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Hidden Treasures
A reunited couple search for a valuable treasure, a precious jewelry box, stolen from the Nazis and hidden away since World War II, in this powerfully emotional and romantic novel of rekindled love—perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Josie Silver, and Jill Santopolo.
Then…
Once upon a time, in a small village in southern France, a pretty, willful English girl is falling in love. Francis Langley has fallen under Benoit’s romantic spell, so sure is she that he is everything she’s ever wanted—a self-assured, sexy man, experienced and just a little bit mysterious. But Francis is hiding a secret—one that would surely separate them if he ever knew the truth. And to hold on to his love, she is willing to do anything for him, even put herself at risk by hiding a precious object, stolen by the Nazis decades before.
Now…
Years later, Francis’s son, Harry, opens the door of his late mother’s home, never expecting to see Tabitha—the lost love of his life—on the other side. Their angry parting had broken his heart, but now she holds a letter, sent by his mother just before her death, begging the pair to search—together—for a priceless jewelry box, hidden somewhere in her little Cotswold cottage.
Harry quickly dismisses the search, but as an art historian, Tabitha cannot risk the chance to recover something so valuable that was long thought to be lost. And so they embark on a journey of discovery, but soon find themselves searching for much more than a missing piece of art. Together they learn that the true riches are not those buried in the clutter of Francis’s cottage, but are instead the treasures they each hold, buried deep inside their hearts.
Then…
Once upon a time, in a small village in southern France, a pretty, willful English girl is falling in love. Francis Langley has fallen under Benoit’s romantic spell, so sure is she that he is everything she’s ever wanted—a self-assured, sexy man, experienced and just a little bit mysterious. But Francis is hiding a secret—one that would surely separate them if he ever knew the truth. And to hold on to his love, she is willing to do anything for him, even put herself at risk by hiding a precious object, stolen by the Nazis decades before.
Now…
Years later, Francis’s son, Harry, opens the door of his late mother’s home, never expecting to see Tabitha—the lost love of his life—on the other side. Their angry parting had broken his heart, but now she holds a letter, sent by his mother just before her death, begging the pair to search—together—for a priceless jewelry box, hidden somewhere in her little Cotswold cottage.
Harry quickly dismisses the search, but as an art historian, Tabitha cannot risk the chance to recover something so valuable that was long thought to be lost. And so they embark on a journey of discovery, but soon find themselves searching for much more than a missing piece of art. Together they learn that the true riches are not those buried in the clutter of Francis’s cottage, but are instead the treasures they each hold, buried deep inside their hearts.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published December 7, 2021
53 people are currently reading
6400 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Adams
4 books321 followersI was born in 1981, the youngest of five and the only girl. For a short period of time after that I might have been my mum's long awaited princess, but it became obvious that I was the kind of child who was more into mud pies and catching insects than I was pretty dresses. I loved my purple Doc Marten's, hated my floral wallpaper, and was never allowed to paint my bedroom black. No, not even the ceiling.
I went to school in Warwick, UK, and throughout my school years I loved art, music, and English, yet somehow managed to end up studying clinical science at university. Despite my graduation and subsequent employment as a physiologist in cardiology, my creative tendencies were never far away. And the one aspiration I could never let go of was that of being a writer, so on a wet new year's eve sometime around the turn of the millennium, I announced to a friend that I was going to write a book. It took another five years of note taking and day dreaming, but eventually I sat down to complete my first manuscript. It didn't get picked up, but it drove me into writing the second, and third, and so on and so forth. By early 2015 I had finished writing MY SISTER, and I was offered representation by the Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV, and Film Agency. MY SISTER became my debut, and it is hotly followed by BETWEEN THE LIES in July 2018.
Now I write almost every day, starting at nine, finishing at some point in the afternoon. Sometimes people ask me where I get my idea's from, and it's a hard question to answer. Lot's of things inspire me, but if I had to sum it up in one word the answer would probably be people; the things we do, say, and the different ways in which we behave towards one another. When I’m not writing I love to read. The first book that I didn't want to end was Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, and the first book that broke my heart was Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Gerald's Game by Stephen King was the spark that made me want to write in the first place. I think I was probably about nine when I read that.
I like people who don't give up on their dreams, and those who show compassion for other people. I am crazy about my cat, and fortunate that the other people in my house tolerate him. I love travelling, and am lucky enough to live close to Greece which has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. I'm currently training for the London marathon, so if you've got training tips, or ideas on how to avoid shin splints, I want to hear them. Finally, if you love Game of Thrones you can count me as a friend, but if you shared my theory regarding the Tower of Joy before you watched THAT episode, or have access to a pre-release copy of The Winds of Winter, you can count yourself part of the family.
I went to school in Warwick, UK, and throughout my school years I loved art, music, and English, yet somehow managed to end up studying clinical science at university. Despite my graduation and subsequent employment as a physiologist in cardiology, my creative tendencies were never far away. And the one aspiration I could never let go of was that of being a writer, so on a wet new year's eve sometime around the turn of the millennium, I announced to a friend that I was going to write a book. It took another five years of note taking and day dreaming, but eventually I sat down to complete my first manuscript. It didn't get picked up, but it drove me into writing the second, and third, and so on and so forth. By early 2015 I had finished writing MY SISTER, and I was offered representation by the Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV, and Film Agency. MY SISTER became my debut, and it is hotly followed by BETWEEN THE LIES in July 2018.
