Maisey just writes stories you fall in love with! This is another great one. Loved the characters and flew through it!

As a crafty type quilter myself, I am drawn to books about quilts. I loved the memory quilt aspect of this novel and the characters learning bits of their past through the materials saved for the quilt. Of course, no woman's novel is complete without some family drama and heartbreak and love. Confessions from the Quilting Circle was a lovely mind break from the everyday!

Wow! I have been a fan of Maisey Yates for a long time. She writes about small town romances and cowboys. If you haven’t read the Copper Ridge series set in Oregon, you should. I loved reading every single one of them. She instantly became an auto-buy author for me. So, when I heard her speaking on a panel about this book, I knew I needed to read it.

"Confessions From the Quilting Circle" is Maisey's first book of contemporary romance in the women’s fiction genre, as far as I know. It is a fantastic read about sisterhood and the relationships that women have with their mothers. I wasn’t even to the halfway point in the book when I preordered a copy for my own mother for Mother’s Day. It is the kind of book that is full of family secrets, family traditions, and all the different journeys people take to get where they are today. It really hits you hard in the emotional feelings.

This novel is full of serious issues that circle around women causing heartache and pain. There are trigger warnings of rape, abuse, teenage pregnancies and domestic violence. However, the author attacks these issues with care and sensitivity. The diary entries by several mystery women had me intrigued throughout the novel. The meaning behind the fabric chosen for the family quilt project weaved a solid bond between their history from grandmothers to mothers to daughters. When I was growing up, quilting was one of the things we did to pass time and chat about life. The magical bond in this story between sisters and mothers who sew together, instantly took me back to childhood. I loved this book.

My Rating is 5 out of 5 stars because... I love reading books about brave women, determined women, sisterhood, motherhood, high school sweethearts, women in business, real life problems, books that remind me to be creative, and books that make it easy to imagine the historical bond we pass from one to another through our ancestry.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQN (Harlequin Books) for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I could see this novel being developed into an emotional television series. That would be so great.

RATING: 2.5 STARS
2021; Harlequin
Narrated by Samantha Cook

Confessions from the Quilting Circle wasn't a bad novel, but there seemed to be something missing. This is another novel that would have been better as a trilogy rather than packing everything into this one. This novel is about two sisters returning home when their grandmother passes. Their mother and other sister still live in town, and they decide to make a quilt to honour their grandmother. The two sisters that return to town meet their single exes and start up a romance, where the past still hangs between them. The sister who still lives in their hometown is married, but we don't get any real information except that her husband is becoming abusive. Basically, no one in the family really talks to one another and have this need to look successful, and being back home and in turmoil, they turn to one another. Oh, and in the beginning of each chapter there is some diary entries but are just small snippets so I wondered if they were just long quotes and had no clue it was even related to the story. We find out in the last hour or so what they are about. I just felt like this was a great idea, that needed t be fleshed out more. Maybe I should have read the physical copy, as I kept confusing the two artist sisters as they seemed to be going through the same things. It was a quick read, and one you can put down easily.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Three sisters and their mother are brought back together after the death of their grandmother. They’ve not done a great job of staying close over the years, so there is a lot of time spent re-learning about one another. They share their secrets, joys, successes, and failures while quilting together. There are a lot of secrets among these women, and it takes patience from all of them to find their way back to one another.

I struggled in the beginning because the pacing felt sort of slow and I actually considered DNFing. I’m really glad I didn’t though because things started picking up as secrets began to be revealed. By the halfway point, I was turning the pages fast.

My favorite thing about this story was the ebb and flow of the sisters’ time together. Their patience (and impatience) with one another felt very real. I think Maisey Yates does a great job with sibling relationships and I always look forward to reading about her siblings in her romances and in her women’s fiction.



I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Harlequin!

The cover and description of Confessions from the Quilting Circle by Maisey Yates suggests a light summer beach read, but the book deals with serious issues - death, loss, rape, abuse, teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, and other situations in which women are the victims but often mistakenly take on the burden of guilt. Trigger warning! What starts as a light summer beach read leaves an impression of strength, resilience, and hope.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2021/05/confessions-from-quilting-circle.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and and the HTP Women’s Fiction Summer 2021 tour

