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Finding Sutton's Choice
It's been ten, long years since her abrupt departure, and, with a cryptic voicemail, 28-year-old writer Charlotte Sutton finds herself back in her hometown of Lakeside, Ohio. Only this time, her estranged father doesn't recognize her, and a surprise half-sibling has taken her place.
Chuck Sutton—newspaper editor, retired baseball player, and the town's most beloved celebrity—is thought to have Alzheimer's disease. The community newspaper is also on the verge of closure, and a childhood friend holds a decade-long grudge. Despite all this, there is Lakeside. The quaint waterfront community, flush with ivy-covered cottages and vintage charm, hasn't changed even as everything else in Charlotte's life has shifted. She intends to stay only long enough to get her father's affairs in order.
But, to reconcile her past and unearth family secrets, Charlotte must reconnect with Chuck through his Alzheimer's diagnosis and reevaluate her own misconceptions about growing up in the small Ohio town that still holds her heart.
Chuck Sutton—newspaper editor, retired baseball player, and the town's most beloved celebrity—is thought to have Alzheimer's disease. The community newspaper is also on the verge of closure, and a childhood friend holds a decade-long grudge. Despite all this, there is Lakeside. The quaint waterfront community, flush with ivy-covered cottages and vintage charm, hasn't changed even as everything else in Charlotte's life has shifted. She intends to stay only long enough to get her father's affairs in order.
But, to reconcile her past and unearth family secrets, Charlotte must reconnect with Chuck through his Alzheimer's diagnosis and reevaluate her own misconceptions about growing up in the small Ohio town that still holds her heart.
310 pages, Paperback
Published June 3, 2025
7 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Brenda Haas
1 book7 followersAward-winning author Brenda Haas lives in Lakeside, Ohio, the setting for her debut novel FINDING SUTTON'S CHOICE, which earned the 2025 Gold Literary Titan Book Award. Haas is also a magazine feature writer, editor, speaker, and Lake Erie regional photographer. She spent many years as a reporter and columnist for a Pittsburgh press. Her writing has appeared in Leisure Living Magazine, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and My Outer Banks Home magazine, among other publications. A circa-1870s Chautauqua resort community, Lakeside attracts generations of annual vacationers, artists, and educators.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 9, 2025
Review is coming soon.
June 28, 2025
Quick, easy read. Charlotte sometimes annoyed me but the story is great. Really shows the difficulties with dealing with dementia. The ending was my favorite part.
August 12, 2025
In Finding Sutton’s Choice, Brenda Haas delivers a heartfelt and layered story about Charlotte Sutton, a young writer who returns to her quaint hometown of Lakeside, Ohio, after ten years away. A mysterious voicemail and concerns about her estranged father’s health, possibly Alzheimer’s, bring her back to a place she swore she’d left behind. As Charlotte steps into the chaos of her father’s declining memory, a struggling family newspaper, and a surprise half-sibling, she’s forced to confront old wounds, unspoken truths, and what it really means to go home again.
This book hit me square in the chest. Haas writes with an intimacy that doesn’t just paint a picture, it lets you walk the streets of Lakeside with Charlotte. Her prose is straightforward, not showy, but rich with emotion and charm. The dialogue felt natural and real, and the pacing kept me invested. I especially loved the way memory and identity were woven through the story without beating me over the head. And Charlotte, who is blunt, flawed, and sharp, was someone I could root for even when she was a mess.
Some of the characters leaned on small-town tropes. Still, Haas balanced it with enough surprises and emotional weight to make those moments work. What really stuck with me was the raw honesty about family. The father-daughter dynamic wasn’t whitewashed, and the complicated layers of resentment, love, and misunderstanding rang painfully true. Watching Charlotte navigate a relationship with a father who might not remember her, and then discovering a brother who took her place, was heartbreaking in the best way.
Finding Sutton’s Choice is a beautiful story about forgiveness, second chances, and finding home in unexpected places. If you’ve ever wrestled with family messes or avoided going back to the town that raised you, you'll enjoy this one. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy emotionally driven fiction with depth, especially fans of Ann Patchett or Elizabeth Berg.