Now I write almost every day, starting at nine, finishing at some point in the afternoon. Sometimes people ask me where I get my idea's from, and it's a hard question to answer. Lot's of things inspire me, but if I had to sum it up in one word the answer would probably be people; the things we do, say, and the different ways in which we behave towards one another. When I’m not writing I love to read. The first book that I didn't want to end was Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, and the first book that broke my heart was Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Gerald's Game by Stephen King was the spark that made me want to write in the first place. I think I was probably about nine when I read that.
I like people who don't give up on their dreams, and those who show compassion for other people. I am crazy about my cat, and fortunate that the other people in my house tolerate him. I love travelling, and am lucky enough to live close to Greece which has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. I'm currently training for the London marathon, so if you've got training tips, or ideas on how to avoid shin splints, I want to hear them. Finally, if you love Game of Thrones you can count me as a friend, but if you shared my theory regarding the Tower of Joy before you watched THAT episode, or have access to a pre-release copy of The Winds of Winter, you can count yourself part of the family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
November 18, 2021
This is a book that makes the reader dig for the treasures in its depths. On the surface it seems quite straightforward. There is a treasure box that is hidden in a house. The son (Harry) finds out about it in a roundabout way after his mother's death. That's where it gets tricky. His mother (Frances) had problems with depression and had been hoarding collections in her home for years. Where could she have hidden the box? Where did she get this box that was originally the property of a Jewish family in Munich, but was taken by the Nazis? How did his mother get a letter to his former girlfriend (Tabitha) after her death asking the art historian to help Harry find the box? Oh, and the clock is ticking as the house needs to be sold due to financial obligations. So, you can see this is a complicated story and there is more including the past story line which will tell us about the love affair Frances had with an older man named Benoit during her summers in France and how she came to be in possession of the box. When you have read the book and all is revealed, you might just find that there is something more valuable than the box.
Thank you to William Morrow and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to William Morrow and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
June 8, 2022
This is a well-written, entertaining historical fiction novel. It has love, loss, heartbreak, secrets, mystery and a happily ever after ending.
September 26, 2021
I’m not quite sure what to say about this one, but I felt like it was an overall rather unlikeable book, and felt constantly frustrated with each of the characters. I almost gave up about 20% in but pushed thru to finish it, however I didn’t change my mind by the end even so.
This is a dual timeline between 1981 and 2022. It really had almost nothing to do with WW2 but a rather inconsequential detail about the box that was a central item in the book, so just a heads up to other readers like me who thought, based on the description, that WW2 was a far more central theme/setting.
The major issue for me was that for the whole book, practically every character was lying to or hiding things from each other, refused to risk vulnerability, and constantly abandoned each other. No one fought for each other or their circumstances - they just let life happen to them.
The abandonment/leaving was a consistent theme in the book, but it wasn’t even viewed as a negative half the time. Even in the ending the sentiment was, if you love something you’ll set if free - and while in theory that’s true, in this setting where people were constantly either leaving each other or not fighting in the least for each other, that no longer holds true. At that point it just becomes an excuse to be selfish and self-protecting, or just resigned and lazy.
In addition, there were a number of unrealistic factors. A 16 year old that’s orphaned, legally can’t be left as an adult - she’d be in foster care even if she is a mother so she would not have been alone or been able to make some of the decisions she did. And for a 30 year old man to not just find and renew relationship with his biological mother but to decide to live with her - in her hoarding environment that you have to tunnel to the kitchen or sleep in a chair because you can’t get to a bedroom?? And in the process completely ditch every relationship but your work? Not believable. There were many others as well. It made the story hard to swallow, in addition to the unlike-ability of the above.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a dual timeline between 1981 and 2022. It really had almost nothing to do with WW2 but a rather inconsequential detail about the box that was a central item in the book, so just a heads up to other readers like me who thought, based on the description, that WW2 was a far more central theme/setting.
The major issue for me was that for the whole book, practically every character was lying to or hiding things from each other, refused to risk vulnerability, and constantly abandoned each other. No one fought for each other or their circumstances - they just let life happen to them.
The abandonment/leaving was a consistent theme in the book, but it wasn’t even viewed as a negative half the time. Even in the ending the sentiment was, if you love something you’ll set if free - and while in theory that’s true, in this setting where people were constantly either leaving each other or not fighting in the least for each other, that no longer holds true. At that point it just becomes an excuse to be selfish and self-protecting, or just resigned and lazy.
