At first glance, you may expect a book about a widow reinventing herself after losing her husband based on the details given about the book. She goes to help an aunt who is having health problems and I expected at that point there would be laughter and tears as the two of them work through life and death together. Unfortunately, that isn't the reality. The writing didn't draw me into the characters and left me without any strong emotions. For the most part, the book focused on the main character, Grace, leaving the other characters on the sidelines. I think this book could have been wonderful with some more character development, but I found it average.

This book was a beautiful break from my typical fast paced thrillers 💕 a story of grieving and healing and the importance of the connections we make with others in the process. I loved the relationship that developed between Grace and her great-aunt Maggie and how their shared experience led them each to grow in their own ways. The side characters may have been my favorites though, from the sexy neighbor Matt to the playfully cheeky nurse Henry - and of course Ellen and Stogie - it was easy to feel a part of the community in Hungry Hill. I didn't connect with Grace's character as much as I would have liked, and I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I had made more of a connection with her. She often seemed conflicted in her grief - understandably so - and would flip flop in her emotions and responses a little too quickly for me to find believable. I will say that as a lifelong CT and MA resident, I did enjoy reading a few references to familiar places.

A grieving woman moves to her family's old neighborhood to take care of her dying aunt, makes new friends and finds a new lover, and begins a part of her life. I think this is meant to be heartwarming and feel-good, but the protagonist is really very unlikeable. She's a snob--and admits it--whose snobbery is harmful to those around her; she objectifies everyone she sees, and is self-centered--the writing in which she looks at herself and assesses her body and clothes come across like bad writing by men in which they imagine women gazing at their perky breasts and so on. She takes on a "tough love" approach to her aunt, but it isn't very loving at all, and I found myself wincing constantly over her treatment of her aunt. She's a user, and doesn't care if others know it, and so full of herself that she happily runs people's lives--or tries to--and takes over for them, making decisions without their input or approval. I'd love to use this book as one to teach close reading on, because it offers so many examples of things that might seem ok if you're not reading critically, but really come into focus as problematic if you're paying attention.

Stereotypical great-aunt, superficial protagonist, and a too-perfect romantic character undermine the potential for an emotionally-sensitive portrayal of different types of end-of-life experiences and grief. Basically a dressed-up romance. Disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kinsale Press for the ARC.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4177780888

Title: Hungry Hill
Author: Eileen Patricia Curran
Publisher: Kinsale Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Hungry Hill" by Eileen Patricia Curran
My Opinion:

'Hungry Hill' was a good read that had me laughing out loud and tearing up with this likable, true-to-life story of what can happen when a loved one dies. As this was for the heroine of our story, Grace Cavanaugh had suffered both ways in losing her husband, Michael, and her great aunt Maggie Reilly. What will happen when her aunt asks Grace to come and take care of her due to her illness? The author gives the reader quite a read as one watches a loved one suffer and slowly pass away. The supporting characters like [Matt, Henry] were all well-developed and well defined, helping to give the reader an understanding of the emotional complexities of what it means when one has lost to love and grief as it was for Grace. This was a beautiful story of one dealing with grief and moving on. Oh, and the dogs, Ellen and Stogie, were quite a part of this story that would put a smile on your face. Grace was really something with her sassy attitude but finding comfort in helping her great-aunt was really something that presented a realness to the story.

"Hungry Hill" was the first book I have read by Eileen Patricia Curran. The characters were very well developed and likable. I enjoyed the book but felt like the ending need more closure. ...more

I received a free electronic ARC of this excellent debut novel on July 15, 2021, from Netgalley, Eileen Patricia Curran, and Kinsale Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Hungry Hill of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Ms. Curran writes a tight, well-peopled tale with heart and soul. She understands the angst of grief and portrays it very well. I hope she will write many more books. She is the kind of author I try to follow.

