Poetic characters, authentic world building and compelling. Enjoyed the story very much. Saving Missy is a poignant and heartwarming debut novel from Beth Morrey about ageing, loss, friendship, and forgiveness.

Missy is a seventy nine year old woman ,she lives alone with her dog a solitary life.In this wonderful sweet story she opens her heart makes friends gets involved with life.A book that treats loneliness in  an open honest matter a book that had me cheering Missy on.#nettygalley#putnambooks

I love a good character story that centers on an older person finding new meaningful relationships and meaning for life. That's what I expected this to be and at first Missy seemed to be a character who might be endearing. However, she soon reminded me too much of Eleanor Oliphant who I couldn't stand. Once that comparison got in my head I couldn't connect with Missy. I thought the writing was good, the dog was enjoyable but overall this wasn't for me.

Missy Carmichael is approaching 80, sad and lonely.  Having made an effort to get out of the house so she'll have something to tell her son when she talks to him she stumbles upon some unlikely friends who will ultimately change her life.  They're love and attention to her, while asking nothing in return, completely turn her life around.  I felt for her in sadness in the beginning and rejoiced with her new happiness.  Definitely timely.

Author # Beth Morrey has a beautiful novel #'The Love Story of Missy Carmichael'. A coming of old story. Touching on forgiveness, You wouldn't even know this is her debut.For a full review please check out my Instagram blog at Maddie_approves_book_reviews this week.🌟🐾🐾
Thank you,
#Netgalley, # Beth Morrey, and # Penguin Books for the advanced copy

Missy gave up her librarian life when she married a very vibrant historian, raised her children, and ran the household as one does. One day, her love and children are gone and she rattles around her place all alone. Quirky and heartwarming (Eleanor Oliphant comes to mind), Missy begins a late in life coming of age story. Her community becomes a friendlier place when she opens her eyes to the possibilities of friendship with the rag tag gang at the dog park or coffee shop. Perhaps they aren't so rag tag after all.

Delightful, sad, insightful, surprising.....beautiful. This book is full of so many insightful statements about life including its simple pleasures, relationships  with friends, family, and the ever important companionship of a dog, as well as, the ups and downs of life that confront each of us.  It spoke to me on so many levels. Plus, it all starts at a pond where they are shocking fish to move them....original indeed!

I was hoping for a quirky main character to fall in love with, bur Missy just didn't do much for me. I struggled through the book and in the end, just didn't relate to her story. Sadly, a miss for me.

Sometimes we read great books, but at the wrong time. And that's how this book started out for me. When I first started I really struggled to get into it. However, recently I picked it up again and simply devoured the remaining 80% in a couple of days and I am so so glad I did! This was such an unexpected delight. Miss Carmichael was a complicated, yet intriguing character. Once the dog Bobby came into the picture, it was like she was able to open up and become a different person. Her story still had moments that made me sad, like the fact that she's been carrying about guilt over on decision from 60 years ago. Yet, there were beautiful moments too. And some unexpected twists in the end that gave me a whole new insight into Missy and her life. Honestly I would recommend this book to anyone and am so glad I gave it a second chance.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the eARC!

DNF. I got through the first half of this, but then got distracted by another book and found that I was never invested enough to return to this one.

Sometimes I need to read a book that will make me feel. A book that will explore human nature and relationships with an eye opening insight. This book was just the right fit for me, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The progression of Missy's character from a lonely and often grouchy older woman to a loving and happy person was heart-warming and at times emotional. All characters were flawed and sometimes quite irritating however I could not help myself but love them all. And Missy's dog was just a cherry on top.

I recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys sweet and joyful stories with a punch of emotional twist. I am looking forward to reading more books from this author.

Thank you NetGalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was really sweet. I loved the progression of Missy: she started as a lonely, sad widow, and transformed into this being so full of life and love that you can't help but smile when reading about her.

I loved this story!  It's so touching and heartwarming! Missy is such a relatable character and the story was very believable.   I will look out for this author for sure!

Thank you GP Putnam and Sons and Netgalley for a copy of The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey for review.

What a lovely story about a grouchy but very lonely elderly women learning to let people in to help.  So cute how she learns that maybe things aren't perfect but with the help of a few friends and one dog she can find some joy.  There was a few really really heartbreaking parts that made me sob.  Overall, just a lovely little tale.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview! 

This story was perfectly fine. The quaint details were hard for me to connect with but I can see it resonating with an older audience.  The story was overall a little unorganized.

This was such a wonderful book. There aren't enough books written about older women, and this one was so great. I loved Missy. I really connected with her. And I loved the message of it never being too late for a person to find a fulfilling life.

THE LOVE STORY OF MISSY CARMICHAEL by Beth Morrey is, as the publisher notes, perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and A Man Called Ove. Morrey's new novel features seventy-nine-year-old Millicent Carmichael, aka Missy, who spends most of her time alone, at home. The crushing isolation is lifted when she begins to care for a dog named Bob and to become more involved in lives of single mom Angie, her young son Otis, and friend, Sylvie. Like the Authenticity Project, Missy tentatively and almost inadvertently builds a community of sorts. Along the way, she really is inspirational in learning to be more accepting of herself and others. Flashbacks give the reader insight into Missy's life and her relationships with her now gone husband, estranged daughter, and far away son and grandson. It takes courage for Missy to find meaning and companionship as she gradually becomes more comfortable with once again caring for those outside her family. THE LOVE STORY OF MISSY CARMICHAEL, an uplifting debut novel, received starred reviews from both Booklist and Kirkus.

The entire book was endearing in so many ways. For fans of A Man Called Ove and Eleanor Oliphant, the tender moments will have you in your feels.

A feel good story with true grit and determination from a lovely 79 year young female named Millicent aka Milly.
It all begins with a love story not much different from everyone else's. You fall in love, have kids, become an empty nester, and carry on into the sunset.
That's until Leo her husband became ill and now Bobby the dog has entered the picture as more a companion than anything else.
Bobby plays a central role in that he's the glue that holds it all together. He tames the wildness of life in general. He adds comfort, empathy, and love when it's lacking in the day to day activities.
One day Bobby never shows and sadly his time has come to a tragic ending.
Will Missy be able to continue on?
Pets are like family for many of us who were born and raised with them as our soul companions.
I loved this story because it captures the true spirit and heart that many of us feel having been parents to these wonderful animals.
Thank you to Beth, the pub, NetGalley, and Amazon Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This love story really took me through a range of emotions as I read it from cover to cover.  Missy Carmichael is 79 years old and finds herself in a new world that she isn't sure she is ready to be in.  Her son and grandson live in far away Australia; her relationship with her daughter is tenuous, at best; and the love of her life is gone.  Missy doesn't expect a spur of the moment trip to a local park to have such a tremendous impact.  Suddenly two complete strangers are making their way through all of Missy's barriers and finding a place in her life.      

The characters in this novel are so well written and real.  I would go from being a cheerleader for Missy to feeling she had let me down and then back to empathizing with her.  All of the relationships were unique and compelling.  It was a wonderful transformative journey to go through with Missy and I am grateful for reading this book.  What seems like a simple story in some ways is so multi-layered and touching that I will remember it for some time.  

I received this novel courtesy of Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putman Sons in exchange for an honest review.