In addition, there were a number of unrealistic factors. A 16 year old that’s orphaned, legally can’t be left as an adult - she’d be in foster care even if she is a mother so she would not have been alone or been able to make some of the decisions she did. And for a 30 year old man to not just find and renew relationship with his biological mother but to decide to live with her - in her hoarding environment that you have to tunnel to the kitchen or sleep in a chair because you can’t get to a bedroom?? And in the process completely ditch every relationship but your work? Not believable. There were many others as well. It made the story hard to swallow, in addition to the unlike-ability of the above.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 29, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I requested this book because I liked the title and the cover and the way they went together :) Sometimes I am disappointed in my choice but this one really worked out for me...it was a mix between a love story (twice) and a mystery with a little bit of family drama thrown in. I say twice because it was a love story for the mother and also a love story for her son in the future...but all wrapped around a certain priceless jewelry box that ultimately brings even more people together that had no idea each other existed...it really did keep me going and interested the entire way through. I really liked this one :)
August 27, 2021
What reader could resist a book with a sentence like this?
“He’s very sexy, in a sort of, let me rearrange your bookshelves kind of way.
This book is a love story wrapped up in a mystery that crosses generations. As Harry struggles to “find himself” and figure out if his mother really ever loved him, we get to meet a hoarder, delve into Nazi history, art theft, and to cheer for the discovery of commitment and love. “Some things, he realized, important things that felt truly lost, were really there all along, safely hidden, just waiting to be found.”
If you like historical love stories, this is a good read—it is light and loving.
“He’s very sexy, in a sort of, let me rearrange your bookshelves kind of way.
This book is a love story wrapped up in a mystery that crosses generations. As Harry struggles to “find himself” and figure out if his mother really ever loved him, we get to meet a hoarder, delve into Nazi history, art theft, and to cheer for the discovery of commitment and love. “Some things, he realized, important things that felt truly lost, were really there all along, safely hidden, just waiting to be found.”
If you like historical love stories, this is a good read—it is light and loving.
March 21, 2021
This is a sweet book, but very predictable. It’s the story of Harry and Tabitha who were separated due to family issues 10 years earlier. They come together after the death of Harry’s mother. It is his mother who writes to Tabitha, asking her to come and help him find a very valuable box that had been lost after its seizure by the Nazis.
The author takes us back to the love story between Harry’s mother Frances and the Frenchman, Benoit.
There are 2 plot lines, between Harry and Tabitha, and Benoit and Frances. The stories are full of missed connections and misunderstandings, as a reader I hoped for a positive resolution.
Thank you Netgalley for this book.
The author takes us back to the love story between Harry’s mother Frances and the Frenchman, Benoit.
There are 2 plot lines, between Harry and Tabitha, and Benoit and Frances. The stories are full of missed connections and misunderstandings, as a reader I hoped for a positive resolution.
Thank you Netgalley for this book.
August 6, 2021
I received a free e-arc through Netgalley.
This book covers two love stories in depth: Frances and Benoit and then Harry & Tabitha. I also think it's a story about love between Frances and her son Harry who she gave up to keep him safe. This book has an added component of mental health which I wasn't expecting and actually I'm rounding my rating from 3.5 up to 4 stars because of that additional complication that reminds us that love exists between us imperfect humans. I think some parts could be smoother or more connected to each other, but real life is not exactly smooth either.
This book covers two love stories in depth: Frances and Benoit and then Harry & Tabitha. I also think it's a story about love between Frances and her son Harry who she gave up to keep him safe. This book has an added component of mental health which I wasn't expecting and actually I'm rounding my rating from 3.5 up to 4 stars because of that additional complication that reminds us that love exists between us imperfect humans. I think some parts could be smoother or more connected to each other, but real life is not exactly smooth either.
March 7, 2024
Despite what I read beforehand of reviews of this one I did enjoy the story although some of it seems unbelievable and out there, I just fell into the romances and put that aside I think. I liked the mirrored sets of lovers through time and the flicker between then and now.
I felt for Frances the most as she went through so much throughout and didn’t get to spend enough of her life with the people she truly cared for most. Her chapters about her son made me really sad in parts and where she gives him away choked me up. I kept thinking why can’t you stay with him but then that was the whole idea of the book that she wasn’t 100% sure he was safe so she had to make that play. A mother’s love!
I did like all the characters in differing ways and I liked the forgiveness throughout from them all for the difficult things that unfolded between them. When they found things out about each other it had a sort of vibe where love was more powerful than anything you can tell me and I’m a sucker for love like that. Lovely book and lovely characters. A first for me by this author too so it was enjoyable to discover someone new.
3.5 for me but rounded up to 4 as 3 didn’t feel enough. Bring back half stars Goodreads!
I felt for Frances the most as she went through so much throughout and didn’t get to spend enough of her life with the people she truly cared for most. Her chapters about her son made me really sad in parts and where she gives him away choked me up. I kept thinking why can’t you stay with him but then that was the whole idea of the book that she wasn’t 100% sure he was safe so she had to make that play. A mother’s love!
I did like all the characters in differing ways and I liked the forgiveness throughout from them all for the difficult things that unfolded between them. When they found things out about each other it had a sort of vibe where love was more powerful than anything you can tell me and I’m a sucker for love like that. Lovely book and lovely characters. A first for me by this author too so it was enjoyable to discover someone new.
