First, let's begin with the things that worked for me: I loved the characters the author introduced, especially those of Ivy and Sylvia. I loved the beachy location that was chosen for this story to unravel. I also enjoyed the fairly short page count with quick chapters.

However, the things that didn't work for me, despite being relatively short in length, I felt like this novel was a bit too slow-burning for my taste. I also felt like the hooking line on the front cover was a bit misleading as readers do not really get knowledge about the secret until the last chapter or two. My two favorite characters also got swift fates that I felt could have been done differently.

Overall, this novel could have been more flushed out storyline and character-wise, but I would still recommend lovers of women's fiction and beach reads to pick this one up!

I enjoyed this fabulous new novel from author Kristin Harper for its heartwarming story, fun to read characters, and a story line and theme that resonated with me. Having to deal with aging parents, grandparents and a few aunts in the family connected me with this novel about spending time with your loved ones, enjoying story time, and reminiscing about the past. Just like in many families, we all have our stories that we keep quiet about, for fear of shame and other repercussion, only to find out that maybe honesty and openness would have also been a likely to change the course of events.

This story is about families, the discoveries of hidden stories, the relationships told in an emotional and also heartwarming story. The mystery element and the plot twist had me turning those pages and kept my interest in this amazing story. I loved the descriptions and the rich detail of Kristin's writing that is truly immersive. I also enjoyed everyone of the characters and Zoey's most especially.

This is definitely one to pick up if you enjoy cozy family stories set in the amazing and beautiful backdrop of cape Cod with a few mystery elements you will have a hard time putting down.

I had a great time reading this book. A new author for me that I definitely will be on my radar.

Beautiful cover for this book...and yes I judge books by their cover. I really liked this book. I started to write my review for it on Goodreads and read the blurb about the book first and discovered that it is different than what actually happened in the story. All I can figure is the author changed the actual details somewhere along the way.
The characters were all interesting and very different from each other. The elderly aunt and the young girl in the story interact quite a bit, which I found enchanting. There was a little romance between Zoey and Nick which added to the family story and the mystery. The cousin Mark also added a little sinister flavor to the story. The one character that seemed inconsistent to me was Mark. He really flipped at the end, which did not seem to go with the character development up to that point.
This story may not have been fast paced, but it was very enjoyable!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

What a charming story of life on the quaint town of Hope Haven, on Dune Island. Books like this give a whole new perspective on places that the rest of the country may only visit on vacation.

This book had a delightful setting with lots of its own background stories, and believable and interesting characters who acted out an engaging plot and mystery to unravel.

Zoey has reached a crossroads in her life. The library where she worked has closed, which happened to coincide with her Aunt Sylvia becoming ill. After Aunt Sylvia dies, Zoey stays on to help Aunt Ivy deal with her grief and get used to life without her sister-in-law and constant companion. Soon, Zoey’s teen-aged niece needs a change of scenery to help her make better choices. Sending Gabi to stay with Aunt Zoey on Dune Island is a perfect solution, but suddenly parenting a teenager may complicate Zoey’s life even more.

When it seems like everything is falling into place, the possible wrench in her plans is cousin Mark trying to control it all. Suddenly Zoey is pulled in many different directions at once, trying to manage a life she’s getting used to in Hope Haven, while she’s also supposed to be getting her ‘real’ life as a librarian back on track.

Overall I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was a fun story with a little more depth in its genealogy mystery. I hope there are more stories around Hope Haven and Aunt Ivy’s cottage.

I was contacted by a representative from Bookouture to see if I would be interested in writing a review for a blog tour which they are holding for the book Auny Ivy’s Cottage by Kristen Harper. I have been loving writing reviews here on this blog so I agreed to reading the book and being a part of this blog tour.

Starting the book, from the beginning I took a liking to Zoey, the protagonist. She is quite a likeable character who we see grieving her great aunt who recently passed. As the story goes into more detail, we are introduced to more details and more likeable characters and some not so likeable such as Zoey’s cousin Mark.

I don’t like going into much details in reviews as I always fear that I will give the story away however the thing which I was hoping would happen from the start of the book happened so I was really happy with the way that the story played out.

This book was such a nice and sweet read and I definitely give it a five star rating and recommend it to everyone. Really glad that I was given this opportunity through NetGalley to read this book

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

It looked like Aunt Ivy’s cottage wasn’t really a cottage, more like a rambling old house, one that sounded amazing.

So then we met Aunt Ivy, Aunt Sophie, Zoey, Mark, and Gabi.

Zoey’s Aunt Sophie, who had just passed, but Aunt Ivy still lived in the cottage. Zoey, who after she lost her job, was there to take care of her Aunt Sophie.

