Initially turned off by the frequent cursing and word choices, I eventually found myself wanting to see how things turned out for the characters. I wish there had been a clearer indication that thoughts related to sex trafficking, sexual abuse would be prevalent, especially in the final third part of the novel. I found the characters’ stories interesting but wish the author had provided more details about how things ended up for all of them, not just the main two. In general, I don’t think I’d recommend this novel to my friends or family but others may read it and love it. It’s just not my favorite.

SILVER ALERT by Lee Smith, described as "heart-warming" in reviews, was honestly a bit of a disappointment. Who wants to read about an older, uncouth man who has to pee all of the time, especially behind bushes, trees etc.? Sadly, there are some serious medical reasons for his condition and for the situation faced by his wife who has dementia, but he refuses to listen to well-meaning relatives trying to get them both to a better, more professional care-driven living situation. Enter a young, creative girl whose real name is Dee Dee, but who goes by Renee. There is a bit of adventure when she and the older man take a final road trip, but there are certainly more fun stories to read about cross-generational friendship like The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise or Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting. Smith received praise from a number of well-known authors (Adriana Trigiani, David Baldacci, and Richard Russo) and the novel is structurally well-written with multiple points of view. It's the characters and events that are not very compelling and hence my neutral score of three.

Lee Smith has given us another great book. I loved this cast of quirky characters and the joy ride. Reading this book was a joy ride for me.
Many thanks to Algonquin and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Not quite what I was expecting. I'm a fan of many of Lee Smith's books, but this one just didn't live up to my expectations.

Wow! What a funny read that made you laugh out loud. This novels shows that elderly people know how to have fun. Herb and Renee take off a trip of a lifetime with silver alerts out for them. They enjoy each other’s company and just want one last chance for fun and happiness. Elderly people deserve to be heard and have fun. They have tough life events to deal with when they return. A great summer read.

Silver Alert by Lee Smith follows Herb, a man in his eighties caring for his wife who is beginning to suffer with Alzheimer's. When a young nail technician named Dee Dee turns out to be great with Herb's wife, he requests that she come by regularly to help and the two strike an unlikely friendship.

This book was far darker than I anticipated from the cover and the synopsis. While I was anticipating a sort of grumpy-sunshine friendship between an older man and younger woman (similar to A Man Called Ove, for example) what I got was a story riddled with dark topics told in a straightforward almost flippant way through both Herb and Dee Dee's perspectives. I don't want to say too much since this book is fairly short, but do look up trigger warnings if that is something you need.

There were some comments in this book that seemed inappropriate and out of place, which I didn't care for. There certainly weren't necessary for the story or the character development. Most of the character development, particularly in Dee Dee's case was told not shown as we learn her backstory and her current situation.

A small thing, but "honey" was used too much.

Overall I thought it was just okay. I enjoyed it for what it was.

Set in Key West, Silver Alert follows an unlikely friendship between a manicurist with a shady past and an older man with a wife with Alzheimer's. This is a short book that almost reads like a mystery because so many parts of the backstories of both main characters are revealed in small bites along the way. The reader doesn't fully know the story until pretty close to the end - which led me to set it aside about halfway through thinking it wasn’t the right book for me. I’m glad I returned to it, and the second half picked up and included more humor. The descriptions of Key West made me feel like I was there! I spent a glorious April school vacation week in Key West in 2021 and I hadn’t thought of the amazingly delicious Bloody Mary I got at Banana Cafe and the beautiful view from Louis’ Backyard until the restaurants were mentioned in this book. I also loved that the Green Parrot Bar, where my friend and I spent many evenings, was included, too. Covering some heavy topics, this novel manages to remain positive and light-hearted.
Thanks to Algonquin for the ARC via @netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. If you're looking for a short read to transport you to the Keys and are okay with the storyline being unclear until the end, this could be the book for you!

Content warnings: drug usage, language, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, human trafficking, Alzheimer's and aging struggles

3.5 stars rounded upwards. My thanks go to Algonquin Books and Net Galley for the invitation to read and review. This book is for sale now.

The premise is one that a lot of readers over age 40 will be able to relate to. Herb and Susan have been very happy, but as they enter their twilight years, Susan is no longer able to care for herself or even communicate well. I don’t think we are ever told the specific cause, whether it’s a stroke that’s left her undone, or dementia, or some other thing, but the result is the same. Herb believes he is qualified to care for his wife, together with a home health assistant that he can well afford to pay, but the truth is, he is too forgetful to do the job properly. In fact, he is closer than he will admit to needing care himself.

