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Pine Lake Sisterhood #2
Senseless Acts of Beauty
A new novel of women's friendship from the author of Random Acts of Kindness that will appeal to fans of Kristin Hannah, Luanne Rice, and Karen White.
Tess has a secret: For fifteen years she has been furtively following the life of the daughter she gave up as an infant for adoption. But when Sadie runs away from home determined to find her birth mother, Tess has no choice but to hunt down the desperate girl in the one place she dreads—Pine Lake, where a terrible, buried secret threatens to destroy them both.
Tess has a secret: For fifteen years she has been furtively following the life of the daughter she gave up as an infant for adoption. But when Sadie runs away from home determined to find her birth mother, Tess has no choice but to hunt down the desperate girl in the one place she dreads—Pine Lake, where a terrible, buried secret threatens to destroy them both.
352 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 2015
34 people are currently reading
1249 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Verge Higgins
6 books184 followersBefore she started writing novels, Lisa Verge Higgins worked toward her PhD in organic chemistry at Stanford University. She ditched all that for her true passion: Writing life-affirming, critically acclaimed women’s fiction, and, as Lisa Ann Verge, penning emotionally-intense romances about hot men and dangerous women. Published worldwide in eighteen languages, Lisa has earned a Bean Pot and a RITA nomination, and is the winner of three Golden Leaf trophies and five RT Book awards. When not writing, she hunts wild mushrooms, studies Turkish, hikes mountains, and keeps tabs on the antics of her three wild-and-talented daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 3, 2015
Easy to read..a solid 3.5 stars
March 15, 2015
RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015
RATING: 5 Stars Excellent! Get your hands on the hardcover and add it to your shelves TODAY!
GENRE:: Women’s Fiction / Literature
AUDIENCE: Fans of Kristin Hannah, Sarah Addison Allen and Robyn Carr will truly enjoy “Senseless Acts of Beauty”.
SERIES: Pine Lake series
REVIEW: I read “Random Acts of Kindness” in the spring of 2014, and really liked the characters, with all their personal foibles and challenges. The threads of friendship and growing into oneself continue in “Senseless Acts of Beauty”.
Tess returns to Camp Kwenbeck after years away from the Pine Lake area. Raised as the daughter of the town drunk, she left town after a serious trauma stripped away her last desire to care for her mother. Getting by the skin of her teeth, she understands more than anyone the dangers of life on the street for a young person. Her concern for the daughter she gave up for adoption years ago finally brings her back to the place she hoped to never see again.
Fifteen year old Sadie comes to Camp Kwenbeck to track down her biological mother. The only clue to her identity is the Camp Kwenbeck towel she was given to her birth parents wrapped in. After losing her adoptive parents and her grandmother’s health fails, Sadie is desperate to find a home before being fed into the foster care system.
Riley is trying to keep Camp Kwenbeck afloat after inheriting it from her grandparents, much to her entire families’ chagrin. Upon discovering Sadie in a maintenance shed, she brings her into the resort and begins to learn more about Sadie’s sad story. When she learns Sadie’s appearance is tied to Tess’s return, she does everything possible to bring the two together.
There are a lot of relationships and dynamics in this book. Tess and Sadie, Sadie and Riley, Riley and Tess, Riley and her mother, Riley and her soon to be ex-husband Tess and cop from her past Office Rodriguez…Readers will not be bored.
I worked up some tears throughout this book, and had a good bawl after reading the end. I’m not going to spoil the ending, but can assure readers this is a very satisfying read and a terrific way to blow a spring afternoon.
*Tremendous thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC.
FYI: Additional books by Lisa Verge Higgins include:
The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship pub. 2011
One Good Friend Deserves Another pub. 2012
Friendship Makes the Heart Grow Stronger pub. 2013
Random Acts of Kindness (Pine Lake #1) pub. 2014
RATING: 5 Stars Excellent! Get your hands on the hardcover and add it to your shelves TODAY!
GENRE:: Women’s Fiction / Literature
AUDIENCE: Fans of Kristin Hannah, Sarah Addison Allen and Robyn Carr will truly enjoy “Senseless Acts of Beauty”.