Grace Cavanaugh was called to the bedside of her great-aunt Maggie Reilly in Springfield, Massachusetts, the suburb of Hungry Hill, hometown to most of their extended and now scattered family. Maggie, well-loved by all, was the only Cavanaugh/Reilly family member left in the Springfield area. Maggie had cancer and it was terminal. Gracie wasn't sure she could handle her care after losing her husband unexpectedly just months before, but she was the only person in the immediate family who would be able to drop everything and take care of Maggie. Maggie never married and her generation was all gone. Grace's parents were on a long-awaited tour in Europe, and everyone else had children or important jobs or just couldn't handle the grief. In her youth Grace and Maggie had always had a very close relationship. Although they had lost that close contact over time they had always shared a birthday.

Grace and her dogs Ellen and Stogie make their way to renew ties with Maggie and the friends she grew up with as a child in Hungry Hill. And watching Maggie begin to fail intensified all the grief she had buried after the sudden loss of her husband Michael. Grief that was keeping her hostage from the world, from healing and getting on with life. Grief that she had to get past before she could move on. But with the help of Maggie and her next-door neighbor Matt, Grace could begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Grace Cavanaugh, recent widow, is called from her lovely home to take care of her ailing Great-aunt Maggie. No sooner does she arrive to her aunt's tiny home in Hungry Hill, Massachusetts, but she meets the "Boy-next-door" hottie Matt. Immediately, her flagging libido pays attention and the feeling is mutual. This woman goes from being too sad to sell the house she had with her husband to leaping into bed with the (much younger) Matt. Maggie was funny and feisty. I did not actually care for Grace and Matt seemed like a very nice cardboard cutout.
I frankly had a hard time finishing this book.
I received this book at no charge from the author and NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

I liked the idea of this book and I liked the characters, but at times it seemed a bit sappy and I got tired of the reverences to the dogs. I’m a dog owner and lover, but it just was tiring. I’m sure this will be a book for a lot of readers, just not me.

Grace is adrift and bereft after the sudden and unexpected death ofher beloved husband Michael. When she is asked to move in with her elderly great aunt, who has a few months to live, and to take care of her, she responds to the challenge. She rediscovers their old bond, meets new people and finds that, as Maggie’s life draws to a close, hers is still worth living. The subject of the novel makes it sound heavy and depressing, but it is not like that at all- laced generously with humour, warmth and even joy, it is rather a feelgood story of how life continues and love never dies, but is always around us if we look for it. Maggie’s illness is treated sensitively, although her passing is comparatively gentle and easy, in contrast with the brief description later in the book of Michael’s horrible, shocking collapse and death. Grace begins to find herself again as she makes the most of Maggie’s last weeks, enjoying simple pleasures and little luxuries and finding acceptance of her loss. Sometimes everyone seems a little too nice- every character from neighbours to workmen to carers fall over themselves to be generous and helpful- but this is balanced by the sadness of Maggie’s deterioration. Grace’s two dogs are also a total delight and make a great case for dogs for therapy! A lovely, thoughtful read.

I loved this book. Curran's style, the women upon whom the story focuses, and the dogs, who were awesome, fill this novel with laughter and happiness. Hungry Hill is by a first-time writer, Eileen Patricia Curran, but although this is a first novel, the author is an accomplished writer. The subject is about loss, and except near the end, when I had to wipe away tears. This isn't a sad book. It is a novel about finding a way forward after loss. Hungry Hill is also about love and about families and about discovering strength within ones self.
Thank you to the author and to net galley for providing me with this awesome novel to review.

3.5/5⭐️

I enjoyed this but with a couple of personal irritations.

It’s actually a two-fold story. Grace, a 40+ year old who lost her husband 15 months before to a sudden aneurysm, moves in with her 86-year-old great-aunt during her final stage of cancer. Grace also begins a May-December liaison/romance with her aunt’s 29-year-old neighbor Matt, almost immediately upon her arrival.

While I think the author intended the reader to have empathy for Grace, I really didn’t muster much. To me, she came off as a spoiled and immature woman. I won’t go into detail here, but just say that I feel I would have enjoyed the story better if I could have connected more with Grace. I loved her irrepressible Aunt Maggie (so funny!) and Matt, who seemed less selfish and more mature than Grace.

