Wow! What a beautifully woven story!! In full transparency, I never read the Honeysuckle Girls...now, it will definitely be added to my to-be-read list!

The last book I read by Emily Carpenter, Until The Day I Die, was an exciting and suspenseful thriller...so I wasn’t sure how this one would play out. I was so pleasantly surprised!

Reviving the Hawthorne Sisters is a dual timeline story which reads more like Historical Fiction (although the author reports as Southern Gothic). It follows “Dove” aka Ruth, back in the day of tent revivals, who is hiding several secrets, including the one that might change the lives of her family members. In present day, her granddaughter Eve is trying to figure those secrets out, in order to preserve the reputation of Dove.

I loved this one and highly recommend!

Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters by Emily Carpenter is Southern gothic novel that alternates between generations, making it part historical part modern. This book has elements of mystery, suspense, and an air of the supernatural. The main part of the story takes place 1930s Alabama. Here, the author gives an impressive literary description of the deep south. One can almost feel the mugginess, the mists, the weeping willows, and the edge of darkness that the storied past of the South that comes with it.

I enjoyed reading alternating views between Dove Jarrod and her granddaughter Eve. It was also interesting to read about the relationships, the sacrifices, the secrets, and the events that occur secondary to these actions.

For me, the mystery was second in interest. It was more the ethereal, misty, superstitious concept that the author conjured that interested me the most.

I won’t say anymore as to not give away any of the plot and ending for the reader. It will definitely keep you engaged throughout. A distraction was just what I needed.


4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

This book had all the ingredients to be great, but landed on just okay instead. ⁣
⁣
It is a southern gothic story about Eve, who is desperately trying to find a lost coin to protect a family secret. A secret that would unravel the belief that her grandmother, Dove, was the renowned healer everyone thought she was until her dying day. Together with a cast of characters, Eve risks everything as she sets out to protect her grandmother’s name and encounters a scattering of dangerous individuals who have other plans in mind. ⁣
⁣
There were a number of winner moments along the way during this read, but they were sandwiched between too many yawns to have them be triumphant. I am partial to slow-burns because they seem more realistic, but this was slow as molasses. ⁣

The Weight of Lies was my introduction to Emily Carpenter, an intriguing mystery that kept me glues to the pages.

Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters is a dual time period story about Dove Jarrod and her granddaughter Eve. There is a lot going on, Dove escaping from an asylum and her journey to become a famous faith healer. It's the family secrets that face exposure that forces Eve to uncover the truth before damage can be done.

I really enjoyed the historical setting, it was during the 1930's that Dove's story begins. There are revival meetings in the south that added charm but at times I was overwhelmed with the large cast of characters. The past story line was my favourite, there was a little bit of mystery, southern charm and an era with its faith healers that interested me, I would have loved for the whole book to take place in 1934.

It wasn't until afterwards that I realised this is the sequel to The Honeysuckle Girls (which I haven't read). Though Revival worked as a stand along I do wonder if I knew more about Dove if it would have impacted this read.

Revival of the Hawthorn Sisters releases today and available for purchase.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing (via Netgalley) for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters by Emily Carpenter is a companion novel to Burying the Honeysuckle Girls but can be read as a standalone. It is a Southern Gothic mystery following two time lines, Ruth Davidson, a revivalist in the 1930s and her granddaughter Eve, present day head of her grandmother's foundation. Eve is faced with many challenges, a birth defect that leaves her one arm weak, the task of hiding her grandmother's secret from the media, finding a lost coin, keeping herself safe from an attacker, and struggling with her own faith. This book is jam packed with characters and themes.
❤What I loved: I loved the setting, in the south with its old ways, gorgeous landscapes, architecture and history. Deep family secrets that go back generations. A strong female protagonist who has her own faults and doubts.
🧡 What I liked: I liked delving deeper into Ruth/Dove's past after reading the companion novel. Seeing her side of things and where she came from and how she was forced to survive.
🤎What fell flat: Many different characters over both timelines. The inclusion of Althea from the first book could have been omitted and she felt like a different person. Didn't have the same strength and grit anymore. Eve had many characteristics in this book as Althea had in the first. They were too similar for me.

Overall, a great read that would appeal to lovers of historical fiction, mysteries and family dynamics.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Lake Union publishing and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

Emily Carpenter’s Burying the Honeysuckle Girls has been popping up on my recommendation list for a long while. But I have not got around to reading that, but when given a chance to read Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters from Net Galley, I pounced on it. The blurb had all the elements of a guaranteed success story. Dual timeline, family secrets, romance, there was no way I was not reading this.

