This is the fourth book in the Tree of Life series. The other books include: In the Cradle Lies, The Inn at Hidden Run, and When I Meet You. Having the opportunity to read and review this fourth book is truly a blessing!


What You Said to Me by Olivia Newport. Barbour Publishing, Inc. Release day: 11/1/2020. ISBN: 9781683229971
Oh to be back with Nolan and Jillian Duffy and their cute town of Canyon Mines, Colorado! I fell in love with Canyon Mines from book one and looked forward to the day I could read book four! This father and daughter seem to accomplish a lot towards the same goal even though their work is in different disciplines. It’s also great how close they are with business owners in the area! It’s one tight-knit community that I want to be a part of!

I love the character of this troubled teen, Tisha. She’s got every right to act in such a flippant manner towards adults. I was so happy that Nolan and Jillian could get to connect with her. The adults in her life have not been bringing the same attitudes down from generation to generation. Unfortunately, that happens a lot. And I was so pleased when Tisha starts to uncover her own ancestors. The nuances of the Tree off Life series has fascinated me and I admire how these friends all work together for the greater good.

This desire for so much coffee and lattes has me craving coffee myself. I can only dream of having an amazing coffee bar that Jillian has! To be able to pick her brain about genealogy with a latte on the side sounds fascinating!

A digital copy of What You Said to Me by Olivia Newport was provided complimentary in exchange for an honest review. I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras because this book allowed me to continue peeking into Canyon Mines and the way genealogy works these days is so interesting! I have enjoyed every book in this series! I hope you’ll enjoy it, too!

Yet again, this is another great book by Olivia Newport! It’s so easy for us to judge a person by their looks and by who their family is. We don’t try to go past those preconceived notions of who a person is to try to get to know them. Nolan shows us that relationships can be so much more rewarding if we just risk being vulnerable and give other people a chance to be themselves and try to get past the walls they’ve built up. Again, I enjoyed the historical trek into the characters genealogy. Since I am from Colorado, I also enjoyed learning more about the silver mining history. I actually remember visiting one of Horace Tabor’s mines. I’m looking forward to Ms. Newport’s next book!

Can I PLEASE stay in this world a little bit longer? Oh my goodness--I never want these stories to end. Olivia Newport has the best little world in this small town of Canyon Mines and the story line is such that you can add plot after plot without it repeating. Unlike Marvel movies--I mean, come on. How many times can you save the world?--Jillian is a genealogist who has one event happen to her that wraps into her everyday world. The plot lines never feel forced or unrealistic. I just love these stories!

Each character is perfectly crafted and so realistic. If I feel like grabbing my tea and having a cozy read, I'm going to grab a book from the Tree of Life series. I feel like this series could go on and on and never get old.

(Thank you Netgalley and Barbour Publishing for the copy of this book. This is my unrequested, honest review of this ARC.)

What You Said to Me
by Olivia Newport
Back of the Book: “A Father-Daughter Genealogy Team Link Present to Past on Family Trees
When 15-year-old Tisha Crowder gets caught shoplifting, attorney Nolan Duffy tries to protect her from consequences that could rattle her already troubled life. His daughter, Jillian, feels like she’s the one being punished instead—by having Tisha assigned to work with her on a backlog of genealogy files. Tisha doesn’t seem interested in taking the job seriously, and Jillian’s patience wears thin. Besides, everyone in Canyon Mines knows the Crowder family has experienced generations of brokenness. Then a sliver of hope turns up in long-ago words in plain sight, challenging shrouded assumptions about Tisha’s family. Now Jillian is the one who can walk with Tisha back to 1893 and uncover where everything went wrong in the first place—and save her from the past.
What You Said to Me is the fourth book in the Tree of Life series by Olivia Newport. You’ll want to return to the lovely Colorado mountain town of Canyon Mines again and again to explore and celebrate unforgettable family stories that will inspire you to connect with your own family histories and unique faith journeys.”
Impressions: I should preface this with the fact that I did not read any of the previous novels in this series. I found the beginning to be dull and slow. I enjoyed parts of this book but overall, it was not worth reading again or backtracking into the rest of the series.
Liked: I liked the character development of Tisha as she discovers her heritage.
Disliked: I did not care for Jillian or Nolan’s characters.
Learned: I learned to look past people’s outer shell. Certainly, not everyone has a back story to all their actions but often past hurts, pain, or loss change how we interact with others.
Quotes: “In my head, I know I had to be delicate. But my frustration got the best of me, and the words that came out of my mouth- well, they weren’t always what I meant to say…” – Story of my life as a parent!
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

Olivia Newport's Tree of Life books really draw me in with the interweaving of the present and the past. What You Said to Me does not disappoint with the continuing story of Jillian and her father Nolan. In this book, Jillian is working on organizing all of the records found in the previous book regarding children stolen from their families and unwittingly adopted by other families. Louis. As part of an alternate sentencing agreement, Nolan brings Jillian help in the form of 15 year old Tisha. Neither Jillian nor Tisha are thrilled by this.