All of that said, this is a well done debut novel, and I plan to keep an eye out for future offerings from this author.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #KinsdalePress for providing me the free arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This was a beautifully written story, about Grace Cavanaugh, who is grieving the loss of her husband, and her great Aunt Maggie, who is dying. Grace decides to go stay with her great aunt, They found they had a deep connection, and when Matt, the young man next door met her, there was a connection there too. The connections, I think it what made this a beautiful story. Before I started reading it, I thought I would cry, and it would be difficult to read. As I read it, it became a journey, of finding special moments, creating wonderful memories, finding things to laugh about, and the surrounding people, added a lot to the story. Grace brought her two dogs with her and the dogs, was a comfort to Maggie. They would watch over her, she would talk to them and laugh, and they lifted her spirits.
When Maggie's time was getting shorter, they fired a nurse. The doctor knew the perfect nurse and when he told Grace who it was, she didn't think so, but the doctor told her it would be fine. This just added to the story, with humor, with understanding, and having the nurse there was comforting because he knew what would be happening as the time went on.
This gave me an insight on grieving, and being there for someone dying, Grace lifted my spirits with her sassy attitude, still grieving her husband, but finding comfort in helping her great aunt during her difficult time. Grace and Maggie comforted each other. Grace, I think, inherited her sassy attitude from her aunt, because the things those two did, had me laughing quite a bit.
I received an ARC from Kinsale Press, through NetGalley. This is Eileen Patricia Curran debut novel, and I was surprised because this book brought out so many emotions, but reading it, I felt such peace.

This debut novel hit all the feels. It was beautifully written and took me on a roller coaster of emotions. I laughed, I cried, and sometimes both happened at the same time. This is a novel about true love, loss, and the journey of recovery from the intense pain and learning to live life again. This was a page=turning do not put down until the end book. However, the end left me wanting more of Grace and her story of learning to love and live again.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a requested advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this character driven novel! I found it to be equally funny, tender and emotional. Perfect summer read.

I thought the idea behind this book was wonderful and the author managed to capture how difficult loss can be while also showing how Grace wad able to slowly begin to heal and move on. I was sorry that Maggie deteriorated so quickly as I really enjoyed the character and would like to have known more about her. I felt the characters were likeable and relatable, however, with that being said I did sometimes find that the book could be a little redundant but I was happy to have read it.

Oh, Grace. I love her. Someone who could appear boring but is so quirky! A lovely tale of family, love and the choices we make while dealing with grief. An easy story to fall into.

May we all have an Aunt Maggie to get us through the difficult times in our lives. May we also have the courage to let go of what could have been to what could be.

I loved the premise of this book and was even more excited about the location considering I completed my Master's degree in the Springfield area of MA. The characters were so well developed and you immediately fall in love with them and their connection to one another. I like that the main character has a love interest and is able to pick up the pieces of her life. I think the reader understands what is going to happen to Maggie the entire time, but it was still extremely emotional. To depict such a sharp decline in Maggie's medical status and the need for caregiving while still allowing characters to maintain some sense of humor is a skill. I also loved that the dogs were a decent part of the story. This book really touched me and made me feel some things :) I hope to see more from this author in the future!!

What I loved about this book: Maggie, the dogs and the relationship Maggie had with them and Grace. Maggie was a hoot and I loved the interactions Grace and her had. I also enjoyed how the author gave both the dogs human traits. Grace had a great sense of humor which made the dialogue the best part of the book.
However I really didn't enjoy the style of writing. There was so much tell, it grated on me. Surely that is a writing no no? I also didn't enjoy all the trappings of wealth Grace spoke about and the detail about house design. Not something I am particularly interested in. I would have enjoyed reading about Maggie and Graces relationship, their history and maybe even Maggie when she was young. There was no real depth to the book.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.