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En dag ska jag lämna allt det här
En dag ska jag lämna allt det här är en varm och charmig berättelse om kärlek, gemenskap och att börja leva när det är för sent.
Trettiotreåriga Henny Broek står chockad vid vägkanten och ser ner på sin egen orörliga kropp. För en halvtimme sen var hon himlastormande lycklig. Nu är hon …död?
På begravningen träffas hennes älskade ungdomsvänner som en gång arbetade tillsammans på det nedgångna motellet i Pine Creek. Men det enda som verkar förena dem idag är att de verkar fast beslutna att fortsätta vara ensamma och miserabla. Henny inser att hon nu har en livsviktig uppgift – hon ska göra sina vänner lyckliga, och hon är fast besluten om att inte låta det faktum att hon är död hindra henne.
Gradvis får hon vännerna att vakna upp ur sorgen, och motellet får nytt liv när det fylls av nya gäster med skiftande bakgrund. Men alla invånare i Pine Creek är inte lika förtjusta som Henny, och spänningarna mellan motellet och staden växer. Hur mycket är vännerna beredda att riskera för sin sköra gemenskap? Kan man någonsin förändra det som varit? Och kommer Hennys kärlek och kvardröjande närvaro göra dem lyckliga igen, eller får hennes minne dem bara att klamra sig hårdare fast vid sorgen? Det här med lycka visar sig vara betydligt mer komplicerat än Henny tänkt sig …
Trettiotreåriga Henny Broek står chockad vid vägkanten och ser ner på sin egen orörliga kropp. För en halvtimme sen var hon himlastormande lycklig. Nu är hon …död?
På begravningen träffas hennes älskade ungdomsvänner som en gång arbetade tillsammans på det nedgångna motellet i Pine Creek. Men det enda som verkar förena dem idag är att de verkar fast beslutna att fortsätta vara ensamma och miserabla. Henny inser att hon nu har en livsviktig uppgift – hon ska göra sina vänner lyckliga, och hon är fast besluten om att inte låta det faktum att hon är död hindra henne.
Gradvis får hon vännerna att vakna upp ur sorgen, och motellet får nytt liv när det fylls av nya gäster med skiftande bakgrund. Men alla invånare i Pine Creek är inte lika förtjusta som Henny, och spänningarna mellan motellet och staden växer. Hur mycket är vännerna beredda att riskera för sin sköra gemenskap? Kan man någonsin förändra det som varit? Och kommer Hennys kärlek och kvardröjande närvaro göra dem lyckliga igen, eller får hennes minne dem bara att klamra sig hårdare fast vid sorgen? Det här med lycka visar sig vara betydligt mer komplicerat än Henny tänkt sig …
444 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2018
394 people are currently reading
3559 people want to read
About the author
Katarina Bivald
11 books877 followersKatarina Bivald is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend and The Murders in Great Diddling.
She grew up working part-time in a bookshop and lives in Sweden outside Stockholm with her books and her dog.
She grew up working part-time in a bookshop and lives in Sweden outside Stockholm with her books and her dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 434 reviews
January 13, 2020
2.5 stars
What started out as a unique story with a very different concept drastically took a turn around halfway through.
Until the involvement of another storyline, I was incredibly interested in the story. It was refreshingly different. I wanted to know the outcome of the main character and was interested in reading the impact that this character had on her friends and family. The story already had so much going for it whether it be through connecting to the main character or connecting to the friendships. As well, there was the involvement of the main character's father and that introduced a discussion on religion. However, that could have been kept as a discussion instead of becoming a major plot point.
Around halfway through the novel, with the introduction of another complex storyline, everything then became too complicated and confusing. I enjoy complex and complicated stories, however; this story was ALREADY different enough. There was already a part of the story that the reader had to suspend their disbelief for. Yes, the new storyline was realistic which made it easily believable, but it was too much for the overall story. It became a novel where there was just too much going on.
I understand the importance of that second storyline and the discussions that it can produce. However, with its placement in this novel, it took away from the beginning of the novel and the main character's individual story. Due to that addition, it felt as if this novel was written with little direction. I'm disappointed because that original concept could have been what made the story great but instead it felt as if the story was lost along the way.
***Thank you to the publisher for supplying me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
What started out as a unique story with a very different concept drastically took a turn around halfway through.
