What a soap opera - full of melodrama and unlikely coincidences. Ella and Jude fall in love and spend all their time together when they're not in school. Ella falls in love with Jude, but Jude loves both Ella and her mother, Helen. He's the son of a single father - a well regarded judge - who treats him horribly, and Helen welcomes Jude into her home and into their family life. On the day before Jude is set to move away, his father is poisoned, and Ella is arrested for attempted murder. The rest of the story jumps back and forth in time, so we get a better idea how Ella ended up in her predicament. At the same time, we read about her life after prison. Spoilers ahead. The story was okay, but I found it unbelievable that Helen would let Jude practically live at their house, even spending the night on many occasions. The way Ella found the child she'd given up for adoption was completely unrealistic, and adding the over-the-top drama with the adoptive father was too much.

This a story ultimately about love and loss. The book opens as Ella is being released early from her prison sentence. Incarcerated as a teen for the attempted murder of her boyfriend’s father- she struggles to remember anything about the night in question. The book moves back and forth in time to explore the event in question, while also tackling Ella’s search for the baby she gave up and her tenuous relationship with her mother.

Her mother was such an interesting character. She grew up in a strict Hasidic Jewish household, but was disinherited when she became pregnant. That shaped so much of who she was and the type of relationship she built with her daughter. Ella’s boyfriend Jude on the other hand, was a character I didn’t care much about. Which is surprising because of the trauma he dealt with. There was something missing in his portrayal I think. He was more removed as a character than the women, and his decisions were puzzling at times.

Overall this story had more of a YA feel than I was expecting. The story kept me interested throughout and had many surprising moments and revelations, but I think the YA feel threw me off a little. If you enjoy YA then I think you will probably love this one. It has great family dynamics and drama, obsessive love, secrets and character growth. Definitely all great qualities in a book!!

Thank you to @algonquinbooks and @netgalley for the ARC to read and review.

Days of Wonder had a lot of elements I really enjoy in books–the mother was a seamstress who had left her religious Jewish family behind to become a single mother, her daughter is now getting out of prison where she both learned how to knit and got her college degree and is starting over. She had put a child up for adoption and is interested in meeting her She even gets a job writing advice columns! All things I love.

I did feel like the book was a bit far-fetched in both the crime (no spoilers but it involves foxglove poisoning) and how well she did in prison especially since she was supposedly there for six years. At apparently a great prison that actually tried to rehabilitate her but still. She seemed troubled before she went to prison (very odd obsessive relationship with her boyfriend ) but really didn’t seem the worse for wear after leaving. She was interested and slightly obsessed with finding the child she put up for adoption thinking she would be in prison for 25 years but who wouldn’t be. It was cute to have knitting be part of what brought them together.

I felt like there wasn’t a major reason to have the family that adopted her daughter be so troubled. There was a lot going on her mother’s life and her life. Adoption isn’t cheap and you have to be very organized and I honestly had a little trouble thinking this couple could manage to do it in the first place.

Overall, I did like the book and the characters felt real. It was just a little too much drama and heartbreak in every aspect of everyone’s lives and back story. Not one person had a happy life? The book also had a strong young adult feel to me, especially the parts about the teen relationship that ended in her going to jail. I would have liked a little more depth into why and how she got into this relationship. While I enjoyed her mother’s backstory and small romance, I almost felt like it would have been served better in another book. A sequel? A prequel? One book about the mother and one about the daughter would be been perfect. Instead, I felt like we got a slightly incomplete picture of the two women, especially in the later part when we learned more about the daughter’s boyfriend’s backstory–which was also very tragic!

A teenage daughter is sent to prison for murder. This tells the story of when she is released and rebuilds her life. The mother daughter relationship is examined and the question of what you would do for your child is explored. there are abusive men and women overcoming their dire circumstances. The flow and character development is strong in this heartfelt novel that packs multiple story lines. 3.5

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

After serving six years of a twenty-five year sentence for the attempted murder of her boyfriend Jude’s despicable father, twenty-two year old Ella finds herself at a loss for what will come next in her life. By this point, she has known poverty,had an intense, bordering on insatiable relationship with a wealthy boy, given birth in prison, relinquished her parental rights and finished high school and college. Helen, her single mom, has never wavered in her love or providing a safe haven for her.

