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Carolina Heirlooms #1.5

The Tidewater Sisters

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Tandi Reese and her sister, Gina, have always been bound by complicated ties. Amid the rubble of a difficult childhood lie memories of huddling beneath beds and behind sofas while parental wars raged. Sisterhood was safety . . . once. But now? Faced with legal papers for a fraud she didn't commit, Tandi suspects that her sister has done something unthinkable. With Tandi's wedding just around the corner, a trip to the North Carolina Tidewater for a reckoning with Gina was not part of the plan. But unraveling lies from truth will require confronting strained sibling bonds and uncovering a dark family secret that could free Tandi from her past or stain her future forever. (Novella)

132 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2014

1767 people are currently reading
4654 people want to read

About the author

Lisa Wingate

57 books13.5k followers
Lisa Wingate is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Before We Were Yours, which remained on the bestseller list for over two years. Her award-winning works have been selected for state and community One Book reads, have been published in over forty languages, and have appeared on bestseller lists worldwide. The group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa and six others as recipients of the National Civics Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. She lives in Texas and Colorado with her family and her deceptively cute little teddy bear of a dog, Huckleberry. Find her at www.lisawingate.com, on Facebook at LisaWingateAuthorPage, or on Instagram @author_lisa_wingate

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5 stars
1,521 (31%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 288 reviews
Profile Image for Magdalena.
2,064 reviews891 followers
November 30, 2015
It was a great joy to once again read something with Tandi Reese as the main characters. I loved her in The Prayer Box and it was nice to see her return to her grandparents house to sort things through.

This novella starts off with Tandi getting served for fraud and there is just one person she knows of that would use Tandi's name and that's her sister Gina. So she travellers back home to her grandparents home to find out the truth and to confront her sister. What she doesn't expect is to find out that how much everyone has lied to her when she was growing up...

I think that you really know how much you have come to care for a character is when you get upset for the person's behalf. And, let me tell you there were several times in this book that I wished that Tandi's sister Gina would go to prison. That was until the end when the last conversation between them made my heart melt a bit.

The story is bittersweet, there is great moments, but also really sad ones and I do wish the story had been longer. But that's probably because I have grown to care very much for Tandi Reese and I would without a doubt read more about her.

I was disappointed that the book ended so soon and that around 40% of the book were excerpts from the books in the series.
Profile Image for Loraine.
3,461 reviews
Read
January 7, 2018
A continuation of the story The Prayer Box, Tandi Jo has her life in order. She's finishing up the Benoit House Museum and is soon to marry Paul. But her past still haunts her. It returns with a bang when she is served a court summons for a lawsuit on her grandparents' property which doesn't belong to her. With help from friends and a little digging, she determines that her sister, Gina, has been handling the property that was left to both of them and never told her about it. The time has come to confront the past so she can move on to the future.

Lisa Wingate is one of the best when it comes to writing novellas that seem to tell a complete tale, include depth of characters, and leave you fully satisfied. I loved to see how the support of her Sea Glass sisters and her future husband, Paul, as well as her faith gave her the strength to stand up for herself and face the past. She learned that she could forgive but not condone what had happened and move on to a brighter future. She gave that same blessing to her first love, Luke.

FAVORITE QUOTES: "Real love isn't a payment. It isn't a response to your accomplishments or anything else. It's a gift without strings."

"I've finally come to fully understand that you can't fix another person. You can't fix the past. You can only change your way of reacting to it."
Profile Image for Vannetta Chapman.
Author 128 books1,454 followers
March 1, 2017
This was an excellent story with beautiful prose and engaging characters.
I loved it! I especially loved the setting which made me want to go to the beach!

I read it on my e-reader, and was surprised when the book was over at 68%. I went back and looked at the description of the book, and it is a novella (132 pages). Just remember that when you read it, so you're not surprised when the story comes to a screeching halt.
Profile Image for Judy Collins.
3,306 reviews446 followers
October 18, 2017
Lisa Wingate’s THE TIDEWATER SISTERS, a novella as part of the Carolina Series (Postlude to The Prayer Box). If you haven’t read The Sea Glass Sisters and The Prayer Box—you are in for a treat, highly recommend.