Until the involvement of another storyline, I was incredibly interested in the story. It was refreshingly different. I wanted to know the outcome of the main character and was interested in reading the impact that this character had on her friends and family. The story already had so much going for it whether it be through connecting to the main character or connecting to the friendships. As well, there was the involvement of the main character's father and that introduced a discussion on religion. However, that could have been kept as a discussion instead of becoming a major plot point.
Around halfway through the novel, with the introduction of another complex storyline, everything then became too complicated and confusing. I enjoy complex and complicated stories, however; this story was ALREADY different enough. There was already a part of the story that the reader had to suspend their disbelief for. Yes, the new storyline was realistic which made it easily believable, but it was too much for the overall story. It became a novel where there was just too much going on.
I understand the importance of that second storyline and the discussions that it can produce. However, with its placement in this novel, it took away from the beginning of the novel and the main character's individual story. Due to that addition, it felt as if this novel was written with little direction. I'm disappointed because that original concept could have been what made the story great but instead it felt as if the story was lost along the way.
***Thank you to the publisher for supplying me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
January 7, 2020
3.5 stars!
I enjoyed the quirky story also written by Katarina Bivald, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, so I was excited to read her next book! Happy pub week Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins!
My thoughts: Henny has spent her life working at the rundown motel known as the Pine Away and located in Pine Creek, Oregon. Henny unfortunately passes away, but her town still needs her. So she can’t really leave? Can she?
At first the story seems as simple as its synopsis, but it’s not. The book isn’t just about Henny. It’s about the people she loved. It’s about coming together and helping one another. It’s about homophobia and its effect on a tightly knit community. Overall, it’s a warmhearted, open, quirky, charming, enjoyable story, and I highly recommend it!
Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
I enjoyed the quirky story also written by Katarina Bivald, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, so I was excited to read her next book! Happy pub week Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins!
My thoughts: Henny has spent her life working at the rundown motel known as the Pine Away and located in Pine Creek, Oregon. Henny unfortunately passes away, but her town still needs her. So she can’t really leave? Can she?
At first the story seems as simple as its synopsis, but it’s not. The book isn’t just about Henny. It’s about the people she loved. It’s about coming together and helping one another. It’s about homophobia and its effect on a tightly knit community. Overall, it’s a warmhearted, open, quirky, charming, enjoyable story, and I highly recommend it!
Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
January 7, 2020
Katarina Bivald’s 2013 novel about small-town life, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, completely charmed me, and I picked up Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins expecting a similar reading experience. Sadly, it didn’t really work out that way for me.
In this new novel, we see the town of Pine Creek, Oregon through the eyes of Henny Broek, who’s dead as of page one, having been hit by a truck on a day when she was feeling particularly happy. Henny doesn’t really understand how she can be dead yet still stick around, but she decides to embrace the opportunity to spend more time with her friends and loved ones, hoping to make sure that they all end up happy. And happiness for this group of misfits centers on the motel, where Henny has worked ever since her teens, a place that has always felt like her true home.
The story is long and rambles quite a bit. We’re supposed to be getting to know Henny through her friends’ experiences and memories, but she and the rest of the characters remain somewhat unknowable. There are hints of personalities, but I didn’t feel that I got a grasp on most of them. The love story here is confusing, and Henny’s purpose is as well. The book makes it seem as though Henny herself is bringing about changes in people’s lives, but as we see throughout the book, Henny is a ghost who can only tag along and observe. I know it’s meant to be charming to see the town and these quirky characters through Henny’s eyes, but honestly, it only made sense to me about half the time.
There’s a subplot about a conservative Christian group’s protests against the motel on grounds of immorality, which mirrors a campaign against gay rights that occurred in the state during Henny and her friends’ high school years. Why a local group would suddenly decide to protest the motel seems pretty arbitrary, and the deus ex machina resolution to the protests is fairly random too.
I could go on, but I’ll stop here. If I hadn’t been reading a review copy, I might not have stuck around to the end. I did find moments that made me smile and liked some elements, but overall, this book is messy and too long and lacks a strong focus. What a disappointment.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
In this new novel, we see the town of Pine Creek, Oregon through the eyes of Henny Broek, who’s dead as of page one, having been hit by a truck on a day when she was feeling particularly happy. Henny doesn’t really understand how she can be dead yet still stick around, but she decides to embrace the opportunity to spend more time with her friends and loved ones, hoping to make sure that they all end up happy. And happiness for this group of misfits centers on the motel, where Henny has worked ever since her teens, a place that has always felt like her true home.
