Thanks to She Writes Press and NetGalley for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This sounded like the kind of book I often read, but I’m in the minority of reviewers here because I just didn’t like it. I couldn’t connect with the main character, Barnaby, nor either of the women he spends time with, Julia and Lisa. (Who has a character named “Julia Morgan” and doesn’t allude to the world famous architect)? And it was difficult to tell the women apart as their names were so similar (both short and ending in “a”). Sean the bartender was OK, but the other bar characters were annoying and stereotypical, and I just didn’t care about any of them.

So what about the plot? The book is described as “A heartwarming novel about ordinary people reclaiming their dormant potential.” The novel is primarily about Barnaby, a 40-ish alcoholic widower and artist who decides to turn over a new leaf (his exact words). He begins by cleaning the house he lives in, which was left to him by his parents. And that’s really all the novel is: Barnaby straightening up his life and beginning to paint again.

Author Linda Henley uses the characters to deliver her message: “We’re just plain folks here. Plain folks, with ordinary lives…Exactly. As one of my art teachers told me, the purpose of art is to make the ordinary extraordinary.” And Henley has the characters recite the themes of hope and dreams throughout the novel to make sure the reader understands.

The writing was clunky and amateurish. The dialogue was unrealistic and written without any “he said/she said” so if you don’t know who started the conversation, you’ll just have to go back to the beginning of the thread and read it again.

In addition to the undeveloped writing style, there were several aspects to this novel that I found unbelievable. For instance, how easily Barnaby learns to use a computer. It takes an acquaintance a day to set it up for him, teach him how to use it, AND make him a website so he can sell his paintings online. That timeframe and his ability to go from tech novice to proficient was improbable. As was how easy it was for him to sell his paintings. And he wins the fishing contest AND the Art Commission’s mural contest!

This wasn’t the novel for me. I kept reading because I hoped somehow it would improve and become what was promised in the description. I’m sorry to say it was disappointing and I can’t recommend it.