Mary Alice Monroe has once again delivered a fantastic novel that captivated me from start to finish! Where the Rivers Merge, the first installment in a two-book series, masterfully weaves together the poignant story of Eliza, now 88, and her cherished family estate, Mayfield. Spanning from 1908 to 1988, the novel unfolds in dual timelines, offering a rich exploration of Eliza’s family and family legacy—its beginnings and its present-day challenges.

Mary Alice Monroe’s ability to create layered, deeply emotional narratives shines brightly here. The characters are so vividly developed, their struggles and triumphs resonating on a profoundly personal level. The depth, complexity, and heartfelt moments throughout the story kept me completely hooked.

This is storytelling at its finest, and I’m eagerly anticipating the second book to see where this journey leads. Where the Rivers Merge is a true 5-star gem—an unforgettable read that lingers long after the final page.

This was a perefct story. I did not realize it was a Part One so that was disappointing but the story itself was just wonderful. Thansk to Netgalley and the publisher

A beautifully crafted and enchanting Southern novel!

What a gift to her readers! I’m a longtime fan of Mary Alice Monroe’s fiction, and Where the Rivers Merge may well be her finest novel to date. Merging Monroe’s oft demonstrated love of nature in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, with her captivating and often gorgeous prose, her master storytelling capabilities, and her fine ability to mold strong, plucky but relatable women, this tale raptly held my attention from its opening paragraph.

My only complaint is that this book tells only the first half of protagonist Eliza’s story, and I am ever so eager for more!

This seems to be the novel (or rather series) Monroe was meant to write. I loved it! Highly recommended - especially to fans of Southern and/or historical fiction featuring indomitable women, multigenerational family sagas and strong senses of place.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the privilege of a complimentary e-ARC. Opinions are my own.

I am a big Mary Alice Monroe fan and this is one of her better offerings. Living in the low country, I loved her starting each chapter with a bird or plant related to the ACE Basin. The story is told in two timelines—1988, which is the present, and the other begins in 1912, when the main character is 12. Lizzie has been brought up on a plantation outside of Charleston. Her father loves the land but her mother misses the city. Lizzie struggles to meet the expectations of being a young lady and far prefers to work with the animals and crops on the farm. From the present day side, we know that she has been very successful as she currently leads a large corporation. She tells her backstory to her great niece and granddaughter prompted a series of pictures from a mural in the Mayfield Plantation home. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because not only is it a great story, I liked hearing about treatment of women in the early 20th century. My only negative was finding out the book is continued in book 2. I totally agree, however, that there is plenty of material for another book about Lizzie’s family and I look forward to reading it. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A review of Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe will be included in an upcoming Library Journal publication.

I am a huge fan of Mary Alice Monroe’s work and although this novel diverges from what she has historically written it has all the trade marks of her writing style. I highly recommend it.

I loved this book up until the last page. The book just abruptly ends with no mention of a "to be continued..." It's not until you read the author's note that you realize there is a second book forthcoming down the road.

Putting the ending aside, I really enjoyed this book. Mary Alice Monroe is one of my favorite authors because I can visualize what she is describing. I fell in love with the various characters, and I also enjoyed the underlying conservation theme. I'm looking forward to the next book to see what happens!

Thank you William Morrow for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Fairly engrossing read but it felt overly familiar and predictable to me. Not sure I'll stick around for the second book to finish the tale . I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this as I love the setting and synopsis.


The reader meets Eliza Rivers in a short flashback scene where she runs through her property and takes cover in a hollow tree. It then flashes to her the morning of her 88th birthday where the future of her property is up in the air. Her terrible son just wants his inheritance and hates how his mother wants to preserve the land. In an effort to get back to her roots she goes back to Mayfield, her plantation home, and shares stories of her growing up years with Norah (her great niece) and Savannah (her granddaughter). The story flows back and forth between these timelines.

This story unfortunately didn't wow me like I was hoping it would. It was great for the first 50%, but seemed to drag on after that and the ending seemed very abrupt with many loose ends and unanswered questions. I would've loved to see redemption with Covey, but it didn't seem to matter at the end. I didn't feel a connection between Eliza and Savannah either. I really enjoyed the past perspective a lot more and would've loved to hear more. It was very exciting and unputdownable until the war years and then the pace really slowed for me,

Overall, it was enjoyable and a solid historical fiction, but too many loose ends and mixed pacing lost some stars for me.

Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe is one of the best reads I’ve had in awhile. Monroe’s characters became friends. Eliza’s sharing of her life’s stories move effortlessly over time periods. Monroe paints a beautiful picture of Eliza’s home in Mayfield that she loved so much. What a smart, strong willed woman Eliza grew to be to overcome the male dominated hierarchy of the South.I can’t wait to read the sequel.

WHERE THE RIVERS MERGE is another beautiful novel from beloved storyteller Mary Alice Monroe. Monroe's interest in conservation and her love of the natural world shine throughout the narrative. Eliza is a wonderful and endearing protagonist -- a true free spirit. Her son is the villain here - consumed by greed. Their battle over Mayfield plantation makes for an engaging page-turner. The setting is lovingly conveyed with just the right amount of sensory details, and the dual timeline format works well. While some may find the ending to be abrupt, it sounds like perhaps there is a sequel in the works.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

Mary Alice Monroe delivers another engrossing novel. This one is told in dual timelines so the reader can begin to know and understand the motivations behind the main character, Eliza. We meet her as an 88 year old woman and then delve into her background as she narrates her early life growing up on a rice and horse farm. Eliza is a feisty non conformist and as the reader delves into her early years, it is apparent that she was influenced by the constraints of growing up in the early 1900’s. She defied the role of women and the racial divides of the south as a woman growing up in that era. This shaped her as an adult.
The author always weaves in lessons about animals and nature in all her books and this one dealt with horses and land conservation.
The ending was a bit too abrupt even though I know it was to prepare the reader for Book 2: The Rivers’ End. I will definitely be anxiously waiting for it to be published.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC.

This book is so beautifully written that I could not put this book down. This is a dual time line that takes place in present time and back in the early 1900s that describes the lives of Eliza and her family and friends. This multi-generational book allows Eliza to tell her life story to her granddaughter and great niece about her history at Mayfield. It is a wonderfully written book. I will patiently await the second book. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for allowing me to read this book.

This was a great start to a book. Sadly it ended 3/4 of the way through the story. Where was the ending?

Mary Alice Monroe takes us once again to the beautiful low country of South Carolina. Where the Rivers Merge is a lovely, lyrical, and poignant, yet heartbreaking dual timeline story of Eliza Rivers and her beloved ACE basin. Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Mary Alice Monroe is one of my favorite authors so I was excited to see that she has written this new novel. And truth be told, it is the first installment of a two-part saga. I love it. Monroe details a rich description of Charleston and its surrounding area that transports the reader there. A saga told looking back from 1908 covering 80 years, we hear the tale of the Rivers family, their joys and yet many tragedies too. Eliza is a force to be reckoned with and shows how women in society have evolved. As a young girl she was generous of heart, idealistic, and saw no boundaries for her best friend, Covey, although she was naive in her beliefs. But she stayed true to herself as a young woman and later a much older woman, fighting for the right of nature and others. I like how Monroe takes you on a journey with the characters of the book. I really look forward to the completion of this tale. Many thanks to #netgalley #wheretheriversmerge #maryalicemonroe for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe is something different from her usual fare. I enjoyed the setting and history of the ACE Basin. The characters were well defined and enjoyable. Overall the story reminded me of others in this genre but I look forward to the next part in Rivers Edge.

This is a split-timeline book that follows the life of Eliza who grew up on a horse and rice farm in South Carolina. Eliza was raised to be a proper southern girl and she only wanted to ride horses and run through the forest. The current timeline is her son is trying to take her beloved Mayfield away.

I lived near Charleston and her descriptions of the area were on point.

This book was fabulous. The writing was fabulous, the characters well-developed. I highly recommend this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my gosh, this book! I live in SC myself, so reading this book was so comforting and cozy to me. I loved Eliza’s free-spirit and really felt a connection to her, as I am the same way. This book wasn’t just great because of where it took place, but because of all the life lessons and information I learned while reading it. I will be sharing this book with everyone I know and letting them know they need to read!

this is a duel timeline story. Eliza grew up on the Mayfield plantation, as she turns 88, she fights to keep it out of the hands of her greedy son.