This book has a promising story - I enjoyed all the characters, but the plot was just ho-hum...nothing original or very exciting. I don't really enjoy romances and that's what this book seemed to be.

I absolutely love Rachel Hauck. I always seen to disappear into her stories. The Writing Desk is so lovely and well written. I loved every minute of the book and was so sad to see it end. I have read almost everyone of Rachel's books and always keep coming back for more.

I fell in love with Tenley and Jonas as well as Birdie and Eli. I was rooting for them all through the whole book. I can't wait for Rachel's next book. I love her writing and how she intertwines two stories into one.

Brilliant book. Excellent main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.

Tenley Roth should be flying high; she's just won a coveted award for her debut novel that has sold very well, and her boyfriend has just proposed. However, the award was one named after her great-great-grandfather, so she doubts the integrity of having received it, and now she's under deadline for a second book, for which she has zero inspiration. On top of that, the mother who left Tenley when she was a child has now called imploring her estranged daughter for help through chemotherapy, just as her fiance wants them to fly to Paris. Should Tenley take the chance to get to know her mother? Can she find the seeds of a successful second novel in the hidden corners of an old mansion in Florida? Or will she find something even better?

There are several intertwined stories within this book, alternating between the Guilded Age and Tenley's contemporary life. It always feels a little jarring to bounce between such disparate scenes, but I was intrigued and curious to find out how the stories would tie together. I appreciated Birdie's determination in an era where women were seemingly content to be married off to the men their fathers agreed upon. I didn't quite get Tenley's fascination with a robe and slippers that belonged to someone she hadn't known, but her struggles to find whether she was more than her family's legacy kept me rooting for her. While I felt that the book contained too many character and scene shifts to really get invested in the characters lives, the link between the families and generations kept me guessing.

I give this book 3 stars; I think I could have been fully engaged in either Birdie's story, or Tenley's story, but the jumping back and forth just left me feeling disconnected from either of them a bit too much. Maybe if their generations could have been written close enough that they could have actually met at the end, that might have helped solidify the relationship. I have, however, enjoyed all of the previous works of Rachel Hauck's that I've read, and I will continue to look forward to any future novels!


I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

What a beautiful story! Rachel Hauck crafted such an emotional and raw story. This is by far my favorite from her so far!
Tenley and Birdie are strong characters. Tenley is a just-turned best selling author. An unexpected event that she is still learning how to cope with. This accomplishment has brought many expectations upon her and also some harmful negative comments that she gives more credit to rather than believing in her own competence.
Tenley was absolutely my favorite character. She's feisty, quirky, funny, somewhat struggling to find her place in the world. Among the many surprises showing up her life - an award winning book, a fincee that hasn't properly proposed, a trip to Paris - one surprise is about to turn her world upside down, her estrange mother's cancer and request that Tanley move to Florida during the treatment. But the biggest surprise will be Tanley's answer: yes.
And so her journey to find, purpose, mercy, hope and love begins. Through this journey she becomes acquainted with the story of Birdy Shehorn, a woman that wasn't afraid to face society in order to fulfill her dreams.
This book had me laughing, crying and cheering loudly for these characters! It was almost impossible to put it down.