AHH this book!!!

I binge-read a few other Hauck books earlier this year, so loved a) the fact that this one was up on Netgalley, and b) seeing familiar characters from those books. You won’t have to have read “The Writing Desk” first to enjoy this one, but it sure lent an extra layer of depth, especially around Gordon Phipps Roth!

Hauck does an admirable job at juggling five different points of view. Normally I’d say that’s too many...but it worked so well here. The characters “are in good hands” (she said, in her best Joe Pesci/“Home Alone” voice). I don’t think I could pick a favorite. Just when I thought I had one picked out, or a plot point determined, Hauck surprised me—and repeatedly, not just once or twice. I loved seeing how everything panned out.

The New York setting made my heart happy—love that city!!—and Hauck brought it admirably to life. I’m ready to go back now (as if I’m ever not, though, ha!) I also loved that Seattle made an appearance! How fun!

Excellent, excellent read.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I was sucked into this story as we journey along with five characters, each of whom receives a mysterious invitation to a story society. I loved being along for the ride as the characters open up to each other and reveal how their pasts are impacting their present situations. You can't help but root for them as their story society becomes an actual group of friends.

*ARC provided by NetGalley

Deep, heavy, emotional...all words to describe The Fifth Avenue Story Society. This story clings to you, wrapping itself around your heart, burrowing into your thoughts. When you reach the last fifth of the book, you will be hungering for the light, the hope that if offers. This is no lighthearted romance, even though love is at the heart of the story. While a work of fiction, the story centers around important truths. This is a story to be reflected upon and to find your reflection in. Please come find your seat in The Fifth Avenue Story Society.

I am very happy to have received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The novel got off to a bit of a slow start, setting up the plot. It took a while for all of the characters to be established and reasonably come together. I did like Hauck creating such engaging characters right from the start. I wanted to know what would happen to them and how their lives would interact. Hence my impatience through the first half of the book.

The story developed in the second half of the book was worth the wait. An unlikely weekly gathering of misfits becoming friends. People finally willing to bare their lives, heal past hurts and dare take the step to fully live again. The result has a fairy tale flavor to it but isn't that how we'd like life to work out?

This thought provoking novel is a good invitation to live life, to let go of all the chains that hold us back. I can imagine a lively group discussion about it with trusted friends.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review.

The Fifth Avenue Story Society
by Rachel Hauck
Thomas Nelson--FICTION

Thomas Nelson
Christian , Romance
Pub Date 04 Feb 2020


I am reviewing a copy of The Fifth Avenue Story Society through Thomas Nelson Fiction and Netgalley:



An unexpected invitation to join the fifth avenue story society gives five people in New York a chance to rewrite there own stories.



Lexa is an underpaid executive assistant deserving of a raise, and a promotion but her both seems to be determined to keep her underpaid, and under employed.


Jett is a literary professor as a broken heart as well as the nagging suspicion his literary idol, Gordon Phillips Roth , may have been a fraud.





Chuck.is an Uber driver who only wants his ex wife to let him see his kids.




Ed is an aging widower who lost the love of his life early in there marriage, so he wants to write the story of the love of his life.




Coral is the queen of the cosmetic industry, who broke off her engagement and is on the verge of losing her great grandmothers multimillion dollar empire.



At first the five New Yorkers believe that the anonymous invitation is some kind of practical joke, because no one seems to know where the invitation comes from.  No one heard of the Fifth Avenue Story Society before then, and none of them really want to bare there souls in a room full of strangers.


Despite their questions though, they all come back  every week, there curiosity getting the better of them.  In the old library week after week these five people discover the stories of their heart, and the kind of friendship and love that helps heal broken hearts.


I am reviewing a copy of The Fifth Avenue Story Society, five out of five stars!



Happy Reading

Five people received mysterious invitations to meet at a library. Would you go? In this group, not everyone is a stranger and that makes for high tension. The premise is that they don't have anyone to ask questions as the librarian is very professional and curt. They have to figure out why they have been brought together. So they eat a lot of pizza. And that starts a tradition which encourages companionship talk.
This book seems to be a Christian young adult category as the author lectures the characters when they are not modeling good behavior.