Reading early diary entries in a historic diary,left in the attic, boxes filled with the crafts and loves of three sisters late grandmother's estate, Addie Ashwood.
She is known as Gram to her granddaughters, Avery,Hannah and Lark..
Each holds a private life that is revealed of painful truths. Especially the eldest of the three,who they thought to be reliable, secure and a happy marriage.
Mary, Grams daughter is jealous her daughters have felt closer to their grandmother and not with her.
Grams has taught these women growth, love, and to embroider,sew and the few skills they will carry on and need,for the unfinished quilt.
This story title caught my eye because I love quilts,and yet I never got to actually make one. The author Maisey Yates is unfamiliar to me, but I usually read a book by the title cover.
I was intrigued seeing the life about to enfold from each fabric square and will bring this family closer together from a peice of family history, holding the ties of unanswered questions .
The attic is filled with their grandmother's treasures especially the diary that they will read as they gather up there and rekindle old memories of the grandmother who filled the role as "Mother".
Mary feels some jealousies and we learn why she wasn't close to her daughters and why the role her own mother had in her daughter's lives.
This mission to finish the quilt tells of so many heartbreaks all the women in this story,have gone through ,and as they pull together with emotional pain and decisions of their past,present and future lives, I could feel a hope and trust they bring on to one another. Mary also finds forgiveness and love as she watches her daughters grow together.
I loved hearing about The Craft Cafe. A genuine cafe where crafters can meet and learn a new craft.
I was given this ARC book to read from Netgalley,and for my review in return.

Bestselling author Maisey Yates is at her absolute best with CONFESSIONS FROM THE QUILTING CIRCLE. Readers of all ages and backgrounds will love its powerful, redemptive nature and the empowering message at its heart. Each of the four women in this novel are keeping secrets, each of them trying to deal with their own issues, their own problems, their own grief, and the novel is so beautifully written and so well-paced that, as a reader, I often had to stop and ponder what I would do if faced with the decisions these women have to make and deal with, and take a good hard look at how keeping their secrets have affected their relationships with their loved ones and especially with each other.

Maisey Yates never disappoints her readers and CONFESSIONS FROM THE QUILTING CIRCLE is so good as it delves into a family and their intricacies. The characters are so well presented and the story crafted to suck you in and make you want to keep reading and ignoring the rest of the world while doing so. This is a very emotional walk through these four women’s lives. Each one is dealing with her own insecurities, and feelings of guilt and regret form an ongoing theme for all of them.

I enjoyed the bond between the four women and how it shows how complex the relationship between mother and daughter or sisters can be, and even when you’re close, there are going to be things you hide, which is especially true for Mary, who has some major secrets from her past she kept from her daughters. And it’s wonderful to see Lark, Avery, Mary, and Hannah all overcome their individual hardships and find happiness. CONFESSIONS FROM THE QUILTING CIRCLE is all about family and the past and the secrets that come out are heart tugging. It had me flipping through the pages like a woman on a mission. I had to know what was going to happen!


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harper Collins through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

The Review

This was a powerful women’s fiction read. The author beautifully sets up a dramatic and emotional family dynamic between the three sisters and their mother in the face of losing their beloved grandmother. The rift between the sisters is felt early on, showing the complex balance of tension and emotion between them all.

Character growth was essential in this read. The author not only does a great job of showcasing each sister’s individual struggles and how they feel in this tension-filled dynamic with the other two sisters, but the author also fills out the narrative with backstory as diary entries from two different women from different eras give insight into the family’s history as a whole. The author showcases a wide range of talent in this writing, as the author’s normal romance-style narratives shift easily into the women’s fiction genre, highlighting the strong bonds between family and in this instance, sisterhood.

The Verdict

A memorable, emotional, and engaging read, author Maisey Yates’s “Confessions From the Quilting Circle” is a must-read women’s fiction narrative. The book flows smoothly and engages the reader on multiple levels. The gripping tale of these sisters will resonate with so many of us out there, and in a story about leaving things unfinished in our lives and feeling a piece of ourselves missing, the author found a wonderful way to explore the journey to making ourselves whole again. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

You know that feeling when you finish a book (that was hard to put down) and although it was an amazing story, you wish it hadn't ended? That is this book!

Maisey Yates captured my attention from the very beginning. It's a wonderful story of returning home to your small hometown after a death in the family. We can all relate to that.

Three granddaughters, their mother, and families come together to clear out two houses. Two daughters left after High School for College and never returned, while the oldest settled in their hometown and raised a family. Personal events shaped their lives and outlook but also skewed their perspective.

As they renovate and restore the buildings, sort through boxes from the attic, and get to know each other again secrets are revealed that shattered their lives. They realize that life as they were living was not as they imagined, and could be much better once grief is shared.

It's a multi-generational coming of age story where all characters learn the benefit of open communication, empathy, and understanding. Go out and grab your copy cause this is one book you won't want to miss!

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

Four women, each finding their way back home.