Susan always did love a good mani-pedi, and so he hires a traveling manicurist to stop in and take care of Susan’s nails. The young woman that calls herself Renee does more than that, however; she becomes fond of Susan, and shows up with outlandish hats and art supplies and other things that make Susan smile.

But now the family is here, the responsible, busy adults that can see this situation is untenable. They want to move Herb and Susan to a care facility, but Herb is adamantly opposed. Herb isn’t going to have anything to say about it much longer, though, and he can see the handwriting on the wall.

As I read first half of this little book, I feel a certain amount of reviewer’s remorse. Why have I signed on to read this thing? It’s supposed to be funny, but it isn’t. And I took it because it has been billed as humorous; ordinarily I avoid books about aging.

About halfway into it, however, my feelings begin to change, because I realize this story isn’t about Herb and Susan. It’s about the manicurist, whose real name is Dee-Dee. Dee-Dee comes from hardscrabble poverty, and has escaped from a trafficking situation she was thrust into just as puberty began. She took some of the traffickers’ money when she fled, and she uses the name Renee to cover her trail.

Herb’s son is leery of Dee-Dee. He believes she has questionable motives; maybe she a grifter, or a gold digger, or who knows what? When he uncovers her true identity, he is sure he is right. As preparations are made to move the old folks and sell the house, he visits her in the sad little trailer where she is staying to warn her off.

I like the interplay of these two characters of wildly disparate social classes, and the difference in their thinking. The most redemptive feature throughout this quirky little novel is the voice that comes through. The rich (asshole) son is absolutely believable, though his is a minor character; that’s okay, I don’t really want to spend more time with him. But sweet little Dee-Dee, who is desperately undereducated and has nobody to help her, nevertheless tends to give others the benefit of the doubt. She’s plucky, using advanced vocabulary words that she’s picked up, planning for her future.

It seems likely that this sweet little novel will get less credit than it should, because of the way it’s marketed. When we see a book in the humor section, we expect it to make us laugh. It has a warm and fuzzy cover, and nobody would expect the serious trigger issues contained within it. (Do NOT buy this book as summer reading for your precocious middle schooler!) Had it been presented to readers as a whimsical tale of friendship, it would have met with friendlier reviews.

Recommended for adults over 40 that are looking for a beach read.

Silver Alert is a short book with only 224 pages but I felt like it took forever to finish. 83 year old Herb is taking care of his wife with Alzheimer’s but he has medical issues of his own. Renee comes among also known as Dee Dee and she’s not really a nurse but tries to help him, to HER benefit. This book is as just ok in my eyes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy. It’s out now.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Silver Alert. I have been a fan of Lee Smith for years and have read everything she has written! I love stories that occur in the south and have a dab of Appalachia in them. Smith writes with humor bur underneath tackles hard subjects such as dementia, cancer, child sex trafficking. I fell in love with Herb and Dee Dee from the very beginning. This story is a little quirky and I laughed out loud many times as I was reading. Being in Florida and especially Key West I think I've met or seen characters like Herb and DeeDee!
Herb Atlas is old and crotchety sometimes, but he's mourning his third wife, who has early-onset dementia, and he's been sick for a while, and he is tired of his kids telling him he can no longer care for his wife when they're doing just fine, thank you very much. He just hired a young woman to give his wife Susan a manicure and pedicure, and surprisingly, she knows just what to do to keep Susan calm and happy. His family wants to send him and Susan to a retirement community with a memory care center, but Herb wants to stay at home for as long as possible.
The manicurist, Dee Dee, is using a fake name (Renee Martin) because she is on the run. She hasn't had an easy life, got involved with some bad people, and committed a crime. She recently left a treatment center with her best friend Tamika, and now they're living in a pink trailer in Key West, Florida. Dee Dee has a heart of gold, and is a little naive. She's dating Willie, who is on a break from graduate school and lives in the Tree House. Tamika has fallen back into bad habits, and is dating a not-so-great man, but Dee and Tamika still dream of going to Disney World one day and meeting the princesses..

Thank you again! I was over the moon to receive an advanced copy from one of my favorite authors.
Leslie Ponder

4 1/2

Herb Atlas is a dynamo without a filter who has acquired wealth and wives but remains an old-fashioned New York kind of guy nearing the end of his life. His idyllic life with his last wife, Susan, is unravelling when she is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Although he’s hired nurses and extra help, nothing seems to be working until the day, aesthetician Renee shows up with beautiful polishes and a song in her heart she’s willing to share. But Herb’s kids and step-kids aren’t having it. They amass, have a supposed intervention, which is really no intervention at all but rather a coup in which they take over everything, sending Susan off to a care facility soon to be followed by Herb, regardless of his wishes. But Herb has the keys to be yellow Porsche and is going on one last adventure with Renee/Dee Dee in the passenger’s seat in Lee Smith’s vibrant Silver Alert.