The Fifth Avenue Story Society is a modern-day novel written by Rachel Hauck.
Summary: Five people receive a summons to attend the first meeting of the Fifth Avenue Story Society.
Each of them is dealing with loneliness, struggles, and heartaches, and none want a room full of strangers poking into the secrets hidden in their hearts.
But as the weeks pass, the members find that opening up-just a little-might be just what they, and the other group members really need to move on with their lives.
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and how the author wove each of the characters’ lives together to create a very interesting read. I wanted to know what each character’s secrets were, and I rooted for the group as they helped each other solve those problems by sharing a little of their own lives.
It was very easy to get invested in the characters, and that made for a good read.
I did think the ending was tied up a little too neatly, and the revelation of the source of the mysterious invitations was a bit on the cheesy side for my tastes.
Overall though, I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and it is worth reading-especially if you like heart-warming/relationship type stories.
It is reminiscent of Max Lucado’s Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe. If you liked that one, this one will also be up your alley.
I would like to thank Thomas Nelson for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

I have read several of Rachel Hauck's books, but this one may be one of my very favorites. I loved the way she intertwined several different character's stories through the Fifth Avenue Story Society. These characters are strangers living in New York City that receive a mysterious invitation to attend the meeting of the story society. None of them know for sure who delivered the invitation to them. Each of the character's stories are intriguing in their own right, but as they begin to interact during their weekly meetings it really makes you want to keep reading. There is mystery, romance, family issues, corporate struggles and much more. It definitely kept me wanting to read to see how it would all come together in the end. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Let me preface this with the fact that I am a HUGE fan of Rachel Hauck. The Wedding Dress is one of the most well written (in my opinion) books I've ever read. The previous statement was SO TRUE for me that it could have been written on my tombstone....until I read The Fifth Avenue Story Society. As with The Wedding Dress, I feel this book will appeal to a large audience spreading past Christian Fiction only readers. I can't wait to pass this one along to my friends and family members.

What would you do If you were invited to a library by someone you didn't know for a reason you weren't sure about.....what would you do?! Find out what happens when random group of "unrelated" people get that very invitation. It is a brilliant journey that Rachel Hauck takes readers on - and I, for one, and beyond thankful for the trip.

Ooooh, I loved this book! It was a little slow at the beginning, but once we got about a third of the way through, there was no putting it down. A very carefully woven tale with several moving pieces that somehow all came together PERFECTLY, with the ending I wanted, without feeling forced or cheesy. Oooooo, it was adorable and amazing!

The Fifth Avenue Story Society presents us with five unique individuals, all with their distinct personalities and also each a distinct trademark, a childhood wound that has been unaddressed, and a current impeding problem. As the pages unfurl, these stories unravel more and more, giving you glimpses deeper into what could be the roots of these problems, until finally all is revealed. One would think having five of these complex arcs would be difficult to pull off but I thought it absolutely fit together perfectly.

There’s Jett, the emotional, passionate, independent professor/novelist who is trying to reconcile a past he doesn’t want to acknowledge and discover why his divorce with the love of his life happened; Lexa, the aforementioned love of his life, who desperately wants the role of CEO at her company and knows she’s fit for it, but struggles with feeling needed and wanted and is wondering why she doesn’t mind being around Jett all of a sudden; Chuck, the kindhearted guy who’s been hurt one too many times and who dealt with it poorly and was left to deal with the consequences, who’s now trying to get the rest of his life together, somehow; Coral, the face of the famous makeup line who is famous for ditching her prince at the altar for reasons she names to no one; and Ed, the old guy who just wants to novel a story about his wife who passed on too soon, but who may have more left untold in his story. Brought together by chance, the five find they may have more in common than expected and as friendships and stories alike unfold, the result becomes clearer than ever that there must be a higher power at work.

I LOVED the connection to The Writing Desk, another one of Hauck’s novels.. I loved how each character was so unique and individual. I loved the different types of wounds and problems addressed, and how they slowly came together, some taking you by surprise, others gently presented for you to figure out on your own. It was a complex story full of growth, and while maybe a little predictable at times, fully satisfying and enjoyable. I found very involved in the story and was commentating along with the characters on more than one occasion! I absolutely fell in love with all of them.

Spoilers:

When Coral talks about finding Jesus, I love the point she made. “So I asked [my fiancée] who steered his moral compass. Who or what was his moral or spiritual governor. He said himself. He was his own highest power, supreme commander, and chief architect of his life...in an instant, this fear hit me. Not like anything I’d ever felt before. As if God heard and wrote down what Gus claimed. I begged him to reconsider God as a part of our life...if Gus’s highest authority was himself, then to whom did I appeal when I had an issue with him? When we didn’t get along? When I was worried about the choices he was making and could not get him to see reason? If he was his own boss, then I was at risk. How as I to know his self-convictions would keep him faithful to me and our family?”

