Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Hope Chest by Carolyn Brown Narrator: Brittany Pressley
Published by Brilliance Audio on June 22, 2021
Genres: Life Fiction
Length: 9 hours, 24 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible
An inheritance has reunited three estranged cousins. Their grandmother Lucy left Nessa, Flynn, and April her home nestled in the woods near Blossom, Texas, as well as a hope chest to be unlocked after they complete a special task. Together, they must hand-stitch a cherished quilt Lucy left unfinished. It meant everything to her. And now, to three people struggling with their own patchwork pasts…
To Nessa, the house has always been an escape from her strict parents—a home away from home. Flynn has followed a profligate path into adulthood, never guessing it would lead him here. And the town of Blossom only stirs up a lifetime of disappointments for April. Lost and with nowhere to go, her last chance is helping fulfill Nanny Lucy’s final wish.
Thread by healing thread, Nessa, Flynn, and April bond over the quilt and all it represents. As they discover the family they’ve been looking for in one another, they share more than memories. They share the hope of new beginnings.
The Hope Chest is a smidgen outside my normal reading genres. There are no fae or dragons, far off lands or epic quests to undertake but sometimes a story about going home can really just hit the spot.
Three cousins spent two weeks each summer at their grandmother’s house. For all three, they were the best times of their lives and they have great memories. When their grandmother dies and leaves them the house in the country and a hope chest, they only get to open once they’ve completed a quilt she has left for them. Nyssa, Flynn and April are all at crossroads points in their lives, being together again after about a decade is a bit of a struggle at first but quickly becomes a routine they don’t want to live without. Each cousin will help the other deal with the issues in their lives and find a new path moving forward.
This is definitely a character driven book, but I really enjoyed learning about the cousins and how each had very different ideas of the others lives and how they were going. Apparently sometimes you really don’t know a person until you spend some time quilting with them. I too wanted to know what was in the hope chest and really liked how the cousins became a family again.
A nice easy read when you want to root for family and watch them find a way to happy. This is shelved as contemporary romance and while there is a romance happening in the book, the focus is more on the three cousins coming together and changing their lives.
Narration:
Brit Pressley had a great voice for the southern feel of this book. She portrayed each character well and I really liked how her narration made me feel about the characters.
Listen to a clip:Â HERE
About Carolyn Brown
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carolyn Brown was born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma. These days she and her husband make their home in Davis, Oklahoma, a small town of less than three thousand people where everyone knows everyone, knows what they are doing and with whom, and read the weekly newspaper to see who got caught.
A plaque hangs on her office wall that says I know the voices are not real but they have such great ideas. That is her motto and muse as she goes through the days with quirky characters in her head, telling their stories, one by one, and loving her job.
She has been married almost half a century to a retired English teacher that she calls Mr. B and he does not read her books before they are published because she cannot afford a divorce. They have three grown children.—and enough grandchildren to keep them busy and young.
When Carolyn is not writing she likes to sit in the back yard and watch the two tom cats protect the yard from all kinds of wicked varmints like crickets, other cats, spiders and blue jays.
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Oh I don’t think I have this one, I’ll have to rectify that. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I do like to share all my thoughts. I hope you find some time for it.
Thanks for the review! I had not heard of this book
It’s really outside my norms but sometimes you just want to see a family put all the pieces back together and heal.
I enjoy this author even if the southern culturisms sometimes escape me. She is prolific too.
This was my first book by her. I liked the southerness of the story. I’m totally interested in the slower southern culture.
This sounds wonderful! I really need to try Carolyn Brown very soon!
I liked her build of friendships between members of the family again.