The story is long and rambles quite a bit. We’re supposed to be getting to know Henny through her friends’ experiences and memories, but she and the rest of the characters remain somewhat unknowable. There are hints of personalities, but I didn’t feel that I got a grasp on most of them. The love story here is confusing, and Henny’s purpose is as well. The book makes it seem as though Henny herself is bringing about changes in people’s lives, but as we see throughout the book, Henny is a ghost who can only tag along and observe. I know it’s meant to be charming to see the town and these quirky characters through Henny’s eyes, but honestly, it only made sense to me about half the time.
There’s a subplot about a conservative Christian group’s protests against the motel on grounds of immorality, which mirrors a campaign against gay rights that occurred in the state during Henny and her friends’ high school years. Why a local group would suddenly decide to protest the motel seems pretty arbitrary, and the deus ex machina resolution to the protests is fairly random too.
I could go on, but I’ll stop here. If I hadn’t been reading a review copy, I might not have stuck around to the end. I did find moments that made me smile and liked some elements, but overall, this book is messy and too long and lacks a strong focus. What a disappointment.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
May 4, 2020
DNF... Boring with no substance whatsoever.
January 7, 2020
I enjoyed reading this story! This whole book is told through the point of view of Henny, who has recently passed away after an accident, being hit by a truck. She is lingering around, watching her father and friends grieve her loss and continue on with their lives. The story takes place at the Pine Away Motel and Cabins in Oregon. I found these characters well developed and the plot unique. I was expecting this story to be sad, which there were sad parts at points, but it was told in a heartwarming, moving way! Although slow for me at some parts, I enjoyed it!
Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy to review. All opinions are my own!
Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy to review. All opinions are my own!
June 28, 2022
I am struggling with this book. I just find it too boring. Giving up.
November 13, 2019
When I was a teenager I read a Sweet Valley High book where a terrible earthquake occurred and a beloved side character died in the aftermath.
She was cremated and her ashes were scattered in the ocean and I was so touched that immediately after reading that I went up to my mother and told her that when I died I wanted the same kind of treatment.
She. Was. HORRIFIED.
“Amanda, I don’t want to talk or even THINK about you dying before me. Let’s not discuss this, okay?!”
“But what if that does happen, mommy? ANYTHING could happen. It happened in the book!”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Let’s talk about this another time, okay? But not now. It’s not going to happen. I don’t want to think about it.”
Thinking about it now I completely see what she meant. What parent wants to think about burying their child? Lmao and what parent is going to gleefully write down their child’s burial wishes? But I am Ms. Lack’s Common Sense and Amanda the Oblivious.
Henny Broek hadn’t planned on dying obviously. Especially not on being flattened by a truck in a town she lived all her life. As a ghost she’s accepted it the best she can which is not well at all. She’s determined to keep living, keep reaching out to her family, her friends, the love of her life. After all they need her there. Everyone and everything is falling apart without her. She cannot let a little thing such as death and cremation get in her way.
Henny realizes that she is still lingering for a reason and it’s up to her to figure out why. She has to push her loved ones from spiraling and have them see that although she is no longer there physically, she’ll always be with them in less tangible forms.
For a book that focuses on the heaviest of subjects this was a witty somewhat lighthearted read.
Don’t get me wrong, there were points where I wanted to sob of course but I also found myself laughing at loud at many instances. Henny’s obituary was just so ridiculous that I couldn’t help myself.
I don’t think I’ve read a book where the main character was dead and narrated the entire book so this was definitely different. I mean yeah, horror novels but that’s not the same at all. This is definitely more contemporary and more about people navigating through the aftershocks of grief. It’s rough.
I was honestly very surprised and happy at the LGBT representation in the novel. MacKenzie is a lesbian and Henny’s best friend and roommate and Camila is a transwoman and one of Henny’s best friend. The town that Henny is from is very small and very close minded so a lot of this book is about them navigating the waters of this small/homophobic town. MacKenzie isn’t even allowed to go to Henny’s funeral because of the rumors between her and Henny.
There is also long lost love. Henny’s death is bittersweet as her last moments alive are spent with the man she loved dearly and who she thought she lost forever. He comes back and they spend the night and she feels free again, she feels whole She leaves him and does not know that this time it is forever.