The Carolina Series in order:
• The Sea Glass Sisters .5
• The Prayer Box 1
• The Tidewater Sisters 1.5
• The Story Keeper 2.0
• The Sand Castle Sister 2.5
• The Sea Keeper's Daughter 3.0

The Tidewater Sisters picks from The Prayer Box, with character, Tandi, where she was running from a dangerous past and childhood, finally found solace within Iola’s house, where the letters in those boxes changed everything.

Presently, Tandi is living in the Outer Banks of NC, engaged to be married to Paul, a local school teacher, a single mom for Zoey and JT, and works for the Benoit House Museum, overseeing its renovations and works part-time at Sandy’s Seashell Shop.

Tandi’s life is going great, until she is served with legal papers—a lawsuit (real estate fraud). However, she owns no real estate. After further investigation, her worst nightmare—her sister, Gina. What has she done now?

She drives back to her grandparents’ old farm across the Pamlico Sound in the Carolina Tidewater, NC area—she loved her grandparents, which are now deceased and has some good memories, especially her first love, Luke. But then there was the accident.

All sorts of weird things begin happening, and more dark secrets are uncovered, when she returns to the farm. One shock after another, and then she has to do the unthinkable…turn in her sister or make things right?

Included in the jammed packed novella, bonus excerpts from the past two books, which I have read, and the and exciting upcoming (9/1/14)The Story Keeper, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I typically do not give a novella a 5 Star rating; however, Wingate is a master storyteller, and even her short e-books are so engaging and packed full of emotion, with her heartfelt stories—making you feel you are reading a satisfying full novel.

Wingate combines Christian, contemporary, romance, multi-generational, and family drama into one compelling book.

Loving this series and looking forward to the upcoming,The Story Keeper,set in the Blue Ridge Mountains. As a native of NC, I love stories set in the coastal, Piedmont, and mountain areas of this region.

For those of you not familiar with the Tidewater Region – the land along the coast of NC, close to sea level. All the beaches of NC are located here. There are also capes, projections of land into water, on the coast of NC, and lighthouses normally found on a Cape, reduce incidents of collision between ships and the coast. The major streams and rivers from the Piedmont area empty into sounds or the Atlantic Ocean.

The Tidewater has eight sounds: Back, Pamlico, Albemarle, Currituck, Croatan, Roanoke, Core, and Bogue Sounds. It has many wetlands, where water covers the land. The Tidewater area in North and South Carolina is the only place in the world where the Venus Flytrap grows naturally.

JDCMustReadBooks
Profile Image for Barbara Brown.
344 reviews65 followers
April 24, 2023
Another beautiful book by this author. Was the continuation of The Prayer Box! I feel like there could or should be another book to this set.
Profile Image for Jacque.
689 reviews4 followers
June 6, 2019
It was nice to see more of the story come together after The Prayer Box, but I felt like this should have been a full blown book and not a novella. It seemed to end in the middle of the story.
Profile Image for Staci.
2,310 reviews673 followers
July 28, 2015
The Tidewater Sisters is a novella that continues Tandi's story (The Prayer Box). It's provides a glimpse at her life a year after The Prayer Box ended.
Profile Image for Linda Martin.
Author 1 book98 followers
August 26, 2022
There is so much emotional tension in this novella, several times I had to put it aside so I could absorb what was happening. It gets to a point where I think, "I just can't stand this," not meaning I didn't like the book, but just that the tension was beyond what I could handle.

Tandi Jo was the main character in The Prayer Box (loved that book too) and now is having a happy life, planning to marry, and enjoying Hatteras Island. What a great place to live! It is a narrow island on the shore of North Carolina. She has two children and is about to get married to a local teacher: a respectable, loving man.

Then wouldn't you know it? Something bad has to happen. This time it is an unexpected lawsuit over a failed real estate deal. But wait! Tandi Jo doesn't own land. Well, there's a mystery to solve and a lawsuit to deal with, and her wedding is just two weeks away.

