St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets

by Annie England Noblin

If you love Susan Mallery and Jill Shalvis, you won’t want to miss this new novel of second chances, dogs, and knitting, from the author of Pupcakes and Sit! Stay! Speak!

Laid off, cheated on, mugged: what else can go wrong in Maeve Stephens’ life? So when she learns her birth mother has left her a house, a vintage VW Beetle, and a marauding cat, in the small town of Timber Creek, Washington, she packs up to discover the truth about her past.

She arrives to the sight of a cheerful bulldog abandoned on her front porch, a reclusive but tempting author living next door, and a set of ready-made friends at the St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets, where women knit colorful sweaters for the dogs and cats in their care. But there’s also an undercurrent of something that doesn’t sit right with Maeve. What’s the secret (besides her!) that her mother had hidden?

If Maeve is going to make Timber Creek her home, she must figure out where she fits in and unravel the truth about her past. But is she ready to be adopted again—this time, by an entire town…?

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Animals, Audiobook, Book Club

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 14, 2020

About the author

Writer. Mother. Wife. Bulldog enthusiast. Curly hair afternoon.

Reviews

[DJ Sakata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes:

Your kids ought to be on a birth control commercial or something… I’m pretty sure their high-pitched shrieks would be enough for anybody to beg for the pill.

I made a big production of rummaging around in my purse before Holly sighed and handed over her platinum card… “Well, it wasn’t like that dude was going to accept the hairy Tic Tacs in the bottom of that gross purse of yours...”

The man standing before wasn’t ugly or anything-he was just... odd looking. With his curly red hair and smattering of freckles combined with his crisp black suit, he looked a bit like how I imagined Carrot Top would have looked if he’d picked a nine-to-five job instead of steroid use.

Well, her father is about fifteen pounds of crazy in a five-pound bucket.

My Review:

I adore this author and always enjoy and revel in her emotive and heart-squeezing tales, clever wit, engaging storylines, and insightful observations of complex social issues. Annie England Noblin is a master storyteller and St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets deftly tackled a variety of thorny and unfortunately all too common situations and did so with agility, thoughtful awareness, and profound sensitivity for such complicated issues as family violence, addiction, adoption and identify issues, teenage pregnancy, poverty, physical disability, and small-town living. The characters were curiously compelling, quirky, well fleshed out, and highly accessible though not always likable. The well-crafted storylines were easy to follow, thoughtfully written, unpredictable, and squeezed my heart between giggle-snorts and smirks with the various threads miraculously came together to form an uplifting and highly satisfying conclusion. I am already eager to see what Ms. Noblin comes up with next.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fast paced book of second chances, dogs, really bad luck , laugh aloud comedy and knitting. St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets by Annie England Noblin was a very smooth read

Maeve Stephens' life hit rock bottom. She lost her job; her boyfriend and got mugged.

Then an incredible twist of good fortune led her to a journey to the small town of Timber Creek, Washington. The results are fascinating and have more twists than a bag of pretzels.

The title, “St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets” is very misleading to me. I was in the mood for an animal story- I got a novel which was a multilevel mystery, a comedy and a personal resurrection.

I loved the main character, Maeve she is equal parts dippy and genius. She has a heart of gold which can get her into trouble.

I liked this story and recommend it.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't really about what you'd think from the title or cover. It's about a woman named Maeve who finally learns her origin story when her birth mother dies. There is a tiny bit of romance, a tiny bit of danger, and a tiny bit about pets. But the St Francis Society is pretty minor.

I had an early copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley; it comes out January 14, 2020.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a string of bad luck sends Maeve home to live with her parents, she gets a phone call from a stranger telling her that her birth mother has passed away. Although she never knew her birth mother, with some relictantance, she attends the funeral in Timber Creek, Washington and soon learns that everything her birth mother had was left to her. After some consideration, realizing that she doesn’t have much to go back home to, Maeve decides to stay in this small town where her birth mother grew up and learns that not everything she assumed about her was true.

The title and the cover of this book are pretty misleading. The animal component of the story is a light glowing from another room. It’s only faintly present in the book. The real story is about Maeve restarting her life and learning more about the woman who gave birth to her.

