Title: The Lights of Sugarberry Cove
Author: Heather Webber
Publication: July 20, 2021
Publisher: Forge Books
Genre: Magical Realism
Pages: 267
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Sadie Way Scott has been avoiding her family and hometown of Sugarberry Cove, Alabama since she survived a near-drowning in the lake just outside her mother’s B&B. Eight years later, Sadie is the host of a much-loved show about southern cooking and family, but despite her success, she wonders why she was saved. What is she supposed to do?
Sadie’s sister, Leala Clare, is still haunted by the guilt she feels over the night her sister almost drowned. Now, at a crossroads in her marriage, Leala has everything she ever thought she wanted – so why is she so unhappy?
When their mother suffers a minor heart attack just before Sugarberry Cove’s famous water lantern festival, the two sisters come home to run the inn while she recovers. It’s the last place either of them wants to be, but with a little help from the inn’s quirky guests, the sisters may come to terms with their strained relationships, accept the past, and rediscover a little lake magic.
REVIEW:
This is my second Heather Webber book. My first was Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, which I absolutely loved. It was romantic, magical, family oriented, and more than I had originally expected. You can check out my review of that here. So, I was extremely excited to read another of her novels. Right off the bat, the cover of this book is gorgeous. It will be finding a home on my forever bookshelf along with its previous book.
This story follows Sadie as she returns home to her lake cottage to help care for her mother who just had a heart attack. Though Sadie hasn’t been home much since she almost drowned in the lake and was saved by the mysterious Lady of the Lake years before, she feels most at home here. Sadie was such a fun character to get to know. She’s very guarded and, throughout the story, Webber did a great job of showing us those walls breaking down. I loved the relationships we followed along the way as Sadie reunited with people from her childhood. Webber wrote a whole slew of characters that any reader can relate to, bond with, or want to dig deeper to know.
While the story jumps between being narrated from two character’s point of views, I definitely preferred Sadie over her sister Leala. She was a bit much for me and not as exciting to read. But overall, every character brought something to the story and it was just as good as Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe. Can’t wait to read more from Heather Webber!