SERIES: Pine Lake series
REVIEW: I read “Random Acts of Kindness” in the spring of 2014, and really liked the characters, with all their personal foibles and challenges. The threads of friendship and growing into oneself continue in “Senseless Acts of Beauty”.
Tess returns to Camp Kwenbeck after years away from the Pine Lake area. Raised as the daughter of the town drunk, she left town after a serious trauma stripped away her last desire to care for her mother. Getting by the skin of her teeth, she understands more than anyone the dangers of life on the street for a young person. Her concern for the daughter she gave up for adoption years ago finally brings her back to the place she hoped to never see again.
Fifteen year old Sadie comes to Camp Kwenbeck to track down her biological mother. The only clue to her identity is the Camp Kwenbeck towel she was given to her birth parents wrapped in. After losing her adoptive parents and her grandmother’s health fails, Sadie is desperate to find a home before being fed into the foster care system.
Riley is trying to keep Camp Kwenbeck afloat after inheriting it from her grandparents, much to her entire families’ chagrin. Upon discovering Sadie in a maintenance shed, she brings her into the resort and begins to learn more about Sadie’s sad story. When she learns Sadie’s appearance is tied to Tess’s return, she does everything possible to bring the two together.
There are a lot of relationships and dynamics in this book. Tess and Sadie, Sadie and Riley, Riley and Tess, Riley and her mother, Riley and her soon to be ex-husband Tess and cop from her past Office Rodriguez…Readers will not be bored.
I worked up some tears throughout this book, and had a good bawl after reading the end. I’m not going to spoil the ending, but can assure readers this is a very satisfying read and a terrific way to blow a spring afternoon.
*Tremendous thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC.
FYI: Additional books by Lisa Verge Higgins include:
The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship pub. 2011
One Good Friend Deserves Another pub. 2012
Friendship Makes the Heart Grow Stronger pub. 2013
Random Acts of Kindness (Pine Lake #1) pub. 2014
April 26, 2016
I am invariably a sucker for stories about adoptions. In this novel, fourteen year old Sadie Tischler comes to Camp Kwenback looking for her birth mother. The only clue she has is a towel with the camp logo, which was wrapped around her as a baby. Riley Cross finds Sadie hiding in the shed on the camp property she has inherited from her grandparents. Tess Hendrick also arrives at the camp in Pine Lake after a lengthy absence, even though she had previously sworn never to set foot in the town again. But Tess finds sometimes events force you to act in a way that runs contrary to what you want to do.
The return stirs up a lot of mixed emotions for Tess. It quickly becomes obvious to the reader that Tess is Sadie’s birth mother, though for reasons of her own she wants to continue keep that her secret. But so often secrets have a way of escaping, don’t they?
This novel deals with the relationship between mothers and daughter, between the way people outside view events and the reality for those concerned, and the issues caused to all parties by adoption. There is one fact given in this novel about parental rights in thirty one states in USA that absolutely floored me. I can’t give it away without revealing too much of the plot. But it horrified me.
I enjoyed this story about love, families and sacrifice. It sucked me right into the lives of the three main characters. They are all believable and the story for flows well. It was a good read that involved the emotions. I would be interested to read another book by this author.
The return stirs up a lot of mixed emotions for Tess. It quickly becomes obvious to the reader that Tess is Sadie’s birth mother, though for reasons of her own she wants to continue keep that her secret. But so often secrets have a way of escaping, don’t they?
This novel deals with the relationship between mothers and daughter, between the way people outside view events and the reality for those concerned, and the issues caused to all parties by adoption. There is one fact given in this novel about parental rights in thirty one states in USA that absolutely floored me. I can’t give it away without revealing too much of the plot. But it horrified me.
I enjoyed this story about love, families and sacrifice. It sucked me right into the lives of the three main characters. They are all believable and the story for flows well. It was a good read that involved the emotions. I would be interested to read another book by this author.
March 11, 2015
A special thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lisa Verge Higgins returns to the favorite camp at Pine Lake with SENSELESS ACTS OF BEAUTY, a novel of three women – Riley, Sadie, and Tess all longing for permanence in their unsettled lives. A poignant exploration of motherhood-daughter relationships (adoptive and biological), and the bonds of friendship.