Although Silver Alert tackles some difficult subjects like abuse, sex trafficking, aging, illness, the novel is filled with hope. Perhaps it’s a cliché to make the observation that childhood and elderhood are extremely similar phases in which an individual has no control over their lives. In the first, they haven’t acquired it while in the second it’s removed from them. Renee who will be referred to as Dee Dee (her birth name) from here on became a victim early on without any control over her life but fate–and some kind-hearted people–are guiding her toward a better life. Herb finds that after a medical diagnosis that his family disregards any wishes that he might have as they railroad him into what is easiest for them. They sort through his belongings, keep what they want, and sell or give away the rest. If there is anything sadder than being at the end of your life and having the reins snatched from your hands, I’m not sure what it would be. It’s for the best, it’s for the best, but whose best?

Both Dee Dee and Herb are richly drawn characters. Dee Dee’s voice comes alive on the page. Her love for sparkly things and Dolly Parton, her desire to see the Disney Princesses, her desire to have a house of her own, and make her own way. Likewise, Herb has such a rich history, lived so many adventures. Silver Alert is as much a character study as a novel that ends with a most beautiful attempt at escape in a yellow bird car built for speed.

My only complaint is that I wished we could have spent more time with Herb and Dee Dee on their remarkable drive.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy for an honest review.

I always have loved Lee Smith's books, but this one fell short for me. Her characters in the past have well developed and interesting, but they fell short in this story. They were stereotypical and shallow. The trip which was the main even of the story seemed unlikely and contrived. I am going to a reading done by Lee Smith next week, and I hope it will give me some insight into the book and change my opinion.

Fun ride! Lee Smith tells a great story with fun and entertaining characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Content Warning: Silver Alert has some themes that might bother readers, including dementia, cancer, child trafficking and death.

I love Lee Smith's writing - it is very Southern, in that on the surface, it seems happy and lighthearted, but beneath the surface lies deep waters.

Herb Atlas is old and crotchety sometimes, but he's mourning his third wife, who has early-onset dementia, and he's been sick for a while, and he is tired of his kids telling him he can no longer care for his wife when they're doing just fine, thank you very much. He just hired a young woman to give his wife Susan a manicure and pedicure, and surprisingly, she knows just what to do to keep Susan calm and happy. His family wants to send him and Susan to a retirement community with a memory care center, but Herb wants to stay at home for as long as possible. His family is complicated, with three wives and stepchildren and their spouses. He doesn't differentiate between those kids that are biologically his and those he got through marriage; he loves them all (but perhaps not always their spouses). He's closest in some ways to Ricky, who belongs to his second wife, Gloria, and it's Ricky he trusts to drive him to the doctor when he notices blood in his urine.

The manicurist, Dee Dee, is using a fake name (Renee Martin) because she is on the run. She hasn't had an easy life, got involved with some bad people, and committed a crime. She recently left a treatment center with her best friend Tamika, and now they're living in a pink trailer in Key West, Florida. Dee Dee has a heart of gold, and is a little naive. She's dating Willie, who is on a break from graduate school and lives in the Tree House. Tamika has fallen back into bad habits, and is dating a not-so-great man, but Dee and Tamika still dream of going to Disney World one day and meeting the princesses.

The narration of the book changes between Dee Dee and Herb, who both have really unique voices. This is a short book, but it carries great emotional weight. You can't help but love Herb and Dee Dee, and hope that their ending will be happy.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

My review below was posted on April 27, 2023 at my blog at https://www.thecuecard.com/books/blooms-and-silver-alerts/

Synopsis: This story has its charms and a generous heart. It stars two unlikely protagonists in Key West: one a man named Herb Atlas, age 83, who is caring for his third wife, Susan, who has Alzheimer’s, and the other, Susan’s manicurist who does wonders for her and goes by the name Renee. Renee’s real name it turns out is Dee Dee Mullins and she’s running from a dark past from where she grew up in the mountains of NC. She hopes she can turn over a new leaf in Key West working for people like the Atlases and a poet guy she meets and falls for there named William.

Meanwhile Herb is running from the future and what lies ahead as his family wants to put Susan and him in a senior care facility, which he doesn’t want. He gets a diagnosis of prostate cancer, which gives him little time to figure out what to do. Along the way, Herb and a pregnant Dee Dee earn each other’s respect and take a joy ride in his Porsche towards the end, which influences what turn their personal lives take. You’ll want to see what happens to them.