It appeared that Mark was there, he was selfish and wanted to see what he could, so that he got Aunt Ivy’s house, to use as an investment.

Gabi, there because her father was in a alcohol rehabilitation centre and needed someone to take care of her.

All the characters were likeable. We start to learn about their lives and their loyalty to the family. It looked like Mark wasn’t loyal and only out to see what he could get from inside the house.

Secrets had been kept from the family’s past.

So it’s when Zoey finds something out, she wonders if it’s what Mark has been worried about others finding out.

This lovely cover book was a sweet read, one that will warm your heart.

Recommend it.

An emotional story for sure. Aunt Ivy’s Cottage is the story of a woman who loves her Aunt Ivy so much that she just wants what is best for her. Ivy’s grandson is looking to take control of Ivy’s life and move her to a nursing home just so that he can rent her house and make money off it.

Zoey loves her Aunt Ivy. She knows that times are rough right now after Ivy has lost her sister-in-law and is now all alone in the house. She would like Ivy to take her time, grieve, and then make decisions on her future. Mark, the grandson, is sneaky and just nasty. I do not think that he did anything nice during the entire story. I liked how much I could dislike one character while loving and becoming invested in what was going to happen to the rest of the characters. I enjoyed seeing how Zoey could open her heart, take on responsibilities for others when her own life was falling apart. She stumbled, but she picked herself back up and kept on going just to keep life moving forward for all those important to her.

The entire story was fun to read. There was family drama, inheritance questions, and secrets. I recommend picking up your own copy and heading to Dune Island and learning about Aunt Ivy and her family history.

First of all I fell in love with the hard-to-resist cover of Aunt Ivy’s Cottage. Don’t you think it’s beautiful?
Next, came a delightful story of complex family relationships. I’ve not read this author before, but I did enjoy how well she writes.

The book had a great cast of characters. Zoey of course with her determination to do the right thing for everyone was a loveable heroine. As she struggles with her own losses – financial loss at the hands of a deceitful boyfriend, loss of a job and the death of her sister and more recently a beloved aunt, she manages to stay strong enough to fight on Aunt Ivy’s behalf and be there for her niece, Gabi. The characters of Aunty Ivy, Gabi, Nick, Aidan, Mark and even the mysterious lighthouse keeper are very well drawn.

The story had just enough of mystery, humour and romance to keep it really interesting. The story will keep you guessing till the end.

As much as I loved the writing and the story, I found the resolution of the problem with Mark too hurried and the ending a little hastily written. I would have enjoyed the last chapter a lot more if it kept pace with the rest of the book.

Having said that, I’d be happy to read more of Kristin Harper’s writing anytime.

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. I loved the cover and this what made me start reading it. Great Aunt Sylvia has died. Struggling to find her place in the world Zoey sublets her apartment. The story has a lot of family drama and leaves you constantly guessing.

EXCERPT: She had told her great-aunts she'd been laid off from her job as librarian when the city closed the branch where she worked, but how had Sylvia found out that she'd lost her savings and was on the brink of losing her townhome? Zoey hadn't wanted to burden her aunts by telling them that the guy she'd been seeing for the past year, a financial planner, had risked - and blown - all of her savings in a series of investments that turned out to be just shy of illegal. And she was too ashamed to admit she hadn't even realised what he'd done until she tried to withdraw money from her depleted retirement funds to pay her mortgage.

ABOUT 'AUNT IVY'S COTTAGE': All Zoey’s happiest childhood memories are of her great-aunt Ivy’s rickety cottage on Dune Island, being spoiled with cranberry ice cream and watching the tides change from the rooftop. Now, heartbroken from a recent breakup, Zoey can see her elderly aunt’s spark is fading, and decides to move to the island so they can care for each other.

When she arrives to find her cousin, Mark, sitting at the solid oak kitchen table, she knows why Aunt Ivy hasn’t been herself. Because Mark—next in line to inherit the house—is pushing Ivy to move into a nursing home.

With the cousins clashing over what’s best for Ivy, Zoey is surprised when the local carpenter who’s working on Ivy’s cottage takes her side. As he offers Zoey comfort, the two grow close. Together, they make a discovery in the attic that links the family to the mysterious and reclusive local lighthouse keeper, and throws doubt on Mark’s claim…

Now Zoey has a heartbreaking choice to make. The discovery could keep Ivy in the house she’s loved her whole life… but can Zoey trust that the carpenter really has Ivy’s best interests at heart? And will dredging up an old secret destroy the peace and happiness of Ivy’s final years—and tear this family apart for good?

MY THOUGHTS: I was looking forward to 'a stunning and emotional read about old secrets, new love and never forgetting the importance of family.' I didn't get it.