The novel navigates many bad decisions, some well-intentioned, some made out of immaturity, some mean-spirited, some out of fear, that enables the author to create a journey of trauma, pain, sadness and a quest for acceptance. For example, Ella, still madly in love with Jude, wants to reclaim her child. How can she make this happen?

By fully developing each character, the reader feels the effects of each decision as it is happening and may want to scream “noooooooo.” Audience participation is not necessary but you may not be able to stop yourself. While there are many layers and story lines, the book moves at a fast pace. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and Algonquin Books for this book tour read.

I’ll have my women’s fiction with a side of family drama, please!

𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 is a compelling domestic drama that delves into the complexities of love, forgiveness, and the search for redemption. The story revolves around Ella, a young woman who has been released early from prison after being convicted of a crime she was convicted of as a teenager. Determined to find the baby she gave up for adoption while incarcerated, Ella embarks on a journey that takes her to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Leavitt skillfully weaves together the narratives of multiple characters, highlighting the intricate relationships between mothers and daughters. Ella's quest to reunite with her child is the driving force of the novel, and her emotional journey is heart-wrenching and inspiring.

While the focus primarily remains on Ella and her daughter, the inclusion of Jude, Ella's high school boyfriend and true love, adds an intriguing layer to the story, and I loved the chapters with his POV.

Leavitt's writing is poignant, capturing the raw emotions of her characters with precision. She tackles themes of forgiveness, identity, and the power of second chances with sensitivity and depth.
I devoured Leavitt’s 2020 novel 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘳 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶. I find her writing to be powerful and moving. Her latest novel is a compelling read for fans of family dramas.

This was a roller-coaster of emotions! The story opens with our main character, Ella, being released from prison. What follows is her trying to find her footing in the outside world and flashbacks to what led to her incarceration.

We’re also given POVs (past and present) from her Mom, Helen, and her ex-boyfriend, Jude.

I loved it. I didn’t finish it faster because I’m always in the middle of too many books, but once I got into it I couldn’t stop.

This is perfect for fans of second-chance stories and mother/daughter relationships.

I was initially interested in this book as it was compared to Miranda Cowley Heller’s THE PAPER PALACE which I adored. Unfortunately, though, this book didn't resonate with me the same way.

The story centers around Ella who was wrongly convicted of attempting to murder her boyfriend's father when she was a teenager. 

Once she is released from jail, she works to start rebuilding her life while also attempting to find and reunite with the daughter she was forced to give up —all while grappling with the mystery surrounding what actually happened with her ex-boyfriend and his father.

I really liked the premise of the story, but found myself craving more character development. There were so many major events that felt hastily skimmed over leaving me wanting more unpacking of the characters' feelings plus additional perspectives from her ex-boyfriend.

Overall, though, I noticed that a lot of people did enjoy this book, so check it out for yourself and see what you think. It's out now!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @algonguinbooks for the #gifted advance copy in exchange for my honest opinions

An excellent novel that fully explores the topic of what we are willing to do for those we love, through a variety of different relationships, especially the mother daughter bond.

This is a story of teenage love gone awry, and the consequences for all involved.
It revolves around Ella, her boyfriend Jude, and her mother Helen.
Something devastating happens to Ella and Jude involving his brutal father, and Ella ends up in prison as a teenager, pregnant and alone.
Six years later, she is released and tries to rebuild her life without Jude, without the child she gave up at birth, and with a felony conviction.
But there are so many secrets that Ella and her mother must keep and soon it's hard to outrun the past.
There are many compelling characters in this story (especially Ella and her mother), I did find there were a bit too many story lines and coincidences that didn't always seem believable.
But because of the two main characters, the book did hold my interest and I thought the ending was hopeful and realistic.
Thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy, this review is my own opinion.

