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.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by the wonderful Caroline Leavitt. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Ella and Jude were teenagers in desperate love for the first time in their young lives. While Ella's mother, Helen, is supportive of their relationship and treats Jude like one of her own, Jude's father, a powerful judge, is opposed. When Ella is accused of the attempted murder of the judge, her world comes crashing down. She discovers she's pregnant in jail and Jude is nowhere to be found. When she is released, she wants nothing more than to be reunited with the daughter she gave up.

I absolutely loved this book. It is beautifully written, gripping, tense, and will make you feel all the feelings. It covers love in so many aspects - that all consuming angst of first love, the love of friends and family, the special mother/daughter bond, and eventually mature love. It's about second chances and being able to trust others with your secrets. These characters felt real and I was so invested in their stories. This is my new favorite book from Leavitt - must read!

A book about love in all its forms, Days of Wonder is a beautiful and engrossing story.

As teenagers, Ella and Jude find an all-consuming love, which is torn asunder when Ella is arrested for trying to murder Jude’s father. When she learns she’s pregnant soon after going to jail, she is coerced to give the baby up for adoption. She’s released from prison after serving only six years and goes looking for the child she gave up.

Trying to move on, but deeply stuck in the past, Ella, the daughter of a single mother, yearns for her independence and the love she’s not sure if she deserves.

Deeply layered, this book breaks your heart and stitches it back together again.

Thank you to @netgalley and @algonquinbooks for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the premise of the book and was looking forward to it, but it did not work for me. It read like a YA love story for both the daughter and the mom storylines, at times almost like a fanfic type of romance with the amount of melodrama and unnecessary tragedy. The dialogues are stiff and the plot keeps jumping between the timelines which didn’t always work in my opinion.

The book is written from the point of view of Ella, her mother Helen, and Ella’s ex - Jude.

A lot of bad decisions are made on all sides and it is tough to root for the characters at times because their motivations are flimsy.

The whole Jude + Ella = Forever love story is incredibly cringey. He tells her, “you are a thoroughbred, those girls are just carousel ponies.” What the hell? Way to make a girl feel special without putting down others. He reads her personal journal without permission. They don’t sleep for weeks intentionally while trying to spend as much time together as possible. I’ll leave other details out to keep this spoiler free.

One thing I agree with Jude’s father on is that those two were obsessed with each other and it was not entirely healthy. And Jude’s “being in love” with Helen? I think there was a better way to say he was missing his mother. Speaking of - the mother bit is straight out of a bad movie and fits too neatly into the “tortured rich boy” narrative. “His live looks perfect, why is he so sad?”

It was difficult for me to finish it. That said, I’m sure many people will enjoy it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Really engrossing book with intriguing characters. I have read other books by this author and they are very character driven. This one is no exception.

We start the book with Ella being released from prison early after serving 6 years of a 25-year sentence. She was convicted as a teenager for attempted murder of her boyfriend Jude's father. She lives with her single mother Helen. Ella holds a secret that no one in the media knows--she gave birth to a baby in prison which was put up for adoption. Now Ella wants nothing more than to reconnect with her daughter that she gave up under duress.

The tale unfolds with going back and forth between the present and the past for both Ella and Helen. We learn about why they behave the way they do, the things that happened in their pasts shape the people they are and are becoming. There are a few clunky parts to the story--I thought the reveal of what happened to put Ella in prison was left too late in the book. The ending was too pat and perfectly wrapped up. You do have to suspend some disbelief about how Ella finds and gets to know her daughter. Yet despite those drawbacks, this is still a very compelling book with a captivating story.

There are so many layered themes to unpack in this book, as both Ella and Helen are multi-faceted characters. There are themes of loss, love, religion, acceptance, rejection, abuse and forgiveness. If you're looking for a meaty, intriguing book this one will probably hit the spot.

DNF. I may try to revisit this later on but the writing style is not working for me and I’m not interested in what is going on. There is nothing objectively wrong with this but it may just not be the right time for me at the moment. I can still see many people enjoying this.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I enjoyed this but there are some heavy themes throughout. The book is fairly short but it packs an emotional punch. I found myself debating if this will get better or worse for the characters as the story progressed.

Loved the character layers and depth. The Jewish rep was unexpected and I appreciated that. I also always applaud when an author accurately depicts a medical situation (this one involves a cardiac med and I ALWAYS love the detail accuracy as a nurse)

I recommend if you need a quick but heavier read to feel something.