The story feels light and fluffy in its delivery but certainly deals with some heavier themes, which include alcoholism, drug use, and domestic violence. The book is a quick, easy and enjoyable read.

St. Francis Society For Wayward Pets is not a literary masterpiece, by any means, and won’t likely keep you thinking about the topics explored long after it comes to an end. It’s not that kind of book. It’s more like a good friend who brings you a pint of Ben and Jerry’s when you're sad and tells you that whoever hurt you is the biggest jerk on the planet. It’s a comfort read and the perfect companion for the dark days so many of us are struggling through.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

How could anyone with even half a heart refuse that cute little face on the cover? Taking a second and third...okay maybe it was five or six looks at the cover I was all set to see where this little guy came into the story. I have to admit that I was not at first impressed with the main human character. She seemed immature to me. But thanks to this clever author, (also human I assume), she grew on me and I was really rooting for her by now. Maybe having her wind up with the love interest that she did was a bit too pat, and by now I was thinking lets get on to the dog. At last finding out what the St. Francis Society was really doing made it all better. I loved Happy, the rescued American Bull Dog and the cat also. Actually it really isn't much of a dog story. The title is extremely misleading...but hey, we bought or borrowed the book probably based on the cute little guy on the cover didn't we? All in all, it's not a bad story at all, just not what I was led to expect.

[Asheley T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this one. I love all of this author's books. This one wasn't as pet- or dog-centric as some of her other books (like Pupcakes, for example) but still it was so good. I love the way this author is able to weave tougher topics into her stories while keeping the lighthearted and heartwarming and feel-good. There is a very lite romance in here but the biggest thing about this story is the group of strong women that befriend the main character Maeve.

[Jessica *The Lovely Books* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immediate connections to characters are a huge thing for me when it comes to reading. If I can’t connect to a character, then ninety nine percent of the time I won’t like it. I’m happy to say that’s not the case here. I immediately connected to Mae as she navigated throw some tough changes in her life. She’s reeling from a very public humiliation and her birth mother just passed away.

“Maybe I wasn’t looking at my visit to Timber Creek the right way. Maybe it was an opportunity. Maybe I was being given a chance to start over in a new place.“

What starts as a closure for Mae for the mother she felt never wanted to know her—begins a story of love, secrets, and ultimately finding family in the most unlikely places. I loved that the story goes into Annabelle’s past. We grow to understand all the whys and the hows of her life. Mae will finally earn some much needed answers.

Things really started to pick up for me once Mae decides to stick around in her mother’s hometown and where she was left with everything Annabelle owned. That included a house, car, some money, and a cool group of women in a knitting club.

I thought that I would be getting a light-hearted read about a woman who finds herself after a bad breakup. What I got instead was something much deeper and meaningful that I couldn’t help but tear up. Adored this to the moon and back!

*Thank you to the publisher for sending a free copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are subjective but my own.

[Mikaela (Booklover1974)]

I can't write a fair review because I dnfed it. The protagonist, Maeve, didn't seem to know she was 36 years old... She behaved like she still was 16. I don't have the energy to read about one more adult woman who is so immature that my 16 old son looks like an adult, in comparison.

[Chris Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet book.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

Maeve Stephens is 36, out of a job and just learned on television, like million of viewers, that her famous baseball player boyfriend is cheating on her. And guess what else? She's been insulted by a mugger while he stole her money. Talk about the perfect setting for a crossroads revision of her life. It just needs one more detail to qualify...

Maeve knows that she was adopted when she was just a baby, she even tried to contact her birth mother but her letters came back unread. So it comes as a total surprise when someone contact her to inform her her birth mother died a few days ago. Maeve doesn't intend to go to the funeral at first, but I guess in the end she realize that maybe she could have the answers she's been waiting for.