Tess – When the books opens Tess is a grown woman, making her way back to a place she swore she would never return. She has been driving an eighteen-wheeler for a living and residing in her cab, since her early days of living on the street. With no example of parenting, an alcoholic mother, and a horrific rape drove a teen away from this town years ago—with emotional and psychological trauma. Now circumstances are forcing her to return across the country, in order to ensure the safety of her daughter, once again. She gave up Sadie years ago, the daughter she loved, to protect her.
Sadie – A teen of age fifteen sets off to find her birth mother. The only thing she has to go on is a towel with a logo from Camp Kwenback, Pine River. Why did her mother give her away? Now her adoptive parents are dead, and her Nana has dementia, and she is determined to find her biological mother. She finds Riley the manager of the Camp, and they connect, after all Riley was also adopted. Sadie feels like she has no options until she is eighteen and she is not crazy about going back to her aunt’s house with a house full of kids.
Riley A high school friend of Tess, she has troubles of her own. Her biological mother wants nothing to do with her. She has no clue of her father, she has a failed marriage, and now the camp has financial problems and she does not have enough money to renovate. She is indecisive and feels like she is stuck with no way to move forward.
We hear from each woman-girl with their heartfelt troubled pasts, choices, and complex situations. Sadie has no clue Tess is her biological mother and Riley guesses. Tess has not had an easy life and her biggest fear is the man who raped her will find out he has a daughter, and Tess has spent her entire life keeping tabs on her daughter, from a distance, and she cannot let Sadie know about her conception.
Tess and Officer Rodriguez have a long and complicated relationship, from back in the day as a teen with her dysfunctional family home. Now, the same officer comes to rescue in order to help catch this man who ruined her life.
As mentioned in the novel, thirty-one states in the US have no current law preventing rapists from claiming parental rights to biological children from those assaults. This is my third book in a row about rapes: Those Girls, Breath of Scandal and now Senseless Acts of Beauty, of innocent teens experiencing rape and chose to have their baby, and a lifelong worry of keeping it a secret, scared their rapist could claim his child. So sad and heartbreaking.
Mother-daughter relationships a common theme with the dysfunction of Tess and her mother, the loving and fraught relationship between Riley and her adoptive mother, and of course the strained relationship between Tess and Sadie. Incredible insights into adoption, and the birth mother’s perspective, as well as the child later on, told with compassion and humor.
Loved the front cover and the choice of lodge, log cabin and the camp setting in the Adirondack Mountains. We all have fond memories of these days with vacationing in a rustic environment, surrounded by nature, new friends, old friends, and of course, there is always the warm personalities such as these grandparents, adding to the charm, drawing you back. I have a few of these much loved lodges in the North Georgia Mountains and the Catskills.
This was my first book by Higgins and was so intrigued, immediately purchased RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS, which I also enjoyed. Those who have read the first book, will enjoy catching up with familiar characters.
Fans of Kristin Hannah, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Luanne Rice, Susan Wiggs, and Emilie Richards will enjoy the author's style, and this beautifully written novel. Look forward to reading more!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
Lisa Verge Higgins returns to the favorite camp at Pine Lake with SENSELESS ACTS OF BEAUTY, a novel of three women – Riley, Sadie, and Tess all longing for permanence in their unsettled lives. A poignant exploration of motherhood-daughter relationships (adoptive and biological), and the bonds of friendship.
Tess – When the books opens Tess is a grown woman, making her way back to a place she swore she would never return. She has been driving an eighteen-wheeler for a living and residing in her cab, since her early days of living on the street. With no example of parenting, an alcoholic mother, and a horrific rape drove a teen away from this town years ago—with emotional and psychological trauma. Now circumstances are forcing her to return across the country, in order to ensure the safety of her daughter, once again. She gave up Sadie years ago, the daughter she loved, to protect her.
Sadie – A teen of age fifteen sets off to find her birth mother. The only thing she has to go on is a towel with a logo from Camp Kwenback, Pine River. Why did her mother give her away? Now her adoptive parents are dead, and her Nana has dementia, and she is determined to find her biological mother. She finds Riley the manager of the Camp, and they connect, after all Riley was also adopted. Sadie feels like she has no options until she is eighteen and she is not crazy about going back to her aunt’s house with a house full of kids.