Reviving The Hawthorn Sisters talks about the burden of family legacy with a bit of psychic element added to it. The story had a lovely southern charm that keeps the reader enthralled. The dual time line story, one centered around Dove Jarrod from the time she’s 13 years old and growing up in an asylum to her final escape as the wife of Charles Jarrod is wonderful to read. Just like the blooms of the hawthorn there’s peculiar atmospheric feel in the story as along with Dove’s granddaughter Eve, the reader takes a journey to know if Dove’s claim of being a liar as an evangelist is true and if there are more secrets hidden in the closet.

Eve’s sense of family loyalty and the sacrifices she endures to keep her mother sane and her brother free from addiction was touching. The romance with Griff was also a beautiful addition. I wished that Griff had a little more substantial role but nothing to crib about as the females in the story like Althea and Ember made for some interesting personalities.

The alternating chapters are short and snappy but my ‘grumble’ comes from the fact that the threat of the antique missing coin that seem to be hanging over Eve’s head just don’t feel menacing or alarming in any way. Eve’s justification to keep everything hidden also kind of fell flat and thereby makes feeling any sympathy hard to come.

This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/; Amazon India, Goodreads, and Twitter.

Really enjoyed it!! At first I felt a bit lost because it's been four years since I read "Burying the Honeysuckle Girls" and I didn't remember much. I don't even remember if Eve and Danny were even in the first book, but I slightly remember Althea. Loved reading about Dove and her younger years. She definitely lived a strange and wild life. Charles saved her, because who knows what would have happened with Arthur and Reverend Robert Singley. Robert Singley was scary and evil. Eve wasn't my favorite character, there was something about her that I just didn't love. Eve's mom and brother are completely dependent on her. They will be completely lost when she leaves the Foundation. Would have loved to have a little more of Althea in the book. She was there, but not there. I'm not sure giving Ember access an unlimited about of money is very smart. She's only been off drugs for maybe a week and has struggled for many years. I wasn't surprised about Griff at all.

Definitely recommend the book, it's even better if you read the previous one about Dove Jarrod and remembered what happened. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

A dual timeline, Emily Carpenter is back with her latest southern gothic novel in which her main protagonist, Emma is searching for more information on her grandmother, Dove Jarrod's past. In the 1934 timeline, readers learn about Dove's background and her early days as an evangelist and faith healer. One thing that Emma knows for certain is that her grandmother was nothing more than a con artist. But not everyone is so convinced and some people are determined that Emma will give them what they so desperately desire.

I love Emily Carpenter's novels and Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters definitely had me turning the pages. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding Dove's background and was empathetic with Emma's plight to try and protect her brother and mother from the harmful secrets of the past. There's a lot of characters in this tale but Carpenter does a fabulous job of bringing these two storylines together flawlessly. Definitely one of my favourite reads of 2020.


Goodreads review published 17/10/20
Expected Publication Date. 20/10/20

* Also reviewed on Instagram*

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Dove Jarred is a complex Character. Her family is even more so. So many secrets and twists unfold as you read. I was halfway through before I even realized it. Very enjoyable.

An Alabama insane asylum is the ultimate Southern gothic setting, and Emily Campbell fulfills its promise artfully in “Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters.” Twisted villains and odd religion make this novel highly Flannery O’Connoresque, with hints of "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Dove Jerrod is dead, and her family is returning to her place of birth, the monstrous Pritchard Psychiatric Hospital, which is the HQ of the Jerrod Foundation. Dove and her husband Charles were celebrity faith healers. Her granddaughter, Eve Candler, runs the foundation but would like very much to do something else. Eve’s grandmother was a fraud by her own admission, and her legacy is a burden.

The novel gets off to a bit of a slow start but grabbed my interest when Dove’s storyline appeared, and after that, I was hooked. The novel is written in seamless parallel timelines, equally enthralling, that recount the story of Eve in the present and Dove (whose real name was Ruth) in the past. Both are stalked by evil men. Eve’s stalker is threatening to pin a murder on Dove, torpedo the family name, and discredit the Foundation, unless Eve gives him a treasure that Dove is rumored to have stolen. Eve enlists the help of Griffin, a very foxy director who is making a documentary about the Jerrod Foundation, but Griffin may be more of a hindrance than a help in finding the allegedly stolen goods.

Eve thought she knew Dove’s history, but it turns out that her grandmother has significant gaps in her past. Dove’s real name, for example, was Ruth. Was Ruth a member of that dynamic tent revival duo, the Hawthorn Sisters, who took the South by storm? Dove left out that interesting detail and many others. Eve's discoveries and Dove's backstory act like a "call and response" revival song style, one following the other in a rhythm that keeps the reader's interest.

The ending is spot on, as Eve discovers that she has more to do to fulfill her grandmother's legacy than to loyally work at a job she hates while keeping a tight lid on family secrets. Recommended for anyone who loves a good dose of creepy with their fictional deep South.