Moments extend into eternity
This is a book about friendship, romance, navigating through grief. It’s funny and heartwarming. It’s an enlightening read and definitely one that’ll produce tears and laughter. It is a touch on the long side and it’s a slow burn but it is more than worth the read. As much as the world is changing there are pockets and cubbies that refuse to budge. This book is a great representation of this and it’s nice to see it doesn’t shy away from the harshness of reality.
I can’t say this was easy for me to read especially with the cloud of death and depression that has been looming over me since this summer.
Death is never easy and mourning is not something that goes away so easy. It’s like an ocean, each wave is different. It’s all about how you navigate through the tide.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of my ARC. All opinions are my own.
She was cremated and her ashes were scattered in the ocean and I was so touched that immediately after reading that I went up to my mother and told her that when I died I wanted the same kind of treatment.
She. Was. HORRIFIED.
“Amanda, I don’t want to talk or even THINK about you dying before me. Let’s not discuss this, okay?!”
“But what if that does happen, mommy? ANYTHING could happen. It happened in the book!”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Let’s talk about this another time, okay? But not now. It’s not going to happen. I don’t want to think about it.”
Thinking about it now I completely see what she meant. What parent wants to think about burying their child? Lmao and what parent is going to gleefully write down their child’s burial wishes? But I am Ms. Lack’s Common Sense and Amanda the Oblivious.
Henny Broek hadn’t planned on dying obviously. Especially not on being flattened by a truck in a town she lived all her life. As a ghost she’s accepted it the best she can which is not well at all. She’s determined to keep living, keep reaching out to her family, her friends, the love of her life. After all they need her there. Everyone and everything is falling apart without her. She cannot let a little thing such as death and cremation get in her way.
Henny realizes that she is still lingering for a reason and it’s up to her to figure out why. She has to push her loved ones from spiraling and have them see that although she is no longer there physically, she’ll always be with them in less tangible forms.
For a book that focuses on the heaviest of subjects this was a witty somewhat lighthearted read.
Don’t get me wrong, there were points where I wanted to sob of course but I also found myself laughing at loud at many instances. Henny’s obituary was just so ridiculous that I couldn’t help myself.
I don’t think I’ve read a book where the main character was dead and narrated the entire book so this was definitely different. I mean yeah, horror novels but that’s not the same at all. This is definitely more contemporary and more about people navigating through the aftershocks of grief. It’s rough.
I was honestly very surprised and happy at the LGBT representation in the novel. MacKenzie is a lesbian and Henny’s best friend and roommate and Camila is a transwoman and one of Henny’s best friend. The town that Henny is from is very small and very close minded so a lot of this book is about them navigating the waters of this small/homophobic town. MacKenzie isn’t even allowed to go to Henny’s funeral because of the rumors between her and Henny.
There is also long lost love. Henny’s death is bittersweet as her last moments alive are spent with the man she loved dearly and who she thought she lost forever. He comes back and they spend the night and she feels free again, she feels whole She leaves him and does not know that this time it is forever.
Moments extend into eternity
This is a book about friendship, romance, navigating through grief. It’s funny and heartwarming. It’s an enlightening read and definitely one that’ll produce tears and laughter. It is a touch on the long side and it’s a slow burn but it is more than worth the read. As much as the world is changing there are pockets and cubbies that refuse to budge. This book is a great representation of this and it’s nice to see it doesn’t shy away from the harshness of reality.
I can’t say this was easy for me to read especially with the cloud of death and depression that has been looming over me since this summer.
Death is never easy and mourning is not something that goes away so easy. It’s like an ocean, each wave is different. It’s all about how you navigate through the tide.
Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of my ARC. All opinions are my own.
July 11, 2023
This book was ok. It started off really good, but by the time I was halfway through it I was losing interest. The writing was pretty good.
January 13, 2020
I really wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did. I liked the beginning--Henny's struggle to accept that she's dead, but also struggling to know why she is still lingering around. The navigation of the various friends, family, and acquaintances in dealing with her death is also touching and very realistic. That's where the book pretty much lost me though.
It flashes back in time to the 90s in Oregon where Ballot Measure 9 (an anti-homosexual bill) was on the forefront of everyone's minds. I think the book was supposed to bring to light that although so much has changed, so much (especially in a small town) is still stuck in that mindset. But the ballot measure did fail, it was nearly thirty years ago, and re-hashing all of it got totally tedious and made finishing the book a slog for me.