Riley A high school friend of Tess, she has troubles of her own. Her biological mother wants nothing to do with her. She has no clue of her father, she has a failed marriage, and now the camp has financial problems and she does not have enough money to renovate. She is indecisive and feels like she is stuck with no way to move forward.
We hear from each woman-girl with their heartfelt troubled pasts, choices, and complex situations. Sadie has no clue Tess is her biological mother and Riley guesses. Tess has not had an easy life and her biggest fear is the man who raped her will find out he has a daughter, and Tess has spent her entire life keeping tabs on her daughter, from a distance, and she cannot let Sadie know about her conception.
Tess and Officer Rodriguez have a long and complicated relationship, from back in the day as a teen with her dysfunctional family home. Now, the same officer comes to rescue in order to help catch this man who ruined her life.
As mentioned in the novel, thirty-one states in the US have no current law preventing rapists from claiming parental rights to biological children from those assaults. This is my third book in a row about rapes: Those Girls, Breath of Scandal and now Senseless Acts of Beauty, of innocent teens experiencing rape and chose to have their baby, and a lifelong worry of keeping it a secret, scared their rapist could claim his child. So sad and heartbreaking.
Mother-daughter relationships a common theme with the dysfunction of Tess and her mother, the loving and fraught relationship between Riley and her adoptive mother, and of course the strained relationship between Tess and Sadie. Incredible insights into adoption, and the birth mother’s perspective, as well as the child later on, told with compassion and humor.
Loved the front cover and the choice of lodge, log cabin and the camp setting in the Adirondack Mountains. We all have fond memories of these days with vacationing in a rustic environment, surrounded by nature, new friends, old friends, and of course, there is always the warm personalities such as these grandparents, adding to the charm, drawing you back. I have a few of these much loved lodges in the North Georgia Mountains and the Catskills.
This was my first book by Higgins and was so intrigued, immediately purchased RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS, which I also enjoyed. Those who have read the first book, will enjoy catching up with familiar characters.
“Senseless Acts of Beauty circles around the idea that beauty and reason don’t always coexist, that beauty is inexplicable, often random, always in the eye of the beholder, and that the most heartbreaking, amazing creations can arise out of whimsy as well as serious intent –or even from no intent at all. “
Fans of Kristin Hannah, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Luanne Rice, Susan Wiggs, and Emilie Richards will enjoy the author's style, and this beautifully written novel. Look forward to reading more!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
March 31, 2015
I received a free copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.
Get those tissues ready.... you are going to need them.
This is the first book I have read by Lisa Verge Higgins, and immediately I put her the same category as Jennifer Weiner. After finishing the book, I decided that Lisa Verge Higgins surpassed the emotional level of Weiner. AND, I do love Jennifer Weiner!
You get a story with three points of view. The birth mother who cannot let go, the daughter searching for her birth mother, and a lady (already knee deep is family issues) who stumbles upon the runaway. All three are worthwhile, beautiful people filled with passion, anger and the need of acceptance.
The life you plan is not always the life you get for you or your child.
I loved the book, it was well written and well paced. I could easily imagine being a 14 year old girl abandoned first by my birth mother through adoption, THEN losing my adopted parents through death. But, it doesn't end there. She finally loses her grandmother through dementia. Well-adjusted, our Sadie is not, through her bitterness and rebellion, you see a girl crying out for help. Her story is a powerful one. Love, acceptance is forgiveness is needed on all sides of this trio.
I adored this book. I would recommend it for anyone. It is safely among my keepers!
Happy Reading.
Get those tissues ready.... you are going to need them.
This is the first book I have read by Lisa Verge Higgins, and immediately I put her the same category as Jennifer Weiner. After finishing the book, I decided that Lisa Verge Higgins surpassed the emotional level of Weiner. AND, I do love Jennifer Weiner!
You get a story with three points of view. The birth mother who cannot let go, the daughter searching for her birth mother, and a lady (already knee deep is family issues) who stumbles upon the runaway. All three are worthwhile, beautiful people filled with passion, anger and the need of acceptance.