The alternate story line takes place in 1893 in Denver, CO as they are heading into a downturn due to the threat of the end of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. Since many of the mines in the area at that time were silver mines, this meant that a lot of men lost their jobs. This is not something that I remember from US History classes in high school, so it was interesting to read about. Clifford Brandt is trying to keep his family from losing all of their money and survive the crashing economy.

It intrigues me to watch for the clues as to how the two story lines are tied together. It was also nice to read the continuing story of Jillian's growing relationship with Drew. If you like to read about family, history, and mystery, this is a book for you.

I received a copy of this book to review from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley.

What You Said to Me is every genealogist block and hope to solve to help understand their own family or a family they care about.
Where babies were either stolen or sold in the depression and the families in the present looking for them. Trying to understand what makes what makes themselves, who they are good or bad. This is a story about a father and daughter in a small town that helps one young girl and her family find their roots, be they rotten, strong or entangled.
Olivia Newport has written this with charm, love, and mercy. Showing the mystery, heart and soul of a forgotten generation and how it affects the present.
I throughly enjoyed this book. Solid 5 stars!

Very interesting story. I received a complimentary copy of the book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

"What You Said to Me" by Olivia Newport
So very glad I took the time to return to Canyon Mines, CO for another story connecting the past with the present. For me this story contained heart-break and laughter with a feel-good ending. Oh, there is a wee thread of romance within the pages, too. Happy Reading ! !
Note: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher with the request to post my honest review.

Have you ever been forced into an uncomfortable working arrangement? Like Jillian, I often prefer to work alone, and my need for order and precision is strong. I have tons of sympathy for her as she struggles to graciously include Tisha, a teenager with a major attitude, in her genealogy project. But dad/lawyer Nolan is a consummate mediator, and eventually his intuition proves sound in initiating this relationship. Newport's timeslip style provides more interesting tidbits about Canyon Mines, Colorado, and gives understanding and affirmation to troubled Tisha. I appreciate that Newport leaves some loose ends, like in real life. Sometimes the people we become is because of someone's example, and sometimes in spite of it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing via Netgalley, and was not required to post a review.

I haven't read the other books in this series, but I didn't feel at all lost.
I love how we got to the answers, and unwound the past to the present, and redeeming a fifteen year old.
What an exciting job Jillian has, but it requires a lot of time and concentration, enter a teenage girl that needs help, court required, and her Dad's big heart places her in Jillian's lap.
Come and experience a heartwarming challenge, along with some smiles and tears!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Barbour and was not required to give a positive review.

This is the 4th book in a series but you don't have to read them in order, Jillian is a genealogist, Nolan is a family lawyer and together they help a trouble teen with a tragic past. With their help and research they are able to help the young girl come to terms with her family's past and see that it doesn't have to define her. I love this series, it's perfect for curling up in your favorite chair and getting lost in someone else's life.
Thanks to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for my ARC of this book.

What You Said to Me by Olivia Newport is a delightful book. Tisha Crowder is a spirited teen who is caught shoplifting in Denver. Attorney Nolan Duffy comes to her assistance since she actually lives in his small community of Canyon Mines north of Denver. Nolan's daughter, Jillian, is a genealogist and Nolan feels she can use some assistance, so Nolan brings Tisha home which they both share since his wife passed away. Jillian uses it as her office also. Neither Jillian or Tisha is keen on this idea. Tisha's family is well known in the community and not in high regard. Tisha does not prove to have a good work ethic until she finds something that grabs her interest. The author takes us back and forth in Tisha's ancestor's history to 1893. I really enjoyed the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

I enjoyed this series I like looking into the past and finding family connections you knew nothing about.
The past can answers questions but it need not shape you like Tisha found out. God created us as unique individuals who can choose to follow Him or to live life on our own. We can be inspired by our ancestors like Tisha was by Clifford Brandt. I was hoping that the mines that were in the family could have been found and helped the Crowder family out financially but alas that didn't happen.
I was hoping there were more books in this series with Jillian and Nolan I like the characters.