While the book and the St-Francis Society didn't completely take the path I thought it would (for example, I thought the animals would arrive sooner in the story and they're would have more), I can't say I'm not happy that the tragedies were not the ones I expected. When we started to get Maeve's birth mother POV from the time she was a teenager, I also expected things to be a little different, but once again, I think it was okay to only get a glimpse. As a romance novels fan, of course I would have prefer the romance was more developped but I really enjoyed Abel's background story and personality. Not the most friendly but a generous soul anyway. And can you say sexy lumberjack?😜

[Guylou (Two Dogs and a Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved ST. FRANCIS SOCIETY FOR WAYWARD PETS by Annie England Noblin. The story is beautiful and the characters lovely. This book has a happy ending for the humans and for the furbabies. I loved how a small-town group of women came up with a genius scheme to help abused women escape their aggressors. Maeve Stephens never got the chance to meet her birth mother in person but through her mother’s friends, she discovers that she was an extraordinary woman. This is a fantastic read and I am looking forward to reading this author’s next book.

#bookstadog #poodles #poodlestagram #poodlesofinstagram #furbabies #dogsofinstagram #bookstagram #dogsandbooks #bookishlife #bookishlove #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookish #bookaholic #reading #readersofinstagram #instaread #ilovebooks #bookishcanadians #canadianbookstagram #bookreviewer #bookcommunity #bibliophile #stfrancissocietyforwaywardpets #annieenglandnoblin #williammorrowbooks #harpercollinsca #booksofhcc #bookreview

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

This isn’t quite the book I was expecting from the blurb. It was much better than that.

On the surface, this looked like a story about second chances. And it is. But not all of those second chances belong to Maeve, the main character of this story. And some of those second chances are in the past and not the present. Or they are an unexpected and unknown present, in the other sense of the word. The present that doesn’t look like a present, the gift that Annabelle gave her daughter when she gave Maeve up for adoption.

A chance for a better life than Annabelle expected for herself – and a much better life than she could have given her daughter if she’d kept her.

But Maeve knows nothing of that past when she comes to tiny Timber Creek to attend her birth mother’s funeral. All she knows is that the woman gave her up as an infant, never answered the letters Maeve sent as a teenager, and has died leaving her everything she owned. Including a small house, a wandering cat and a fully-restored classic VW Beetle.

Along with an empty hole where the truth needs to be.

But Annabelle also left her daughter a circle of good friends, a reputation as a rescuer of last-chance animals, and just enough clues to figure out the secrets of Maeve’s origins – and the seeds that truth sowed all those years ago.

Maeve is 36, and at a crossroads in her life. More than one. Her childhood was relatively idyllic but the present is a whole other matter. Not anything terrible, but she’s just not adulting the way she expected to be in her mid-30s. She’s just lost her job – journalism is not a great career choice these days – and she discovered her boyfriend was cheating on her along with the entire rest of the world – on YouTube. Ugh.

So the trip to her birth mother’s funeral comes as Maeve has reached a big fork in her road – and doesn’t know how, or which way, to take it. There seems to be a place ready-made for her in Timber Creek – the place left achingly vacant by the sudden death of Annabelle – the mother she never knew.

Flailing at the current mess of her own life, Maeve steps hesitatingly, and sometimes more than a bit angrily, into Annabelle’s. Everyone loved the mother who gave her up. It’s awkward and sometimes even painful to feel just how much the entire town loved the woman who didn’t love her enough to keep her. It makes no sense. And it hurts.

But as Maeve gingerly becomes part of Timber Creek, she discovers the truths that lie hidden. The truth about the town, the truth about her birth mother, the truth about herself – and just how much her mother’s love and pain bound those truths together.

Escape Rating A-: I was expecting a small-town feel-good women’s fiction-type story. And it has elements of that, but the St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets isn’t just that – no matter how cute the dog and cat sweaters knitted by the society are.

Instead, this book, like last year’s The Oysterville Sewing Circle, is about a group of women who are doing their best to rescue victims of domestic abuse. It’s the dark and barely hidden underbelly of life in Timber Creek – and everywhere else.

But these women, Annabelle and her friends, are doing something about it. Whenever they can. Whenever a girl or woman is willing to ask for help. Because there was no one to help them when they were abused. Because Annabelle knew that when she became pregnant that if she kept Maeve both she and Maeve would be abused by Maeve’s grandfather – and that they’d have no weapons to fight back and no support.

