Where the Rivers Merge is such a beautiful story of love and passions, death and betrayals, hope and despair. The saga was so captivating, I read it in one session. With wonderful character development set in the historical South Carolina lowlands, this book is a must read. And after that ending, there seems to be the promise of a sequel.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this glorious ARC.

****Publishing May 13, 2025****


It’s 1988. Eliza is the owner of Mayfield Estate. She has put it in a conservation easement in order to protect it. Her son is not happy about it as he thinks that means the land can’t be sold. As the story unfolds, you learn about her son’s intentions, her childhood, and how important it is to protect the Mayfield Estate from developers. At her 88th birthday celebration, Eliza asked Savanah, her granddaughter, and Norah, her grandniece, to come and spend time at the estate. Eliza teaches them the family history and importance. Can Eliza succeed in protecting the estate?

Mary Alice Monroe’s writing and storytelling just draws you in from the beginning! I love how she weaves conservation into her books. In this case, protecting animals and land from development! I loved all the animal, plant, and Low Country of South Carolina facts at the beginning of each chapter! I also loved the poems that were interspersed throughout! This is a book that will tug at your heart strings, but will also make you smile! I am hoping another book is in the works because it leaves the reader wanting to know more! A great book for book clubs as it will lead to many great discussions!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What did I love about this book? Everything. This book has it all—strong characters, complicated relationships, and it takes place in my favorite state of South Carolina. It is an intergenerational story with a plot that keeps the story moving. It has been a long wait, but Mary Alice Monroe never disappoints. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Highly recommend!

This is a historical novel set in the South Carolina ACE Basin and features dual timelines that seamlessly shows us all of the magic the lowcountry has to offer. I listened to the audio version of this book and really enjoyed the different narrators and thought the narrator did a fabulous job narrating! Waiting patiently for the next installment! Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

The author drew me into this story and didn't let go, from beginning to end! From when she was a child, to now an elderly woman, we follow Eliza Rivers. What a life this amazing women led, and we see how she gives her heart and soul to Mayfield.
I will warn you that I was disappointed in the ending, but the author has a second book coming that completes and gives the answers to the questions I had pending!
There is a lot of heartbreak here, some really bad, and some innocent decisions that go very wrong. Then again that is life, but there is family strife again as this book ends, and actually when this book began.
I recommend this page turner, and am looking forward to Rivers' End!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher William Morrow, and was not required to give a positive review.

I absolutely loved this book! The author’s dive into more of a historical fiction story this time was more than welcome for me since I’m a fan of that genre. I’ve read most all of Mary Alice Monroe’s books and this will rank among the top. I’ve lived in the Charleston area before and enjoyed the history of the area and the family story. The main character Eliza, though fictional , feels so real as well as her experiences.
I highly recommend Where The Rivers Merge and cannot wait for the second book in this series. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A beautifully written book. I went between the audiobook and ebook fully enjoying both versions. I did not want the story to end the way it did. Now, I am anxiously awaiting book 2. The story is filled with family drama, discrimination in the Deep South, love, loss, nature and nurture.

Thank you #NetGalley, #WilliamMorrow, #HarperAudioAdult, #MaryAliceMonroe, #JennaLamia, CassandraCampbell and #WheretheRiversMerge for the advance copies for my honest review.

I loved this book - maybe it was beacuse I call Charleston home but the setting of the book was just beautiful and was such a wonderful backdrop to such a neat story. Highly recommend!

Thank you very much to the publisher and NetGalley for sending this ARC to me. I loved it! I will absolutely be recommending this to my book club. There are so many themes for discussion...racial discrimination, sexist ideas within society, love of land/animals, family legacy, and more! My only complaint is that I have to wait for part 2! I hope this will be published soon.

Oh, my! What a great story! I alternately listened to the audio and read the ebook. It was so good that when I couldn’t read then I could listen!
It’s a well told story of a family in South Carolina before and during WWI, and also in 1988. It deals with love and loss, family issues and she also talks about the natural world in the story and also at the beginning of each chapter. I hope that in the final printing there will be illustrations with the descriptions of the animals and plants she decribes.

I have not discovered her books before this. I will definitely be reading more of her works!

Thank you Harper Audio and Willam Morrow for review copies! This will be a win for fans of this author and readers looking for something a little different this summer, something to dig into if you like historical fiction, Southern family themes, and examination of women's lives over last century.

Where the Rivers Merge is a beautifully written, multi-generational family saga centered on the Rivers family and their grand South Carolina estate, Mayfield. Through Eliza Rivers’ perspective, the novel explores themes of love, sacrifice, war, segregation, and the deep ties to land and heritage. The structure and prose are undeniably elegant, and the novel captures the essence of Southern fiction with its exploration of social class and tradition.