I thought this was going to be more of a small town dealing with grief novel, which is how it started, but it didn't end up being that way and I was totally disappointed.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
It flashes back in time to the 90s in Oregon where Ballot Measure 9 (an anti-homosexual bill) was on the forefront of everyone's minds. I think the book was supposed to bring to light that although so much has changed, so much (especially in a small town) is still stuck in that mindset. But the ballot measure did fail, it was nearly thirty years ago, and re-hashing all of it got totally tedious and made finishing the book a slog for me.
I thought this was going to be more of a small town dealing with grief novel, which is how it started, but it didn't end up being that way and I was totally disappointed.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
December 27, 2021
When Henny meets a most untimely demise after a week of love with her old high school sweetheart, she feels obligated to hang around and make tings right.. with Michael, said love, her bestie and now lost friend, Mackenzie, her father & returned classmate, Camilla. In doing so, she seems to heal a town, save the hotel they all worked at and make her little niche of Oregon a better place.
This could have been better we’re there not so many “we’ll explain that later” parts.. which kinda still leave you wondering. Just WHO is Camilla? I never could get a good visual on her. Still, the characters are endearing, dialogue often funny, as are some situations. LBGT issues are a big focus and played out well against the ludicrous “Christians” -
I enjoyed the focus, the scenery, the eclectic mix of characters, and the realism. I just wish it had not taken so long into the book to flashback onto just what she was talking about earlier AND I really wish I could visualize Camilla, before and after.
This could have been better we’re there not so many “we’ll explain that later” parts.. which kinda still leave you wondering. Just WHO is Camilla? I never could get a good visual on her. Still, the characters are endearing, dialogue often funny, as are some situations. LBGT issues are a big focus and played out well against the ludicrous “Christians” -
I enjoyed the focus, the scenery, the eclectic mix of characters, and the realism. I just wish it had not taken so long into the book to flashback onto just what she was talking about earlier AND I really wish I could visualize Camilla, before and after.
January 12, 2020
The Pine Creek Motel has seen better days. Henny would call it charming, but she's always seen the best in things. Like now, when she's just met an untimely end crossing the road. She's not going to let a tiny thing like death stop her from living fully - not when her friends and family need her the most.
After the funeral is over, her body is buried, and the last casserole dish is empty, Henny is still around. She's not sure why, but she realizes she has one last opportunity to help her friends discover the happiness they once knew before they lose the motel and cabins they've cherished for years.
Two stars for this one. It was okay. I enjoyed the first part of the book but about halfway through, I got tired of the parts where the author went back to her teenage years. I wanted those parts to stop. About three quarters of the way through, I just wanted the story to wrap up and be done. That's not an enjoyable way to read a book. I did finish it but with a lot of skimming near the end. Honestly, I felt that the author started with a good concept but had no idea how to end it.
After the funeral is over, her body is buried, and the last casserole dish is empty, Henny is still around. She's not sure why, but she realizes she has one last opportunity to help her friends discover the happiness they once knew before they lose the motel and cabins they've cherished for years.
Two stars for this one. It was okay. I enjoyed the first part of the book but about halfway through, I got tired of the parts where the author went back to her teenage years. I wanted those parts to stop. About three quarters of the way through, I just wanted the story to wrap up and be done. That's not an enjoyable way to read a book. I did finish it but with a lot of skimming near the end. Honestly, I felt that the author started with a good concept but had no idea how to end it.
January 17, 2020
I'm curious where the high ratings are coming from. I forced myself to get to 48% over the course of several days but I just cannot go on. It's being noted as quirky, I don't see that. There are unique characters, but if there's a plot, I'm not seeing it.
The author goes back and forth between when this group was in their teens and the present (the stories in the past were the highlight of what I read), and I normally enjoy that kind of storytelling, but the parts in the present are going nowhere and at a snail's pace.
The author goes back and forth between when this group was in their teens and the present (the stories in the past were the highlight of what I read), and I normally enjoy that kind of storytelling, but the parts in the present are going nowhere and at a snail's pace.
April 3, 2020
Thank you NetGalley for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Welcome To The Pine Away Motel And Cabins
By: Katarina Bivald
REVIEW ☆☆☆
I love the quirky fun title of this book, and I hoped to find the same in the story. Not so much. I just found the entire thing weird. There are two storylines that don't mesh, and it felt all over the place. The afterlife aspect didn't work for me, and I barely finished reading it. This is an unfortunate miss for me.