The life you plan is not always the life you get for you or your child.
I loved the book, it was well written and well paced. I could easily imagine being a 14 year old girl abandoned first by my birth mother through adoption, THEN losing my adopted parents through death. But, it doesn't end there. She finally loses her grandmother through dementia. Well-adjusted, our Sadie is not, through her bitterness and rebellion, you see a girl crying out for help. Her story is a powerful one. Love, acceptance is forgiveness is needed on all sides of this trio.
I adored this book. I would recommend it for anyone. It is safely among my keepers!
Happy Reading.
June 8, 2023
This story power punches, and is well-written and paced.
It offers up hard and soft characters.
You hit the ground running the moment the story opens.
There is one fact given in this novel about parental rights in thirty one states that absolutely floored me.
I am not going to share it, because you don’t want me to give away any of the plot.
Once you get to it, I will be interested in hearing your reaction. For me…I was horrified.
This story about love, families and sacrifice will easily suck you in, if you are interested in going there.
It offers up hard and soft characters.
You hit the ground running the moment the story opens.
There is one fact given in this novel about parental rights in thirty one states that absolutely floored me.
I am not going to share it, because you don’t want me to give away any of the plot.
Once you get to it, I will be interested in hearing your reaction. For me…I was horrified.
This story about love, families and sacrifice will easily suck you in, if you are interested in going there.
March 4, 2015
I absolutely loved this book and want to read the other books Lisa Verge Higgins has written. This was the story of Sadie who wanted to find her birth mother, it also involves Riley who found her and Tess, who had a very hard life. This was a heart wrenching story of the difficult decisions some girls have to make about and adoption and why and the struggle of children to find their biological parents. It is very true to life. I could hardly put it down and highly recommend it to others.
January 3, 2015
Relationships between mothers and daughters are complicated in the best of circumstances. Factor in adoption, birth mothers, adopted mothers, and you have a story filled with drama and pathos. Riley finds Sadie hiding in the grounds of a resort she is trying to restore. Sadie is a runaway, searching for her birth mother. I like the style of writing and the depth involved in this novel.
April 6, 2015
review to come
March 18, 2020
Oh there were an unbounding amount of characters not to like in this story. But I guess that is a mark of an excellent story teller right? Story centers around three women-Riley and Tess, friends from Pine Lake high school, now in their 30s who are both trying to shake the past and plan new futures. Sadie, 14, an adoptee who's family has been turned upside down first with the death of her loving adopted parents and then with her nana (new guardian) who is suffering from dementia. Sadie makes her way from Queens to Pine Lake in the Adirondack mountains in search of info related to her birth mom. It was a compelling story-loved the setting, but there was just something about it that didn't sit with me. Not sure what it was and I stuck with the book to see if my feelings would change.
December 6, 2025
Sadie is adopted and her adopted parents have died. The sister of her mother has
taken her to live with her. After a while things didn't work out well and she
was sent to live with her grandmother. As time went on Sadie was the care
giver of her grandmother at the age of 14.
Sadie has always wondered about her birth mother and set out to find her. She
was found a possible clue and started on her way.
taken her to live with her. After a while things didn't work out well and she
was sent to live with her grandmother. As time went on Sadie was the care
giver of her grandmother at the age of 14.
Sadie has always wondered about her birth mother and set out to find her. She
was found a possible clue and started on her way.
July 27, 2025
I think the themes of the novel were great, some great quotes as well. Storyline was just a little too slow paced for liking and other than Riley, I did not really love the character's much, just could not connect for some reason. I am open to reading other novels by this author though due to her interesting themes and takes on motherhood!
May 9, 2017
This was the first book I've read by Lisa Verge Higgins, and I thought it was a good one. It had good characters and an interesting storyline that tugged at my heartstrings. It was the story of two women, Tess and Riley, and a teenaged girl, Sadie. I wanted what was best for all three of them, and enjoyed reading their story.
May 19, 2017
I would have given it a four stars but I thought it ended really abruptly and the story seemed unresolved
January 1, 2018
Was given this book by a great lady. Was an easy read. Writing was ok and the story was good. It was a good book to read while waiting for my book to become available at the library.