Be aware of possible TW: adoption/foster system, arson, sexual content, exploitation, rape

Helen, Ella, and Jude all tell this story of mothers, daughters, obsession, and drama. Ella and Jude fell madly in love as teens but then Jude's father (you can almost see a twirling mustache) is poisoned by foxglove grown at Ella's apartment house and she ends up in prison-setting off a chain of events as Ella hunts for and locates their daughter Carla who has been raised by adoptive parents. Helen wants nothing but the best for Ella, Ella wants to be with Carla, Jude has started a new life with a wife and baby on the way. There are some time line issues, some things are a bit implausible, and it bothered me a bit that Ella never looked for Jude, only for Carla and that Jude didn't reach out to Ella before....no spoilers. Regardless, this had me turning the pages to the neatly tied ending. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I’ve been a huge fan of Caroline Leavitt’s books going on at least twenty years if not more. When I first discovered her brilliant novels, I quickly read everything she’d written and then eagerly awaited her next novel. Every time I learn she’s coming out with something new, I cannot wait to read it and immediately add it to my Goodreads list so I have something to look forward to.

Her latest is Days of Wonder and it doesn’t disappoint. With her special way of getting the reader attached to the characters, your heart breaks a million times as you love and care for the people in this book.

Here is the plot:

As a teenager, for a moment, Ella Fitchburg found love—yearning, breathless love—that consumed both her and her boyfriend, Jude, as they wandered the streets of New York City together. But her glorious life was pulled out from beneath her after she was accused of trying to murder Jude’s father, an imperious superior court judge. When she learns she’s pregnant shortly after receiving a long prison sentence, she reluctantly decides to give up the child.

Ella is released from prison after serving only six years and is desperate to turn the page on a new life, but she can’t seem to let go of her past. With only an address as a possible lead, she moves to Ann Arbor, Michigan, determined to get her daughter back. Hiding her identity and living in a constant state of deception, she finds that what she’s been searching for all along is a way to uncover—and live with—the truth. Yet a central mystery endures: neither Jude nor Ella can remember the events leading up to the attempted murder—that fateful night which led to Ella’s conviction.

Like with all of her books, this one is deeply layered and keeps you fully engaged. I highly recommend it! Out on April 23.

Ella found her true love at the young age of 15. She and Jude were immediately drawn to each other, and attached at the hip from that moment on. While Ella’s mom treated Jude as her own, his father was vehemently against their relationship. He certainly had his own secrets to keep though, secrets that led to an attempt on his life. An attempt that Ella was blamed for and jailed for the past 6 years. Now that she is out, she is determined to find the daughter she had to give up for adoption while she was behind bars.

Whew! This is a book about love, heartbreak, motherhood, loss, hope, family, guilt, innocence, and so much more. This is not a light read by any means, but dang was it fantastic. Leavitt just has such a way of weaving a story. I will say at the beginning, I didn’t really feel like any of the characters were all that likable, but as the book goes on I fell in love with each and every one of them. Ok, maybe there was one exception, though by the end I still disliked them, but more so pitied them, which is kind of worse to be honest. The first half moved a bit slow, not in a bad way, but once I hit 50% I finished this book in one sitting and stayed up way past my bedtime to do so. I am always blown away by Caroline Leavitt’s books and this one was no exception!

Teenagers from different backgrounds fall in love, and it ruins their lives.