I enjoyed this new offering by Caroline Leavitt. Days of Wonder is a novel about choices, loss, betrayal, and remaking your life.
I've read the author's books in the past, and I like that she is not afraid to step out of the "typical" plot. This book was wonderful, and I'd say perhaps my favorite of hers. So many issues and topics are touched on, and she uses different narratives to give us fully realized characters. Sometimes I like them, sometimes I didn't, but it's that what humans are about?
I highly recommend this book
Thank you to Algonquin Books, NetGalley and the author for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The novel begins with twenty-two-year-old Ella Fitchburg in 2018 being released after serving six years of a twenty-five-year sentence for the attempted murder of her former boyfriend’s father, a prominent judge. Haunted by her past and the painful memories of Jude with whom she had dreamt of a future but who disappeared from her life after her arrest, Ella is desperate to locate the daughter she gave birth to and was made to give u for adoption while in prison. Complicating matters further is the fact that she does not have a clear memory of the night of the attempted murder and is unable to locate Jude, who might be able to shed light on the events of that night. Her mother, Helen, who works in a dress shop and loves her daughter, wouldn’t hesitate to relocate so that both of them could start afresh. Despite her mother’s protest, Ella secretly embarks on a search for her daughter. Ella, who earned a college degree while incarcerated, finds it difficult to secure employment on account of her criminal background but when she is offered a job in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her daughter’s adoptive family is located she decides to hide the truth about her past, and accept the offer and moves to Ann Arbor without Helen, who is aware that Ella has found her daughter. Helen’s life hasn’t been easy and she has endured much hardship to raise Ella as a single mother. With Ella trying to move on, Helen, whose life revolved around Ella, is now compelled to take stock of her own life and confront the painful secrets from her own past so that she might be able to move forward and experience everything that life has to offer as well as repair the cracks that have begun to appear in her relationship with her daughter. The narrative follows both Ella and Helen as they embark on their respective journeys of self-discovery, catharsis, healing and hope.

Shared from multiple perspectives across past and present timelines seamlessly woven into a fluid narrative Days of Wonder by Caroline Leavitt is a poignant read. The strength of this novel lies in the character development and the sensitive, realistic and compassionate depiction of complicated family dynamics. I loved the writing, the complex characters and the emotional depth with which the author has tackled several sensitive topics. The characters are flawed yet realistic and though you may question their choices, you can’t help but feel invested in their stories. The revelations pertaining to Ella’s conviction gradually come to light as the narrative progresses. I wasn’t completely satisfied with how this aspect of the story was tied up and felt it could have been explored further. You might have to suspend disbelief at certain junctures in the story and needless to say, you will feel a lot of emotions as the drama unfolds. I thought that the plot point concerning the adoptive family wasn’t quite necessary, but this does not detract from the overall reading experience.

Revolving around themes of family, love, loss, guilt, abuse, healing and forgiveness, this is a compelling read that I would not hesitate to recommend.

This was my first time reading this author and I look forward to exploring more of her work.

Many thanks to Algonquin Books for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love Caroline Leavitt, but I had a tough time with this book because the characters did not live for me — they did not feel three dimensional and the ending and twist felt very forced to me. The book focused on Ella, a young woman in love with her boyfriend, Jude, who has a father who does not approve of her. She ends up getting convicted of the father’s murder and giving birth to Jude’s baby before she is incarcerated and giving the baby up for adoption. The book follows Ella after she is released from prison and tries to restart her life and find her daughter.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a free advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #AlgonquinBooks (and Caroline Leavitt!) for this deep and captivating novel. This is a story about families and how intimately and inexorably human lives are interconnected, It is a novel about love, secrets, shame, and perseverance. It's also a book about class, wealth, power, and the everlasting consequences of decisions (for better and for worse). Most of all, it's a story that illustrates the beauty and grace that are born from even the toughest and bleakest situations
Helen, Ella, and Ella's first love, Jude, are the primary characters through which the story is told and the plot lines move seamlessly forward and back in time. This allows the reader to travel with these characters to various locations and also to see the "befores and afters" of choices made and secrets withheld. It's a perfect example of life being in the journey, rather than the destination.
As a reader, I had a wonderful time interacting with the author via IG and Twitter. She is (somehow) even kinder and more personable than the characters she's created and her love of writing (and enthusiasm for sharing that love with her readers) has been such a pleasure to experience.
This is an incredibly well-crafted novel and there were some side characters (Mouse and Henry for example) who stole my heart. The ways in which ALL of the characters were portrayed allowed for vivid sensory and emotional connections and the stakes of the story were tangible throughout. You will root for these main characters (and the well-represented supporting cast).
Thanks again to everyone (including the Algonquin rep, Katrina) who got this book into my hands. What an absolute pleasure it's been!!