So Annabelle gave Maeve up for adoption, for a better life than she knew she could give her, and spent the rest of her life rescuing as many girls and women as possible from the situation she had faced – along with rescuing a few “wayward pets” along the way.

The story is told on two levels. The main story is Maeve’s story as she comes to Timber Creek, decides to stick around rather than go back to Seattle to live with her adopted parents – again – and try to figure out where her future lies. The longer she stays in Timber Creek, the more she falls in love with the place – and the more it reaches out and enfolds her in its arms.

And the more she discovers its secrets – and her own.

But we also see bits and pieces of Annabelle’s life. I’ll admit that at first it looked like Annabelle’s story was going to be different – and even more cruel – than it actually turned out to be. Just how Annabelle became pregnant and why she gave Maeve up hung like a Sword of Damocles over much of the story. I actually read those bits ahead because I couldn’t stand the suspense and didn’t want it to turn out to be the worser of two evils. Which it was not – and was a better story for it.

The St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets has a similar storyline to The Oysterville Sewing Circle, at least in the important bits. Meaning that if you liked one you’ll like the other and vice versa. Considering that the issue that underlies both stories is an important one that needs to be dealt with, more such stories, told well, are an excellent thing.

And both of these stories are told very well indeed.

[Andrea Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the cutest book cover ever and the book is just as delightful as the cover. Its the story of Maeve and her beginnings along with the secrets of her birth mother and her adoption.



You get to learn about Maeve in the present and her mother in the year before her birth.



Its a beautiful little story about how a bad day becomes a better life. It was a really bad day. She loses her job, her boyfriend is cheating on her and a video of him kissing another woman is all over the internet, oh and she gets mugged.



Maeve isn't exactly the most together woman either. She's on the upper side of her thirties and she's pretty much got nothing to show for it.



Then she learns her birth mother has passed away.



I loved how Maeve found her way by learning about her mother, Annabelle. I also loved the town of Timber Creek and all the quirky characters. Oh and the two animals that took over her life, Sherbert and Happy.



The title is a bit deceptive, but there is a whole lot more to the society of knitters that her birth mother was a part of.



By the end of the story your heart is in pieces because Maeve never got to know Annabelle and Annabelle was such a wonderful woman.



Don't get me wrong this book isn't all drama, its more a light hearted drama. There are many laugh out loud moments here.



I totally love Annie England Noblin's writing style. I started this book and finished it a day. There aren't many books that can pull me in that way these days.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is okay, not great, but okay. The author did not seem to have an inspired grasp on her characters. Maeve is 36 years old; even though she has had a good life, she seems to lack maturity and seems to handle her emotions and feelings the way a teenage girl would, with very little grace and awareness of how other people around her feel. The first third was not bad, the middle seemed a bit contrived and the last part seemed to introduce an additional plot that had not been alluded to in the earlier parts of the book. Not a bad book, just a bland main character, an incomplete plot and an adequate writing style. The character of Alice could have been more fully developed - she was an interesting individual.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for a review.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet book, and I appreciated the thoughtful treatment of adoption and birthparents. The writing could have been tighter, and the title is just silly, but the author has a knack for creating characters that you want to meet and be around. I'd love to spend a little more time with them, actually.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

When St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets begins, Maeve Stephens has hit rock bottom. She has broken up with her cheating boyfriend, been laid off from her job, and mugged. Surprise word comes that her birth mother, whom she has never met, passed away. At the funeral, Maeve finds that her birth mother, Annabelle, left her house, vintage VW, and all her belongings to her. Maeve stays in the small Washington state town where Annabelle lived to try to sort things out, and slowly her life changes. She meets new friends, an intriguing man, a group of ladies who knit sweaters for pets, and a cat and dog who claim her.

I wanted to read this novel because I am a great animal lover and the title and adorable cover art intrigued me. I also previously read and reviewed the author's book Just Fine With Caroline and liked it very much.

I absolutely adored St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets! I loved the small town setting that readers get to experience along with Maeve. It is a quirky little place with a lot of interesting characters.