When Lexa brings the manuscript to Jett, begging him to tell the truth instead of keeping it in the shadows, I love what she says: “Is it worth your integrity? Your soul? Someone else will find this manuscript and tell the truth. You’ll just be the fool who kept his mouth shut. Come on, leap. Be your own hero.”

Some notes on content....

Ed refers to sleeping with his wife on their engagement night; Chuck refers to women many times as hot, beautiful, and having a gorgeous body (“but showing up with a hot, rich babe...how could a guy go wrong?”/ “She was real, genuine, and hot. Did he say that already?”) Ed refers to his wife’s figure as tempting. I did not like the constant referring to women in this way. Granted, these characters also often referred to character and inside beauty, which I appreciated, but I don’t think the evaluation of women on their bodies is in any aspect, no matter how small, healthy, and I did not like this.

Coral says, “Humility is a magnet for His affection” referring to God, which I disagree with. Yes, God loves a humble heart. But he loves you regardless. He doesn’t love you more if you’re humble or less if you aren’t.

I found this book rather slow-moving and could not get into it. Maybe I will try again another time.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Rachel Hauck never disappoints and her latest book, The Fifth Avenue Story Society, is no exception. I was excited to get an ARC copy of the book and was so intrigued by the story, that I stayed up half the night reading. Granted, I was a bit tired at work today, but it was so worth it!

The Fifth Avenue Story Society was different than Hauck's other books. Instead of focusing on romance, this was a bit of a mystery (of course, there was romance too). Five individuals who have nothing in common receive private invitations to a meeting at a historic building. No one knows what the meeting is about, but they all show up, beginning a strange friendship among all of them. For each of the participants, this group was what they needed, but as their stories unfold over the course of the book, nothing is what it seems. Additionally, instead of placing faith in God front and center to the story, it snuck up on me in a way that seemed genuine and made me wonder why I had missed it from the start. There is also a theme of providence, or as Jett likes to say Kismet. I don't think anything in the story is actually coincidence however. God seems to be working behind the scenes, orchestrating all things according to his divine plan.

I received a free ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and reviewed it voluntarily.

Oh my goodness, what an absolutely delightful, refreshing, insightful story that I will long remember. This story is about an invitation, relinquishing secrets from the past, and finding freedom and new life. I am bowled over at the creativity, uniqueness and beauty of this story.

The Fifth Avenue Story Society reveals that we all hold hurts and secrets from our past that we carry into our present. They color our vision, dim our view of the future, and hinder us from living our best lives. Until we find the courage and honesty with ourselves and others to face these secrets and transparently crack them wide open, we cannot experience true freedom to be who we are meant to be.

This author uses her story to examine the complexities of human nature and relationships and how our past can determine our present if we allow it. The spiritual message also was insightful, creatively expressed and inspiring. The author took a unique look at the gospel message and portrayed it in an original, personal, and respectful way.

This story is layered and has depths of truth. I was drawn to and moved by each individual character and their varied stories, each with their own path. It also contained numerous notable quotes that resonate truth in a piercing and memorable way. It is a story that is beautifully told, incredibly moving, and a message we all need to hear.

Rachel Hauck is one of my favorite authors and I will read anything she writes! I was quickly drawn into the story of these 5 strangers who come together in a story society. They all had difficulties and hurts from the past (and present) to overcome and I found myself rooting for each character. It was very satisfying to see them help each other heal through the sharing of their lives and stories.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

THIS WAS A MARVELOUS STORY!

Rachal Hauck pulled me in right from the very beginning of this story, with her description of the character’s different situations, and the idea of random strangers becoming friends. The overall story plot was very unique and one that I have not previously read before. The perspectives of each character were given in such a realistic and easy to follow thought process, that I found myself readily engaged with the characters by the end of the first chapter, which doesn’t happen often. Every character had a unique background story, and each person had to overcome an obstacle. A true learning experience for everyone involved.

"Maybe the point is at the end of the journey and not at the beginning." - pg. 72

I think Rachel Hauck did very well in the diversity of her characters and their hurdles to overcome. They faced overcoming fear of the past, self-worth, custody battles, fighting for marriage, the scare of losing a company, and so many more relevant topics that we all struggle with. Yet, in the midst of it all Rachel Hauck manages to tell us about the only hope in our struggles, and how one person choosing to listen to God's voice can affect so many people’s lives. A truly great reminder.

I give this book a resounding 5 out of 5 stars for the amazing characters and their individual stories, for the story of friendships coming from nothing, and for showing how the faith of one can affect many. I highly recommend picking this book up to read.