When Addie Ashwood passes away, her three granddaughters, Lark, Hannah and Avery all gather at her home along with their mother Mary to begin a journey of self discovery and reconnection to each other.

Lark, an illustrator has come back home to continue her grandmother’s legacy by opening a Craft Café. She also encourages her sisters to finish a quilt their grandmother started. Will she find what she is looking for among the fabrics of long ago and be able to face her past?

Hannah, a violinist has given her life to the orchestra. Now that she is back home, will she be able to open up about her tragic experiences as a teenager and be able to see Bear Creek as her home once again? Can the fabrics and journals of the past help Hannah see who she really is?

Avery is the perfect mother and wife until her secret comes to light. Can she give up everything she has worked for to start fresh? Can a quilt give her the comfort she longs for?

Mary, has always wondered why her mother left her when she was just a child, yet returned later in life to have a relationship with her granddaughters. Can Mary heal her past and rekindle her relationship with her daughters over a quilt?

This was just an incredibly beautiful story of family, loss and long buried secrets. We get to witness four women all with their own struggles come together over an unfinished quilt. It was so beautifully written by Maisey Yates, that I could feel the loss of each woman. I loved how they grew emotionally and were able to face the past leaning on each other. The relationships were complicated, but the sisters learned to rely on each other and that helped them to see their true selves. It was a story that you could get lost in, and I highly recommend reading it. My thank to Harlequin Publishing, the author Maisey Yates and Netgalley for an advanced copy to read and review. All opinions written are entirely my own.

Title: Confessions from the Quilting Circle
Author: Maisey Yates
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

When Lark Ashwood’s beloved grandmother dies, she and her sisters discover an unfinished quilt. Finishing it could be the reason Lark’s been looking for to stop running from the past, but is she ever going to be brave enough to share her biggest secret with the people she ought to be closest to?

Hannah can’t believe she’s back in Bear Creek, the tiny town she sacrificed everything to escape from. The plan? Help her sisters renovate her grandmother’s house and leave as fast as humanly possible. Until she comes face-to-face with a man from her past. But getting close to him again might mean confessing what really drove her away...

Stay-at-home mom Avery has built a perfect life, but at a cost. She’ll need all her family around her, and all her strength, to decide if the price of perfection is one she can afford to keep paying.

This summer, the Ashwood women must lean on each other like never before, if they are to stitch their family back together, one truth at a time…

Billing this as “romance” is a bit of a stretch: this is a novel about family. The so-called romances are subplots, at best. These three sisters…aren’t the most likable characters ever. Hannah is mean and ugly to everyone, all while feeling justified to herself. Avery is the queen of denial and looks down on everyone around her. Lark is flighty and ridiculous at best—and wonders why everyone treats her like that.

There is no hint that each of the sisters are hiding secrets. None. Until maybe a few pages before the reveal of said secrets. There is also no hint that their beloved grandmother had a secret, too, until 90% of the way through the book—no joke—and then it’s resolved on the next page with no conflict. I do not recommend this book.

Maisey Yates is a bestselling author. Confessions from the Quilting Circle is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/HQN in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 5/6.)

More than saddened by the loss of her grandmother, Lark Ashwood and her sisters Avery and Hannah get together to sort things out in the small town on Bear Creek. One of the things they discover is an unfinished quilt their grandmother started. After an emotional discussion between the sisters, they decide to finish the quilt, although one of them is a bit reticent about the upcoming project.

There is another discussion the sisters must have and that involves the decision on how to deal with various properties their grandmother left behind, and one of the projects they take on is to restore The Dowell House and perhaps make it a vacation rental. They have other ideas for the other properties including The Miner House and to even open a Craft Café. With these decisions the sisters have to get over certain things that have placed stumbling blocks in their paths.

The sisters all lead different lives. Avery is a stay-at-home mom who seems to have the perfect life, but deep inside she is crumbling. Hannah has made amazing career as the principal violinist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. However, has she chosen success over love? This question begins to plague Hannah when she runs into Josh, her first love. Is this their time? Can she reevaluate her life's goals? Then there is Lark. She traveled for years, with art being her chosen path, but she just might dig roots and settle down in Bear Creek.

As Lark, Hannah and Avery embark on their new projects, they must deal with the fact that their mother and grandmother were estranged. They must ask themselves if working on things in memories of their grandmother will affect their relationship with their mother. Will the summer ahead help all of them bury their difficult and painful pasts and come together in a way that will bring them all together?