3.5 for me but rounded up to 4 as 3 didn’t feel enough. Bring back half stars Goodreads!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow and Custom House for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Think "The Woman in Gold," but if a priceless item stolen by the Nazis was in a hoarder's house in the Cotswolds and not an Austrian museum. Harry, one of the main characters, is tasked with finding a Klinkosch box that his mother had hidden for decades in her overcrowded home. He reunites with his former girlfriend Tabitha, an art historian, to find the box before the house gets repossessed.
The story alternates between two timelines--Frances (Harry's mother) and how she fell in love and came into possession of the Klinkosch, and Harry and Tabitha as they race against time.
I found this story to be a nice, quick read that had a few twists and good chapter cliffhangers that kept me reading. The story at time felt a little formulaic and predictable, but I always appreciate a good little art history mystery. I enjoyed the relationships between all of the characters in their two timelines, especially once they came together in the present. That, I believe is the strength of this book--how to create and maintain relationships between friends and family, and how to love one another.
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow and Custom House for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Think "The Woman in Gold," but if a priceless item stolen by the Nazis was in a hoarder's house in the Cotswolds and not an Austrian museum. Harry, one of the main characters, is tasked with finding a Klinkosch box that his mother had hidden for decades in her overcrowded home. He reunites with his former girlfriend Tabitha, an art historian, to find the box before the house gets repossessed.
The story alternates between two timelines--Frances (Harry's mother) and how she fell in love and came into possession of the Klinkosch, and Harry and Tabitha as they race against time.
I found this story to be a nice, quick read that had a few twists and good chapter cliffhangers that kept me reading. The story at time felt a little formulaic and predictable, but I always appreciate a good little art history mystery. I enjoyed the relationships between all of the characters in their two timelines, especially once they came together in the present. That, I believe is the strength of this book--how to create and maintain relationships between friends and family, and how to love one another.
December 15, 2021
I won this from a goodreads giveaway, and though I would have probably purchased it myself, I'm kind of glad I didn't. For me, it leans more toward 2.5 stars but I rounded up.
This book had a theoretically good premise. Beautiful historical jewelry box is stolen by Nazis, then stolen from them and lost and must be found in time to save a family home.
But then it kind of falls apart. Some things I found pretty implausible. Now I don't know the finer details of the foster care/children's welfare system, but Frances' experience and later her son's seem ridiculously odd and not at all something that could actually happen. And that wouldn't be a problem, it's fiction after all, but it is supposed to be realistic fiction. And then there is the idea that this adult man would ditch his entire life to live with a mother he doean't know, who gave him up, in her HOARDING environment where you have to crawl to get to the kitchen, when he also has severe asthma? And his girlfriend whom we can assume he was living with or close to proposing to, just let's him go and is like "eh, whatever". And then she just up and decides 10 years later to run to his side because mommy says she is needed? Oh and now for some reason the main character traps and hoards pigeons? I think I instantly hated him then.
I really wanted to like this book, but it focused so strongly on letting your loved ones go, that it forgot to hold onto its readers. I came so close to DNFing this book, that it took me so much longer to finish than its 300 pages would have normally.
I would recommend this book for people who like drama movies and books about reconnection. I would not recommend this to history fans, as there is a lot less focus on that. Maybe that's why I was disappointed.
This book had a theoretically good premise. Beautiful historical jewelry box is stolen by Nazis, then stolen from them and lost and must be found in time to save a family home.
But then it kind of falls apart. Some things I found pretty implausible. Now I don't know the finer details of the foster care/children's welfare system, but Frances' experience and later her son's seem ridiculously odd and not at all something that could actually happen. And that wouldn't be a problem, it's fiction after all, but it is supposed to be realistic fiction. And then there is the idea that this adult man would ditch his entire life to live with a mother he doean't know, who gave him up, in her HOARDING environment where you have to crawl to get to the kitchen, when he also has severe asthma? And his girlfriend whom we can assume he was living with or close to proposing to, just let's him go and is like "eh, whatever". And then she just up and decides 10 years later to run to his side because mommy says she is needed? Oh and now for some reason the main character traps and hoards pigeons? I think I instantly hated him then.
I really wanted to like this book, but it focused so strongly on letting your loved ones go, that it forgot to hold onto its readers. I came so close to DNFing this book, that it took me so much longer to finish than its 300 pages would have normally.
I would recommend this book for people who like drama movies and books about reconnection. I would not recommend this to history fans, as there is a lot less focus on that. Maybe that's why I was disappointed.
November 29, 2021
What starts out as a treasure hunt slowly morphs into finding the treasures of life. Everything has a double meaning when you look deeper than the surface. It’s about finding what was thought lost and discovering you had it all along.
It has all the feels. Definitely worth the read.
Thank you to William Morrow: an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers for the advanced readers copy for my honest and unbiased opinion.
It has all the feels. Definitely worth the read.
Thank you to William Morrow: an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers for the advanced readers copy for my honest and unbiased opinion.