In spite of the absolutely gorgeous cover, the contents of this book are mediocre in comparison. There were several things that I actively did not like about this book. The first is that the description of the contents bears little resemblance to what actually happens. It is misleading, especially the lead in to the blurb, 'Up in the attic, with views across the sparkling bay, she opens the lid of the carved trunk. Carefully moving aside the delicate linen wedding dress once worn by her great-aunt, she unpacks all the smaller boxes inside until she finds the leather-bound diary. She knows this will change everything…' This is wrong! This is not what happens!

The characters are mostly inconsistent. I loved Aunt Ivy and Gabi, they were the highlight of the book for me. Zoey is emotionally labile, or mercurial, Nick not much better. Mark is the biggest disappointment of all. He suddenly changes character at the end, which could have provided some real fireworks but instead fizzled out. I found the dialogue patchy, sometimes well done, but mostly stilted and unnatural.

The premise is good, and could have been made much more of. The 'mystery' is almost nonexistent. A little more continuity throughout the book focusing on the mystery itself instead of Zoey's emotional highs and lows would have greatly improved it. The ending felt rushed and, as I previously mentioned, fizzled out.

A barely average read. ⭐⭐.5

THE AUTHOR: Ever since she was a young girl, there were few things Kristin liked more than creative writing and spending time on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with her family. Eventually (after a succession of jobs that bored her to tears), she found a way to combine those two passions by becoming a women’s fiction author whose stories occur in oceanside settings. While Kristin doesn’t live on the Cape year-round, she escapes to the beach whenever she can. (Bookouture)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Aunt Ivy's Cottage by Kristin Harper for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Zoey has her hands full!
Just coming out of a wretchedly bad relationship that left her with not only a broken heart but also just plain broke she decides to return to the one place that harbors so many happy childhood memories. Her Aunt Ivy's home. But things are not as rosy as she remembers.
She finds herself embroiled in a battle with her cousin Mark, caring for her aging Aunt, grieving her losses, protecting her niece, and...
The list is pretty long.
Zoey is feeling the hopelessness when an unexpected person steps up to her defense.
As the buried past unravels Zoey must decide who to trust if she wants to save that which holds her heart

This was a sweet read with a light romance and the strong tone of a cozy mystery.
I did feel it ended a bit abruptly and there were scenes I would have preferred a bit more "realism" to
Overall though wonderfully entertaining

The cover caught my attention for this story and it didn't disappoint.

It has emotional bits all the way through and a whole lot of family secrets waiting to be unleashed onto the reader.

Harper is a new to me author and I loved her writing style. I will definately be reading more from her.

https://twonightstands.com/2020/12/07/book-review-aunt-ivys-cottage-by-kristin-harper/
I enjoyed reading this book. First of all, the cover is gorgeous. It's a very cozy read and exactly the type of read you need during winter snuggled up in bed under the covers. I enjoyed the descriptions of the small island and the residents in it, the rumors about the older houses and the different real life situations every character in this book had to go through. Aunty Ivy was such a charming character and I just wanted her to be alright and safe. I was pleasantly surprised by this one as I had never heard of the author and she succeeded in creating a charming family. If you're a fan of Debbie Macomber books, you'd probably enjoy this one.
As much as I enjoyed this story, I found the pacing to be very slow in some parts and rushed in others. There was far too much going on with all the characters (and I mean all of them!). Everyone had a secret or an alcoholic father/stepfather, struggling with a dead spouse, a dead sister, lost jobs, lost homes, lost savings. It all felt a little too much and caused the author not to completely focus on the main storyline.

The resolution of the paternity conflict was so rushed that I wondered if I missed some pages on my kindle. Even the response by Mark at the end felt so in contrast to the character we had seen exhibited throughout the book. It felt so untrue to his character and inauthentic. The romance between Zoey and Nick was almost non existent, I thought the author should have spiced up their relationship a little more. Just when you thought it was about to happen, she'd pull the plug on it and make them have a conflict so I never actually got to see any chemistry between them but suddenly they end up together at the end even though they never actually dated.</p>

Overall, I thought this was a really sweet book with a charming setting especially the parts involving the aunties and their life stories. The ending felt unbelievable and seemed like the author was in a hurry to wrap everything up in a bow and give everybody their own happy ending.

the full version of this review appears on the blog at the link below:
https://twonightstands.com/2020/12/07/book-review-aunt-ivys-cottage-by-kristin-harper/

The cottage doors swing open to welcome readers to Dune Island, a haven from life’s storms. While Zoey attempts to pick up the pieces of her former life, she has to bury the past. Struggling to help Aunt Ivy come to terms with Sylvia’s death, Zoey finds shelter in the love the island provides.