The book is told both from the viewpoint of Maeve and also of her birth mother Annabelle during her teen years in the 1980's. I was initially mostly interested in Maeve's story, but over time Annabelle's story really captured my interest too. The author does a good job at delineating these different (and similar!) characters.

Maeve is a character I really liked. She is at a place in her late 30's where she is reevaluating her life and trying to decide what comes next. It was heartwarming to see how she grew as a person in this book. I enjoyed the friendships she made and especially the tenuous bond she struck with Abel, an author living in the little town and dealing with his own sadness.

I loved the pet rescue storyline in this book and enjoyed all the scenes with Sherbet the cat and Happy the dog. Maeve observes Happy:

"Still, she didn't seem to hold any of that against people the way I probably would have. There were clearly some things that scared her - like car rides and storms - but after the offending event was over, she was back to her old self, and I thought that humans could probably learn a lot from dogs" (p. 301).

I will admit that I was curious as I went through the book about what the St. Francis Society was. It was mentioned often but not really explored until Chapter 20. I won't say more because of spoilers, but it is pivotal to the plot and there are twists and more twists that reminded me a bit of This Is Us.

I wholeheartedly recommend St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets for fans of women's fiction, small town fiction, knitting, pet rescue, and heartwarming storytelling.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually 3.5

[JG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the story line and the character development. The town of Timber Creek, the setting for most of the story, and the townspeople seems a character on its own. This book was able to present a lot of social issues within the context of Maeve and Annabelle’s relationship/s without becoming to heavy handed. Although there were a lot of hanging plot lines that I hope the final draft can address fully. I’m hoping there will be more written about the St. Francis Society and the town of Timber Creek.

[Really Into This · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bianca contributed this review to Really Into This

Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!

Special thanks to TLC Book Tours & William Morrow for providing our copy of  St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets by Annie England Noblin in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Maeve is Seattle-based sportswriter with a Major League Baseball boyfriend. But when her career and relationship come screeching to a halt, the future seems bleak. When Maeve gets a phone call from a stranger, it may open the door to a new life.

WORST. DAY. EVER.

So, sports may not be her passion, but Maeve loves being a journalist. As a sportswriter with a famous boyfriend (Go Mariners!), she's gained insider access to interviews and parties. But, when a YouTube video goes viral - Maeve finds out (along with the rest of Seattle) that she's been cheated on.

If that isn't embarrassing enough, her job disappears that very same day. The newspaper is out of business - pack your belongings. And, to top off the day, she gets mugged on her way home! Can life get any worse?

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Maeve has always known she was adopted. That nagging question, "why didn't my mother want me?" haunts Maeve to this day. When she was 16, she tried writing to her birth mother, but all the letters came back.

Old wounds are opened when a strange woman calls Maeve letting her know her birth mother, Annabelle, has passed away. But, with this also comes an opportunity to peek into the life of the woman who gave her birth. The first person she could ever say she's related to. But, will she find the answers she's been looking for?

NEW TOWN, NEW LIFE?

When Maeve shows up in Timber Creek for the funeral service, she has no idea what to expect. What's more, she has no intention of staying. Cajoled into staying a bit longer, she learns Annabelle has left her a house, a car, and a rascal cat!

Meeting her mother's friends, including the St. Francis Society knitting club, Maeve wants to uncover more of her past. Timber Creek may not be as sleepy and boring a town as it initially seemed. And what of  that handsome, somewhat reclusive writer catches her eye? Maybe a change of scenery from Seattle is just what Maeve needs.

THE VERDICT

I am really into this book! Noblin winds us through the past, and also sets us squarely in the present. This story has it all - emotion, romance, cute animals, knitting, and self-discovery. St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets by Annie England Noblin is a complex story confronting what it means to be adopted and how to find a sense of place. So charming, you'll be wagging your tail for more!