Dove Jarrod was a renowned evangelist and faith healer. Only her granddaughter, Eve Chandler, knows that Dove was a con artist. It's been eight years since Dove died and Eve has maintained Dove's charitable foundation and her lies. A documentary team have just finished a shoot about miracle worker. Eve is assaulted by a vengeful stranger who's intent on exposing Dove's darkest secret.

Tuscalossa 1034: A wily young orphqn escapes the psychiatric hospital where she was born. When she joins the itinerant inspirational duo the Hawthorn sisters, the road ahead is filled with possibilities. With an obsessive predator on her trail, one of untold dangers. Desperate choices have to be made.

This is part historical fiction and part modern day story. It has an air of supernatural, mystery and suspense. It's also a semi follow up story to Burying The Hawthorn Girls which I haven't read. Dove was involved in some awful business back in the 1030's following her escape from hospital. There's quite a lot of characters to keep track off. The story is told from Dove's point of view. This is an honest enjoyable tale that spans generations.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #LakeUnionPublishing and the author #EmilyCarpenter for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eve’s grandmother, Dove Jarrod was a renowned faith healer. But just before her death, Dove revealed to Eve that she was a fraud. Eve is trying to keep her dysfunctional family from falling apart, and keep the press from delving into the secrets of her grandmother’s past. It is revealed to Eve that there were even more threatening secrets than fraud, perhaps murder. The story goes back and forth from present day Eve’s story to Dove’s story in the 1930s in Alabama at a creepy old house where she was born.

Don't Let 'Gothic' Scare You Here. I picked this book up on the strength of the publisher, Lake Union. But honestly, the marketing scared me a bit with the emphasis on calling this a 'gothic' book. When I think 'gothic', I think Edgar Allan Poe or perhaps fellow LU book The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore - period pieces set in the late 19th/ early 2oth century in old buildings.

This book... wasn't that. Yes, it uses an old-school sanitarium as the place of its beginnings - an orphan managed to escape there long ago, and in the present timeline, that orphan's granddaughter is now trying to redeem the building.

But really, the story here is told in dual timelines and features one woman just trying to survive in Great Depression/ WWII era Alabama, while the other woman tries to solve a mystery over the legacy of the first woman in modern day Alabama. In other words, standard-ish dual-timeline women's fiction - and really solidly written story that sucks you right in.

Growing up in the region in modern ish times, I could absolutely see much of this book playing out largely the way it did, the cultural touchpoints were truly spot on in both the period and modern touches.

Ultimately a strong work, and very much recommended.

When you read a premise that involves an asylum escapee, an outlaw on the run, a rare coin, family secrets and a story with a Gothic vibe featuring 1930's southern itinerant preachers and faith healers, I dare you not to have your interest piqued. Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters encompasses all those topics and then some - that's a whole lotta stuff going on.

The story is told using two time frames and two POVs - Eve in modern day and Dove/Ruth, Eve's grandmother, in the 1930's. My favourite part of the book was its Gothic touches and its focus on southern tent revivals and faith healing in the Depression -- a topic I know little about. The story is a very slow burn about family secrets and a mysterious predator with a strong focus on a missing, valuable coin.

This book had enough to keep me reading but I don't think the story quite hit its stride. It often felt disjointed with certain scenes and characters' motivations (particularly Eve's and the nefarious baddie's) seeming too implausible to be believable. There's also a lot of characters to keep track of, some of whom don't add much to the story, which I found a bit frustrating.

It wasn't until after I had finished the book and was reading the author's note at the end, that I learned this book included characters from Carpenter's earlier book, The Honeysuckle Girls (a book I haven't yet read). I think Reviving the Hawthorn Girls could be read as a standalone, but I wonder if I would have gotten more out of this book if I had known more backstory on Dove.

This is a Historical Fiction with a side of evangelical church revival, topped with a southern Gothic cherry. I enjoyed parts of this book, particularly the atmosphere and setting, but its many characters and a plot that had a little too much going on, detracted from my overall enjoyment. That said, I remain a fan of Emily Carpenter's work (especially The Weight of Lies) and look forward to her next book.

This one is quite the read. A faith healer that is a con, she is also guilty of a hidden murder. There are family secrets she hid, then the granddaughter is left grandma's house when she dies. There was so much more that was hidden and shocking! The book is an interesting read with a different plot idea. It read quickly and was extremely entertaining.

