A well-written and evocative novel about a time and place that have gone under-appreciated. While I found the romantic subplot only moderately interesting, the period details and the protagonist’s personal growth are beautifully depicted.

What the Mountain Remembers by Joy Callaway is the story of Belle Newbold and her mother. A tragedy in West Virginia brings changes to their lives. While keeping the secret of their lowly past, Bella’s mother marries a rich man from Virginia and transforms their lives. Seeing how a marriage for love can cause great sorrow, Belle is determined to marry for convenience and security only, not for love. Once she is betrothed to Mr. Worth Delafield, she is sure he feels the same way and that he is certainly the type of man she wants to marry. Worth encourages Belle to write, and she is soon employed to write the history of the men and woman who built the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. This assignment gives the reader information about the plans and determination that went into the construction of the Inn. A chance meeting with an old neighbor who now works on the construction crew changes Belle’s thought about love and marriage. But Both Belle and Worth are harboring secrets that could cause disruption not only in their marriage but also in their place in society.

This was my first read by this author and I loved her writing style. I also found the history in this book fascinating! Grove Park Inn was fun to learn about. I really enjoyed Belle and Worth’s characters and their relationship. They are arranged to be married but they also are agreeable to this because they want to marry not for love. They have a fear of being in love. However, as they spend time together and share their secrets they find themselves growing close and love maybe involved after all. I liked how the author and character of Belle paid tribute to the individual workers of the Grove Park Inn. I did not like Marie Austen at all, she is horrible. There were a couple elements that I didn’t like but it’s more a personal preference issue. Overall, I thought this was a great story and well written.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Content: 7 uses of “D**n”, 1 sexually compromising position (mild), 1 sexually compromising position (off page), kiss that could have been leading to more but is interrupted right away, death by house fire

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from netgalley and the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

What the Mountains Remember, by Joy Callaway, is the story of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville NC. Set in the guided age, the story of the in. Is interwoven with the glamping done by the Ford, Firestone, carver, and other wealthy inventors and their family. It is also the story of a woman and her daughter who, marrying into wealth, have been able to hide their background of poverty for fear of losing everything. It is a story of love, finding love again, and daring to find love for the first time. It is a tribute to the every day workers who make our world turn.
The reader mayfield d some of the building details a little tedious, but I found them fascinating. I was able to read an ARC on #NetGalley.

I live pretty close to Asheville and typically visit at least once a year, but have never been to The Grove Park Inn. I need to remedy this soon and especially after reading Joy Callaway’s latest book. The novel is rich with immersive setting details and description. I truly felt transported to 1913 Asheville amidst an interesting group of movers and shakers making history.

Main character Belle is a character you can root for as she faces important decisions, deals with family drama, and stands up for her convictions. This book has a little bit of everything I love in historical fiction- immersive setting, historical facts brought to life, romance, and a spot of mystery in the form of secrets revealed. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Harper Muse and Austenprose for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

What the Mountains Remember is a thoroughly researched, intricately described, evenly paced work of historical fiction with a unique romance and beautiful settings.

Belle and Worth, the novel's main characters, have both sworn to never fall in love. Their engagement of convenience seems straightforward, but as the two begin spending time with one another, complications arise. Their relationship is spurred along by Belle's work on a newspaper article about the building of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC; Belle's focus on the workers building the Inn--rather than the owners or financiers--shows her true heart as well as her skill, and Worth's encouragement reminds Belle the childhood dreams she'd give up. Betrayals arise, feelings abound, and secrets are revealed as Belle and Worth are forced to decide whether to stick to their promises or let their hearts guide them.

Although Belle and Worth are both enjoyable characters and their relationship, while a bit overdramatic at times, is sweet and grows naturally, my favorite aspect of this book was the emphasis on Grove Park Inn. I had never heard of this eighth wonder of the world, but the author's descriptions make it truly come alive and provide an amazing setting for the story. Belle's focus on the everyday workmen building the Inn reminds readers that great places were built on the backs of many rather than those whose names are typically remembered with the projects.

What the Mountains Remember is a relaxing but exciting story of finding love, showing respect, and remembering one's roots.