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the cover and the description of this book I thought the plot would involve more animals. The cover is very cute and will certainly grab the attention of animal lovers, but it does feel misleading after reading the book. The story mainly focuses on Maeve's unresolved feelings about her birth mother putting her up for adoption. The chapters switch back and forth between Maeve in present day and her mother in the year before Maeve's birth. Although this is a light and easy read, the author tried to infuse too much emotional angst that ultimately fell flat. Maeve is a 36-year-old woman but she often handles her emotions and feelings the way a 16-year-old girl would; that is, with immaturity and a distinct lack of grace. She is utterly unconvincing as a mature, adult woman. I found I had no connection with her, nor with any of the other characters in the book. Everything lacked that certain spark that propels me to keep turning the pages. Not a bad book, just very bland in character, plot, and writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura Starzynski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book.

The mood of the book was weird, though. From the beginning, it seemed it would be a silly, funny book about a woman rediscovering herself and finding love in a small town. And it kind of was that with a whole heaping dose of two domestic violence subplots. I don't think that the two CAN'T coexist in one book, but it did feel like the book couldn't decide what it wanted to be.

Also, for as much as the main character's (lack of) finances were set up as an "adorable quirk" of hers, it wasn't really addressed in the way it should have been. Like, how is part time retail work, even in a small town, going to sustain her long-term? And she had an actual career that she's just? Given up? The second it got hard?

For as much as things went wrong in this book, I still did like it. I wanted more stories about the rescued animals though.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

reaaaaaly thought there would be more animals with that cover and title but the society is more about knitting for pets than actually interacting with pets. plus some other stuff that i will not say for spoiler-y reasons. the characters and plot and romance were all fine, nothing amazing really. it was good. would be a nice summer beach read.

thanks to the publisher for an ARC, this is my honest review.

[Cozy Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in a used bookstore and had not read the author prior. I loved this book. The writing is well crafted and reads at a enjoyable pace. The main charcter Mave is likable right away and independent. She manages big changes in her life with a new town, a heritance house and instant friends with joy and fun. The animals in the book are delightful and funny. I hope the author would continue this book as a series. Very nice read .

[Cardyn Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maeve is having a bad day professionally and personally that leads to unexpected revelations and opportunities. She's a mess and so is her life until fallout from her past offers her some perspective. Variations on themes about parents, babies - human and fur - and hard choices made under duress are offered in the context of a small town that's full of endearing and quirky characters.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was a feel-good quick read. It was way better than what I was expecting. I loved the characters and there was plenty of character development. The townies and their sassiness was my absolute favorite. Favorite line was "he's 15 pounds of crazy in a 5 pound bucket." I recommend this if you need a break from super intense reading and you need some well written fluff.

[Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute enough for any easy Saturday read.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading several dark books and surviving through the last four years of Trump cultism and senators who sold their party out to follow a completely immoral man, and having avoided the Covid19 pandemic for nearly a year, I wanted a book that was light and fluffy and feel-good. This is certainly it.
Saint Vincent Society for Wayward Pets really It’s just an unfolding of events from the past that play into the future. The mystery doesn’t even come up until the very end, even though suspicion is alive and well several chapters before that. In fact, I think people would really enjoy this book so much more if they had that mystery to pull them along, that I will give a statement that’s not a spoiler, but will give you something to look forward to.

What is is Saint Vincent Society for Wayward Pets really all about?

The facts disclosed in the end of the book could have made this a real page-turner. It’s a good premise and could have been developed along the way to really make this a stand-out book.
But then again, with the world the way it is right now, maybe we need something without any suspense. This has been one hell of a time to go down in the history books!
This is my first Annie England Noblin book and I have another one to read right now. Maybe the mystery/plot genre just isn’t Annie’s style.
If you’ve ever read any of my reviews, you know I don’t do book reports.
I just kind of write down what comes to my mind.

At 36 years old you would think that Maeve had at least some imagination that would inspire compassion for a young girl with no one to turn to,who chose to give her baby the best life she possibly could.
Is she really that self-centered that she can’t see beyond her own nose?
I wrote the above paragraph about halfway through the book. Now, that I’m finished, it seems as if Maeve is beyond immature and unlike any 36-year-old I have ever known. I would’ve loved it if she had been more of a woman and less of a child -woman.
Gary needs to go back to the 17th century. Even in the 18th century beating your wife was just considered “keeping her in line“. I definitely wouldn’t have fared well.
Was is his friend really married? It’s a damn shame we never find out.

