Amanda Cox has a wonderful way with creating real characters and sometimes complicated relationships between them. In this story, we see all of the ups and downs of three generation of women caused by secrets and misunderstandings, mostly brought on by others. Glory Ann's story starts during the time of the Vietnam War and moves on to her daughter Rosemary's story, and granddaughter Sarah, present day. Cox does a great job capturing the time periods along the way and the mindset of the times, especially of the rural South. This is a story that will touch your heart as you see these strong women overcome their feelings of guilt and shortcomings, in their eyes, all woven with a thread of love, faith, and hope. Their lives are strengthened by the love of Clarence, Glory Ann's husband and Rosemary's Daddy, and his commitment to community through the Old Depot Grocery store in small town Tennessee. This is a great read for those who enjoy stories of family relationships based on love and faith.
I received a complimentary ARC from Revell Publishing through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

Readers will quickly be drawn in and transported through time into this beautiful story story of heartache, belonging and acceptance that spans 3 generations. This was my first time to read anything by Amanda Cox and I can say that it will not be the last.

*Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this story. This review is mine and mine alone.

Amanda Cox lures readers in with interesting titles. She keeps your interest with the interwoven stories of the characters. I truly enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Revell and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own. This is a wonderful book-I was engaged right from the first page. At the beginning, there were some problems with the editing, but I am glad I figured it out. I know this is not a finished copy so I am sure it will be corrected. As for the story, it is the story of three generations of women. Glory Ann is the grandmother, Rosemary is her daughter and Sarah is the granddaughter. The setting is the Old Depot Grocery-I really liked the setting! I could see the inside of the store and imagine the characters filling the shelves. The store has been around a long time and is loosing money, so Rosemary has decided it is time to close and sell the land. Glory Ann and Sarah do not want to sell. This is the story of how they figure out what is best for them as well as revealing some secrets along the way. I highly recommend this book. It is a story you will enjoy and read quickly because it is so good!

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery is Southern women's fiction at it's very finest! 4.5 stars!

After reading The Edge of Belonging, there was no doubt I'd be reading Amanda Cox's next novel. What a story The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery tells through the the lives of three generations of Clearwater women!

Cox explores the negative impact of keeping secrets and the consequences that affect not only the secret keeper but those around them. Told with humor and charm readers will fall in love with these strong Southern women and experience all their emotions, from joy and happiness to grief and devastation.

Some of my favorite quotes:
*"Only in Tennessee would a tractor look like a rescue vehicle."
*"Maybe all their paths were littered with mistakes and secrets that never should have been kept, but Sarah had faith that in the end, the truth would set them free."
*"Living is about seeing past the challenges and not letting the fear or false guilt be the decider for your life."

Amanda Cox is a talented writer and I look forward to her future books, I appreciate Revell through Netgalley making a copy of The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery available for review. All thoughts and opinions are my very own.

I didn’t read Amanda Cox’s debut novel, but after reading The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery, I am definitely going to pick it up! This story is deeply layered with wonderful characters, plenty of secrets (some understandable some not), unexpected surprises, and valuable lessons.

I became so invested with these characters and their lives. While this story is about 3 generations of women, Clarence was definitely my favorite character. He was such a bright shining light. What he did for Glory Ann, his daughters, and the community is a great lesson for how we should all live our lives.

There were so many secrets in this story. Most of them were kept for what seemed like good sound reasons, but this story shows that keeping secrets can shape your life in unexpected and not so good ways.

The following quote really resonated with me because it is so true.

“I didn’t know it then, but those were the days.” “It’d be nice if there was some magical way to know when ‘those days’ were happening while you were living them instead of recognizing it in hindsight.”

My husband always tells me live like these are “those days” because one day, they will be.

I highly recommend this deeply layered story with wonderful lessons and characters!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amanda Cox's The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery is a poignant and beautiful story that speaks of familial bonds, faith no matter the circumstances, and the sad truth that secrets kept are secrets that hold power. This was my first experience with a novel by this author, and I was blown away by the beautiful storytelling, well developed characters, and the dual timeline that twists and turns around telling the stories of three generations of women connected to the town's beloved grocery.

This was such a heartfelt story, and it brought me to tears on many occasions throughout. Amanda Cox is a wonderful storyteller, and she definitely knows how to connect her stories to her reader in ways that make them seem authentic and realistic. Certain parts of this book were hard to read about; as it was sad to see the way that certain family members insisted on acting and behaving, but at the same time, this brought another authentic element to the story, and the overall novel never came across as inauthentic or unbelievable.

