This was a complex novel for me. On one hand, Roll the Sun Across the Sky is relatable, complex, memorable and on the other hand, the protagonist was so unlikeable it became all I could see in the book! But at least the book is thought provoking. Human, I guess. We all make mistakes.

I don’t want to reveal too much but this will be a book that starts conversations, and I think sometimes that is the most important thing a book can be.

An angsty one about mothers and daughters and the consequences of our action. Dual timelines give a look into what shaped Arden and where it led her life. I had a little trouble connecting with young Arden due to her choices. Which I think was intentional. Setting up the idea of whether she can redeem herself.

It made me think of how we get to where we are and if we can fix or at least move on from our past mistakes.

Arden is flawed and her current self is a product of her choices and adventures. At times she seemed selfish and other times a little courageous. Should she be defined by her worst mistake(s).

Very heartfelt and realistic.

When in 1977 Arden decides to travel to Europe with her somewhat boyfriend Robert while both are on break from teaching, she sets the stage for a life of deceit. Not really loving Robert, but not willing to set him loose either, they travel throughout Europe - mostly at Arden’s planning. Robert is great at pinching the pennies, but not much else. When Robert is able to take a flight back to the US but Arden must wait for a later flight, she realizes he’s not who she really wants - plus she has memories of a suave Italian that stole her heart.

After a break-up, Arden moves through her life and continues to use men for her purpose. Hang with this story, because at the end she does redeem herself! Fast forward to 2013, and a sixty year old Arden must come to grips with what she’s done right and wrong in her life. When tragedy strikes her immediate family, she is left to care for her 10 year old granddaughter. The story is really heartwarming as we see Arden try and reach this troubled child, and will have her questioning if she really knew her daughter at all. This a mother-daughter story that will have you flipping the pages to see what happens next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

Lives are complicated, and so are people. We don't always make great choices, and sometimes those choices come back to bit us on the behind. And yet, life is long, and these characters get a second chance to do better. A lovely, heart wrenching novel about love, loss, and regret.

This one grabbed me from the very first page. The dialogue in Roll the Sun Across the Sky is downright unfiltered: Arden says what she’s thinking, and sometimes it stings, but it never feels fake. She can come off as brutal and a little narcissistic, but isn’t that just part of being a twenty-something on the hunt for excitement? She’s thirsting for new horizons, making mistakes, and (spoiler) learning the hard way, totally recognizable behaviors for anyone who’s ever chased the next big thrill.

What I love most about Probst’s dual-timeline setup is how lush and lyrical it feels. One minute you’re barreling through European train cars with a restless Arden in the late ’70s, the next you’re in present-day Manhattan, watching her juggle a teenager who’s been dealt a crushing blow. You feel every high and low: the heady rush of Arden’s impulsive decisions, then the gut-punch of seeing how those choices echo decades later. It’s a roller coaster of growth and setbacks in each relationship, romantic flings that flame out, family grudges that smolder, and the slow, bittersweet work of adulting when life finally catches up to you.

📚 Tropes & Vibes
🚄 Jet-set escapades: Arden’s European train journeys are practically a character of their own.
🔍 Family secrets unearthed: Lies from the ’70s still haunt the present.
💔 Headstrong antiheroine: Arden is equal parts magnetic and maddening...totally human.
🔄 Dual-timeline drama: We jump between past and present, feeling lush, lyrical prose in both.
🛤️ Redemption through tragedy: A devastating train accident forces Arden to face herself and rebuild.
🏙️ City-slick heartbreak: Modern-day Manhattan life serves a side of glamour with a dash of grit.

Would I recommend this book?
Absolutely. If you’re the kind of reader who lives for brutally honest dialogue, complex women who make messy choices, and multi-generation sagas that linger long after you turn the last page, Roll the Sun Across the Sky will feel like home. Arden’s mistakes and triumphs hit hard, she’s beautifully human, even when she hurts those around her. And that dual-timeline magic...executed perfectly. It’s lyrical but never abstract; you’ll feel every thread pull between past and present. Bookmark this one for your next cozy weekend binge...just be ready to clear your calendar, because you won’t want to put it down.
1 like

Roll the Sun Across the Sky by Barbara Linn Probst is a moving multi-generational story about love, regret, and redemption. It explores a woman’s complicated past and its impact on her family, with heartfelt characters and emotional depth.