March 3, 2018
One of the most difficult books I had to read.....that is all.
July 23, 2018
The power of love. Great story, loved the characters & all the nuances of figuring out which path we all must decide on.
October 4, 2018
I just couldn't get into this book. I didn't like the characters and couldn't make myself care enough about them to finish reading past page 73.
February 20, 2019
So good that I hope there will be another Pine Lake Sisterhood book very soon...sigh.
July 11, 2019
I enjoyed this quick read. A little darker than I expected but that was ok.
August 25, 2019
This didn’t hold my attention throughout, and I finally gave up about 3/4 through. Disappointed.
May 8, 2020
3.5 ⭐
October 6, 2021
3.5 out of 5.
May 21, 2025
I hate stories where no one can bring themselves to just step up and tell the truth. "Look! Here's your daughter and here's your mother". Take it from there. I want to read THAT.
September 17, 2025
This book explores the feelings of adoption. I know I wrote a review on this book but can’t find it. I might need a book on computers…
April 21, 2015
SAOB Cover
By
Lisa Verge Higgins
Synopsis
A new novel of women's friendship from the author of Random Acts of Kindness that will appeal to fans of Kristin Hannah, Luanne Rice, and Karen White.
Tess has a secret. For fifteen years she has been furtively following the life of the daughter she gave up as an infant for adoption. But when Sadie runs away from home determined to find her birth mother, Tess has no choice but to hunt down the desperate girl in the one place she
dreads--Pine Lake, where a terrible, buried secret threatens to destroy them both.
Preview
I spent this last month in the company of a group of good friends and Lisa Higgins at Goodreads. Deb Haupt hosted a month long read for Senseless Acts of Beauty on the General Fiction Forum Expats Group. As always, the group was a rollicking discussion across the airwaves and between Continents as we worked our way through the book with Lisa and Deb.
Review
Lisa has become known for her Women’s Fiction and novels that address issues that strike the very core of women’s hearts and the essence of who we are. She seems to be able to crawl into our psyche and address the very issues we are most afraid to address. She brings them to life with her special magic and a modicum of levity and heart, then she nails us between the eyes with the reality of life.
With Senseless Acts of Beauty, Lisa took the bare bones of our human need to be accepted and loved. She addressed our basic need to have a safe place to call home and nailed the story to the barn wall. She has captured the very essence of the fear, the anxiety, the confusion, the sadness, the loneliness, and most of all the "lostness" of kids that just don't feel like they truly belong.
There are the lucky ones that are truly loved at home. But then there are those like Tess, where home was just a Wrecking Derby. “Love” was a “longed for dream” that she really did not know what it really was, and if and when someone showed her a basic kindness, she ran for the hills. She did not know how to receive or reciprocate those emotions of tender feelings -- they were truly foreign. The one time in her life that she actually found and felt those feelings was with Riley's grandparents.
I love the way Lisa uses words and finds symbolism in imagery within her stories. It broadens the visual experience of her novels. So many times when words will fail to get an emotion across, simple visual imagery will send us across vast wonders of beauty or terror that will bring that emotion the writer is trying to describe pouring from our souls. Lisa is a master at this and utilized it often in the pages of this book. She was also capable of letting her "geek" escape, and sending this reader on a trip to google to discover some new source that I had forgotten about or had yet to know. (I love it when the “geek” escapes and we all learn something new.
In the end, once again, Lisa led us all to the discovery of the power of love, and that love can conquer all. I think that is why I find her stories so habit forming and why I keep watching for them next new book at the bookstore.
LVHigginsPubPicAbout the Author
Lisa Verge Higgins is the RITA-nominated author of seventeen novels that have been published worldwide and translated into as many languages--quite a switch for this former PhD candidate in chemistry. A mother of three, this five-time RT Book Awards finalist has won the Golden Leaf, The Bean Pot, and twice has been anointed by Barnes & Noble's General Fiction Forum for their top twenty novels-of-the-year. Her stories about women’s lives and women’s friendships have been described by critics as “joyous,” “uplifting,” “full of humor, love and life lessons,” and “inspire us to focus on what’s really important in our lives.” When not writing stories, Lisa is reading them as a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books. She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three teenage daughters, who never fail to make life interesting.