This book hit me square in the chest. Haas writes with an intimacy that doesn’t just paint a picture, it lets you walk the streets of Lakeside with Charlotte. Her prose is straightforward, not showy, but rich with emotion and charm. The dialogue felt natural and real, and the pacing kept me invested. I especially loved the way memory and identity were woven through the story without beating me over the head. And Charlotte, who is blunt, flawed, and sharp, was someone I could root for even when she was a mess.
Some of the characters leaned on small-town tropes. Still, Haas balanced it with enough surprises and emotional weight to make those moments work. What really stuck with me was the raw honesty about family. The father-daughter dynamic wasn’t whitewashed, and the complicated layers of resentment, love, and misunderstanding rang painfully true. Watching Charlotte navigate a relationship with a father who might not remember her, and then discovering a brother who took her place, was heartbreaking in the best way.
Finding Sutton’s Choice is a beautiful story about forgiveness, second chances, and finding home in unexpected places. If you’ve ever wrestled with family messes or avoided going back to the town that raised you, you'll enjoy this one. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy emotionally driven fiction with depth, especially fans of Ann Patchett or Elizabeth Berg.
June 30, 2025
Finding Sutton’s Choice is a thoughtful exploration of memory, identity, and the fragile architecture of family. With a narrative that balances emotional resonance and thematic depth, Alzheimer’s becomes more than a plot device—it becomes a lens through which generational disconnect is refracted. Haas writes with a deep appreciation for the cost of memory’s erosion, capturing how grief, love, and the fog of forgetting intersect in daily life.
The characters feel lived-in, especially Charlotte, whose return to her hometown stirs a tangle of unresolved feelings and quiet reckonings. Haas lets sorrow and hope coexist without tipping into melodrama, and the fractured timeline mirrors the book’s emotional structure—it’s not always easy, but that’s the point. Memory is messy. Healing isn’t linear.
The novel’s strength lies in its ability to evoke grief, guilt, tenderness—layered emotion without sentimentality. Lakeside, Ohio—with its static charm and nostalgic ache—becomes a mirror for Charlotte’s emotional stasis, making place and interiority feel tightly bound.
This is a story you feel more than race through. It doesn’t demand your attention—it invites it. And if you’re willing to slow down and listen, there’s something deeply worthwhile to hear. In the end, Finding Sutton’s Choice lingers in the spaces between memory and myth, asking what it means to truly know someone—especially when memory fails.
The characters feel lived-in, especially Charlotte, whose return to her hometown stirs a tangle of unresolved feelings and quiet reckonings. Haas lets sorrow and hope coexist without tipping into melodrama, and the fractured timeline mirrors the book’s emotional structure—it’s not always easy, but that’s the point. Memory is messy. Healing isn’t linear.
The novel’s strength lies in its ability to evoke grief, guilt, tenderness—layered emotion without sentimentality. Lakeside, Ohio—with its static charm and nostalgic ache—becomes a mirror for Charlotte’s emotional stasis, making place and interiority feel tightly bound.
This is a story you feel more than race through. It doesn’t demand your attention—it invites it. And if you’re willing to slow down and listen, there’s something deeply worthwhile to hear. In the end, Finding Sutton’s Choice lingers in the spaces between memory and myth, asking what it means to truly know someone—especially when memory fails.
June 30, 2025
Thank you so much to the author and Katie Rock services for gifting me a copy of this book to read. I had the best time reading Finding Sutton's Choice!
This story follows Charlotte's journey back home to reconnect with her father. Over the years they had a very strained relationship. Her father even had a son, Charlotte's brother Adam. Though their relationship was strained Charlotte works through this story to reconcile their relationship to enjoy the time she has left with her father.
I thought this book really explored ideas of grief and loss of a parent very well. I like how we got to see different aspects of how your life can change when taking care of a parent.
This story follows Charlotte's journey back home to reconnect with her father. Over the years they had a very strained relationship. Her father even had a son, Charlotte's brother Adam. Though their relationship was strained Charlotte works through this story to reconcile their relationship to enjoy the time she has left with her father.
I thought this book really explored ideas of grief and loss of a parent very well. I like how we got to see different aspects of how your life can change when taking care of a parent.
