Good story of relationships between family members. As they bicker over the inheritance of a house they learn all the old family secrets.

I wanted a good mystery to read on a rainy day so I started this. The book kept my interest for a while. Main character comes to help her aunt in an old house by the ocean. She discovers an old diary that connects family members and a past history of secrets.. I thought my kind of book but as I read more, I had a suspicion of how the book would end. And I was right. It was a good read however and it kept me busy on a rainy day. For those who want a quick read, I would recommend.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.
First time reading this Author and thoroughly enjoyed this book set by the coast, all is not quite what it seems to be takes you on a journey of time and a strong house of women highly recommend.

I feel in love with the cover of this book and I loved the story! I loved the setting of the book! This was a first by this author and enjoyed it very much

*I received this book as an Advanced Review Copy from NetGalley.

I dearly wish I could have liked this book. The premise sounded good, the cover is beautiful; unfortunately, I just had too many issues with the book that made me not enjoy it as much as I would have liked to.

Zoey has always loved her aunts and visiting with them. So when she has job and life troubles and an opportunity opens up for her to go care for one of them who is sick, she takes it. Unfortunately the sickness runs its course and she's left with only one aunt; who isn't in the best of shape herself. To make matters worse, she has a cousin poking and prodding at the remaining aunt to move out of the house he is to inherit so he can get in a little early, while all Zoey wants is for her aunt to be happy.

The characters are what I had the main problem with in the book. They all start out ok; but then have such drastic leaps and turns through the whole book that it rings as inauthentic. One character; who is presented a certain way through the whole book, magically seems to have a change of heart at the end and doesn't put up a fight in the way I thought would have been more realistic. Another goes hot and cold and seems to just be added drama rather than a meaningful add. I think about the only realistic one was the teenager, and even she had some crazy mood swings. While I think some is explainable by the themes of grief, hardship, etc.; there's just a lot of stuff that doesn't add up.

The premise is ok; I'm not sure what's going on with the book description because it's actually somewhat different than what really happens in the book (and that's all the further I'm going so I don't give out spoilers). While there's a lot of intrigue it kind of fizzles out at the end and everything wraps together a little too neatly.

Overall, charming setting, there was a scant mention of cranberry ice cream (the whole thing that made me read the book), and a nice cover; I just couldn't connect with the characters or appreciate them.

Review by M. Reynard 2020

This was gold! I loved everything thus book was about!
It was truly heartwarming.
Thank you NetGalley Publisher and author

Zoey spent the happiest days of her childhood with her Aunt Ivy in her cottage on Dune Island. Now an adult, Zoey has suffered a devastating breakup and decides to return to the island and her aunt, who is fading away as she ages. But trouble arrives in the form of her cousin Mark. Mark stands to inherit the cottage and he wants Ivy in a nursing home so he can take over his inheritance early. Ivy finds an unlikely ally in the carpenter who’s been working on her aunt’s house, he too, wants Ivy to be allowed to remain in her home. When they make a discovery in the attic that could guarantee that Ivy would never have to leave Dune Cottage, Zoey is excited, but begins to have doubts about her new ally. Does he really care about Ivy and Zoey, or does he have ulterior motives?

This was a strange book for me, I was intrigued by the synopsis, but the story just seemed a bit flat, a bit emotionless. I struggled to connect with any of the characters and found it hard to care about what happened. The first I’ve read from this author, not sure if I would read anymore from her.

There was so little character development in this book that I found it very difficult to empathize with any of the characters or relate to much of the story

Grab a tub of cranberry-chocolate ice cream, a big spoon, and get comfortable because Kristin Harper is going to transport you to the windswept shores of Dune Island in, Aunt Ivy’s Cottage, to be published December 7th, 2020.

Having lost it all, Zoey escapes to her old family vacation home on a beautiful island off Cape Cod to seek healing. Not only has she been laid off her librarian job, but due to her ex-boyfriend’s poor financial advice, she’s lost her life savings and is on the brink of losing her townhouse. This coupled with the death of her parents and her older sister, has left Zoey emotionally drained. Quality time with Aunt Ivy is just what she needs. Unfortunately, her cousin Mark arrives and instantly clashes with Zoey over the extent of care 86 year old Ivy needs as well as the need for upgrading the Federal-style home built in the early 1800s. Suddenly, what was to be a soul-quenching stay ends up adding to her stress. Furthermore, she unwittingly discovers a secret that her great aunt meant to keep buried. Will this secret tear apart the family? Is Mark upgrading the cottage to sell it? Can this handyman be trusted? What connection does the cantankerous old lighthouse keeper have with the family?

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so emotionally invested in fictional characters. Harper has masterfully created such an immersive read with realistic and loveable characters. The depth of her descriptions not only gave me a feel for life in Cape Cod but also made me feel like I was a guest at Aunt Ivy’s, too. Harper loves to educate her readers and it’s obvious when Zoey explains ‘keeping rooms’ and ornate dentil molding to her niece, Gabi. I also appreciated the author’s sense of humour when she’s explaining why Mr. Wetherell only communicates through grunts and what the family did with teeth that fell out. Harper’s success I believe is due to spending so much time on Cape Cod as a child; she knows the quirks and perks of island living, the stunning sea views, unique architecture and the eccentric types of characters who live there.

At the core of Harper’s story is the value of family and what members are willing to do for each other. You’ll be reminded that sometimes what we seek isn’t necessarily what we need and that sometimes appearances are deceiving.

I truly was sad to flip over the last page of this delicious read.

Thank you, Kristin Harper, Bookouture and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.