“At the end of the day she wasn’t the one who I should have blamed. She hadn’t been the one to hurt me. She didn’t owe me anything. The person I should have been upset with was my boyfriend. He’s been the one to break a promise.“
I have always wondered how girls and women could take a man’s cheating and turn it upside down Instead of just dumping the guy. When I was in my teens, I heard my boyfriend was sleeping with a girl. I wasn’t sleeping with him (still a virgin.)but I told him you want her, you got her. That was the end of that.
The other one was a girl who actually came up to me in high school and told me she was going to take my boyfriend away from me. I looked her up and down and said, dripping with sarcasm, “Honey, if you can get him, you can have him.” My boyfriend and I laughed about it that evening. She avoided me like fire from then on. My boyfriend later became my husband.
For God’s sake, put some value on yourself!

“You’re not the one who carried a soaking-wet cat into the house and dried him off. I’m pretty sure I’m bleeding… “And your shirt is ripped.“ “You find my bleeding torso funny?“
“Happy for her part, no longer seemed to be fazed. I marveled at her ability to take the bad with the good and not hold a grudge. Less than a week ago, she’d been tied outside my house. She’d been hungry and thirsty and clearly never been treated like a beloved family pet. (Not to even mention the pain of that heavy chain digging into the skin of her neck. It must’ve been agony.) “Still, she didn’t seem to hold any of that against people the way I probably would’ve had.“
I’ve often marveled at the way even cruelly-treated, abused dogs will again trust people. “...humans could probably learn a lot from dogs.” I’ve always thought there was a reason that dog spelled backwards is God. Dogs seem to follow a lot of God’s rules. Forgiveness, love, loyalty, caring… it’s all just natural behavior for them.
I would never ever be cruel to cats or any other animals… But…I’ll stick to my dogs. Thank you very much.

Even though this book could’ve been so much better, so much more, I would still recommend it for anyone who wants a nice feel-good book. We all need those at times.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t pre-order a lot of books but this author is one whose books I do. I learned when I read Pupcakes how enjoyable her books are. Then I read The Sisters Hemingway and loved it too. So, this book deserved a pre-order. And of course, here I am having finished the book in less than 24 hours. I got pulled in and I didn’t want to put it down.

Mauve was raised by a loving family. She’s had a good life. But she’s 36 and it doesn’t really feel like she knows exactly what she wants yet. She finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, she loses her job the same day and she moves back in with her parents. Have you read a book that starts like that before? Of course you have. I know I have. But don’t let the familiar start dissuade you.

Mauve gets a call from a stranger saying that her birth mother Annabelle has passed away. Mauve never met her birth mother. She felt like she’d been given up and forgotten. She grew up with wonderful parents. So, she hasn’t dwelled on the past much.

But she decides to go home for her birth mother’s funeral and finds out Annabelle named her as the sole beneficiary. This even includes her cat.She is confused by this but she doesn’t have much waiting for her at home. So she decides to stay for awhile.

She’s pulled into Annabelle’s world. Everyone has a story for her.

There’s also a somewhat mysterious knitting group that everyone seems to be a member of. You know there’s something covert happening behind the knitting group’s surface. I was excited to find out what it was a cover for and I loved the answer.

I think Annabelle sounded like quite a lady herself and I’m glad she got a few chapters of her own in this book.

Great characters. Cute animals. Heart warming story. Loved it. And as a bonus the love interest Abel made me think of Josh Holloway.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and wholesome, more engaging than Maps for the Getaway. While Maeve's foot-stamping sulking about how her birth mother ~didn't waaaant her~ gets a bit tedious, I liked her exploration of Timber Creek and the house her mother left behind. I didn't realize this was going to be dual timelines, with flashbacks to teenage Annabelle's life throughout, but those really help give context to why she gave her daughter up, beyond the obvious "because she was 18" (and already an orphan to boot) -- I teared up a little at the end.

Of course, the absolute best parts were Sherbet, the wandering kitty, and Lucy, the sweetheart American Bulldog left abandoned on Maeve's porch, whose presence tips this up to more like 3.5 stars. I think Maeve is going to have a very nice future here, and it makes me smile to think about it.