Leeann Curtis

A word here and there will solve nothing - perhaps I only need to find the right words… Clifford Brandt in July, 1893 when the silver mines all close and bankruptcy is imminent.

History has always fascinated me, especially the history of a family. Where did they come from, what happened and why did they land up where they are? Just a few of the types of queries one might ask when researching genealogy. These are only a beginning for Jillian Parisi-Duffy who is a genealogist. Working on a very big project trying to find the birth parents of stolen children, she becomes the unwilling supervisor of a disinterested 15 year old who needs volunteer hours. Tisha has grown up in an all female household - one that is less than encouraging. Her self-esteem is so low, she considers herself worth nothing. Can her time with Jillian possibly make a difference?

The author has once again taken the history of one family and shown us how the ‘sins of the fathers and/or mothers’ come to rest on the future generations. Difficult times, however, did not embitter all those who lived through them. Hope was, and continues to be, always there - we just have to look for it.

This ARC in the Tree of Life series was received through Barbour Publishing, Shiloh Run Press and NetGalley. The impressions and comments are my own and were in no way solicited.

Book Number Four in the Tree of Life series does not disappoint!

Jillian and her father team up to help a 15-year old sullen girl who has a horrendous home life! There are generations of single mothers raising daughters and she is constantly told that men cannot be trusted and that she is worthless. Jillian is working on a huge project regarding finding families of children who were sold or stolen and reuniting them with their birth families. Tisha is tasked with helping in this project and it opens her eyes to things in life she hadn't considered before.

The historical references in this book are about the silver mines closing in 1893 when it becomes more costly to mine than the price the silver will bring. Thousands of miners are suddenly without work. Banks close, Businesses close. But Clifford Brandt has a plan to save his family. They will have to cut back, economize, leave their big home, but they will be able to make a fresh start. And he is also mindful of the needs of others and willing to help where he can.

How these two stories come together is wonderful and amazing. Tisha finds her "roots" and learns there is so much good in it. She came from good, strong people. Knowing that, she is able to also gain some strength for the challenges she faces.

I am buying this book for a young woman I know who I hope can use this story as a spring board to learning about her own wonderful ancestors.

I cried as I approached the end of the book. Some out of joy for the characters and some for myself as I didn't want the book to end. I hope and pray that book 5 is already in progress!

The father/daughter duo of this series continue to be likable characters that you want to know better. Set in a small town in Colorado, the focus on genealogy and the law is a nice blend of interests and the author’s way of weaving together stories of the past while bringing the reader along with Jillian and her dad’s life in Canyon Mines is well done. The book was a quick, enjoyable read and though, at times I felt the author threw in too many unnecessary characters, the story held my interest. Although this is part of a series, it may be read independently of the earlier books.

As a lawyer and mediator, Nolan Duffy likes to help the unfortunate and underdog. But when his generous offers includes the services of his daughter, Jillian, she is not certain that she wants to be involved in helping a troubled fifteen year old, Tisha. This teenager is quite resistant to assistance, Tisha has not been supported by her family and has been left on her own to handle problems. Throughout the book, she does realize that she needs to be treated differently and starts to expect that to happen.
Running parallel to this modern day story is a historical fictional tale about some of the early days in the town where the Duffys live, the fictional town of Canyon Mines, Colorado. The women in Tisha's family had struggled, and by learning some of their family origins, they all can start to understand how their past has influenced their present. This book is another one full of wise counsel - helping others to realize that their relationships do not need to stay destructive. Instead they can learn how to communicate the truth in love.
Several other storylines do continue from the previous book. And I am happy about the fact that book four does not seem to be the last book in this collection.
What I like about this "Tree of Life" series is the fact that this seems like a series that could come true. Days are ordinary yet filled with discovery. How Nolan and Jillian relate and care for each other is encouraging to watch. Their community comes together to support each other. While each storyline is separate and could stand alone, they go much better together. This is community provides an enjoyable fictional place to visit!