This book took me a minute to get into but it was worth the read! I enjoyed it! It took me by surprise!

This book had me hooked from the first few pages.
It’s one of those stories that makes you reflect on how much of our past shapes who we become, and whether redemption is ever really possible. Thought-provoking, emotional, and quietly powerful.

At first, I struggled to get into Roll the Sun Across the Sky, especially as Arden proved a more and more unlikeable main character. But wow does Probst have an impressive way of writing (and in some ways, redeeming) a complex character. By the end, not only was I fully drawn into the story, I also found Arden far more sympathetic. And further, I appreciated the questions she and her story raised. What does it mean to be a good person? Can you do bad things and still be, or at least become, good? One thing that’s abundantly clear: a character can do bad things, and yet a story can still be good, maybe even great.

Thank you Barbara Linn Probst, She Writes Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

First I have to say that this is the best book this author has written so far. She's a marvelous author. Her books always draw me in. This one is just so good.

I didn't like Arden at first. I thought she was just a cold person who wanted her way about everything and didn't care who she hurt in the meantime. But as I kept reading I saw that she was looking for something. Something that may not be easy to see or understand. But something nonetheless. Yes she wanted security. She wanted love. She wanted to be accepted. And she could be selfish. But she had a heart in there too. A pretty big one. I felt for Arden in lots of ways. I think maybe I could relate to her in many ways. Arden had some anger issues that I tried to understand. She also had so much love to give when she wanted to. Arden was a complex woman for sure.

Her love life was certainly a mess. She did men wrong much of the time and hated, absolutely hated, to be told no. I believe she was spending time looking for complete and total loyalty. Yes she wanted to have money. She was not in a good financial situation. And yes she wanted total loyalty, in all areas. She seemed to use people like they were disposable. Like she would never need them again. But she did grow up. She did fall in love. In complete love. Arden married a few times. Once for a father for her unborn baby. Bit mistake. Once for security. Yes again, big mistake. Though that one did help her a lot. But Connor. Connor was her true love.

Arden lost her husband and her daughter right in the beginning of this story. A horrific train accident. Then you learn about them and her. You get to know Arden's daughter Leigh and her husband Connor. And her granddaughter Danielle. Danielle is something else. A complex child. One that Arden takes into her home and gives all the love she has. Danielle has problems after losing her mother. What child wouldn't. But she is resilient also. Just like Arden...

This is a great book. It had me crying and laughing. Feeling so many emotions. Rooting for Arden and Danielle. I felt bad for Robert, the first guy you meet, but he prevailed on his own. And he gained a lot later... Arden was a character to reckon with. You either love her or hate her. I actually ending up loving her. This book definitely tugged at my heart.

Thank you to the author for the arc book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.

This is the first book I've read by this author. The story takes place in two time periods, 1977 and 2023, when the lead character faces another life changing event. Throughout her life, she is self serving and selfish. But she experiences major loss and reflects on her life to date and ponders where she is going. And how she will get where she wants to go.

This book is well written and poses interesting, thought provoking situations.

This is the first book I read from this Author. It was fast paced and well written. With drama, love, loss, and forgivenes. Especially forgiving yourself! It kept my attention throughout the whole story and would recommend it to others. After reading this one, I’m looking forward to reading this Author’s other books!

Thank you for the gifted copy, Get Red PR & Barbara Probst! And NetGalley for the ebook.

“There were times when your life changed because of something you did. And there were times when you did nothing, but it still changed.”

This is a journey of exploration, heartbreak, tragedy and redemption. A look at choices, forgiveness, and how history can repeat itself. Is it ever too late to right a wrong? Through a dual timeline we see Arden in her 20s and also in her 60s after a tragic accident that alters her world.