That said, I never quite got fully hooked into the drama and sweeping generational story I was hoping for. The pacing felt a little too dry and static for my taste, lacking the emotional pull I was seeking. Some of this may be due to my on-and-off relationship with historical fiction, but ultimately, this wasn’t quite the book I was looking for. Still, fans of the author’s previous works and those who love richly detailed Southern sagas will likely find much to appreciate. While I’m unsure if I’ll continue with the series, I’m glad I picked this one up.

Where the Rivers Merge is a story about the love of home, friendship, romance, and betrayal. Set in the Deep South during the WWI years, the book highlights the racial divisions that dominated the south, with Eliza the daughter of the white plantation owner and Covey, the black daughter of the hired help, becoming best friends at a time when it was forbidden.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the story was well done. It held my attention throughout, and I loved reading about so much South Carolina history. I loved the characters, especially Covey. I loved how Eliza was so fierce in standing up against the racism that was so prominent at the time.

I gave this 3.5⭐️s rounded up. The ending seemed very abrupt. We don’t find out what happened to Mayfield, we don’t find out what Eliza decided about retirement, or if Norah and Savannah took over and gave Arthur the big finger that he deserved. I would have liked a few more pages to wrap things up a bit better.

Overall, an enjoyable read! Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced readers copy. This book will be published on May 13, 2025.

Loved this book. A family saga, telling just enough of life in the South in the early 1900s. The author tells with vivid details the bond Eliza Rivers has to her family’s estate, Mayfield and how she wants to protect the land for generations to come. The book has it all, an unusual friendship, first love, war, and heartbreak, A must read!. Thank you for the ARC.

Oh what a beautiful story!!! I love MaryAlice Monroe books and it has been several years since she has put a book out on her own. The story of Eliza and her beloved Mayfield stole my heart from the first page. A story of love, family, friendships, betrayal, death and so much more. Mary Alice takes her gorgeous writing and creates a story that I will think about for a long time!!! AND there will be a second book in this series!!!

5 huge stars!!! Thank you Netgalley for the honor to read and review this book!!!

Having moved to SC, I really enjoy this author and her protrayals of the lowcountry. It was a good read to just relax.

I did really enjoy Where the Rivers Merge, a story of a family and the land they love. Author, Mary Alice Monroe, tells a story of the Rivers family, who live on the land, farm it, love it, and sacrifice for it. I did not realize this novel was part one of a two-part novel. It is not simply that the second book is a sequel. instead the first book simply stops in the midst of telling a story. The setting is 1988, the 88th birthday of Eliza Rivers, who tells the story to her life to her granddaughter and her great niece. Eliza's story begin in 1908, when she was a child. The location is Mayfield plantation, where the Jim Crow Laws are still enforced and the memories of the Civil War are still a part of daily life.

The Mayfield plantation has belonged to the Rivers family for generations. This is a land where bigotry and childhood innocence exist side-by-side. Life at Mayfield is defined by gender, race, money, love, and loss. In many ways, Eliza's story is a coming of age saga, where Eliza finally understands the world is not as easy or innocent and even as fair as she expected it to be. The characters are well-defined and interesting, and I enjoyed the plot and the story that Eliza tells readers about her life. I just did not expect the book to simply stop. I wanted some warning that Eliza's story would continue.

I did like Where the Rivers Merge and I do recommend it. The story of Eliza Rivers' life, continues through wars and depression, and loss and love. I am looking forward to the second book and how the story ends. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. I will anxiously be waiting for the second novel in this series.
4 stars

A beautiful story about Eliza Rivers. She having just turned 88 realizes that she must secure her legacy and her family's property Mayfield. While seeking out how she tells two of her family's female descendants the stories of growing up amid the turmoil that rolled through the south in the 20th century. Her experiences with segregation and the Jim Crowe laws. Her life during the losses of WWI. Her stories spin a tale of female and racial injustices, horrible grief, the bonds of friendship and her enduring love of Mayfield.

I’m a huge fan of this author and all her previous books. I was so excited when she drove into historical fiction, especially about the low country that she has always written about
I love family sagas and this book was amazing

Where the Rivers Merge is an epic tale of a southern plantation located in the ACE Basin, near Charleston, SC through the early 1900s. The story is told by 88 year old Eliza Rivers as she remembers her earliest years growing up on Mayfield Plantation with two brothers and an unlikely best friend. The Rivers family has a place in Charleston society and Eliza is expected to take her place in it but she fights that legacy at every point. This is just part one of the story and I am eager to hear the rest of Eliza's story.

As someone who lives not far from the ACE Basin, I enjoyed reading and learning about this important area and the plants and wildlife that an integral part to the environment. This historical fiction is well written and will immerse you in this little corner of history. I was disappointed to look up after hours of reading and realize I was not in fact in 1918 South Carolina, batting away the mosquitos as I lay near a pond on a lazy summer afternoon.

“Where the Rivers Merge” by Mary Alice Monroe is a beautifully written southern novel about love for the land and conservation. Eliza narrates her life and efforts to conserve her family estate, Mayfield. I enjoyed this book.