I have read all of the books in this series, and I do recommend it.
Thank you to Shiloh Run Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before it was officially released. I wanted to review the book, so more people will discover this series. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley for an honest review. This is another amazing book about Nolan and Jillian who does genealogy to find answers. We go back to Canyon Mine where we meet 15-year-old Tisha Crowder who gets caught shoplifting and Nolan decides to help her do an alternative sentence. Nolan is a lawyer and he volunteers her to work with his daughter Jillian who is researching children that were stolen back in the 1800s through genealogy.
Tisha doesn't seem interested in doing her community service and she seems to have a big chip on her shoulders. Nolan won't give up on her though and he has her helping him build bookshelves to put all the boxes that hold the research Jillian is doing to get it off the dining room table. They begin to see that Tisha believes she is trash just like her mother and grandmother and no matter how Jillian tries to convince her she is a good person Tisha just can't see it. Everyone in Canyon Mines knows the Crowder family has experienced generations of brokenness.
Tisha does start to help Jillian and reads some of the research that Jillian is doing about the children and starts talking to Jillian about it and wants to help. Jillian decides she can also help Tisha by tracing her family history back to where it became broken. It is really interesting what we can learn through genealogy
It isn't all about genealogy, we reconnect with the people of Canyon Mines, I enjoy the relationship of Nolan and his daughter, Jillian, and always in the back of my mind is how they are going to solve the mystery of the stolen children and figuring out when Tisha's family became broken and how that can change the life of Tisha and her family. I wasn't disappointed. You have to bring the past into the present to get some answers. I even figured out what the title meant. It wasn't what I thought.

What You Said to Me by Olivia Newport is a continuation of the Tree of Life series which began with The Inn at Hidden Run. Genealogist, Jillian and family lawyer, Nolan are the narrators and the delightful father-daughter duo, once again, lead us through the story.

As in the first three books, the split-narrative highlights the effect context can have on who we become and what we believe about ourselves and our family. The historical story is set in 1893 as the silver market collapses, as such it is a sad part of the book. The pain shared in these chapters have a purpose in the present day characters’ journey but it’s not for the faint-hearted.

Nolan, through his legal work, encounters a troubled teen, Tisha, who needs a place to work her community service hours. Knowing Jillian is swamped, he volunteers her office as the place for Tish to get this part of her sentencing behind her. Disruptive, rude and disinterested, Tish sets Jillian on edge and the two clash from the outset. The first part of the book, in which Tish is being a painful teenager is well done by the author, you really feel Jillian’s pain!

Working to understand Tisha’s destructive and distrustful behaviour, Jillian and Nolan dig into her history and bring the two stories together. To share more would be to give away the twists in the tale.

Small town life brings a joyful and fun element to the story. Jillian and Nolan are a delight and it was lovely to see other great characters in the novel again. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it’s a four out of five on the en-JOY-ment scale.

I have read the other three books in this series about Nolan, who is an attorney in Denver, and his daughter Jillian, a genealogist.. Each one can be read as a stand alone, although I totally recommend reading all of these beautifully written, heartwarming stories. The characters in these books are developed with heart that I believe will reach the readers heart as it has mine.

Nolan has learned of a 15 year old girl, Tisha, who lives in their hometown of Canyon Mines, who shoplifted in Denver. She needs to do some volunteer hours within the next few weeks. He immediately thinks of the genealogical research project Jillian has taken on that has taken over their dining room table plus chairs, with hundreds of papers and folders scattered about. that date back many years. He is certain Jillian could use some administrative help in getting it organized and out of the dining room. Since the death of Jillian's mother many years ago, he has learned to cook and is quite taken with creating dishes to share with friends and neighbors by hosting spontaneous dinner parties.. For this he needs the dining room table. Jillian is somewhat apprehensive when sullen, Tisha, who also has a chip on her shoulder, and pink hair. shows up. Jillian remembers Tisha's mother, who was a couple grades ahead of her in high school, dropping out of school because she was pregnant. Tisha is less than enthusiastic about anything life has to offer, especially organizing some old papers.

What I found fascinating is in-between the chapters dealing with the ups and downs of the relationship between Nolan, Jillian and Tisha, the author takes us back to 1893 in Denver during the economic recession caused by the collapse of the mining industry. The U.S. government stopped buying huge amounts of silver and made gold the sole currency standard. Mines shut-down, resulting in the closure of many banks and thousands were out of work and homeless. Clifford Brandt lost his livelihood when he was forced to close his own three mines and he lost his job with Horace Tabor. Clifford's wife was not happy about the change in their economic status, especially when they were going to lose their beautiful, big house in Denver. As this story evolves, Olivia Newport expertly weaves the history of the late 1900s in Denver to the present time in Canyon Mines, located outside of Denver, closer to the mountains. How this history affects Tisha personally and the influence of Nolan and Jillian changes her entire view of life. Even though the last page of this heartfelt book has been turned, this beautiful, inspiring story will stay with me for awhile.