May 16, 2022
When Harry's mum dies she leaves him a letter saying there's something valuable in her house. The only trouble is that Frances was a hoarder. This was a dual timeline as we follow Harry's detective work in one and how Frances acquired the object in the past. This was a lovely novel about families and secrets and finding a sense of belonging.
October 3, 2021
well things are not always what they seem! we each see differently, and feel things different ! a story as old as time but; still happens! loved the outcome!
March 17, 2023
16 year old girl with depression is sent to family in Paris.
30 YO man seduces her. She tells him she’s 19.
He’s a art thief. He gives her a jewelry box to hide when she goes home. He has someone follow her to make sure she’s safe. She has a child, the people tailing her terrifies her so she gives up her child to keep him safe.
30 years later her son happens to find her volunteering.
She’s a hoarder.
He leaves his fiancé to live with/care for the mother he never knew.
Mother dies, has premade plans for neighbor to send letter to ex fiancé to come back and help find the box in the hoarded house.
The son also has depression, anxiety and abandonment issues which make him difficult to be around. He makes ridiculous choices that drive his old flame to leave him.
He finally gets the house clean and it catches on fire. Fireman finds the box in the chimney. It has all the baby mementos in it and letters about his childhood from his foster families. Now he knows he was always wanted.
He seeks therapy.
Just kidding but he should!
30 YO man seduces her. She tells him she’s 19.
He’s a art thief. He gives her a jewelry box to hide when she goes home. He has someone follow her to make sure she’s safe. She has a child, the people tailing her terrifies her so she gives up her child to keep him safe.
30 years later her son happens to find her volunteering.
She’s a hoarder.
He leaves his fiancé to live with/care for the mother he never knew.
Mother dies, has premade plans for neighbor to send letter to ex fiancé to come back and help find the box in the hoarded house.
The son also has depression, anxiety and abandonment issues which make him difficult to be around. He makes ridiculous choices that drive his old flame to leave him.
He finally gets the house clean and it catches on fire. Fireman finds the box in the chimney. It has all the baby mementos in it and letters about his childhood from his foster families. Now he knows he was always wanted.
He seeks therapy.
Just kidding but he should!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2021
Thank you to Goodreads for this ARC.
Not sure why I wasn't into this book . It wasn't slow per se but I just wanted to finish it. I don't get why it was set in 2022 and the "past" was 1981. Harry, I thought was much older, but when his "mum" died she was only 56 and in 1981 when she spent Summers in France she was only 16.
Harry and Tabitha's relationship from 10 years ago was so strong and when she came back into his life per a letter she was sent, it seemed like they wanted to be together but for some reason didn't. His mum was a hoarder and had something of value and when she died he was looking for it in his house.
Not sure why I wasn't into this book . It wasn't slow per se but I just wanted to finish it. I don't get why it was set in 2022 and the "past" was 1981. Harry, I thought was much older, but when his "mum" died she was only 56 and in 1981 when she spent Summers in France she was only 16.
Harry and Tabitha's relationship from 10 years ago was so strong and when she came back into his life per a letter she was sent, it seemed like they wanted to be together but for some reason didn't. His mum was a hoarder and had something of value and when she died he was looking for it in his house.
November 1, 2021
The premise of this book is interesting and I was very intrigued. It is very moving story about finding a valuable jewelry box from World War II in order to save their family’s house. It has a dual timeline between Henry and Tabitha in present day 2022 and Frances and Benoit in 1981. This book was beautifully written and the characters were brilliantly developed. It was fun to read about the mystery about the jewelry box but I felt like it had so much potential and had room to be developed more. I enjoyed the ending and I loved the last line of the book : “Things that felt truly lost, were really there all along, safely hidden, just waiting to be found.” This is a great historical love story with a mystery twist.
Thank you to Goodreads giveaways and to William Morrow Publishing for giving me an advance copy of the book for a honest review.
April 19, 2023
A mash-up of mystery, WWII history and romance. Tells two stories at once, the historical story from the early 1980's and the contemporary. Of course, the earlier story gradually unfolds the clues to solve the mystery of the contemporary. The characters are well-developed. During the story, I was seriously questioning the motives and and ethics of key characters, but in the end, it turns out that everyone had a rationale and defensible approach to thorny issues. Would give this a 3.5.
January 25, 2026
This was very well written with little to none “dry” spots in the book. I was consistently invested and felt as if the author wrote each character very intentionally. I always enjoy the deeper lessons within a book, and felt as if this book had a great story of how letting go can help you see what you truly care about.
September 25, 2021
Michelle Adams has given us an extraordinarily beautiful tale of love, family and coming to terms with your past. “Hidden Treasures” is a sparkling gem of intrigue, mystery and forbidden love. I adored the moments in the past when Frances spent her summers in France, where she could be the young woman she always dreamed she could be. The dark clouds that surrounded her in England gave way to perpetual blue skies and carefree days. Every day was relaxing, freeing, and filled with new opportunities. No wonder she fell in love with the handsome and charming Benoit!
I love everything about this book from the romantic and beautiful setting to the emotions of Frances as she fell in love for the first time. As we traveled between Mirepoix, France to the present day at Nook Cottage in England, we were treated to the teenage Frances enjoying life in the French countryside to her son Harry, where we observed him taking stock of his mother’s house and everything she had amassed.