Welcome To The Pine Away Motel And Cabins
By: Katarina Bivald
REVIEW ☆☆☆
I love the quirky fun title of this book, and I hoped to find the same in the story. Not so much. I just found the entire thing weird. There are two storylines that don't mesh, and it felt all over the place. The afterlife aspect didn't work for me, and I barely finished reading it. This is an unfortunate miss for me.
December 29, 2019
Gave up ... could not get into this at all ....
February 17, 2020
2.5 stars ✨
February 14, 2020
I liked it until I didn't. I think the premise is awesome, but I just don't think it lived up to its potential. I really didn't expect it to turn out to get bogged down in a gay rights thing, of which I fully support, by the way. But I wanted this book to focus on the life of Henny, not the town and its problems. I feel like I never got to know Henny because the book focused on everyone else. Incidentally, I watched the final episode of The Good Place right before I started reading this book and I "cast" Kristen Bell as Henny while I read this book. This book could have been fabulous but it just wasn't. I skimmed the last 50 pages.
March 29, 2020
I did enjoy this but it seemed a tad longer than it had to be to tell the story. Henny’s presence in her world was incredible.
January 21, 2020
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Read full review on my blog: http://ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/2...
“This is a charming tale of folks who reunite at a ramshackle roadside motel in Pine Creek, Oregon, after the unfortunate death of Henny, who isn’t going to let a tiny thing like death stop her from living fully—not when her friends and her little town need her the most.”
I was so excited to see that Katarina Bivald had released another novel because my book-loving heart swooned for The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. In Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins, Bivald returns to a small town setting and a community at odds with change. When four high school students (Henny, Michael, MacKenzie, and Camila) band together in the early ’90s to protest their town’s majority vote against LGBTQ citizens, they create a group whose ties will last for decades. After spending a summer building cabins at the local Pine Creek Motel their group disbands with Michael traveling the world and becoming a famous geologist, Camila fleeing to NYC, and Henny and MacKenzie taking over management at the motel. The novel begins with Henny’s accidental death and continues with her as an omniscient narrator giving both comical and painful insights into the complex relationships between characters. Initially, she can’t figure out why she’s still “here” after her funeral, but Henny quickly realizes it is to help her friends find happiness again.
Read full review on my blog: http://ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/2...
“This is a charming tale of folks who reunite at a ramshackle roadside motel in Pine Creek, Oregon, after the unfortunate death of Henny, who isn’t going to let a tiny thing like death stop her from living fully—not when her friends and her little town need her the most.”
I was so excited to see that Katarina Bivald had released another novel because my book-loving heart swooned for The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. In Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins, Bivald returns to a small town setting and a community at odds with change. When four high school students (Henny, Michael, MacKenzie, and Camila) band together in the early ’90s to protest their town’s majority vote against LGBTQ citizens, they create a group whose ties will last for decades. After spending a summer building cabins at the local Pine Creek Motel their group disbands with Michael traveling the world and becoming a famous geologist, Camila fleeing to NYC, and Henny and MacKenzie taking over management at the motel. The novel begins with Henny’s accidental death and continues with her as an omniscient narrator giving both comical and painful insights into the complex relationships between characters. Initially, she can’t figure out why she’s still “here” after her funeral, but Henny quickly realizes it is to help her friends find happiness again.
June 18, 2020
The book starts off extremely promising but has a lot of dips where you wonder whether to continue. I do recommend continuing on. The author does manage to bring together a story you will be glad you made your way through
October 14, 2018
En bok där huvudpersonen dör i första raden, kan det vara något att läsa? Ja, det är det!
Vi får följa berättelsen genom spöket Hennys ögon, hon har nyss blivit ihjälkörd när hon skulle springa över vägen efter en underbar kärleksnatt. Tankarna är på annat håll och hon ser inte lastbilen, men han ser henne, tyvärr för sent.
Henny försöker hjälpa sina vänner att komma över hennes död, något som blir lite si och så, ibland blir det galet, ibland går det bra.
En härlig bok med glimten i ögat, mycket humor, känslor och dramatik. Läs den!
Vi får följa berättelsen genom spöket Hennys ögon, hon har nyss blivit ihjälkörd när hon skulle springa över vägen efter en underbar kärleksnatt. Tankarna är på annat håll och hon ser inte lastbilen, men han ser henne, tyvärr för sent.
Henny försöker hjälpa sina vänner att komma över hennes död, något som blir lite si och så, ibland blir det galet, ibland går det bra.
En härlig bok med glimten i ögat, mycket humor, känslor och dramatik. Läs den!
November 18, 2022
Some favorite quotes:
"I think there's something unique within all of us. A way of looking at the world, I suppose, a kind of inner core or soul, whatever you want to call it."
"Just live, I thought. Experience everything. Feel everything. Seconds count; several days are a miracle."
"Do you think we only get a certain amount of happiness in life? That you can use it all up over the space of a few years and then have none left?"
"I mourn for the people we were and the people we were forced to become and everything we could be again, if only we had more time."
"We're born naked, and the older we get, the more clothes we put on, until eventually we're ancient and wrapped up in shawls and warm sweaters and layers of scarves and socks. With illusions, it's the other way around. We're born wrapped up in them, but life takes them away from us one at a time."
"We needed one another to be able to achieve things."
"No one knows anyone else. Not really. We just see our own image of them. We don't even know our damn selves."
"Love is giving in. Unconditionally. Lowering the drawbridge. You'll be surprised by everything that comes flooding in."
"It's a beautiful thing, to be loved."
"You can learn a lot about a person by looking at the people who love them."
"I think there's something unique within all of us. A way of looking at the world, I suppose, a kind of inner core or soul, whatever you want to call it."
"Just live, I thought. Experience everything. Feel everything. Seconds count; several days are a miracle."
"Do you think we only get a certain amount of happiness in life? That you can use it all up over the space of a few years and then have none left?"
"I mourn for the people we were and the people we were forced to become and everything we could be again, if only we had more time."
"We're born naked, and the older we get, the more clothes we put on, until eventually we're ancient and wrapped up in shawls and warm sweaters and layers of scarves and socks. With illusions, it's the other way around. We're born wrapped up in them, but life takes them away from us one at a time."
"We needed one another to be able to achieve things."
"No one knows anyone else. Not really. We just see our own image of them. We don't even know our damn selves."
"Love is giving in. Unconditionally. Lowering the drawbridge. You'll be surprised by everything that comes flooding in."
"It's a beautiful thing, to be loved."
"You can learn a lot about a person by looking at the people who love them."
November 17, 2021
Not what I have expected (based on the brief introduction to the novel).
Henny Broek is dead. This is not a spoiler, as she dies within the first few sentences. But she is still somewhat present as a semi-ghost (without any paranormal powers or special knowledge about her "ghostly" purpose), watching her friends and acquaintances from the smalltown coming to terms with her passing. And this plot was what I have been expecting and even looking forward to, as the coming winter has found me thought about the deeper things in life. But unfortunately, the most part of the novel are dedicated to politics, LGBTIQ+ rights and small mindednes of Christians in a small city - which I has not been expecting and was not interested in. But I have read on in hopes I could find some substance in these unexpected plot lines - only to found the novel being one-dimensional, shallow and full of cliches. There is no real conflict, everything moves along the stated lines of what is supposed to be right, the "deus et machina" mechanisms help to solve all the conflict easily and in reality no one truly misses Henny, whom everyone supposedly loves, but who is worth only a few minutes of their time. Only interesting and really tormented character is the truck driver who unwillingly killed her on the road.
There are some sweet thoughts present, but this is it.
Henny Broek is dead. This is not a spoiler, as she dies within the first few sentences. But she is still somewhat present as a semi-ghost (without any paranormal powers or special knowledge about her "ghostly" purpose), watching her friends and acquaintances from the smalltown coming to terms with her passing. And this plot was what I have been expecting and even looking forward to, as the coming winter has found me thought about the deeper things in life. But unfortunately, the most part of the novel are dedicated to politics, LGBTIQ+ rights and small mindednes of Christians in a small city - which I has not been expecting and was not interested in. But I have read on in hopes I could find some substance in these unexpected plot lines - only to found the novel being one-dimensional, shallow and full of cliches. There is no real conflict, everything moves along the stated lines of what is supposed to be right, the "deus et machina" mechanisms help to solve all the conflict easily and in reality no one truly misses Henny, whom everyone supposedly loves, but who is worth only a few minutes of their time. Only interesting and really tormented character is the truck driver who unwillingly killed her on the road.
There are some sweet thoughts present, but this is it.
December 1, 2020
I loved Katarina's first book. It was cute and combined a lot of fun elements. So I was excited when I saw that she had written another one. And then I read it.
Henny dies in the first page. And then she stays in the town she grew up, haunting those that she loves. Why? I don't know. She doesn't know. It's weird. She doesn't meet any other ghosts so she gets no clarity into the situation. And that bugged the crap out of me.