*I will say that Rachel Hauck is known for her edgy and realistic writing and in this case, she does basically use a couple of cuss words in this book, as well as references to sex and alcohol. I am not really fond of that aspect; however, I do understand that she is showing a realistic view of people without the light of Christ in them.

**I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.

“You are cordially invited”...

Can you imagine it? To being secretly invited to be part of a private literary group in an old Winthrop library? To go where many literary scholars and wealthy patrons have visited before you? Well, settle in for a literary delight as Rachel Hauck pens a contemporary, whimsical story that is reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Though not set in the same time period, I loved how these five strangers become best friends.

‘“Courage isn’t the absence of fear,” he would say. “It’s going forward anyway.”’

The Fifth Avenue Story Society was such a beautiful novel. Rather, it is really about five stories within the walls of one book. Five broken people drawn together by a mysterious invitation to the Fifth Avenue Literary Society Library. At first they are all closed off, not very open to one another, and bound by distrust and fear. It reminded me of how if we don’t open a book or only read the first chapter, we really never get to know the truth and meat of the story. We have to commit, to delve in, to soak in every aspect of the book to truly understand it. That’s how this book read…I will be honest in that it was a slow beginning. Trying to understand five different views, it took a bit to get into. So, I will say, this is a snuggle into your armchair with a cup of tea, and pretend you are making a new friend type of read. Let is slowly wash over you, and you will love it. As Lexa, Jett, Chuck, Ed, and Coral challenge each other to open up, the healing begins transforming them, and their friendships abound. They each become an open book and as their stories unfold, it opens the others up to share and heal. This is a beautiful story of choosing courage, of stepping out in faith and trusting others. When you’ve been hurt deeply, it is hard to step out in faith and put your heart out there again. But, with God you can heal. I loved that theme of the story. I loved the underlying faith element, the quiet faith that blooms into a strong testimony that by the end ties all their stories together. If you love romance, a light mystery, and stories of friendship, I think you will love this book.

I was provided an advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my honest opinion.

Five New Yorkers receive invitations to join The Fifth Avenue Story Society. They don’t know what the Society is or who sent the invitation, but out of curiosity, each of them appears at the Winthrop Library at the appointed time, if only to try to identify the source of the invitation. And what else do they have to do on a Monday night?

Three out of the five are strangers to each other – Ed the retired widower, Chuck the Uber driver, Coral the head of a high-end cosmetics empire. The other two, Jett, a university professor, and Lexa, a under-appreciated executive assistant, were married to each other until 2 years ago. All of the five have secrets – secrets that they can’t face – secrets that may destroy their lives.

The story is complex, moving from one character to another as they go about their lives and interact with one another. The focus is on the story of Jett and Lexa and their intertwined secrets. As the group continues to meet on Mondays at 8:00 PM, they begin to trust each other, become tentative friends and reveal more and more of their personal stories.

I’ve read several other books by Rachel Hauck, so I was prepared to enjoy this one too and I did. At first I thought I might get confused as the focus of the narrative kept switching, but the individuals were so clearly defined that, even when the speaker wasn’t immediately identified, it was obvious who was talking.

I love stories where characters develop and change throughout the book and this one met my expectations.

I received a free digital advance review copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE FIFTH AVENUE STORY SOCIETY. THE FIFTH AVENUE LITERARY SOCIETY LIBRARY. THE BOWER ROOM. MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9 @ 8 P.M.

If you got this random invitation, would you go? Well the 5 people who received the invite did go. So the beautiful story of Jett, Lexa, Chuck, Coral & Ed begins. These 5 people were broken with emotional baggage. They would meet every Monday, have some food and discuss life. It definitely kept my interest and was a great "feel good" book.
If I had to describe this book in one sentence it would be: The truth will set you free!

Well written and well paced even though it frustrated me sometimes when I was left waiting to find out what would happen. It was worth it. The dialogue and general character interactions were delightful. Told in many voices as the story is told from the perspective of each of the five main characters, some more than others, it didn't get confusing or repetitive. In fact I liked the few times one scene was seen from another perspective, it was a nice reminder that others don't always see things my way or the way I perceive it.
I love the growth of the characters as they learned to trust each other and themselves as well as outgrew bad habits, false beliefs or skewed assumptions. I laughed, I cried, I enjoyed myself from start to finish with this book.

This book was ok. Five people accepts an invitation to a story society and...oh just read it for yourself.


I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest opinion.