July 22, 2025
Charlotte left Lakeside ten years ago with no plans to ever return. She gets a message one day that her father is having health problems and she needs to check on him. Arriving at Lakeside she finds her father has Alzheimer’s. There is another surprise, a half brother that she never knew existed. She has a job to return to in Pittsburgh but her dad also needs help with the local newspaper he owns. Tough choices await Charlotte as she also has to face her past and her relationship with her father which wasn’t always pleasant. Having spent time at Lakeside I enjoyed reading this story in that special setting.
June 6, 2025
FINDING SUTTON'S CHOICE is a beautifully crafted story about love, loss, and family ties, set against the nostalgic backdrop of small-town America. Haas's storytelling is top-notch and skillfully relatable as she challenges readers to reflect on their relationships and the complexities that come with them. A must-read for anyone seeking a heartfelt narrative that will stay with them long after turning the last page.
September 1, 2025
I really enjoyed this book! Brenda taught a class on Journaling at Lakeside this summer and mentioned how journaling tied into the writing of her novel. I love meeting authors and hearing them discuss the writing process. The combination of the setting (Lakeside), the topics (family dysfunction and Alzheimers) made this a compelling read. Tears came as I lay on the porch this afternoon finishing the book. Well done Brenda! I look forward to your next novel. :)
July 31, 2025
Haas has written a heartwarming and easy read set in a quaint Lake Erie shore town. This story delivers strong character development and tackles multiple relatable themes. The conclusion is beautiful and deeply satisfying.
September 11, 2025
Fantastic read! Finding Sutton’s Choice truly captured the charm and warmth of Lakeside and the Lakeside community. It was such a fun experience to read a story set in a location I know by heart. I think most people can relate to themes of grief, newfound responsibilities, and navigating family relationships. I feel privileged to have been given a peek into the Sutton family. So proud of you, mom - what an amazing debut novel!
June 15, 2025
Enjoyed this book set in Lakeside written by a Lakesider. Easy to read, fun and sweet. I like how she tied it all up in the end.
August 20, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. The characters showed how important community and relationships are to all of us. Great story set in Lakeside Ohio on Lake Erie. Definitely worth a read.
July 3, 2025
Charlotte Sutton has always had a complicated relationship with her father. In fact, she hasn’t seen or spoken to him in the past decade, leaving her little town where she never felt like she fit in behind her. Charlotte’s life is now In Pittsburgh, until the day she gets a message from a friend of her father’s.
Chuck seems to be struggling with what the doctors believe to be some form of dementia and that she should come home. So she does, because this could be her last chance to reconnect and get answers to all her questions.
But Charlotte is not only surprised when her father doesn’t recognize her but she finds out that she also has a 14 year old brother she knows nothing about. Needless to say, Charlotte and Chuck have a lot to catch up on.
Charlotte is forced to really dig deep and decide whether she wants to stay bitter or move past the past, not just with her father, but with the town itself. Will she choose to stay in a place she thought she hated to help a man she always felt wanted a son and now has one. Where is her place, and does she have a future with them here?
I loved reading Charlotte’s journey. From where she is in her headspace as the book starts to witness her growth throughout the store was fun to witness. It truly had me questioning how I would feel in her place. It was tender, it was emotional, and it was exactly the kinda read I needed right now.
Chuck seems to be struggling with what the doctors believe to be some form of dementia and that she should come home. So she does, because this could be her last chance to reconnect and get answers to all her questions.
But Charlotte is not only surprised when her father doesn’t recognize her but she finds out that she also has a 14 year old brother she knows nothing about. Needless to say, Charlotte and Chuck have a lot to catch up on.
Charlotte is forced to really dig deep and decide whether she wants to stay bitter or move past the past, not just with her father, but with the town itself. Will she choose to stay in a place she thought she hated to help a man she always felt wanted a son and now has one. Where is her place, and does she have a future with them here?
I loved reading Charlotte’s journey. From where she is in her headspace as the book starts to witness her growth throughout the store was fun to witness. It truly had me questioning how I would feel in her place. It was tender, it was emotional, and it was exactly the kinda read I needed right now.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews