You'll love this book if you're a horse lover. That being said, you'll love it even if you aren't familiar with horses.
It's a well woven tale of a completely dysfunctional family. Jewel comes to the homestead to feed and groom the remaining horses. Her rapidly aging parents aren't able to care for either the property, the horses, or themselves. That leaves everything up to Jewel, the responsible child. Her brother is an ex-con, a lifetime nobody; yet seemingly mom's favorite. This is a harsh pill to swallow. Jewel serves an ultimatum to her parents. If Cal comes home, she no longer will. It backfires. Suddenly she's faced with whether there will be ample care for the 4-legged family she loves with all of her heart. She's questioning her relationship with everybody. Her second husband, her daughter, her step-daughter, her parents, her brother, even her sister, who is briefly mentioned, but plays no real part in the story.
It brings forth the heartbreak of being unappreciated, of cheating, mistreating, drug use, aging, illness, and death. But it also takes a broken family, a blended family, and puts them back together in a stronger, more healthy dynamic. It's worth the read. Great lessons to be learned.
I received an ARC (Kindle format) from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. I would give no other kind of review...
I am delighted that you loved the story. I so appreciate this sensitive review that accurately represents the novel but contains no spoilers. I hope your readers love it, too--and I invite them to visit my website (LynneHugo.com) and/or Facebook Author page to see the book trailer, etc. One of the horses in this novel is modeled on the one I used to have: Spice. No other family resemblances though, I'm glad to say. Just a lot of research hidden behind the writing.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that you struggle with health issues.
Thank you again for choosing Remember My Beauties to review.