Many things had transpired over the years and Ms. Adams eloquently wrote from her heart about Frances’s life as a young mother and Harry’s burning desire to feel wanted. Nook Cottage was a time capsule of memories for Harry and the depth of his feelings was monumental and heartbreaking. Harry had many decisions to make and I was afraid that he would never find the jewelry box and that he would never know why his mother had kept it hidden. What secrets did it hold and who does it really belong to? “Hidden Treasures” is a deeply emotional book which brought tears to my eyes in many instances, as well as surprised me when I was unsure as to what would happen next. I will never forget this magical story and the endearing characters that captured my heart.
I love everything about this book from the romantic and beautiful setting to the emotions of Frances as she fell in love for the first time. As we traveled between Mirepoix, France to the present day at Nook Cottage in England, we were treated to the teenage Frances enjoying life in the French countryside to her son Harry, where we observed him taking stock of his mother’s house and everything she had amassed.
Many things had transpired over the years and Ms. Adams eloquently wrote from her heart about Frances’s life as a young mother and Harry’s burning desire to feel wanted. Nook Cottage was a time capsule of memories for Harry and the depth of his feelings was monumental and heartbreaking. Harry had many decisions to make and I was afraid that he would never find the jewelry box and that he would never know why his mother had kept it hidden. What secrets did it hold and who does it really belong to? “Hidden Treasures” is a deeply emotional book which brought tears to my eyes in many instances, as well as surprised me when I was unsure as to what would happen next. I will never forget this magical story and the endearing characters that captured my heart.
March 18, 2022
I fell in love with the gorgeous cover and liked the compelling and engrossing story.
It's a dual timeline story, the story of a past love story and of the present. I liked the storytelling, the well rounded characters, and the plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's a dual timeline story, the story of a past love story and of the present. I liked the storytelling, the well rounded characters, and the plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
April 21, 2022
Fascinating story of Harry, whose Mother loved him, but gave him up to foster care when he was 4. After her death, Harry and his friend Tabitha search for a priceless treasure, stolen by the Nazis that is in Harry’s Mothers house. His mother was a hoarder so the story is a parallel journey between the search in her house and his Mother’s teen years in France when she acquired the treasure.
April 7, 2024
4.5 stars
This was very mysterious but really good.. I loved Harry and think the two timelines worked well..
This was very mysterious but really good.. I loved Harry and think the two timelines worked well..
November 30, 2022
It took less than 1 chapter for me to fall in love with Harry, because honestly, I cannot hear enough how sad a guy is that he feels unwanted and unworthy of love and how much he regrets losing the love of his life through his own fault. They haven't spoken in ten years but the moment she steps over the threshold, he is immediately as besotted as ever and so grateful she's nearby that he's hardly able to move, lest she leave -- all the while afraid to say how much he's missed her because you don't get to be sad about what YOU broke, even if it was because you thought you were doing the right thing for her in the long run.
I then fell for Tabitha as soon as her perspective appeared, because it turns out she too is busy regretting their breakup, and roughly every third thought in her head is about how she does in fact still love him, but is equally scared to voice it out loud because after all, he's the one who left her in the first place and never even gave her a good reason why.
And during all of this they're digging through a hoarder's overstuffed cottage, which is my favorite place to be (it's also fantastic cleaning motivation. Especially if, like me, your biggest cleaning problem is usually just Too Much Stuff That Needs To Be Cleared).
Note: there may be light spoilers throughout the rest of this review, I will hide what I think are actual spoilers but I am going to mention things that happen all the way through the book.
The absolute best part about this is how little time it takes Tabitha to decide she'll stay here overnight while they're cleaning it out, even though There Is Only One Bed. And it's not even a bed, it's a nest of coats on a small patch of cleared floor because the beds are blocked. But Tabitha just goes "it's not like we haven't slept next to each other before," and so they proceed to curl up and fall asleep together like lil' baby cats several nights in a row. In a perfectly innocent and fully clothed way, but with UST so thick it's practically a blanket. My ship sirens are getting REAL LOUD.
The "she's married?!" reveal threw me for a disappointed loop for about five seconds, until I was very quickly reassured that this is some no-fault adultery because he is a tool worth divorcing even if she didn't have a better option on the horizon -- oh and by the way, yes, he is also abusive, in case you weren't convinced enough.
Anyway, back to the FEELINGS FESTIVAL:
Over and over again they grapple with the pain of feeling unwanted, of worrying the other doesn't want them, sometimes finding reasons to feel justified in those feelings, leading to misunderstandings that hurt them both equally. I was so addicted to the angst that I stayed up 'til 2 in the morning on more than one occasion, unable to sleep until they had reached some kind of plateau.
It also made me cry more times than I could count, acutely identifying with both of them but especially Harry, all full of abandonment issues as he is (to be fair: his mother literally abandoned him on a bench when he was 4 or 5 with a note saying she couldn't take care of him anymore, after which he grew up in foster homes).
