This is a book that I plan to recommend to all of my reading friends because it is fun to read, entertaining and with a depth of wisdom that was eye-opening at times. It is the story of friends who go their separate ways after a tragic accident and when Melody’s aunt Jo dies, she returns to town and meets up again with Liz, a former BFF who has been irreparably damaged by the accident and cannot move forward. Melody doesn’t want to be back in Trove Isle, NC, but she decides to stay long enough to clean out her aunt’s secondhand store called Hidden Treasures. There is some mystery involved, a friend in prison with letters back and forth between Bri and Liz and all kinds of multiple layers about family relationships, broken friendships and romantic relationships that need to get off the ground. This book is so wonderfully written that it stole my heart and tucked it away inside its pages. The characters are realistically portrayed and easy to identify with. I think my favorite character is Aunt Jo, the deceased lady who plays a big part in the story as her wisdom, love and giving spirit live on after her in Melody, Liz and other folks in the small town. I think I would have really liked to meet Aunt Jo and hang around her store just to hear her stories and her wit. There is a lot to like about this book, including a fast pace with a charming setting, friendly characters and a plot that reveals the changes in heart in the characters at just the right pace. With themes like going home, finding love, recognizing what real friendship is and forgiveness, this book offers something for everyone who enjoys books with heart and hope. This is women’s contemporary fiction at its very best!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255. “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

I really loved this book because it had just enough of the supernatural in it to make me wonder how and why some things happened. Was it coincidence or just the edge of believability? Three friends, torn apart years ago after a tragedy manage to reconnect in ways they didn’t expect. I loved the lessons learned and thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and fairly review this book!

After that night ten years ago, they all were scarred. And so was their friendship. Now Melody has come back to Trove Island after the death of her aunt Jo. With a touch of magical realism, the story touches your heart and reaffirms your faith in the power of friendship. Like it's title, it's just charming.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

I enjoyed this ode to friendship. It had a nice mix of darkness, maturing past darkness and a wee bit of romance to tie things up nicely.

This is a great book for readers that want to be pulled into the lives of friends that have had a tragic event happen in their lives.
There is a lot of emotion and feeling coming from the characters in the story. The book is written from the point of view of each character. This is a perfect way for the lives of the friends mesh together.
Liz, Bri, Melody and Alyssa who is Melody’s sister have all sworn to be friends forever. Annie Rains has given them to us, and you will feel the emotion and as they deal with learning how to connect after the loss of Alyssa.
This is a great beach read that will stick with you long after reading it.
Thank you NetGalley, Annie Rains and Kensington Books for the ARC of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle. This is my personal review.

The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle is another lovely women’s fiction story by Annie Rains. As described it is a grownup twist on The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. This time it involves a lost and found bracelet instead of a pair of jeans.

A heart touching group of characters who renew and reconnect after years of being apart. Friendship, regrets and forgiveness of past real and imagined hurts are at the heart. Perfect Spring read or anytime of the year.

After a decade away, Melody returns to her hometown of Trove Isle, where she’s inherited her great aunt’s thrift store. There, she uncovers a charm bracelet—a poignant reminder of her shattered friendship with high school besties Liz and Bri. As memories resurface, Melody confronts the ghosts of their shared past. Can the three heal old wounds and forge new bonds?

This is a sweet, heartwarming women’s fiction with romance subplots. Although devastated by tragedy, the friends learn how to trust themselves and each other again. The book has a strong family feeling and just a hint of magic.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle by Annie Rains is a contemporary story of friendship and healing but also with a touch of romance to it too. The story in The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle is told by changing the point of view between the characters.

It’s been ten long years since Melody Palmer left her hometown of Trove Isle, NC and she hasn’t looked back, until now. Melody gets a call from her great aunt’s lawyer that Melody has inherited her her great aunt’s thrift store, Hidden Treasures. Melody hopes to be in and out of the town quickly and is determined to sell when she runs into her old friend, Liz.

Ten years ago Liz, Bri, Melody and Melody’s young sister, Alyssa, were all the best of friends and swore their friendship would be forever. However, on their prom night the girls suffered a horrible accident that took Alyssa’s life leaving the rest devastated and struggling to deal with the loss. Now Liz fights her anxiety every day, Bri has ended up in prison and Melody only wants to run as far away as she can yet again.

Annie Rains is an author I’ve read many times before and always enjoy returning back to time and again. The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle immediately grabbed my attention with and I found this one hard to put down. I’m a softy for a character with anxiety so I immediately felt for Liz but the more I got to know Melody I also really enjoyed getting to know her too. This was one full of character growth that kept the pages turning and in the end I rated this one at four and a half stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
Annie Rains
May 16, 2024

This is a quaint story of 4 women who left their young lives nine years ago. Just before graduating high school Liz, Bri, Alyssa, and Melody were best friends. Instead of attending the prom with dates they decided to go together and just have a grand time. It was such a delight to spend the last high school event as best friends. Enroute however, before arriving at the school, Liz lost control of the car. Bri was severely injured, Liz and Melody were quite shaken, but Alyssa lost her life that day. Rain's story gives us the after effects of the women and how they tried to rebuild their lives.
The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle will be published by Kensington Publishing on May 21, 2024. I was able to read and review Annie Rain's latest novel via NetGalley. It was an interesting view of life on the small town on Trove Isle. Although life moves on these women held onto the tragedy that happened that fateful day. The story gives us the ins and outs of the future of the besties. It’s interesting and unique - a good summer read.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

3.5* - This was a sweet and growing read.
Three friends learning to navigate loss, life and moving on. I do feel it was a bit slow at times - and feel like there could have been a bit more to the characters. I feel like Bri really didn’t get a story. If you grew up with the Sisterhood of Traveling pants this will definitely fit the adult bill. Who knows, maybe there will be a book 2.