Dune Island is inspired by the author’s childhood Cape Cod memories. Giving nod to characters from the ‘Summer at Hope Haven’ the new release can be read as a stand-alone novel or as part of the series.
Filled with memorable characters and a mysterious diary, readers will delight in checking in to Dune Island for future adventures. While travel is restricted, ‘Aunt Ivy’s Cottage’ provides an escape read filled with heart and hearth.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Bookouture for the early read in exchange for an honest review. Home is where the heart is and Kristin Harper’s novels prove that no one is an island and we’re stronger together.

𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Aunt Ivys Cottage
Kristin Harper
Publisher: Bookouture
pub Date: December 7, 2020

I’m giving this 4 stars!

I always envisioned and had dreams of what it would be like to live in a big victorian style home in a small town near the water. Well, Aunt Ivy lives it along with her extended family members who get the pleasure to visit.

This is a quintessential book about the ties of family and the power the love you have for them goes. They are helping one another through some of the struggles of life—a true example of always having someone to lean on in times of hardship.

The ending of this book was perfect! I had assumed with the dialogue the truth would come out, but I wasn’t expecting what the truth to the family secret ended up being. It was a great but sad twist to the story.

I loved the family dynamics within the story and the storyline itself. The characters were all relatable, and the descriptions of the beautiful setting of Dune Island made me want to visit such a place.

Suppose you are in the mood for a family-oriented, sweet, and emotional read. I’d recommend this one.

I can't deny that one of the attractions of reading Kristin Harper's Aunt Ivy's Cottage is the enchanting cover!

This was an engrossing and emotional slow-burn story, but the setting took centre stage for me. Set in a beautiful old house on Dune Island, Rhode Island, the gorgeous surroundings were so vividly described with the stunning sea views and unique architecture. I stayed for the duration, revelling in the great cast of characters, family drama and an enthralling mystery that grabbed me from the very beginning. I was sad to flip the last page of this delightful, moving story though there is another book set on the same island, called Summer at Hope Haven which I will definitely be checking out.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Beach House Romance and Drama
This story is a multi-generational story about a family with a beach house on a coastal island near Rhode Island. It is a very moving story that grabs the reader immediately. The story is very tight until the end. While the reader can guess where the story is going, more than a little bit of the ending is surprising. I wish the author had more of a big deal about the ending and future plans. As it is, I was a bit disappointed. I loved the ending, but the book did not savor it at all. It was a ' here it is, goodbye' ending that I did not enjoy. I will read more of this author's work. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Aunt Ivy's Cottage by Kristin Harper is a beautiful family drama, love story, and a mystery that I really enjoyed reading. This is my first book by Ms. Harper, but it won't be my last. This book was easy to read and perfect for an escape from cold weather and the stress of life. I will be reading more books by this author, I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really love the cover of this book and was really hoping to enjoy this story. I just found I couldn't get into the story. It was a really slow beginning with a lot of extra scene setting. I felt the characters were not that likable. I was a little lost of how the two Aunts came to live together until it was explained a lot further in then I thought it would be. The story does have premise, just needs some trimming down to hook me in and keep me reading. I made it 30% in and just couldn't finish it as I didn't think I could give this book 3 or more stars from what I have read. Just wasn't my cup of tea.

Aunt Ivy's Cottage by Kristin Harper was a delightful and couldn't put down surprise. This was my introduction to Harper's work and I'm looking forward to reading more. Harper's writing flows so well throughout the entire book and she weaves complex familial relationships.

The setting of this book was enough to draw me in. Set in a beautiful old house on Dune Island not far from Boston and Providence, RI. It reminded me of being on Cape Cod or Martha's Vineyard and admiring all the old, impressive family homes. I stayed for the great cast of characters, family drama and a mystery that grabbed me from the background.

Zoey has lost her job and gone to visit her Aunts to help care for them. Zoey is also hoping to put her life back together after a break up that left her with very little money. Her cousin Mark seems to want to take the house out from under Aunt Ivy. Zoey's niece, Gabi, comes to stay with her as well. Zoey's sister, Jessica, was Gabi's mom. She passed six years before the book takes place but still is present in the family's memories. And there is a local carpenter that is handsome, a divorced dad and a true gentleman. Of course, the Aunts and their past play a big part of the story.

This book is a super sweet and quick read. I think fiction readers would really enjoy it as much as I did. I wish the burgeoning romance with Nick had even more sparks! Looking forward to more romance in Harper's next books.

You have to keep reading til the end for everything to be wrapped up! You'll never guess!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC. #netgalley #AuntIvysCottage #Bookouture #KristinHarper