And when I say "cried," I mean I WEPT. Sobbed my eyes out. I haven't been this acutely wrecked by a book in ages; I felt it as viscerally as any actual periods of loneliness I've experienced in my own life. I kept picturing horrible futures where Harry sells the cottage and moves into the saddest and most barren single-room flat and keeps a journal addressed as letters to Tabitha for another few decades. At one point I was on YouTube going, "I've never looked at an ASMR video in my life but at this exact second I need to hear Harry hearing Tabitha being Extremely Soothing." I bet you didn't know the sad-book-to-ASMR pipeline existed, but I can assure you it does and the result is Audiobook: Enhanced!
Part II gets a little less sad, as it starts delving more into Harry's family history and we get a little more plot advancement as he connects with relatives he didn't know he had -- but rest assured, despite a significant break in the emotional agony action, it will come back multiple times before we're done.
At least in between a couple of those times, they
1981
As for the flashback chapters...mixed feelings. Marie is easy to relate to in many ways, with her love of collecting things -- the beginnings of a museum-curation dream, just like Tabitha! -- and her reference to bouts of depression that always (and sometimes only) seem to lift when she's in her beloved France for the summer. Her aunt's artist retreat also makes for a lovely setting. But...
The only thing making me hesitate on 5 stars is that I hated, absolutely loathed, every second of Benoit's trifling, good-for-nothing-type-of-brotha's existence. You can tell me about him gifting her a rare book and them exchanging letters for a year first all you want, I cannot be sold on a "love story" that is so intensely focused on passionate physical attraction and a virgin's sexual awakening.
I understand what story Adams was TRYING to tell (look, I am perfectly aware I have an entire "student/teacher relationships" shelf), and I also understand that it couldn't exactly be G-rated if the entire point was it resulted in Harry's existence, but the problem was I just never felt the grand sense of romance in my bones. There is definitely a way this could have worked for me, and which would have made me absolutely revel in two love stories for the price of one, but this wasn't it.
It doesn't matter whether a girl is actually 16 or 19; if you overhear her blushing and giggling with a friend about her first time fooling around, that's a pretty solid sign that she's Not Old Enough to get involved with your 30-year-old ass, especially on a sexual level. It's an even CLEARER sign if she throws a pouty tantrum and thinks you're not ~really seriously in love~ if you're not having full blown intercourse. I mean, it's true that you should doubt a guy's sincerity if he's regularly going to third base with you in a car, but you're misunderstanding what amount of sexual activity is the problem here. Also, he was an absolute TOOL for claiming she ~misunderstood~ him about the farmhouse. You were clear as day, sir, and now you are simply lying.
(And you, you young hussy, if a guy ever says you have to keep your relationship a Secret for Reasons, then RED FLAG RED FLAG RED FLAAAAAAG ON THE PLAY.)
Side note: my favorite line in the whole book is Benoit feebly trying to defend that Marie didn't ~look~ like she was underage, to which he gets an immediate "Did she look thirty?" Burn!
That said, the final flashback chapters get real interesting, real fast and make me want to push the rating back up to a full 5. The sudden and very real threats that come as a result of his art and antique "dealing," his parting gift, the final reveals that spell a death knell for their relationship...
And that's when I burst into Method Reader tears as acute as any I shed for Harry's headspace, when Benoit tells her that "you will move on . . . but I will always be stuck in this age, here with you." O RLY? Or will she spend the rest of her life sad and mostly alone, unfulfilled by life except during those few years of active motherhood, and never really happy again to her (premature) dying day? Sometimes first love is true* and sometimes love DOES save a person and when you take it away, it doesn't force them to become stronger or self reliant or discover themselves, they just wither on the vine. I like a book that acknowledges this.
*again, I still don't personally believe this one was. But if it was for her, that's all that matters. The tragedy of her life that didn't have to be ripped my g.d. heart out.
Present Day
Back to Harry & Tabitha -- I didn't entirely love the ending*, but I'm happy enough with it.
*
Speaking of that trinket, though it does not feature as heavily in the story as you might think despite being the catalyst for pretty much everything, every detail we learned about the Klinkosch box and its history was fascinating. So is Tabitha's job -- even though she doesn't spend a lot of time there on the page, everything about her work interested me.
Overall:
Continuing to waver between 4 and 5 stars because Harry & Tabitha's story made my heart shoot the moon, and I feel like I should forgive any of its flaws just for that. When I checked this book out, I assumed it was Christian romance because the title and summary made it sound a bit cheesy and Hallmark-y, so I was genuinely surprised by the strength and depth of the writing overall.
On second thought, the amount of heartache I am in right now reading any reviews less than 3.5 stars tells me that I have already adopted this book into my heart as something special and that it will remain one of my more memorable reads of the year, so FINE. Five stars we go.
P.S. I highly recommend the audiobook. True, I eventually had to switch to print for the flashback chapters because Benoit's strong French accent in combination with his character became entirely repugnant, but I loved Paul Fox's narration in the present day chapters so much that I regularly went back and listened to sections again, the way you might rewatch favorite clips from a movie (and in the flashbacks, as long as Benoit isn't speaking, Ell Potter's narration is equally lovely). I even renewed my checkout on Libby, which I very rarely do, and so may end up buying it.