This book makes you take a deep look at the choices you make. How you move forward after mistakes. Some readers will have strong opinions about Arden and her choices. I appreciated that she is a complex, flawed character. That she made bad choices and at times at the expense of others. It might be messy but to me, it makes her relatable. Life is messy. It’s what we take from our wrong choices that can really define who we become.

“Maybe gullibility is a prelude to trust. If we never dared to be gullible, we’d never have the experience of trusting someone who turned out to be worth trusting.”

Thank you to Netgalley and She Writes Press for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day. I loved the characters and the storyline. I thought the characters had great growth. I would definitely recommend this book.

✨🔮🌞🌕🍄🌕🌞🔮✨

ARC REVIEW

Roll the Sun across the Sky - Barbara Linn Probst

4/5⭐️

📚📚📚
This one was a one sitting read for me. It completely kept me engaged the entire time. Once I started I realized this was definitely a different kind of book than I normally read but I absolutely enjoyed it. What I also didn’t expect was how emotional so many parts were going to get. Full on tears in my eyes. Arden is our main character and the journey of life she has been on is a big one. She made some choices along the way that are great and others that are questionable. We get to see her grow and work through some of her questionable choices. The tragedy she goes through oh god. Just rip my heart out. But Arden really did what she needed too. Without giving to much of this one away i personally feel like this book/characters can be very relatable. If you enjoy that I totally recommend.

📚📚📚
If you like to read:
- Fiction
- Dual timeline
… You should definitely check this out

📚📚📚

Thank you so much for sending me a copy for an honest review in my own words. #giftedcopy

✨What’s a book you’ve found that had relatable characters in it?

#books #booklover #smut #booknerd #bookfriend #bookish #booklovers #bookishcommunity #bookloversunite #instabook #bookporn #bookphotography #reviews #igbooks #ilovereading #smutty #bookaddiction #bookhoader #hotnsexy #fortheloveofbooks #bookrecs #yummy #givemeallthebooks #readingthepainaway #booktok #arc

I’m going to be totally frank with you right up front and tell you that this is my least favorite of Probst’s books. That doesn’t mean it isn’t good; 4/5 stars is still a very good rating. But I prefer her first three books to this one. The primary reason for this is our protagonist here, Arden. See, I’m used to Probst giving us highly flawed protagonists. That’s fine, because no one is perfect (even the new, Chicago born Pope is a White Sox fan, and not a Cubs fan), and it is our flaws that make us interesting. In her previous books, Probst showed these flaws on the backdrop of other things which allowed some of those problems to fade into the background. With Arden, they’re far more prominent, and that doesn’t make her very likeable. That said, her saving grace is that she knows she’s not a good person, she knows she’s made irreparable mistakes in her life, and she realizes that her actions have consequences. And yet, she keeps up the same behavior patterns, even when she knows she should make different choices.

To be fair, there are a lot of not-so-great people who come into Arden’s life, although she does come in contact with some who seem problematic, but end up being pretty good. Even so, she seems to like to sabotage those possibly better relationships because of a type of short-sightedness, and yes, selfishness that pervades her world. That said, she also appears to know when someone isn’t such a good person, although that insight is somewhat myopic when it comes to her own family members. Of course, the reverse is also true where she can tell if someone is good, but ignores the goodness in some of her family members. In short, Arden is quite the enigma, and probably one of the most complex characters I’ve ever come across. It’s probably because she’s not easy to figure out that kept me reading.

Well, that and Probst’s writing, which is particularly strong in this novel. Furthermore, Probst puts together a very varied story line, with many significant events, which she breaks up with bouncing back and forth between decades. I guess it is a dual timeline novel, or a multiple timeline one, but I believe this was done deftly to keep us guessing, which a chronological timeline wouldn’t have allowed. It almost turns this into a mystery novel, but of course, it really isn’t that at all. You should know, however, that early on in this book I was somewhat confused by what roles some of the characters played. That doesn’t mean there’s an excess of cast members here, it just took me a while to figure out the family trees. This might have been the other reason why I felt some disconnect with the main and secondary characters.