My Thoughts: I liked the two different perspectives of Herb and Dee Dee: one is privileged and older with memories of his past loves, and the other in her 20s, poor, not formally educated, and trying to restart her life with a new job and love. They might be a bit cliched — Herb calling women “honey” frequently and Dee Dee in her uneducated ways, but I did get to see quite a bit from their shoes. They are different, but they also share common ground with their fears and secrets that touch their lives. I found the story went by pretty quickly with wanting to know what would happen to each of them. Kudos to Southern author Lee Smith for her notable fiction these many years. I’d like to read more of her novels.

And thanks to Algonquin Books for an advance copy to read and review. / 3.7 stars

Lee Smith never disappoints. This is a story of aging and new beginnings. The characters are eccentric and , with humor, the author shows us the sad things in life, for the old and the young. Aging is not pretty but there can be joy as well. Ultimately, this world we live in needs more kindness toward others.

Thank you Algonquin books for an early release copy of this book.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t really get it. I didn’t get any of it. The information about the characters was so shallow and surface level. I feel like the intention was to make it deep and emotional by making one of the main characters a survivor of sex trafficking but it missed the mark for me. I kept feeling like a chapter would pick up with no explanation for why things were the way they were.

Herb is an elderly man who apparently is sick, maybe dying, kind of unclear. He’s married to his third wife who has dementia and doing is best to take care of her. The family decides that both of them need to live in a home. Herb doesn’t want to move, then all of a sudden it’s moving day. Unclear if he was forced or begrudgingly agreed.
Dee Dee is a woman hired to do Herb’s wife’s nails. All of a sudden a few chapters later, she seems to be working as more of a caretaker for the wife, but that’s also unclear how it came to be.
Herb finds the keys to his old Porsche and he and Dee Dee decide to take a ride. Unclear really what this is about. Dee Dee wants to go to Disney. There’s a Silver Alert because Herb shouldn’t be driving.

Overall, I felt no connection to literally anyone. I found myself constantly questioning what was going on and how we got to that point. And with such little information on the main characters, forget remembering anything about the side characters.

Overall, just not for me.

This is such an enjoyable read with so many funny moments and so much hope. The characters are relatable in an exaggerated way and I liked the way they interacted with each other. The topics in the story come with sadness, but this book radiates joy and is an uplifting journey of what it means to be kind and find the beauty in life.

Lee Smith is an author whose work I've long loved. I used to teach some of her novels (including Fair and Tender Ladies—my all-time favorite, and Oral History), and I cherished her celebration of vibrant characters and the vivid, Appalachian settings.

Smith's new book Silver Alert shares these same virtues. While it didn't quite hold up to her other work for me, there's a great sense of fun as Herb and Dee Dee find companionship and try to escape the darkness that could so easily consume them. As in her other work, Smith populates Silver Alert with a large cast of characters who have their own quirks and their own challenges to work through.

This was a fun, fast read.

Herb Atlas has lived a good life. He is quite rich and lives in a mansion in Key West. He has had a couple of good marriages and children who are now grown. But as Herb is in his eighties, things are changing. His beloved wife, Susan, has dementia and needs constant care, something that Herb is not physically able to provide. Some of the health care professionals he hires Susan likes, some she tolerates and some send her into screaming fits. Herb is starting to fail physically himself and it's getting tough.

Then comes Renee, really named Dee Dee. She is a manicurist and has such a sparkling happy personality that everyone is happy around her, especially Susan. She is the person that can handle Susan's needs the best, although Herb suspects there is more to Renee's background than she is telling.

Dee Dee is in love. She met William who lives in a treehouse like apartment. He seems to do nothing but read and run and make love to her but as time goes on she starts to suspect that he is also from the upper, monied class. She finds herself pregnant and instead of being happy, William is appalled.

Herb's children all show up and host an intervention. They insist he can't take care of Susan anymore and they have found a care home that will take them both. Soon, the house is on the market and everything Herb loves is boxed up to be sold or given to his children. His life is scooped out from under him. But is it? Herb has one more surprise left in him.

Lee Smith is a Southern writing queen. Very few authors can capture the Southern personality and culture the way that she can. Her books center on disturbing topics and this one is no different; dementia, child abuse, sexual slavery and fatal illnesses. But her deft writing comes down on the optimistic sunny side and the book leaves the reader satisfied and full of hope. This book is recommended for readers of women's and Southern fiction.