Book Review: Reviving the Hawthorne Sisters

Emily Carpenter

Pub Date: Oct 20th

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dove Jarod is a spiritual healer along w/her husband Charles. They travel all over the world healing people and making miracles happen. Only her grand daughter Eve knows the truth about Dove though. Eve knows that Dove was a con artist but never said a word. Choosing to protect her mother & brother from the truth. Now Dove has passed and a documentary crew wants to shoot a documentary about the beloved evangelist.  While on the quest to do research for it Eve is assaulted because of a coin that Dove appearantly stole and murdered a old man for. Now Eve has to find the coin and the whole truth about her grandmother before she gets knocked off because of it.

Told in a two narrative style we read back and forth between Dove's story & Eve's present.
This authors style of writing is amazing!!!  It reads like a friend telling you a story. It made me fly through this book and made me go order her other three from my local library. I highly recommend grabbing this one when it comes out!!!!!!

I've enjoyed Emily Carpenter's books in the past, although I confess that I haven't read Burying The Honeysuckle Girls yet myself. I didn't realize this newest story was set in the same era, but fortunately Reviving The Hawthorn Sisters works perfectly well without reading that story first. I was intrigued as soon as I read the blurb; both the historical setting and Dove's character sounded absolutely fascinating. And while somehow I didn't enjoy the story as much as I thought I would, I can't deny that the premise alone will make the heart of any historical fiction fan beat faster.

Like I said, I really liked the premise and idea behind this story. Especially the historical part set in the 1930s; you can clearly see that the author researched the era thoroughly and the descriptions make it feel as if you stepped into a time machine. I also liked the symbolisms and the significance of and reference to the hawthorn tree throughout the story. It's always a nice touch when the title can be connected to the story in multiple ways! I do have to say that I found parts of the story to be quite slow and even repetitive. This haltered pace made it harder to properly enjoy the story, and the repetitions did the same... Especially the whole mention of the coin over and over again became really annoying.

The story uses a dual POV structure as well as a dual timeline. We have the part set in the 1930s with Dove, and the part set in the present with Dove's granddaughter Eve... Dual timelines can be tricky for me, as I tend to prefer one over the other, and that is exactly what happened here. I found Dove's POV to be considerably stronger and way more intriguing than the present timeline. Not only is her character and development that much more fascinating, it is the historical setting that steals the show and Dove just seems to be so much more important as a character in the first place. Eve came over as a bit bland in comparison, and I found the present POV in general to be quite slow and repetitive with the coin hunt and constant repetitions of how she feels about her grandmother and her having to care for her family. She definitely lacked that spark her grandmother seemed to have...

I wasn't a fan of the whole religious angle, but I know that is a personal pet peeve of mine and I probably should have investigated more before reading this story. Luckily Dove's chapters weren't just focused on the religion, and boy has she an absolutely fascinating history! I definitely applaude her resourcefulness and ability to survive. It was interesting to slowly uncover her secrets through Eve's POV in the present, although I did see quite a few of the plot twists coming. The ending was also a bit too convenient for me... All in all sadly Reviving The Hawthorn Sisters wasn't my favorite title of hers, but that might just have been me. Most people do seem to enjoy this story better, so if you enjoy historical fiction and don't mind a slower pace and repetitions in parts this might just be a great read for you.

I loved this latest slice of Southern Gothic from Emily Carpenter. She has a knack for transporting me to another place, and her fictional world almost feels like another time too. As ever, the mystery at the heart of the book is engaging too, and keeps the pages turning.

If you haven't read Emily Carpenter by now then I highly suggest that you do. This is my fourth book by her and ding ding ding - we have another winner! This is somewhat a 'follow-up" to Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, which I haven't read (YET), but this can absolutely be read as a standalone. I never once felt out of sorts or like I was missing something.
Faith healers, a Southern Gothic atmosphere and buried family secrets - what more could you ask for?! I absolutely fell in love with and appreciated Dove's spirit and tenacity.... and Eve doesn't fall far from the family tree. With dual timelines I find I prefer one over the other and that was the same in this case as well. I was riveted by Dove's storyline in 1934 and had to stop myself from rushing through Eve's chapters to get back to her.

Carpenter has a talent for building an atmosphere that makes you feel like you're right in the pages with her characters. If I could go back to 1934 and become Dove's friend, I absolutely would have. Anyone who likes interesting multi-faceted mysteries hugged with Southern charm will surely need to pick this book up.

This book was ahmazing!!! I read it quickly as I just could not put it down! Dove Jarrod is a faith healer. She died 8 years ago and her granddaughter Eve is the keeper of Dove's big secret, she was a hoax! Eve is in charge of Dove's charitable organization and while fixing up the psychiatric hospital Dove was born in, Eve finds herself in physical danger! One of Dove's secrets from the past is about to unveiled unless Eve solves the secret! This book has it all; murder, family drama and secrets, and fantastic characters! It is told by Dove in the past and Eve in the present. I have read all of Emily Carpenter's books and I am a fan for life! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.