1920’s-1970’s in a small town in Ohio, The members of the Jenkin and Salt families lives become intertwined as the novel progresses. It begins with friendship followed by a betrayal and then forgiveness throughout the years with life changing events.

This novel touched me as I am near 90 years old and have lived my entire life in Columbus. I recognize and have have experienced many of the locations and events that take place in this story. This novel is very special for me.

Thank you Michael Hoak@atrandombooks, Patrick Ryan and NetGalley

There is no easy way to summarize this book. It covers a lot of time and a lot of characters. Essentially, you have 2 families in a small town whose paths cross in multiple ways but there is a single event forever connecting them in ways they never imagined.

The novel opens with the one event that is pivotal to the whole story…the event that the rest of the story takes shape around. And I loved this! The essence of this story is the ripple effect that a single choice can have on multiple lives and for generations. War is a time of elevated emotions. People do things they might not otherwise do during normal times but the impact can be incredibly far reaching. This was such an emotionally complex and layered novel. It is heavily character driven and sends you deep into the lives of each of the characters. The author digs deep into their psyches and how their choices impact and connect each of them. The authenticity comes from how unapologetically flawed they all are. These feel like real people with real problems and real reactions to those problems. The characters aren’t always likeable but they are understandable. Take Margaret, for instance. She is a complicated character, a character that I despised at times. She could lack empathy, honesty, and humility. She was selfish and felt little remorse for her actions. She was a terrible mother but then she really had very little experience to draw from. There are a lot of historical events that are touched on in this novel because it spans so many years. You don't get a lot of depth but it just kind of reminds you of all of the things that happened during the 1900s. I loved those little glimpses of history and how they affected the characters.

My one tiny complaint is that I felt that it did feel very slow paced in some parts. So, if you are looking for a fast paced, plot heavy novel this is not it. There is a story, a good one, but it is primarily built around incredibly rich characters that make the story feel very authentic and relevant.

Buckeye is the interlaced story of two families, who, between them, harbor a big secret. It’s a compelling portrait of small-town America, especially as it takes place during some of our nation’s most terrible times (WWII, Vietnam). But I’m an outlier as far as my overall reaction and rating. While I can appreciate the quality of writing in Buckeye and, as a saga, it’s very well done, I didn’t actually enjoy this book all that much. For one thing, none of the characters was very likable, especially Margaret. I realize that Margaret’s character was purposefully written to be problematic, but she was downright depressing and colored the book as a whole a drab grey. The others were not all much that better, either. Everyone lived for years in sad worlds of their own creating, only coming together in the very end into some semblance of happiness.

Read others’ reviews if mine leaves you disinclined to give the book a go. Everybody (else) loves it, and some big-name authors (Ann Napolitano and Tom Perrotta, for two) give it high praise.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good old fashioned novel spanning a life time. It makes me want to reread some of Pat Conroy’s book. Two families bound together by secrets and tragedy and how wars affected their lives in small town America.

A sweeping family saga spanning decades and generations? Yes, please!

This is the story of two couples whose paths cross during the years of World War II in the Midwest. We first met Cal Jenkins, a boy with one leg shorter than the other, "just two inches", which had both advantages and disadvantages. He marries Becky Hanover and ends up working at her father's hardware store, and they have a son. We don't want to leave their story when we meet Margaret Anderson, a baby when she was dropped off and raised at an orphanage. She meets Felix on a double date (bowling), and the two eventually marry and have their own son.

Each of the four main characters is fully realized, believable. They're likable, they're flawed, they're quirky. The book is full of ordinary moments that make up their lives. Moments that are written with precision and care that pull the reader in.

They make mistakes, they hide things from each other, they forgive, they run. Not necessarily in that order. I was invested in the various outcomes. This was an emotional read. I loved it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub. date 9/2/2025)

Two marriages, both fragile in their unique ways, two people who find solace in each other for a short time leave ramifications for decades to come.  Taking place in a small Ohio town before, during, and after WWII, this novel shows how secrets always get revealed and there are always consequences to actions.