Book: Days of Wonder
Author: Caroline Leavitt
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Algonquin Books, for sending me an ARC. This is the second book by this author that I have read. I must say that I am very impressed with this author’s work. Caroline writes these stories about people who find themselves in very difficult situations. Her books are about healing, moving on, real human moments. If you are looking for an author who does all of this so well, I highly encourage you to check out her work.

In this one, we follow Ella, who has just gotten out of prison. When she was fifteen, she was charged with the attempted murder of her then boyfriend’s father. Jude’s father just happened to be an important judge. Ella confessed to the crime and found herself being tied as an adult. While she was in prison, she discovered that she was and knew the baby was Jude’s. She was forced to give the child up for adoption. It has haunted her. She wants to see the child and know what could have been. Life after getting out has not been easy. She is a felon and doesn’t think she will be able to start over. Her mother, Helen, believes that her daughter has been given a second chance and needs to move on from what happened. Ella can’t. The thing is she doesn’t remember what actually happened on that day that forever changed her life.

I love Caroline’s writing. She does such a great job at capturing the human side of her characters. We are given these characters who are very flawed and have a past. Yet, she manages to write them in a way that makes you want to cheer for them. She makes them human. She shows us people at their worst and lowest. She reminds us that what is painted by others is not always true and may be the opposite. She gives us people who have paid the price for the mistakes of others. This is what makes is so hard to eat out of her books. You want to see these characters make it. You want to see those who have wronged them pay for what they have done. It can make it very difficult to get through her books though.

The emotional element of her writing makes it very difficult to put her books down. I like how her books makes me feel. It gives me all of the feelings, both the good and the bad. What I am getting at is that I want to feel something when I am reading. Caroline does this. She pulls me in and leaves me breathless. It’s just so engrossing and engaging that it makes it difficult to put down.

I just got all of the feelings while reading this one is what I am getting at.

This book comes out on April 23, 2024.
Youtube: https://youtu.be/Quc-zTk83Vs

This is not a feel-good story, but really a devastating story about the unique ways family can hurt you and love. Ella spends 6 years in prison for attempted murder, a crime she can't remember committing. When she's released, her mother, Helen, just wants her daughter back. Ella just wants to find the daughter she had to give up while imprisoned. What follows is a heartbreaking story of love and loss told between multiple points of view and timelines.

We jump between Ella, Helen, and sometimes Jude, as well as the past and present. Ella is still a felon, but she is free with no probation or parole since her conviction was overturned. She tries to find her daughter, but the adoption lawyer is no help, so she sneaks a peek at the lawyer's computer and discovers her daughter is in Ann Arbor, MI. Once she finds a job and moves there, she stalks the family that adopted her daughter and eventually befriends the mom, Marianne. Meanwhile, Ella's mom Helen is carving a life for herself in New York City and coping with the loss of the community she grew up in.

My favorite part of this book was that much of what Ella goes through is what a lot of incarcerated people go through. She is railroaded into a confession without an adult or attorney present. While incarcerated, she is coerced into giving up her child. When she does get out, there is almost no support, and she has a hard time finding a job. It's clear that Ella would benefit from therapy, but there is hardly any mention of her needing help. It's so tragic and real. Helen's storyline is similarly heartbreaking; when she fell pregnant with Ella, her Hasidic Jewish community cast her out. The loss of her family and her faith has marked her ever since. Watching her mother unravel that trauma and start rebuilding so many years later was so touching.