This is the type of novel that you want to curl up with on a rainy day, and not put it down until it's finished. It's the type of story that will stick with you long after you've finished reading it. And best of all, it's the type of story that will remind each reader what's truly important in life, and that it's often not the things we find ourselves getting so caught up in.

The plot, the characters, the setting, the faith element; everything is beautifully written, perfectly developed, and well paced. The ending may not have been what I was initially expecting, but still left me pleasantly surprised, and I can definitely see myself rereading this one in the very near future!

Final Rating: 4/5.

Thanks so much to Revell for allowing me to advance read and review this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

From the southern atmosphere dripping off the pages to the vintage feel that pervades the storylines, the reader will feel sucked into this book from the very start! Told from at least five viewpoints (the three ladies in present day, and the grandmother and mother at various stops along the timeline), you'll learn the story of Glory Ann, Rosemary, and Sarah, as well as how it all centers around this old grocery store. In spite of the perspective shifts, it's quite easy to follow, and you'll want to keep reading to see how it ends....and boy does it have an ending!

This is my kid of book!! If you want a family drama that spans a generation. It goes from the past to the present day. It is the life time saga of GloryAnn, who lives during the Vietnam War, her daughter Rosemary, and her daughter Sarah, who is living in present day. The story revolves around the Old Depot Grocery Store. The store is the heart of the community and their family. GloryAnn and Sarah have something in common- they both lost their loves.
The lifetime saga has it all, love, drama and faith. Each woman had to go on their own internal journey to figure out themselves.
This is a positive, uplifting story.
I want to thank Amanda Cox, Revell and Netgalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

When I saw a new book by Amanda Cox I knew I had to read it, and I was not disappointed!
What a tale we are gifted to, and it quickly became a page turner, a story that spans three generations, and the strong woman of one family.
Life hasn't been easy for this family, from the beginning when Glory Ann's soulmate is sent to Vietnam, to the present when Sarah returns to the comfort of her family and the Old Depot Grocery, and place where little girls have spent their growing up years.
Now the old grocery is in trouble, can it survive when the big box stores are closing in? Will these woman come to terms of the inevitable? Will closely held secrets finally be revealed? Yes, all of these questions are answered, and we have another book in this series to look forward to! Yeah!
I received this book through the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.

Amanda Cox once again pens a story of what it means to be family and the struggles that come with it.
The Secret Keepers of Old Grocery Depot is a beautiful tale of the lengths mothers go to protect and provide for her children, sometimes sacrificing more than they’d planned. Old Grocery Depot covers three generations of Clearwater women, Glory Ann, Rosemary, and Sarah, each with her own secrets.

This time slip/split time story navigates the lives of Glory Ann in 1965 and Sarah in present day. Glory Ann has a secret that will bring shame to her pastoral family. When her parents take matters into their own hands, they set Glory Ann on a path no one ever expected. Sarah’s life resembles that of her grandmother, though family history is something no one in the Clearwater family talks about.

The author presents a cast readers can relate to, and a hero one can’t help but admire, in Clarence Clearwater.

It’s light on the romance, with a solid faith thread woven throughout. This story kept me engaged – guessing what was coming next, and empathizing with the characters as they lived out their lives on the pages. And what happens in the Epilogue, is a nice touch to wrap up the story.

I received an ecopy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

2 stars
I think I am in a minority here as I did not like this book at all. I just did not connect with the characters.

The Secrets Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox is a beautiful story about three generations of women who have kept secrets. These secrets have kept these women from having the relationship they could have had and a misunderstanding of their true feelings. Cox is a brilliant writer and with great emotion she kept the flow moving well. I loved these characters and felt for them. Honestly, I'm not much for women's fiction. They often times are sad and melancholic and leave me feeling horrible for the lot of characters. I didn't feel that way with this story. Even though circumstances were hard for these women in this book, I felt there was hope for them. There is even a thin thread of a romance. So that made me happy. Also, this book takes place in my neck of the woods in West Tennessee, so that was fun. Brighton Tennessee is in the next county over so I enjoyed that in the book as well. All in all a very enjoyable book with a happily ever after. Yay me!!
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Glory Ann is pregnant and her fiance, Jimmy, has been shipped overseas to Viet Nam. Word comes back fairly quickly that Jimmy is listed as KIA. The problem is that Glory Ann's father is the pastor of a church and feels that her pregnancy will cost him his ministry. So he takes things in hand and takes her to a town an hour away to marry a grocer. She is not allowed to come back home for visits, or to bring her daughter to know her grandparents. First Secret.