Joy Callaway's new book What the Mountains Remember tells the story of the building of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. The story is told from the perspective of Belle and is nicely descriptive to help you feel the beauty of the Inn as well as the natural beauty of Asheville, NC and the surrounding mountain areas. I enjoyed Belle's journey and extra points for the local allure of learning more about the building of the beautiful Grove Park Inn.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Belle Newbold is in for a trip she never expected. Having been raised in the mountains in a coal mining town, Belle's life changed drastically when her mom married a wealthy man. When Belle's new family is invited with Henry Ford's Vagabond camping tour to Asheville, NC, she has no idea how it is going to change again.

Arriving in the midst of the Grove Park Inn's construction, Belle becomes fascinated with both the engineering marvel and the man her step father has promised her to.

While Belle is a bit of a pretentious character, her journey of growth over the novel is enjoyable to read. The cultural dynamics with the members of the wealthy elite traveling with the vagabonds is a fun addition. Callaway also manages to show in the story how much the world was changing at the time.

If you have ever been to the Grove Park, you will find the construction details very fascinating. The methods they used to haul and place the giant stones is amazing. Callaway does a lot with this novel centered on a historic hotel at a turning point in history.

What a beautiful place for the story to take place, The Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. The time era is 1913 and what history has in store for us there. Just reading the book makes you want to go see these mountains. Belle Newbold's father passed away seven years ago in a mining accident. But since then her mother married again, Shipley Newbold. Whom she calls Papa Shipley. Henry Ford, was an acquaintance of her step-father, who has invited them on a Vagabond's camping trip. Now, Belle Newbold has not been to the mountains since before her father passed. So, this is going to be a hard trip for her bringing memories of her father.

Among these mountains they are creating the 8th wonder of the world, Grove Park Inn. Those invited to the trip are invited to tour the building of this Inn and its remarkable building. She is in awe of the building they do with the nature around them. It takes 400 workers of different skills in building this fire proof building. She always had it in her heart to be a writer, and to her surprise is asked to write an article of this wonder. She wants her research to include the men who have the talents to make this happen. Interviews the workers of each talent, be it a stonemason, a granite harvester and more. The talented men need to be recognized for their part in making this happen.

Along the way, the man resposible for inviting them to tour this making of the Inn is, Worth Delafield. He comes to know the people of the Vagabond camping group, as they are camping on his property, in the beauty of these mountains. I found it difficult to book down each night, and just wanted to keep reading on to find what would happen next. Joy Callaway, you are a wonderful writer. Your research has made me learn more of the history of our country. A huge thank you to Netgalley for including me in the pre-publish reading of your book. I truely would love to read more of Joy Callway's book, as history is my main interest in reading.

I found this to be a slow developing story. Not boring, just a lot of pages to cover a short timeline. As an engineer, I really enjoyed the descriptive passages covering the construction of the hotel. As a female, I was fascinated by the treatment and expectations of women in that era.

I was a bit disappointed that most of the characters were not real, which seems abnormal for a historical fiction. Perhaps the main character is actually the hotel itself?

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Muse for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

I already know this will be one of my best books of 2024! Grove Park Inn is my favorite historic hotel destination. Loved everything--the immaculate research, the swoonworthy romance, the hilarious Marie Austin, Belle's passion for storytelling and journalism, the inside look into the building of GPI and also into the Vagabonds camping tours. As a journalist myself, I liked going along with Belle on her discovery interviews and her passion for revisiting those interviews in the hours after she conducted them really resonated with me. Five stars!

I was immediately drawn to this book when I saw the Grove Park Inn on the cover. It is such a gorgeous hotel, so I was excited to read book based that location. It is a bit long-winded, some suspension of belief, but my greatest dissappointment was that one storyline was dedicated to the in-depth article the main character was writing that highlighted the "ordinary man" that is normally not recognized. The book includes this article in which only a sentence or two was written about each of the men she interviewed. How is that highlighting them?

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC for an honest review.

This was a very enjoyable read. Callaway's writing is lovely and inviting. I really enjoyed seeing the early 20th century come to life! Belle's ability to see each person as worthy of being noticed makes the reader pause and reflect on how many people we have overlooked because they were "background characters."