A story about friendship and overcoming hurdles to live life. Make no mistake, this is not a fun beach read. This book is deep and emotional and you will feel exhausted when you reach the end because you have had so many emotional ups and downs. It was definitely worth the read though.

I absolutely love love this book. It is so heartwarming, sincere and full of love, loss and forgiveness. Aunt Jo has worked her magic yet again and from heaven she has returned Melody to Trove Isle and reunited her with her life long friends whom she skipped out on after a horrible accident that killed her younger sister. Melody is full of fear, regret and hesitation as she navigates the thrift shop she inherited from her aunt, facing her best friend Liz who has stunted dreams and Bri who must learn to once again face society after she is released from prison. This is such a wonderful read and a magical book all in one. They are all reunited and not everything feels so good, but the must heal first order to move forward.

Melody Palmer has returned to Trove Isle after 10 years. Her great aunt has passed away and left her shop to her. Melody left town after a tragic accident that killed her sister and hurt another BFF. She finds a charm bracelet in the Hidden Treasurers shop her aunt left to her. At one time they four friends shared the charm bracelet; but it was lost on the night of the accident. Liz is still living in Trove Isle and is not sure about welcoming her old friend home since she ghosted her years ago. Bri is currently serving time and will be getting released soon from prison. Bri and Liz have kept up with each other.
Liz is running her mother's bakery and watching over her 16-year-old sister this summer. She struggles with anxiety and has not been able to move on since the accident. Her sister is stressing her out this summer.
Can Melody see that Trove Isle is really home and not Charlotte. She needs to come to terms with what happened years ago and what she wants for the future.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review. I gave this book 3 stars. Melodys aunt Jo dies bringing her back to Trove Isle to inherit her store and go to her celebration of life. Melody departed Trove Isle after a car accident where her younger sister died on their way to prom. She left town and hasnt been back in a decade. When she discovers her aunt left her a store that is actually a thrift shop filled with junk shes shocked to find a charm bracelet that she shared with her sister & good friends Bri & Liz. This us a journey of self discovery and reconciliation. Melody literally and figuratively finds her way home. Easy and heart warming novel.

A wonderful tale of tragedy, loss, friendship, forgiveness, fear, hope, starting over, new beginnings, and more, with some seemingly unexplainable incidents happening throughout.

I started to say more but don’t want to repeat the blurb or give any spoilers.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a great story about old friends finding each other again. And while the premise seemed promising, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The first half or so was really promising, however the second disappointed me. Not only the pace quickened, making the character development for Liz and Melody feel a bit out of order (and also the development in relationship between Liz and her younger sister), I was also disappointed with how the book dealt with Liz's mental problems. They affected her and her behavior pretty strongly, only for them to disappear all of the sudden, with the explanation that Liz "overcame her fears/anxiety". As a person who deals with anxiety and panic attacks in her life, I feel like this type of representation hurts people like myself by making it seem like it's something that you can just overcome if you want to which is certainly not the case.

Overall, it wasn't a bad story but I just think there are some things that could've been done better.

Four best friends are going to their senior prom as a united female group. Unfortunately, they are involved in a tragic accident that alters their future plans. Melody leaves the confines of Trove Island as soon as she graduates. She cuts herself off from her former friends and leads a solitary life as a struggling event planner. Bri, ,who was severely injured in the accident, becomes addicted to painkillers, and struggles with her demons. Liz suffers from panic attacks. She works at her mother’s bakery, refuses to drive, and can’t seem to move forward with her life. When Melody returns to Trove Island to settle her beloved Aunt Jo’s estate, old wounds are opened. Each must re-examine the meaning of friendship, and the peace of forgiveness.

Annie Rains has written another amazing book with this one - the story of a friend group that experiences a terrible tragedy, which has impacted their lives in different ways. 9 years later, a loss in the family brings one of the girls home again, and they finally start to deal with their past together, which takes them on a path toward healing their relationships, and themselves.

While it is apparent at the beginning that the loss is huge to each of the individual characters, they each have chosen a path of avoidance in their own way. I liked how each one had a very different path to walk, and it wasn’t easy, nor was it linear - much like healing in real life.

The writing is top-notch and will pull you in from the beginning. I also liked the idea that there was a touch of ‘magic’ and the unknown at play here - but, the difficult work was put in that helps them each (though it is not dwelled on, which still makes this a lighter read).

Bravo!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this Amazing book. It’s a story of four childhood friends. They have such a special bond until one night where a tradegy changes their lives forever. The story goes through their trials and tribulations. You will love this story but have a Kleenex hand. I keep thinking Annie Rains can’t possibly write a better book than the last one I read. But she does!! I highly recommend this book.