When June returns to her family home, her career stalling, her marriage over, her heart already bruised following the untimely deaths of both her parents, it's not surprising she wants to hide away from the world. Seeking solace in burgeoning alcoholism is probably not the best coping mechanism, but that's where June turns to blot out the heartbreak.
When she hires a moody, taciturn, but highly-recommended handyman, Jameson, to renovate one of the two houses on the plot to sell, it turns out he's running away from his own demons. When their two damaged souls come together, I think you can guess where this will eventually lead....
While this book is undoubtedly well written, with a broken heart in need of mending at its core, I struggled to get over the fact that it needed to be mended by someone already married with a family. The Bridges of Madison Country-esque slowburn romance and the whole "will they / won't they" always felt a little tainted by the fact that Jameson had a wife back home. I couldn't help but feel he should have got his house in order before embarking on anything else. I'm not usually this morally judgmental, but in the context of the novel, and the tragedies recounted, it just felt as though he was unnecessarily causing more. It's a shame because it really spoiled the book for me.

Instant attraction! An overwhelming emotion which keeps cluttering the mind with questions such as "what should I say", "should I do this", "will I see them today", "did I make a fool of myself", etc. This unrequited obsession goes on and on, even if the other person is oblivious to the emotions they provoke, even if the words are never spoken or feelings ever revealed. Yet, there is a palpable connection which the reader can feel without any graphic sexual content. It's the unspoken romance which keeps us engaged.

That's how it us between June and Jameson in The Days When Birds Come Back by Deborah Reed, two lost souls whose past hurts have overwhelmed their lives, destroying relationships and making day to day interactions almost intolerable. Two souls caught up in the solace found in nature who are finally able to reveal their innermost traumas to each other without fear of judgement, because of a basic understanding of having been there in one form or another.

A romance of a simple touch or smile, or even a post card - but it's enough.

June who formerly found relief at the bottom of a bottle turns to her "seven comforts, none of which were a drink". Finding herself back home in rural Oregon by the coast where it all started, she needs someone to renovate her grandparents next door cottage so she can sell it. Enter Jameson (same as the whiskey) who is also returning to the "scene of the crime", but he finds peace in this home where he now lives while he works, appreciating the ambience of the surrounding wildlife. June, just an eyesight away, keeps her distance, yet there is a nonverbal communication even before they find their commonality. In spite of their new found affinity, Jameson has a wife, Sarah Anne, waiting for him seven hours away back home with their new foster son. June's ex is in Australia, sent away while she was in a drunken rage. And so the summer goes, from June to September as the house takes shape and it's time to move on.

Told through introspections interspersed with dialogue we discover the secrets haunting the two thirty five year olds who have somehow found a way to share the formerly closeted details of their damaged lives. There's no telling here, just a gentle leaning towards the truth. Not for those who like a narrative to explain what's happening, in this one the reader must glean the facts and come to their own conclusions.

Four stars and a thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

And one more thing, I've included a poem by Emily Dickinson with a similar title for your perusal. If you think the two are related, fine, if not, enjoy anyway:

These are the Days When Birds Come Back
By Emily Dickinson

These are the days when Birds come back—
A very few—a Bird or two—
To take a backward look.

These are the days when skies resume
The old—old sophestries of June—
A blue and gold mistake.

Oh fraud that cannot cheat the Bee—
Almost thy plausibility
Induces my belief.

Till ranks of seeds their witness bear—
And softly thro' the altered air
Hurries a timid leaf.

Oh Sacrament of summer days,
Oh Last Communion in the Haze—
Permit a child to join.

Thy sacred emblems to partake—
They consecrated bread to take
And thine immortal wine!

This review also appears on my blog, Gotta Read:

https://ellenk59.wordpress.com/2018/04/12/the-days-when-birds-come-back-by-deborah-reed/

This book was not offered on Kindle and I was unable to download it to the Adobe Reading device. I am anxious to read it when able, however.

While beautifully written, this book was extremely slow paced. The story unfolded ever so slowly and sometimes was overshadowed by the descriptive prose and scattered thoughts and this reader almost missed it. It was a story of brokenness and the pages were full of sorrow and pain, leaving it on the depressive side. The ending was quite predictable, but how it got there wasn't really explained.

All I can say is Wow! I cannot believe how the story of two damaged people wrenched my heart out, and kept me turning pages, and yet I really loved the book. The story of June, a woman who is drinking her way through forgetting her past, intersects with that of Jameson, a man facing a tragedy that has turned his life around. I don't want to give anything at all away here, but to say that this beautifully written book will tug at the heartstrings, while challenging your mind. Highly recommend and hope it is widely read.

The writing and descriptions of nature are beautiful but I had a hard time getting into the story. The characters have such painful pasts and the way the book ended seemed a bit too 'fairy tale ending' to me.

I really love the description of this book. It sounds like a great story. I was unable to ever get it downloaded. I tried on my kindle, on my i-pad, and on my computer. The only time I ever got anything to download, it was just a bunch of gibberish, not the novel itself. I will be looking for this book to read it while I am at the library. #NetGalley

The Days When Birds Come Back is a line from a melancholic poem by Emily Dickinson, written in seclusion and dealing with people’s emotions and the changing seasons. It is a fitting title for this bittersweet tale of two people scarred by loss, whose chance meeting prompts them to reflect on the past and initiate the first steps towards healing. Both Jameson and June are beautifully drawn, each carrying a deep sorrow in their hearts that has shaped their lives and made them isolate themselves in their little bubbles of grief, guilt and regret. Thrown together in the picturesque setting of June’s childhood home, a little cottage in rural Oregon, they forge a fragile connection that allows them to slowly confide in each other and find solace in each other as they try to come to terms with the past.

Reed’s writing is beautiful and wistful, creating true-to-life characters and an atmospheric setting that is almost a character in itself, as it plays such an important part in the story. I loved being taken on a journey of discovery of the events that have made June and Jameson the people they have become, and to witness their slow emergence from the quagmire of grief as the seasons change. This is a slow, character driven and reflective story. Anyone who is not a stranger to loss and grief will find elements of June and Jameson’s story resonating with their own lives. An exquisite and beautifully crafted novel that touched me deeply.

I'm sorry I'm not able to read and review this book as it's not in a Kindle format. Appreciate being granted the early access and I hope to be able to read it in the future.