Lisa and her books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other Indie bookstores online.
By
Lisa Verge Higgins
Synopsis
A new novel of women's friendship from the author of Random Acts of Kindness that will appeal to fans of Kristin Hannah, Luanne Rice, and Karen White.
Tess has a secret. For fifteen years she has been furtively following the life of the daughter she gave up as an infant for adoption. But when Sadie runs away from home determined to find her birth mother, Tess has no choice but to hunt down the desperate girl in the one place she
dreads--Pine Lake, where a terrible, buried secret threatens to destroy them both.
Preview
I spent this last month in the company of a group of good friends and Lisa Higgins at Goodreads. Deb Haupt hosted a month long read for Senseless Acts of Beauty on the General Fiction Forum Expats Group. As always, the group was a rollicking discussion across the airwaves and between Continents as we worked our way through the book with Lisa and Deb.
Review
Lisa has become known for her Women’s Fiction and novels that address issues that strike the very core of women’s hearts and the essence of who we are. She seems to be able to crawl into our psyche and address the very issues we are most afraid to address. She brings them to life with her special magic and a modicum of levity and heart, then she nails us between the eyes with the reality of life.
With Senseless Acts of Beauty, Lisa took the bare bones of our human need to be accepted and loved. She addressed our basic need to have a safe place to call home and nailed the story to the barn wall. She has captured the very essence of the fear, the anxiety, the confusion, the sadness, the loneliness, and most of all the "lostness" of kids that just don't feel like they truly belong.
There are the lucky ones that are truly loved at home. But then there are those like Tess, where home was just a Wrecking Derby. “Love” was a “longed for dream” that she really did not know what it really was, and if and when someone showed her a basic kindness, she ran for the hills. She did not know how to receive or reciprocate those emotions of tender feelings -- they were truly foreign. The one time in her life that she actually found and felt those feelings was with Riley's grandparents.
I love the way Lisa uses words and finds symbolism in imagery within her stories. It broadens the visual experience of her novels. So many times when words will fail to get an emotion across, simple visual imagery will send us across vast wonders of beauty or terror that will bring that emotion the writer is trying to describe pouring from our souls. Lisa is a master at this and utilized it often in the pages of this book. She was also capable of letting her "geek" escape, and sending this reader on a trip to google to discover some new source that I had forgotten about or had yet to know. (I love it when the “geek” escapes and we all learn something new.
In the end, once again, Lisa led us all to the discovery of the power of love, and that love can conquer all. I think that is why I find her stories so habit forming and why I keep watching for them next new book at the bookstore.
LVHigginsPubPicAbout the Author
Lisa Verge Higgins is the RITA-nominated author of seventeen novels that have been published worldwide and translated into as many languages--quite a switch for this former PhD candidate in chemistry. A mother of three, this five-time RT Book Awards finalist has won the Golden Leaf, The Bean Pot, and twice has been anointed by Barnes & Noble's General Fiction Forum for their top twenty novels-of-the-year. Her stories about women’s lives and women’s friendships have been described by critics as “joyous,” “uplifting,” “full of humor, love and life lessons,” and “inspire us to focus on what’s really important in our lives.” When not writing stories, Lisa is reading them as a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books. She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three teenage daughters, who never fail to make life interesting.
Lisa and her books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other Indie bookstores online.
March 12, 2015
I just finished reading Senseless Acts of Beauty by Lisa Verge Higgins. Riley Cross has inherited Camp Kwenbook from her grandparents, Mary and Bud. She left her job and husband to return to Pine Lake and the camp. However, the camp is not doing well and Riley is going to have to make some hard decisions.
One day Riley discovers Sadie Tischler hiding in one of the sheds on the property. Sadie is a young runaway (14) who is trying to find her birth mother. Sadie’s adoptive parents are deceased and she has been living with her grandmother. The grandmother, though, has dementia and is now being put into a home. Sadie’s only option is to go live with her Aunt Violet (and husband who have four kids).
Sadie figured it would not be hard to figure out who her biological mother is in such a small town. Riley who is adopted herself understands Sadie’s need to find out who gave birth to her. Riley gives Sadie a place to stay while Sadie conducts her research.