So, there's the setup of this nine-chapter novella. It was a quick read and well-worth the time and trouble. I'm liking all the novels and novellas in this "Carolina Heirlooms" series so much, I'm intentionally reading them all. Can't wait for a chance to read the next one, which will be a full-length novel.
Profile Image for Amber.
26 reviews
May 4, 2018
Not a bad supplemental read

Because I have recently finished reading the Prayer Box, I'm still very familiar with the contents of the story and the characters. I feel like this novella was under developed and was wrapped up quickly and without warning. The major conflict of this story was resolved, but the surrounding plot was left hanging and with more questions than answers. I enjoyed it, I just was left a little hungry for more of the story.
Profile Image for Tonya.
834 reviews11 followers
February 26, 2020
Everything wrapped up a bit too easily, but I guess that's because it is a short novel.
55 reviews
Read
January 16, 2021
I was inspired by the conflict between sisters and how angry, jealous feelings can be melted and made better, not perfect, but better.
302 reviews
July 15, 2021
This was part of a trilogy of stories I listened to together! It wrapped up the other stories nicely
Profile Image for Deb.
300 reviews3 followers
April 19, 2023
I downloaded this book to listen to while driving not realizing it's a novella in a series of books I haven't read nor even heard of. The narrator did not appeal to me.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Wood.
209 reviews
July 19, 2024
I really wanted Tandi to take Gina to court. Oh well. 🤪
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Abi Riley.
15 reviews3 followers
August 9, 2014
The past must be let go before the future can be grasped.~ Quote from The Tidewater Sisters

I adore the imagery in The Tidewater Sisters. Lisa Wingate creates a world of memories, new experiences and growth—and I savor it like a biscuit full of drippings from Ma-maw's iron skillet.

This land bears the tree castles of childhood dreams, the blood of skinned knees, the imprints of bodies gazing at stars, the sweat of summer days, the tears of broken hearts, the fairy dust of first love. (Excerpt: The Tidewater Sisters)

Isn't that beautiful?

That being said, here's what else I like about this book. Tandi Jo, the main character, finds her backbone! Though painful, she confronts her conniving older sister, Gina—and refuses to back down.

Gina's despicable behavior in the first book, The Prayer Box, left me open mouthed. I was happy to see her disappear from Tandi Jo's life—yet wondered where she would turn up next.

Well, in The Tidewater Sisters, Gina wreaks havoc days before Tandi Jo's wedding. Gina's ever-present- self-centered-crooked-selfish-antics chomp into Tandi Jo's happiness. (Yes, I have a strong dislike for Gina.)

Tandi Jo has a limit, and Gina reaches it. This is where Tandi Jo's growth sprinkles…trickles…then torrents into a raging storm. Reining back anger and revenge, she waits for the perfect moment to confront Gina. I was on pins and needles when she did.

In the process of trying to right the wrongs, Tandi Jo unearths more than she bargained for. Gina divulges long kept secrets …including why she kept them. Though Gina is still unlikeable, I ache for a better relationship between the sisters. And maybe…just maybe, it is a possibility.

This novella ties up loose ends, braiding tiny ribbons of understanding through old memories.

Lisa Wingate spins a great story, and though this novella doesn't allow the development of the secondary characters, I can't wait to learn more about them in her next full length book, The Story Keeper.
Profile Image for Spencer Riley.
29 reviews2 followers
August 8, 2014
“I am thankful for this life in which ashes become second chances.”

The Tidewater Sisters, by Lisa Wingate, is the postlude to The Prayer Box.

This story centers on Tandi Jo, a captivating character, first introduced in The Sea Glass Sisters (the prelude) and then in The Prayer Box. After being served papers for fraud, Tandi returns to the North Carolina Tidewater, a place that holds many painful childhood memories, to get the legal mess settled before her upcoming wedding.

I was delighted to be re-introduced to Gina, Tandi Jo’s less than charming sister. Like a hurricane slamming the Outer Banks, she stormed her way in and out of The Prayer Box, leaving me yearning to know more about her. I also learned more about Tandi Jo. She is more confident in this tale, facing her fears and standing on steadier feet. I feared and cheered for her.

The sisterly bond is already paper-thin. Will the turbulence of the past tear them apart for good?

Though this is a short novella, it’s chock full of interesting tidbits and shocking revelations. It can be read as a stand-alone, but I recommend reading the first two tales in the series for a more full-bodied flavor.