I really don't want to give too much away so you can all experience the beauty of this novel.  I had seen such glowing reviews from friends I trust that I realized that I had to read this one immediately.  I am so happy that I did, it affected me, made me cry, kept me totally engrossed and had me ignore the world so I could read.  I started with the audiobook but I ended up reading more than half of it because I wanted to be immersed in the story and the character's lives.  This is a story about grief, love and secrets and one of the few books I bored my husband with as I recounted the story to him.  This is a have to read for this year

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC to review

Thank you Random House for this advance copy. In theory, this beautifully written generational saga should’ve really worked for me. It’s possible I just didn’t pick it up at the right time. The characters and their story never compelled me to want to pick up this book. It just never grabbed me and felt like a chore to read. I can appreciate why it is getting so many amazing reviews, but it wasn’t for me, at least not at this time.

I rarely give a five-star review. This one is a no-brainer. Every now and then, you read a book that touches you so deeply you say "I will not forget this book." And this is it, folks. I have never heard of this author and was not sure what I was getting into but it is a deeply moving, yet very quiet, poignant and subtle book that traces the intersection of two families, their lives, their loves and sorrows from WWII through and after the Vietnam War. It is rooted in a small town in Ohio and I LOVED every single character I met even. When I first started this book, I commented to a friend that it felt very much like Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections" -- and it does. But even more so, it feels to me like the Wendell Berry Port William series books with a dash of Ann Patchett (especially "Commonwealth"). Add it to your reading list RIGHT NOW. Reserve it at the library, buy it from Amazon in hard copy so you can share it with everyone you know and keep it on your shelf. There were times this book was so heartbreaking, I almost hated it. It is just everything that makes our daily life so wonderful and terrible--- love, grief, small town life, war, disappointment, hope, friendship, lust, regret (so much), lies and secrets, loyalty. I cannot recommend enough.

Patrick Ryan has written a monumental epic which most of the time is totally under his skillful writing control. His unforgettable characters live and breathe that you don't want to part with them at the end or when they depart as part of the story. Ryan masterfully evokes the various time periods starting with the late 1930s and stretching to the immediate post Viet-Nam period and the impact each has on the book's characters. My only criticism and it is not a fatal criticism is that he disposes of some of the characters and their feelings and interactions too quickly. it is as if he realizes or was advised that it is time to wrap up the book. in short, i think the book works at its best till the post world war 2 period...but it is still engrossing.

I just finished Buckeye by Patrick Ryan which was just released on September 2nd of this year.
What a story!! This book tells the story of two families in the fictional town of Bonhomie, Ohio over 40 years starting from World War II. The book details the relationship between two married couples and the relationship formed between their sons.
The book focuses on the secrets kept by the two couples and the effects of them on the couples and their children.
It is a powerful story and covers many different topics important at that time and now in the current day.
The characters were complex and interesting and the drama surrounded “the secrets” kept my attention throughout. It is a heartbreaking tale but well worth the read.
I highly recommend this book- it is a great fall read and should be on your TBR!!
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley, Patrick Ryan, and Bloomsbury Publishing for a copy of this great work.

It's hard to pin down what this book is about because it's about everything: life, love, death, betrayal. It's definitely got American epic aspirations. Cal has lived his entire life with uneven legs, and because of that, a limp. He wants to be of service, and tries to enlist in World World II, but is rejected, and that rejection sticks with him for many years. He ends up working for his father-in-law after he meets and falls in love with a strange woman named Becky, I appreciate how the author really portrayed the daily struggles of a young couple. It wasn't love at first sight, and actually it took many many years for them to really figure out how to be together. Cal makes a lot of mistakes; he doesn't believe Becky when she tells him that she can speak to ghosts/spirits. He doesn't support her. Maybe because he doesn't really understand her, and he feels useless, he ends up having an affair with another woman, Margaret. Margaret is unhappy in her own marriage because her husband Felix is gay. All these characters live in a small town, so of course this secret is going to explode. Reading this book is an investment in all of the highs and lows of a life.

Thank you NetGalley for the free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Patrick Ryan has produced a wonderful epic tale of love and marriage that spans 50 years of American history. Four people are the main focus with two marriages but all four characters are flawed either physically, emotionally or mentally. Themes of betrayal, loss of innocence and a desperate want to find something better mark both marriages. Cal and Becky have grown up in Bonhomie, a small Ohio town, and became high school sweethearts who marry young but have a serious falling out that damages their relationship. Margaret is also flawed in that she is unable to fully devote herself to her husband Felix as they also move into Bonhomie. Swirling around these damaged marriages are secret lovers which the characters struggle to keep under wraps. The story progresses through WWII and into the turmoil of the 1960s and Vietnam. Ryan’s descriptive writing is spot on and brings to mind the works of Amor Towles in style and tone. A small quibble is that Ryan takes his time wrapping up the story's resolution. Yet, this title will be a fine choice for book clubs anywhere.