What a lovely read! I love how all of their sisters and their mothers had a story and how these stories were interwoven together. I would think that this book would make a wonderful beach read as I felt drawn to all of the characters but for different reasons. For example, Avery and how she was hiding her pain. Then there was Hannah and how she finally had a chance at love. Of course, Lark's situation touched me as well. Lastly, getting to the root of the problem between the girls' mother and grandmother was handled quite well.

As the author penned this story she introduced and deftly dealt with some sensitive subjects, which included abandonment and the difficult and tough issue of spousal abuse. I love how it all came together while also having a sweet romance built into the book. While my heart broke in places while reading this book I was left with a warm, satisfying feeling.

Many thanks to HQN and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

CONFESSIONS FROM THE QUILTING CIRCLE by Maisey Yates is a women’s fiction book with romance subplots featuring a mother, her three daughters and the secrets they keep.

When the Ashwood sisters’ beloved grandmother dies, they all return home to Bear Creek, Oregon for the summer. Lark, the youngest finds an unfinished quilt and convinces her mother and sisters to help her finish it.
As they discover the origin of the quilt’s cloth pieces in old diaries, they also begin to reconnect and lean on each other as they begin to reveal decades old secrets that have kept them apart.

Secrets, so many secrets in this book. Ms. Yates deftly handles difficult topics such as abandonment, spousal abuse, sexual abuse and stillbirth all with empathy. As the women come together and work on the quilt, they reveal their secrets knowing that to move forward, they have to face their pasts. The ancestors in the diaries ultimately share their secrets and help the women in the present.

This is not what I am used to reading from Ms. Yates. It is darker with disturbing topics, but it is not all dark, it does have a few touches of romance and ultimate happiness. This story is well written with characters that you become attached to and cheer for their happiness.

I recommend this emotionally difficult, yet ultimately satisfying story.

I’m a huge fan of Maisey Yates and her romance books. This is the first time I tried one of her women’s fiction stories, this being her second such story. Her first, Secrets from a Happy Marriage, I have acquired but not yet read. I’ll admit, I was hesitant to try her in a different genre. When I was invited to participate in the blog tour for Confessions from the Quilting Circle I figured it was time to give her other side a shot. (CW: physical and sexual abuse, women’s health issues)

I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed, because I’m not. Yet I also wouldn’t say I’m all in on this genre for this author. One of the things Ms. Yates does beautifully in the many romance genre books I’ve read by her is fill her stories with emotions. She really knows how to get to the heart of the matter and have me feeling pain, anger, love, lust, happiness, joy right along with her characters. She knows how to show and not just tell a story. I didn’t feel that was something that was consistent in this story.

As much as I love a great romance, I also love a story about women holding each other up. Friends, sisters, coworkers, etc. Reading about women knocking down their walls and being real with each other always helps me to feel empowered. That was something I enjoyed with this story. Not only did the three sisters rebuild their relationship with each other, but they also came to understand their mom in a much deeper way. Lark, Hannah, Avery, and their mom Mary all had a journey to take in order to embrace their true selves, and they all did that. That’s exactly why I think many people will love this story and I will still be recommending it to those I think will really feel this story in the way it was intended.

While I’d love to leave it at that, I feel that there are some issues I should address. I know you may be sick of hearing me say it, but I’m a timeline stickler. Because this story follows many characters, more than the sisters and their mom because of old diaries found, there is a lot to keep track of. It’s not a chore, I never felt lost. But because I notice the passage of time in books, I did realize that the stories didn’t always mesh correctly to the passage of time and it annoyed me. As I always say, this may not be an issue for anyone but me. But it happened often enough for it to rankle.

When it came to the part of the story that dealt with physical abuse, I felt the author did a great job of laying out the thoughts the abused party would be having as to why she stayed, how things would be if she left, etc. I know more than not having a place to go or not having the means or support to go are not the only issues that keep people in abusive relationships. And I would assume there are people who were able to leave such relationships with no repercussions. Yet, I felt the character got out of the relationship a bit too easily. Not emotionally, of course it was difficult emotionally for all involved. It just seems like so many steps were missing in between. And maybe I shouldn’t even be speaking on this matter since I’ve not been in those shoes. I just felt it was such an important story to tell, yet seemed to be overshadowed by so many other things. Not quite tied up with a pretty bow, but almost.

This was still a wonderful read, it just wasn’t a story in which I felt I was fully immersed. I’ll still eventually try this author’s previous women’s fiction book. And I’ll definitely continue reading about her sexy cowboys and strong-willed cowgirls. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, I know some people who will find this book to be right up their alley. So I’ll be recommending this book even if it fell a bit off the mark for me.