Rosemary has grown up in the Old Depot Grocery, working there almost from the time she could walk. The one thing that Rosemary couldn't get around is the difference in how she was treated as opposed to her sister. She always felt that she came in second to Jessamine in Glory Ann's affections. Right before Rosemary is to graduated from high school, she undertakes her one act of rebellion and leaves the store an hour early to go to a party. While at the party, someone broke into the store and shot her Daddy. Rosemary feels it is her fault that her Daddy died. Second Secret.

Sarah, Rosemary's daughter, has come back home after her husband died in a car accident. She was going to leave him the night he was killed. He traded celebrating their anniversary to go take care of something for work. He was always trying to garner his own father's approval, Sarah's secret is so secret, she doesn't even know it herself. Third Secret.

This book will make you feel all the feels--love, anger, sadness, grief, guilt, fear, and even a few more emotions I haven't already named. Amanda Cox's second novel is one worth reading. Glory Ann, Rosemary, and Sarah are strong characters and all three tend to butt heads one way or another. It's easy to see how misunderstandings get in the way of their healthy relationships, and it's easy to see how these characters could be real life people. The Secret Keepers of the Old Depot Grocery is a five star novel, with two thumbs up, and finding a purpose in life no matter what your age is.

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions are my own.

Author Amanda Cox takes readers on inspiring and heartwarming journey in her second novel, The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery. Last year Amanda Cox's debut novel, The Edge of Belonging, completely blew me away, and I was equally impressed by her sophomore novel. Amanda Cox has become a must-read author for me.

This time slip novel follows the present-day storyline of Sarah Ashby as she returns home with the wish to help her mother and grandmother run Old Depot Grocery. The second storyline takes readers back to 1965 when Sarah's grandmother Glory Ann was nineteen and spans throughout Glory Ann's adult life. Secrets follow the three generations of women and explores the mother-daughter relationships through the years.

This is the perfect women's fiction novel with a light romantic thread and an emotional thought-provoking storyline that will tug at the readers' heartstrings. The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery is highly recommended for fans of dual timeline novels, women’s fiction, and readers who enjoy contemporary romance. This novel is sure to be on my top ten list of books for 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

I did not think that I would enjoy the two differing time periods but it all flowed quite well together. I liked that this was not a full on romance book but a story about family. Very highly recommended!

This book was so good. It alternates chapters past and present. Each story just as interesting. Three generations of women with secrets. It was a page turner and I couldn’t read it fast enough.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Glory Ann’s fiancé dies in Vietnam and she’s pregnant, so her parents force her into a marriage with a stranger, Clarence Clearwater in Brighton, Tennessee, so she won’t ruin their reputation.
Their daughter Rosemary is a daddy’s girl, but when he dies, she blames herself and devotes her life to taking his place in providing for the family in their Old Depot Grocery store, even though its not the life she wanted.
Her daughter Sarah loses her husband to a car accident. Everyone assumes she’s a grieving widow. She wants to return to Brighton and work in the grocery, but Rosemary tries to push her out of the dead-end town. Rosemary is at loggerheads with her mother over her desire to sell the dying store.
It seems like a depressing story, but it grows on you. The communication between the generations isn’t good, at first. They’re all strong women, but they’re keeping secrets that stifle them. Then, as they begin to share their hearts, someone arrives who turns their world upside down.
This story will draw you in. Misconceptions were allowed to grow and hurt their relationships. How often we do the same. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Oh my gosh! I'm beyond pleased with this sweet Southern tale! I loved every bit of it!
I finished this book in one whole day because I wanted to see how this story played out and let me tell you I wasn't one bit disappointed.
.This author sure knows how to spin a wonderful tale and one that still has my head spinning in more ways than one. What a fine story! Reminds me of Fried Green Tomatoes ( My favorite movie) of all time. There wasn't one thing that I didn't like. All of it was just awesome.
There was a character that I didn't like but that's ok. She's the one who made the story in my opinion. At times my heart went out to her.
Glory Ann was my favorite. I loved how the author shows us that even our favorite characters aren't perfect and that's what I loved. It made Glory Ann strong and able to handle whatever life threw at her.
There's so many wonderful inspirational messages that are woven throughout the book. Ones that we can use in our everyday lives to remind us that God is willing to help guide us on our journey through life.
My thanks for a copy of this awesome book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Dual time stories through the lives of three generations woven together tell a touching tale. Grandmother, daughter and granddaughter all have buried secrets that are slowly revealed throughout the book. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters, their thoughts and dreams. The veteran aspect was a welcomed aspect. Readers will find this book hard to put down and will savor it's message. Highly recommended!