This is why I read. Immersive literary historical fiction with characters I didn’t want to say goodbye to and a compelling family drama to get swept up in. I absolutely adored this book. For readers of Claire Lombardo, John Irving, Jonathan Franzen, and Nathan Hill.

A thoughtful reflection of small lives in a small town infused with emotion.
Spanning decades, this saga features the mundanity of daily life in a tightknit community compounded by personal actions and world events.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this e-ARC.

This is a poignant and captivating look at two families living small-town America. The novel is set amongst several decades between the 1930's and the 1970's, it spans both WWII and the Vietnam War, with a plot that plays against the fragility of America's political and social climate of the era. These families lives evolve on the page for us in an authentic and relatable way. as we witness the joys and tragedies of their lives, how a secret tears them apart, and the hope that resides in reconciliation and forgiveness.

As someone who grew up in a small town of a similar size I felt a deep sense of empathy with these characters. The novel did a fantastic job of portraying the impact that living in a community of this size has on you and how it shapes you as a person, both good and bad. I loved these characters and you will too. They will break your heart and put it back together, but it's a journey I wish I could take again for the first time.

5 Stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced reader copy of this book.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review on my Goodread's page. It was also just released this week everywhere!

Buckeye is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year and, more importantly, it was the perfect book to pull me out of a lingering reading slump. From the very first pages, the story captured my attention and didn’t let go, even after I have finished it.

The fictional town of Bonhomie, Ohio, is so richly drawn that it feels like a place you could find on a map, tucked just off a country road. Its people live and breathe on the page—flawed, resilient, and deeply human. Long after closing the book, I found myself thinking about their choices, their sacrifices, and the quiet moments that defined their lives. It helped that I grew up in the same areas the book spoke about in many places.

At the heart of the novel is a multi-generational narrative that begins with one devastating decision made by two people at the end of World War II. From there, the story unfolds across decades, weaving together themes of love, loss, family, and the way history lingers in small towns and in the people who call them home. For me, the truest sign of a great book is one you rush to finish yet feel reluctant to leave behind—and Buckeye is exactly that kind of novel.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see this book on award lists in the coming year. It’s beautifully written, emotionally powerful, and full of unforgettable characters, each of which had their own engaging story to ponder. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves layered family sagas, small-town settings, and stories that stay with you.

I loved this book from the first paragraph to the last! Set in Ohio and spanning the years after the second world war through the 70’s, BUCKEYE follows the lives of two couples who struggle to find meaning both separately and together. Throw in a bit of mysticism and you have a recipe for the perfect novel.

Buckeye centers on 2 families in Bonhomie, Ohio from World War 2 to the Vietnam War. I have seen mostly glowing reviews for this one so think I am a bit of an outlier, but it was just ok for me. I did love the setting and time period, and we get to know the 4 main characters well. It is very slow-moving, with the plot set up in the publisher's summary finally revealed around 50% in. I did not dislike this book, but I also did not feel any connection to the characters and was not emotionally invested in their story. I ultimately found it fine, but forgettable. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars.

Just the best kind of an immersive story that made me fall in love with reading decades ago. A modern story presented in classic fashion with no flourishes, just well crafted, good old fashioned storytelling. But with modern plot twists. Three generations of two families in smalltown midwestern USofA, examining the effects of PTSD from the First "World" War on through, secrets, a gay protagonist, missed opportunity. A real page turner.

As a lover of family sagas, this one hit a sweet spot for me. 𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲𝐞 is a sweeping portrait of Americana, told from the perspectives of two intertwined families.


While there is nothing extraordinary about these people, they could be anyone in a small town in America, in this case, a city in Ohio; that is precisely the point. They are relatable, flawed, and highly dimensional; they could be our neighbors, family, friends, or they may be reflections of ourselves. This gave the story a strong character-driven feel, as the narrative delves into several cultural and social issues while being incredibly perceptive of these characters' feelings, including their hopes, regrets, and dreams.

From WWII to the Vietnam War, we walk with them through the town streets, school halls, see loved ones off to war, and witness choices that will alter family dynamics. It was an emotional journey that captivated me and tugged at my heart.

Thank you @randomhouse for the #gifted ebook via #NetGalley.