Honestly, I could have done without Jude's POV. Don't get me wrong; he also dealt with tragedy, but he was written like my least favorite book characters. The plot just happened to him, and he didn't really further the story along. Even after the horrific abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, he doesn't cut him off. Instead, he allows his father to persist in his life for far too long. Also, he felt like he was the only character that got a hard happy ending, and that bothered me.

If you like slice-of-life stories, I think this would be for you. I liked the story, but it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Algonquin Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5

Secrets never stay secret, and when they are revealed the damage they cause can be worse than had they never been secret.

Secrets abound in this novel, hiding the truth and separating people from those they love. The story is an emotional roller coaster of loss and guilt, finding love and losing it. But in the end, when the truth is revealed, healing begins and love finds its home.

Ella and Jude were teenage soul mates. Jude had secrets, the secrets of his mother’s death and his father’s alcoholic abuse. As Jude becomes close to Ella and her mother, his father pushes to separate them, finally taking a job in another city. The young lovers stay awake for days, inseparable, dreaming of ways to stay together.

When Jude’s father nearly dies, Ella is arrested for attempted murder. Neither Ella nor Jude have clear recollections of what had happened that fateful night when Jude’s father was poisoned. Only Jude’s father knows the truth, and he uses his power as a judge to place the blame on Ella. Jude does not know that she was pregnant, and was coerced to give the baby up; she was sentenced to twenty-five years and could not take care of a child.

With an early release, Ella is intent on one thing: finding her daughter. She gets employment by lying about her felony conviction and moves to Ann Arbor, stalking her daughter until by chance she meets the adoptive mother, and befriends her. Her daughter’s adoptive family looks perfect from the outside, but it is far from a happy family. Can she protect her daughter?

When Ella’s secret past is revealed, she is poised to lose everything.

This emotionally charged novel is a page turner, and although coincidences and melodrama abounds, it will appeal to a large readership.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

This book packs a wallop. There are several story lines all closely entertained and the unpicking takes some time.
I wondered what Ella had done to have been in prison and then the first bomb Leavitt dropped.
I thought Helen was very patient. I really didn’t care for Jude because he let Ella take the full brunt. While that’s explained in the story, it’s still no excuse.
I found the judge to the lowest of the low and a completely reprehensible person.
I tore through this book and while some parts of it made me angry, most of it was just sad.
The ending is hopeful because no matter how much life slaps you down, you have. to keep getting up and keep going.

Caroline Leavitt's latest novel is recommended for discussion groups who like to dissect the plot and characters in novels. Readers will probably need to suspend their disbelief in this fascinating story of a 15 year old girl, Ella, who, over a three-day period, is brought into the police station for questioning without her mother or a lawyer present, coerced into signing a confession, and sentenced to 20-25 years in prison for attempted murder of a prominent judge. The story plays out against the back story of Ella's mother, Helen, who as a young adult was exiled from her Hasidic community after she was raped by a stranger. There are other incidents in the novel that will spark lively discussion of how writers construct their novels and what makes a plot and characters believable, or not.

Rarely does a book leave you as heartbroken and then heart-mended as Caroline Leavitt’s beautiful new novel, Days of Wonder. Helen’s life revolves around her daughter Ella’s happiness and when Ella falls in love with Jude, Helen accepts him wholeheartedly and offers him a safe haven away from his abusive father. But when Jude’s father, a respected judge, is poisoned and nearly dies, Ella is coerced into confessing although she has no memories of that night.

After years in prison, Ella decides to reinvent herself as an advice columnist. She immediately seeks out her daughter, who she gave birth to in prison and gave up for adoption although she desperately wanted Helen to raise her. As old feelings of hurt and anger are brought back to light, both Ella and Helen have to learn to reinvent themselves - and to accept their past mistakes with strength and grace.

I am so grateful to NetGalley for granting me the ARC of this unforgettable novel about loss, redemption and love.