Ella, daughter of a single mother who lives in Queens, meets and falls in love with Jude, the son of a wealthy and influential widower federal judge who lives in a palatial home on the Upper East Side. The differences in their circumstances don’t bother them, they are completely and madly in love and are sure that they will have a future together. Ella’s mother Helen, raised in a strict Hasidic household from which she was expelled as a teen, is surprised by the relationship but accepting of it. Having Jude spend time at her house reminds Helen of the family gatherings of her childhood which she misses, and Helen’s warmth and acceptance fill a void in Jude’s life. Judge Stein is not pleased with the relationship at all, and does all that he can to separate the young lovers. When the Judge announces that he has taken a new job in Philadelphia and that he and Jude will be moving there before the start of school, Jude and Ella are devastated, but their pleas are ignored. In desperation they try to find a way to forestall the inevitable, and make a terrible choice. As a result of events that followed that choice, Ella is sentenced to 25 years in prison, where she finds out that she is pregnant with Jude’s child. But Jude has cut all ties with Ella, and with few options Ella is persuaded to give their child up for adoption. When she is released from prison early due to technical faults with the trial, she is a felon but is at least free to start her life anew. Helen assumes that they will create a new life together, but Ella wants to forge a new life on her own. She also desperately wants to know why Jude, who had sworn his undying love, had so readily abandoned her and also what happened to their child. As she pursues her goals, she does so while concealing the truth of her past from the new people in her life. Meanwhile her mother is also at a crossroads, devastated by Ella’s departure and still regretting the losses of her own past. Can Helen find the courage to put the past behind her and seek happiness for herself? Will Ella’s new life be enriched or destroyed by her own attempts to resurrect parts of her past? And what really happened the night everything went terribly wrong?
Author Caroline Leavitt has created a heartbreakingly beautiful tale of love, family, and redemption. Each character is brought vividly to life, as are the settings where this well-crafted story take place. Just as in real life there are no clear cut right or wrong choices, but each choice made will have a consequence….and not always one that could be predicted. The headiness of first love, the ties of family that can both support and constrict, the powerful relationship between parent and child, and the danger of secrets kept hidden from those one loves all combine to make this compelling story feel so genuine. It was hard to put down, and every bit as difficult not to fall in love with Ella and Jude and root for the happily-ever-after that they deserve but are unlikely to achieve. Readers of authors like Julia Glass, Ann Patchett and Ann Napolitano will appreciate the beautiful prose and engrossing story found within the covers of Days of Wonder….it is a novel to savor. Many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for allowing me early access to this enthralling tale of empathy and redemption.

I had to give up on this book, so can't provide a full review. I really enjoyed the opening and was intrigued by the premise. But once it switched to the mother's POV, it no longer rang true to me, as the daughter's imprisonment seemed to disappear from her mind. I'm not sure, it wasn't working for me and found myself not returning to it.

I really liked this one, what a powerful story about motherhood and parenting and family. It wasn’t exactly but I expected but I enjoyed it just the same, would make for great book club discussion.

This was a quiet and meditative novel where the writing really flowed. It went by fast. I liked how it showed how development is affected through incarceration and what there is to learn on the outside. There is a lot to this story including commentary on adoption, young love, and growth.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Days of Wonder releases April 23, 2024

Ella is 22 years old, and has just been released from a minimum-security prison after pleading guilty to the attempted murder of her boyfriend’s father, who was a New York judge at the time.
We start to see her reacclimate to life, which includes a new job as an advice columnist in Ann Arbor — the same city where the adoptive parents of her birth child live.

This story is told in multi-pov with some flashback chapters from Ella, her mother, and Jude (Ella’s boyfriend at the time).

Ella and Jude had this all-consuming, life changing love that is rare to come across at the age of 15. They came from differing backgrounds and economic brackets, but were drawn to each other nonetheless. More than that though, was this sense of home that Jude unexpectedly found with Ella and Helen, and his time with them became his safe space away from an abusive and alcoholic father.

Days of Wonder was structured in a way that kept you hooked with a slowly drawn out plot in order to reach the literal end to see what really happened during their sleep-deprived moments, however, once I reached that point, it came across as pretty underwhelming.
All the loose ends tie up (a little too neatly) with the child and seeking forgiveness; nothing quite felt satisfactory to me and I would have liked more from Jude’s pov.

cw: physical and emotional abuse, mention of rape, self harm, suicide attempt + ideation, manipulation

I still think about how much I loved Caroline Leavitt's CRUEL BEAUTIFUL WORLD and while I didn't love her other books, I was so excited to dive into her latest DAYS OF WONDER. The story is interesting - Ella is a 21 year old who is released from prison after 6 years of doing time for attempted murder of her boyfriend's father. She is picked up by her mother and as soon as she gets back to their apartment, she starts to Google the boyfriend (who never wrote or came to visit her), as well as try to find out what happened to their child who Ella had in prison and gave up for adoption.

First of all, whew! That's a great start to a novel right? I really did enjoy the plot, but I think my issue with the book is the weak dialogue and bad character development. It all felt a little expected and unsurprising, though there is a somewhat interesting twist towards the end of the book. It's a great book for a classic general fiction, but it's not a well-written book and while I didn't hate reading it, I was surprised that I didn't like it more than I thought I would.