The Story Keeper, book 2 in the series, will be released in September. I can't wait! I’ve yet to experience a book by Ms. Wingate that I didn’t absolutely love.

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Page Count: 127

Disclosure of Material Connection in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: NetGalley has provided me a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
Profile Image for Jenny Hartfelder.
421 reviews11 followers
April 6, 2022
This felt almost like a novella of a novella... It didn't help that my mental storyline meter was throne off due to extra content at the end of my ebook so that the story was finished while my book was only at 60%. 🙄 So while I expected there to be enough time to go into detail about the wedding, etc., it was suddenly and unexpectedly done. (Don't get me wrong... It did end fine and it was a reasonable length for a novella ... It just surprised me because I was mentally expecting almost as much more story as I'd already read.)

Overall, I'd say this book was fine... Not bad... Nothing "wrong" with it ... Just a little flat. Things work out just a little too quickly and easily and you're left wondering if they really are resolved or if there's another trick coming, except then the book ends, so I guess I can assume it's actually resolved? 🤷‍♀️ And secrets that have been kept hidden for 20-odd years ALL come out in one 20 minute conversation. 🤔 Yeah... Her shyster of a sister gave up WAY too much, way too easily for character... 🤷‍♀️

So yeah 🤷‍♀️ It was nice to fill in a few good at gaps on Tani's story, but that's really the key benefit.
Profile Image for Peggy.
89 reviews2 followers
July 11, 2014
Love love love this series. The Tidewater Sisters continue the story of Tandi Reese and her sister Gina. Tandi is a woman who has recently gotten her life together. She has had help from the letters of an amazing woman, Iona. Iona passes and Tandi finds these letters in Iona's Prayer Boxes. The Sea Shell Sisters introduces the series and then it is followed up with The Prayer Box. The Tidewater Sisters lives up the the continuation of the series. The Story Keeper out in Sept is next and a MUST READ for me. If you plan on reading this series plan on doing nothing else because you will immediately be drawn into the lives of the characters. I would give it 10 stars if Amazon would let me
Profile Image for Nenette.
865 reviews62 followers
August 23, 2014
When it ended, I wanted more. No, the story wasn't left hanging; I just wished there were more chapters so I could have a glimpse of what happened after. I'm almost certain Ms. Wingate will not let her readers down.

In The Prayer Box, Tandi struggled mostly with herself, and at the end found that by just being who she is, true love and friendship are not impossible. Here in this postlude, Tandi reconciled the mixed emotions she had for her sister and faced up to her. The story sees Tandi through probably one of the major struggles in her life, where she came out whole, new and without any more guilts.

I sure will be reading a lot more by Lisa Wingate.
Profile Image for Karen.
295 reviews
February 28, 2025
I'm not a fan of Novelas. I'm also not a fan of the female wishy washy lead in this story that was carried over from the earlier book. Novelas just are too quick to be able to really bring true meat to the story before the story is all tied up in a neat bow in the end. Novelas are too easy to know the story plot halfway in a you just want it to be done. Lisa Wingate is one of my favorite authors. I will continue to read her books. I just wish the publishers would give her more time per book to make them have more meat like her earlier books. I feel like they are rushing her to complete too many books and therefore the stories aren't as full as they used to be.
Profile Image for Megan.
1,736 reviews200 followers
September 29, 2015
Let me start this review with saying that I haven't read The Prayer Box, and that more than likely effected my view on this book.

While it was somewhat enjoyable, I felt as though a large part was missing and because of that the ending wasn't the greatest.

If I ever read the Prayer Box, and if I enjoy it, I'll probably read this again and then I'll update this review with my thoughts.
Profile Image for Karen.
433 reviews3 followers
July 27, 2014
This is just a great follow up to The Prayer Box that left me feeling satisfied. You have to read it to find out what that means! Its less than 100 pages so it can be read in no time! I'm looking forward to the next book., The Story Tellers.
Profile Image for Sarah.
Author 16 books776 followers
August 16, 2014
A delightful dessert following the prayer box. Sweet and satisfying!

Profile Image for Meg.
26 reviews
August 16, 2017
Good story. I didn't realize it was a short book and I missed reading about Zoey, JT and Paul, but still enjoyed! Wonderful, relatable characters and an interesting story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 288 reviews

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