and tries to warn them, but the family rebuffs her, believing that she is no longer loyal to Britain.

That same afternoon, the Germans launch an air attack. Irene uses the chaos to break into her family's hotel room and steal her father's briefcase containing the cavity magnetron. She leaves a secret message for Margaret on the last page of her florilegium, but it will not be discovered, and the family will believe that she betrayed them.

Irene tries to take the device to Roger, but when she arrives, James is already there confronting him. James ends up killing Roger and tries to kill Irene, but she manages to escape and lose him in the chaos of yet another German bomb attack.

Irene flees with the briefcase to Havenworth, where she discovers the house completely empty and closed up. She decides to hide the briefcase in the folly, but while she is in the process, a German plane drops a bomb right over the Havenworth gardens, killing her. No one knows she was there, and her family assumes that she fled with her husband to Germany. James, for his part, was eventually caught by MI5 in 1967 and spent the remainder of his life in prison.

Skip ahead a few decades to the present day. Margaret is back living at Havenworth, along with her godchildren, Andrew and Helen (they're Charlie's grandchildren). The gardens that Irene once loved are falling apart, and Margaret is determined to see them restored before she dies.

Andrew hires Julia, a historic garden restoration expert in need of a fresh start. She's just lost her job with a prestigious firm after her sister was caught stealing. Believing that her sister's renewed drug use was the root of the problem, Julia forced her sister to go to rehab where she overdosed, leaving Julia with her young son, Sam.

As part of the restoration process, Julia must research the history of Havenworth. In the process, she discovers Margaret's half sister, Irene, whom neither Andrew nor Helen have ever heard of. When they question Margaret, she tells them that Irene was a traitor during World War II, and that she has no idea what became of her.

Julia feels like there's more to Irene's story, especially when she discovers Irene's florilegium hidden under a mattress in a room that's being used for storage. The florilegium is exactly what she needs to restore the gardens to Margaret's expectations, but the book also reads like a sort of diary, using the language of flowers to convey messages without words.

Meanwhile, throughout the process, Julia is growing closer to Andrew, and Sam is starting to come out of his shell with both Andrew and Margaret.

Eventually, it is Sam who discovers the secret message that Irene left for Margaret at the back of her florilegium. In it, Irene confesses that she'd been working with MI5 and why she'd taken the briefcase. Margaret realizes that her sister is the reason why they missed the train that was attacked by the Germans, killing everyone on board. The revelation is too much for her, and she's hospitalized.

Around that same time, Julia's old boss reaches out to offer her job back. Turns out, her sister wasn't the thief responsible for stealing $10,000 from the company, and he wants to make amends. After Margaret is hospitalized, Julia accepts the offer and prepares to leave Havenworth. Sam does not want to leave and runs away, hiding in the old folly, where he gets stuck. Julia and Andrew manage to get him out, but Julia makes a huge discovery inside: John Clarke's missing briefcase and the remains of Irene.

The book ends with an epilogue set one year later. Julia and Sam are still at Havenworth. She and Andrew are dating, and Margaret has recovered as much as a woman her age in her condition is able. They hold a memorial for Irene, and Andrew asks Julia to stay at Havenworth for good. She says yes.

***End Spoilers***

This book had pretty much everything I hope for in a historical fiction, including an author's note that is worth reading. Obviously, this is a work of fiction, so not everything is true to fact, but there is quite a bit of historical significance.

Irene's father is based on a real historical figure, though he's not named for him. The invention of the cavity magnetron in 1940, which allowed for British planes to be fitted with radar, changed the tide of World War II in their favor. The mission that Irene disrupts in the book is also based on history. Great Britain did not have the means to produce the cavity magnetron, so they reached an agreement with the United States. During the mission to get the device overseas, one of the team members actually lost it; thankfully it was found easily and things proceeded as planned.

The author's note only mentioned the historical figure that Irene's father was based on, but I couldn't help but do a little research on my own in regard to James. He's not likely to be based on any person in particular, but I did learn about Operation Lena, which took place in 1940. It was a largely unsuccessful effort by Germany to infiltrate Great Britain with spies in order to gather intelligence to launch an invasion. Clearly that didn't happen, but I like to imagine that in the book, James would have been part of that endeavor.

There were some other historically significant events included in the narrative. First, Operation Pied Piper allowed English families to relocate their children to so-called 'safe zones.' Havenworth served as one of those places. The Blitz was also a true event. It lasted for eight months, between September 1940 and May 1941, and devastated London. 

So, final thoughts. I really enjoyed this story from a historical standpoint, but I must admit that I found the character development to be a bit disappointing. For Julia to be such an integral part of restoring Irene's standing in her family, she was woefully flat, as were Sam and Andrew. Really, all of the present-day characters faded into the background for me, and a lot of what they were going through outside of the parts they played in Irene's story felt distracting. For instance, Julia and Andrew's romance was mentioned just enough to make me want more.

While the past timeline was much more developed than the present timeline, there were some issues there, as well. Irene, in particular, left me scratching my head. So much of her own self-characterization was centered in her art, but that particular element of her character felt under-developed. She also was a bit of a contradiction that I never was quite able to pin down.

There was also one thing throughout that kept getting mentioned but never explain regarding Margaret. She was sick as a child, to the point that it caused the entire family to worry about her, but we never learn what her illness is. That plot hole bothers me a bit. She's also an integral character to the story but is treated as a side character. I just felt like she deserved a bit more page time.

So overall, I would give this novel four stars. The story is so interesting, and I love the dual meaning of the title. If you like historical fiction based around World War II, give this one a shot, and let me know what you think of it!

It's never to late to join the One Woman Book Club. Check out the monthly schedule here.