This was my first of Callaway's books, and I hope to grab some more in the future. Solid 4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

If you search online, you will easily find descriptions of today’s elegant Grove Park Inn, surrounded by all its historical magic and natural beauty.
Then, open Joy Calloway’s What the Mountains Remember and be drawn into its creation and creators.
It is refreshing to see a life of two people coming together, with a difficult family heritage, listening, learning to love and creating a family legacy with perseverance and love.

Loved this book. See goodreads review. Loved the story of Grove Park Inn and the Belle and Worth story. Loved Belles treatment of the everyday people

This book has a romantic element but also a historical element that weaves throughout the story. I found it extremely intriguing to read about Grove Park Inn's foundations and how it was being built. I had the pleasure of staying there last summer and taking in the magnificence of the property and the mountains. It was especially eye opening recalling several of the features described in the book after having visited everything recently. It added to the visualization of the story.
Belle and Worth had troubling past that neither of them wanted to reveal but their requirement to have an arranged marriage of friendship and convenience drew them together. However, their connection goes deeper leading them both to realize that there is something more to what they may have between them.
There are historical names of actual people in the early 20th century that contribute to the story like Harvey Firestone, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison and the founders of the Grove Park Inn. This added some context to the story.
There are many other layers to the story that I also found interesting including the story of the workers, Belle's childhood that makes her fearful of the truth being known and her cousin who is incredibly spoiled and childish.
I hope you will consider checking this book out. I am grateful to have had an advance copy of this book and all opinions are mine.

This was an enjoyable work of historical fiction. I had never heard of Grove Park Inn but it sounds like a fascinating place. I especially enjoyed and appreciated that the author had Belle, the main character, take such interest in the lives and inspiration of the skilled tradesmen involved in building the hotel. As is mentioned several times in the story, the recognition for a fantastic building tends to go to the owners/financiers, and possibly the architect.

I had not heard of the Vagabonds summer camping trips, but it certainly would have been interesting to be part of a group that included Henry Ford and Thomas Edison.

Their individual histories of family loss/trauma serve well to provide a link between Belle and Worth and provide a way for their marital match of convenience to become something more. Marie Austen served as a good foil to Belle.

Little did I know when I began reading "What the Mountains Remember" by Joy Callaway that I would be transported to a place I carry deep in my heart - Asheville, NC. Oh, the numerous times that I have visited the Biltmore Estate and gazed over the Blue Ridge Mountains and dreamed of one day living there. Even though the story is written in the narrative (not my favorite), I could not stop reading until the very end and desperately didn't want it to end. The Grove Park Inn being constructed in this story still stands today.

The characters of Belle and Worth and the heartbreak they carry spoke to me in a whisper and then in a shout. Can their wounds be healed?

A copy was provided for my review, but all opinions are my own.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
My rating is probably more like 3.5 stars. What I enjoyed the most: Belle's determination to give credit to the workers at the construction site, the descriptions of the fashions and of the hotel itself.

What I didn't enjoy: Belle and Worth going back and forth, breaking off their engagement numerous times during the one week adventure. I'm not really into romance books so this "will they or won't they"was not really appealing to me.
Overall, an interesting time period before gas stations existed.

This book has my heart! I love Joy Callaway’s writing and how she brings to life historical time periods full of turmoil in a heartfelt, emotional way. Her latest, What the Mountains Remember, holds a special place in my heart since it is set during the building of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. The Grove Park is one of my favorite retreats for its beautiful mountain views and masterful craftsmanship, and I absolutely loved learning the details about its origins through this book.

Joy does a fantastic job at drawing the reader into Belle’s world of 1913 Asheville and her precarious place in society. I love how Joy mixes in the details of both the high-society world Belle inhabits now (including Henry Ford and his Vagabond road trips!) with the very real life that most blue collar workers faced. Her descriptive language about the stark contrast, from the fanciful dresses to the dilapidated cottages, made the book come to life before my eyes.

I was also fascinated by the discussion of Asheville’s sanatoriums for tuberculosis - I had no idea about this part of its history! As always, Joy’s extensive research shines in a compelling story that flows beautifully. And the romance between Belle and Worth was perfect!

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about early 20th century history and anyone who loves a good story told in a beautiful way! I adored every word, and it will definitely be one of my top reads of 2024!