And her family was...interesting. There was Michael, her long lost boyfriend who had suddenly returned. And McKenzie, her best friend whom everyone thought was her lesbian lover, and Camelia who had to leave town to find herself. And now they have come back together for Henny's funeral and to try and figure out the next step.
I like emotion, but for some reason, there was just too much in this book. It felt like I was just surrounded by negative emotions for most of the book. And then it quickly sped into a pseudo happy solution and moved on.
But it was decent writing and flowed really quickly. There was some sappiness and like I said, the ending felt rushed and left open.
I definitely liked her first book and didn't feel like this was a great follow up.
Henny dies in the first page. And then she stays in the town she grew up, haunting those that she loves. Why? I don't know. She doesn't know. It's weird. She doesn't meet any other ghosts so she gets no clarity into the situation. And that bugged the crap out of me.
And her family was...interesting. There was Michael, her long lost boyfriend who had suddenly returned. And McKenzie, her best friend whom everyone thought was her lesbian lover, and Camelia who had to leave town to find herself. And now they have come back together for Henny's funeral and to try and figure out the next step.
I like emotion, but for some reason, there was just too much in this book. It felt like I was just surrounded by negative emotions for most of the book. And then it quickly sped into a pseudo happy solution and moved on.
But it was decent writing and flowed really quickly. There was some sappiness and like I said, the ending felt rushed and left open.
I definitely liked her first book and didn't feel like this was a great follow up.
April 14, 2020
If you enjoyed Bivald's sweet tale The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, you will love Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins! When a book opens up with a vehicular fatality, it's hard to trust that things will get better, but they do. Henny, struck by a tractor trailer while crossing the road after a liaison with her newly reunited high school love, does not go quietly into the night, but rather, hangs around to watch what unfolds after her death. Her co-proprietor and best friend Mackenzie is bereft, and lost. Henny's boyfriend, Michael, cannot believe what has just happened. Paul the truck driver is in shock, and Henny's father walks around holding the urn containing her ashes. Camila, long gone from Pine Creek and actual owner of the hotel, comes back for Henny's funeral and inadvertently trips off a series of events involving a renovation, protesters at the motel, romance and moments of clarity for all involved. Bivald creates characters the reader cares about, in spite of themselves. For fans of Richard Fifield's The Flood Girls or Fredrik Backman's Britt-Marie Was Here.
August 7, 2019
I was thrilled to be able to read an advance copy of this book since I adored the author's previous book, Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. I liked this book too, but having the story being told by a dead person detracted from my enjoyment since I'm more of a realist. The writing, locale and characters were great. It was interesting to see the impact of homophobia in a small town setting and its long-term impact on the gay community. This topic made the book more serious than Readers. I think Bivald's fans will be happy to read this book and I recommend it.
November 25, 2020
Had high hopes that this would be one of those folksy, homey type books that make you smile throughout but found that it was boring for the most part. There were some interesting characters but the whole just didn't seems to fit. A reunion between high school lovers, one who has traveled the world and and the other who has never left her little town, Unfortunately as they reunite she gets hit by a truck but instead of going off to the hereafter she if left to watch all her friends live their lives in her little town. Enjoyable but just felt it could have been so much better.
November 27, 2019
I just adored The Reader’s of Broken Wheel Recommend so much, so I was very excited to receive an ARC of her new book. Like her previous book this is a very quirky story. What started as one type of story, turns into a somewhat political story, which I was not expecting, but nevertheless it worked.
For my full review, please visit my blog at: http://obsessedbookaholic.com/2019/11...
For my full review, please visit my blog at: http://obsessedbookaholic.com/2019/11...
February 27, 2024
I picked up this book because my favorite author, Fredrik Backman, recommended it, now I have a second favorite author. If you're a Fredrik Backman fan then this book/author is a must. Finally, another author who can write about characters and a community that makes you feel you are a character in the book. The saddest part was that when the book ended it felt like being evicted from the motel. I am still pining away for the characters.
March 10, 2020
I really don't know how this has just over 3 stars. The characters in this book are fantastic, and the journey they take is inspiring, heartwarming, funny, and tugs at heartstrings. I highly recommend this book.
November 16, 2023
When I read the back of the book I thought it was a fun premise - a ghost helping her friends from beyond the grave. Instead, I just found it boring. Also, I object to the way Christianity was portrayed in this book.
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