Tess (Theresa) Hendrick grew up in Pine Lake with an alcoholic mother. Tess’ father left when she was twelve, but Tess decided to stay behind with her mother. Tess dealt with her home situation by getting involved with the wrong crowd, drugs, and stealing. Tess left the area and became a trucker in North Dakota. Tess has come to Pine Lake and the camp to keep an eye on Sadie. All three ladies will go through a journey of discovery.
I give Senseless Acts of Beauty 2.5 out of 5 stars. I did not enjoy this book. There is a lot of anger and teenage angst. I found a lot of paragraphs were just unnecessary. It is a book that leaves you unsettled and unhappy when the story is over. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I ended up just reading it to get through it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One day Riley discovers Sadie Tischler hiding in one of the sheds on the property. Sadie is a young runaway (14) who is trying to find her birth mother. Sadie’s adoptive parents are deceased and she has been living with her grandmother. The grandmother, though, has dementia and is now being put into a home. Sadie’s only option is to go live with her Aunt Violet (and husband who have four kids).
Sadie figured it would not be hard to figure out who her biological mother is in such a small town. Riley who is adopted herself understands Sadie’s need to find out who gave birth to her. Riley gives Sadie a place to stay while Sadie conducts her research.
Tess (Theresa) Hendrick grew up in Pine Lake with an alcoholic mother. Tess’ father left when she was twelve, but Tess decided to stay behind with her mother. Tess dealt with her home situation by getting involved with the wrong crowd, drugs, and stealing. Tess left the area and became a trucker in North Dakota. Tess has come to Pine Lake and the camp to keep an eye on Sadie. All three ladies will go through a journey of discovery.
I give Senseless Acts of Beauty 2.5 out of 5 stars. I did not enjoy this book. There is a lot of anger and teenage angst. I found a lot of paragraphs were just unnecessary. It is a book that leaves you unsettled and unhappy when the story is over. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I ended up just reading it to get through it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 25, 2015
**Thank you to Netgalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review**
This book tells the story of 3 women - Riley, Tess, and Sadie. Each woman is going through a personal struggle and I was instantly drawn in and couldn't put the book down. Sadie is a runaway trying to find her adopted mother. When she was given up for adoption she was wrapped in towel from a Camp Kwenback in Pine Lake. The search for her mother brings her to that camp where she meets Riley, the woman who runs the camp. Riley has taken over the camp from her grandparents and is struggling to make ends meet. Shortly thereafter Tess shows up. Tess is dealing with some demons from her past life and is trying to find her place in the world. Tess and Riley are former friends from high school and they start to rekindle their friendship. Sadie started to wonder if Riley could possible be her biological mother. Adoption is covered from 3 perspectives - the person put up for adoption, the person who gave their baby up for adoption, and the person who chose to adopt a baby. I enjoyed everything about it. I loved each and every character and felt a connection to several people in the story.
This book tells the story of 3 women - Riley, Tess, and Sadie. Each woman is going through a personal struggle and I was instantly drawn in and couldn't put the book down. Sadie is a runaway trying to find her adopted mother. When she was given up for adoption she was wrapped in towel from a Camp Kwenback in Pine Lake. The search for her mother brings her to that camp where she meets Riley, the woman who runs the camp. Riley has taken over the camp from her grandparents and is struggling to make ends meet. Shortly thereafter Tess shows up. Tess is dealing with some demons from her past life and is trying to find her place in the world. Tess and Riley are former friends from high school and they start to rekindle their friendship. Sadie started to wonder if Riley could possible be her biological mother. Adoption is covered from 3 perspectives - the person put up for adoption, the person who gave their baby up for adoption, and the person who chose to adopt a baby. I enjoyed everything about it. I loved each and every character and felt a connection to several people in the story.
March 28, 2015
I really loved this book! What an amazing story and so obvious that Higgins must have spent a huge amount of time with both children out up for adoption and women who have up children for adoption. The emotions all the characters felt were so raw and real. She really captured all the joy and the heartbreak of the adoption process. With that said there were a couple of unresolved issues for me. Overall this was a spectacular book and I highly recommend it.
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