Maisey Yates is a new-to-me author. I’m always on the hunt for my next favorite author, so when a book’s cover and blurb are intriguing enough to pull me in, I’m always willing to give a new author a chance. I have my own confession to make, though: The first quarter of the book had me doubting whether I was going to be able to finish the book. I understand that there was a lot of history to unpack in this story, but it seemed almost too dry up until that point. However, beyond that, the story’s tempo seemed to pick up, as did the mystery surrounding who these women were to these sisters and mother and why their histories were essential to the stories. Told from four different perspectives and letters from the past, it felt a bit disconnected at times.

Despite the slow tempo of the book’s first quarter or so, the intrigue had built enough to keep me invested in the story. And once we got to the true confessions part of the story, the words that fell from these women’s lips were so very heartbreaking. However, watching these sisters and their mom pull together to make their relationships stronger moving forward and healing past hurts the best they could went a long way toward repairing my broken heart. All in all, this book was a very entertaining read that evoked a lot of emotion yet left me feeling uplifted and satisfied at the end. And I will definitely be picking up more books by this author in the future.

Beyond a good women’s fiction/chick-lit book, Confessions from the Quilting Circle is about the strength to get up when your world falls apart, pick up the pieces, and turn them into a beautiful work of art that would never have been possible without the triumph over the tragedy.

NICUnurse’s Rating: I give Confessions from the Quilting Circle by Maisey Yates 4 out of 5 stars!

This is a Contemporary Romance/Chick-Lit/Women's Fiction. Maisey Yates is one of my favorite authors, and I am always so excited for her books. I have to say that it took me what felt like forever for me to get into this book, but it really took me about 25% of the book to be really pulled into this book. I want to add it may be me that it took me a long time because I really have trouble getting into books that have a lot of characters telling the story. This book there is three sisters and their mother that is telling the story. Once, I got into it ... I loved it so much. This book really me think about my family, and what secrets my parents had kept from me. This is a book that covers some hard hitting topics, but I think they where done so very well. This book shows what happens when dark secrets comes to light. There is love, hate, family, misunderstanding, understanding, and so much more. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin) or author (Maisey Yates) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

A poignant family saga full of emotions. Well thought characters, a plot that flows.
I liked it and it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I usually say there are two variations on stories about home. One is the Thomas Wolfe version in the title of the book, You Can’t Go Home Again. One is the Robert Frost version, “home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” Now I have a third version, Addie Dowell’s combination of hope, prayer and hard-lived experience, that “you can never go so far that you can’t come back home.”

This is a story about coming home. Not just about Mary Ashwood and her three daughters, Avery, Hannah and Lark, but also the journey of Mary’s mother, Addie, and all of the Dowell women that came before her, starting with Anabeth Snow Dowell, the widow who boarded a Conestoga wagon to make the long and arduous journey from Boston to Bear Creek Oregon after the loss of the husband who planned it – and who found love and hope along the way.

It’s also a story about starting over in the place where you began, whether you ever left it or not. Because as much as we all sometimes want to leave our pasts behind, we carry them with us wherever we go, with the weight of the things left unsaid and undone dragging us back at every turn.

Escape Rating A: I don’t often have a playlist for books, but I do this time. It’s Stevie Nicks’ Landslide on endless loop, because it feels like her story reflects all the journeys in this book. And now the damn thing is an earworm and I can’t get it out of my head.

The story here is on two tracks, although it isn’t time slip. It’s not about seeing the whole of the lives of the characters in the past, rather about the Ashwood women seeing the way that, in spite of how much the trappings of life have changed over the centuries, the experiences of the women who came before them have profound resonances in their lives in the present.

Which is a long way of saying that history repeats, specifically that history has repeated through the generations of the Dowell/Ashwood family. And that a big part of the history that keeps repeating is the way that each generation of the family – at least on the distaff side – does their best to keep what each believes are damning secrets to themselves. Even at times and places where the reveal would be the best thing for everyone involved.

It’s a lot of women hiding away their hurts and disappointments and sins in order to keep what is often a very dubious – and sometimes destructive – peace.

So Mary pretends to be stoic and Avery pretends to be perfect and Hannah pretends to be obsessed with her career while Lark pretends to be an irresponsible drifter. But even though there are aspects of truth in those pretenses, at the heart of them is a very big secret that each of them is forced to reveal to the others believing that the cost of stepping out of each other’s comfort zones will be too high to pay.

But none of them have gone so far that they can’t come back home to each other. Which is what makes this story such a lovely read.

So much wisdom to be found in Confessions from the Quilting Circle by Maisey Yates. Even though there were some unhappy and traumatic moments, this was an endearing story of sisters coming back together and supporting each other as only sisters can.