Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Review - Forever Friends

Title:   Forever Friends
Author:  Sarah Mackenzie
Series:  Cranberry Cove #1
Genre:   Women's Fiction
Publisher:  Forever
Format:  Print ARC
No. of Pages:   320
Date of Publication:  December 10, 2019 
My Rating:   4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Perfect for fans of Susan Mallery and Jill Shalvis, two mothers -- one pregnant, one sending her child to college -- form an unlikely friendship, finding love, hope, and a new start at life in this charming, laugh-out-loud read.

Single mom Renee Rhodes seems like a woman who has it all together -- perfect house, perfect kid, perfect yard. But now that her daughter is away at college, she doesn't know what to do next. Without weekly PTA meetings and after-school chauffeur duty, Renee isn't sure who she is anymore. What she is sure of is that she probably shouldn't be crushing on her new boss, who couldn't possibly be interested in a middle-aged mom....

Sadie Landry is drowning in the stay-at-home mom life. With a toddler running wild, a husband who is growing more distant by the day, and a mother-in-law who has a comment on every-little-thing, Sadie is one mommy-and-me class away from losing it. When she learns that she is pregnant again, Sadie knows that something has to change for the sake of her family -- and her sanity.

After a birthday party bake-a-thon nearly turns into a three-alarm fire, Renee comes to her neighbor Sadie's rescue with comfort, competence, and a killer pie recipe. With their unlikely friendship and a newly hatched plan to open a bakery, can Sadie and Renee finally have the lives they've always dreamed of?


MY THOUGHTS:

This delightful book by Sarah Mackenzie is about friendship, as the title clearly shows. In this case we have a young mother and another mother whose daughter is heading to college. 

Renee Rhodes has done well as a single mom, and is proud that her daughter is away at college. However, empty nest syndrome has hit, and it has hit hard. Working at Dr. Hanlon's office has more than one perk for her. For starters, she has a crush on him, although she is certain he has never once noticed her. Another perk is that she is fond of Sadie Landry and her toddler, Lincoln, who is seeing the doctor for his well visits.

Sadie is more than overwhelmed. Not only is she the mother of an active toddler, with her husband constantly working away from home, she discovers that she is pregnant again. An aggravating factor in her already busy life is her annoying mother-in-law. Thankfully, Sadie and Renee become fast friends.

With Sadie nearly going crazy trying to prepare for a birthday party, Renee proves to be just what she needs to keep it all together. As it turns out, Renee is an excellent baker and their newfound friendship just might become a business opportunity for the both of them. 

What a wonderful story of friendship and love. There is a sweet romance in the story for Renee as well, all while Sadie's marriage is rather unsteady. I love how the women were there for each other in the story, especially with their age difference. Sarah Mackenzie's writing style was fluid and delivered an emotional tug.  I love that Forever Friends is the first book in a new series. I cannot wait to see whose story will be next. 

Many thanks to Forever for the print ARC of this book. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sarah Mackenzie is the author of The Read-Aloud Family: Make Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids, and the bestselling book, Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace.

On the immensely popular Read-Aloud Revival podcast, she helps families all over the world make meaningful and lasting connections with their kids through books.

She lives in the Northwest with her husband, Andrew, and their six kids, where she loves to make sure they are well-stocked in the best books she can find.

Connect with Sarah at readaloudrevival.com


6 comments:

  1. This looks tasty - lovely review, Robin

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  2. Looks like a really sweet book!

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  3. I keep trying to work this book into my schedule

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  4. Looks like a really sweet book.

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  5. This looks adorable! Women's fiction isn't my usual genre but I'm going to have to give it a try :)

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