So, although this isn’t my favorite of Probst’s book, it is still very strongly written, with a very fascinating plot and characters that, although not totally sympathetic, are certainly unique. If you haven’t read any of Probst’s books, I’d actually say this might be a good one to start with. For all this, I’m still recommending this book with a healthy four out of five stars.

ROLL THE SUN ACROSS THE SKY by Barbara Linn Probst is an emotional and thought-provoking story about a woman’s struggle to face her reckless past and find a path to redemption. Just as she reaches her sixtieth birthday, Arden Rice suffers the unexpected and tragic loss of her husband and daughter in a devastating accident. In the aftermath, she finds herself reflecting on how her decisions and actions have impacted her own life and the lives of those close to her. She feels regret and remorse for some of her selfish choices, deceptions and betrayals, but still believes she chose her path out of love for her daughter and wanting the best for her. As she learns more about her daughter’s life from the granddaughter left behind, Arden must confront her mistakes and find a positive way forward. I enjoyed this complex dual timeline story of love, grief and forgiveness and I look forward to whatever comes next from this author. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Arden has recently lost her daughter in a train crash. As she struggles to overcome her grief and care for her granddaughter, Arden begins to look back over her life.

I have read two of this author’s books, The Color of Ice and The Sound Between the Notes. I enjoyed both of these novels. Basically because the characters are so great. Well, this one fell short and it is because I truly disliked Arden. I found her selfish and deceiving.

There is a lot in this tale; drama, deception, lies and love. And I did enjoy part set in Egypt…very atmospheric!

Need a quick, family drama…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel for a honest review.

Wow did this book catch me by surprise.

Arden Rice is celebrating a milestone birthday when an unexpected misstep on behalf of a train operator changes the entire course of what she has left of life and the way she viewed the life she already lived. When she’s left to care for her granddaughter she learns truths about the choices she made as a mother that didn’t have the outcome she’d hoped for and revisits shameful parts of her past to reflect on this.

As a reader we experience alongside Arden, her attempts at long term relationship with men in her life gone wrong— she spends so much of her life trying to manipulate her circumstances and pays quite the price for the mistakes she makes along the way.

I noticed in some of the reviews that some people did not enjoy the book because of the main character, and I found that to be interesting. The way I see it—Arden’s life and choices, missteps and failures could easily be any of us, and yet her life turned out such that she tried to control the outcomes so much that she suffered grave consequences for each one of those mistakes, whereas many of us might have been fortunate to learn and move on. I felt quite sorry for her, though at times frustrated and saddened by the circumstances she seemingly brought upon herself to the end that her daughter would have the life she thought she should have. When Arden looks back at all of the people she betrayed, and the lies that she told to this end, learning that her daughter didn’t turn out to be such a great person or mother was a shock to say the least.

I did NOT at all expect this book to be a page turner! The author does a beautiful job at depicting the nuance within all of us to want to do well and be “good” and live rightly, and have our desires override and take matters into our own hands. This was a great read and a beautiful reflection on what drives us and how our own vices get in the way of pursuing the good that we intend to.

Thank you to Get Red PR for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to more from this author!

I've never read this author before, but have read good things about this one via reviews, so I figured this would be a good way to start, and am I ever glad I did. It was women's fiction at its best. This was a beautifully written story about a woman named Arden, and it takes place in two timelines. I love a good dual timeline story. This one takes us back to 1977 when our main character was a teacher and went to Europe with her friend Robert. I did not like Arden at first, as I found her to be selfish and self-serving. Can she redeem herself, faults and all?

The second timeline is in 2013, when Arden is about to celebrate turning sixty, she decides to do this with her daughter's family, but tragedy strikes and Arden is left to take care of her 10-year-old granddaughter. Arden blames herself for the tragedy and thinks this may be the consequences or punishment for her past behaviour, so this is when she starts to think of what and who she's done.

It was such an interesting and thought-provoking multigenerational tale that deals with mother-daughter relationships, healing and forgiving oneself. And although I didn't like Arden in the beginning, the character development made up for it in spades. The author writes emotions and family dynamics in a very moving way.