I then fell for Tabitha as soon as her perspective appeared, because it turns out she too is busy regretting their breakup, and roughly every third thought in her head is about how she does in fact still love him, but is equally scared to voice it out loud because after all, he's the one who left her in the first place and never even gave her a good reason why.
And during all of this they're digging through a hoarder's overstuffed cottage, which is my favorite place to be (it's also fantastic cleaning motivation. Especially if, like me, your biggest cleaning problem is usually just Too Much Stuff That Needs To Be Cleared).
Note: there may be light spoilers throughout the rest of this review, I will hide what I think are actual spoilers but I am going to mention things that happen all the way through the book.
The absolute best part about this is how little time it takes Tabitha to decide she'll stay here overnight while they're cleaning it out, even though There Is Only One Bed. And it's not even a bed, it's a nest of coats on a small patch of cleared floor because the beds are blocked. But Tabitha just goes "it's not like we haven't slept next to each other before," and so they proceed to curl up and fall asleep together like lil' baby cats several nights in a row. In a perfectly innocent and fully clothed way, but with UST so thick it's practically a blanket. My ship sirens are getting REAL LOUD.
The "she's married?!" reveal threw me for a disappointed loop for about five seconds, until I was very quickly reassured that this is some no-fault adultery because he is a tool worth divorcing even if she didn't have a better option on the horizon -- oh and by the way, yes, he is also abusive, in case you weren't convinced enough.
Anyway, back to the FEELINGS FESTIVAL:
Over and over again they grapple with the pain of feeling unwanted, of worrying the other doesn't want them, sometimes finding reasons to feel justified in those feelings, leading to misunderstandings that hurt them both equally. I was so addicted to the angst that I stayed up 'til 2 in the morning on more than one occasion, unable to sleep until they had reached some kind of plateau.
It also made me cry more times than I could count, acutely identifying with both of them but especially Harry, all full of abandonment issues as he is (to be fair: his mother literally abandoned him on a bench when he was 4 or 5 with a note saying she couldn't take care of him anymore, after which he grew up in foster homes).
And when I say "cried," I mean I WEPT. Sobbed my eyes out. I haven't been this acutely wrecked by a book in ages; I felt it as viscerally as any actual periods of loneliness I've experienced in my own life. I kept picturing horrible futures where Harry sells the cottage and moves into the saddest and most barren single-room flat and keeps a journal addressed as letters to Tabitha for another few decades. At one point I was on YouTube going, "I've never looked at an ASMR video in my life but at this exact second I need to hear Harry hearing Tabitha being Extremely Soothing." I bet you didn't know the sad-book-to-ASMR pipeline existed, but I can assure you it does and the result is Audiobook: Enhanced!
Part II gets a little less sad, as it starts delving more into Harry's family history and we get a little more plot advancement as he connects with relatives he didn't know he had -- but rest assured, despite a significant break in the emotional agony action, it will come back multiple times before we're done.
At least in between a couple of those times, they
1981
As for the flashback chapters...mixed feelings. Marie is easy to relate to in many ways, with her love of collecting things -- the beginnings of a museum-curation dream, just like Tabitha! -- and her reference to bouts of depression that always (and sometimes only) seem to lift when she's in her beloved France for the summer. Her aunt's artist retreat also makes for a lovely setting. But...
The only thing making me hesitate on 5 stars is that I hated, absolutely loathed, every second of Benoit's trifling, good-for-nothing-type-of-brotha's existence. You can tell me about him gifting her a rare book and them exchanging letters for a year first all you want, I cannot be sold on a "love story" that is so intensely focused on passionate physical attraction and a virgin's sexual awakening.
I understand what story Adams was TRYING to tell (look, I am perfectly aware I have an entire "student/teacher relationships" shelf), and I also understand that it couldn't exactly be G-rated if the entire point was it resulted in Harry's existence, but the problem was I just never felt the grand sense of romance in my bones. There is definitely a way this could have worked for me, and which would have made me absolutely revel in two love stories for the price of one, but this wasn't it.
It doesn't matter whether a girl is actually 16 or 19; if you overhear her blushing and giggling with a friend about her first time fooling around, that's a pretty solid sign that she's Not Old Enough to get involved with your 30-year-old ass, especially on a sexual level. It's an even CLEARER sign if she throws a pouty tantrum and thinks you're not ~really seriously in love~ if you're not having full blown intercourse. I mean, it's true that you should doubt a guy's sincerity if he's regularly going to third base with you in a car, but you're misunderstanding what amount of sexual activity is the problem here. Also, he was an absolute TOOL for claiming she ~misunderstood~ him about the farmhouse. You were clear as day, sir, and now you are simply lying.
(And you, you young hussy, if a guy ever says you have to keep your relationship a Secret for Reasons, then RED FLAG RED FLAG RED FLAAAAAAG ON THE PLAY.)
Side note: my favorite line in the whole book is Benoit feebly trying to defend that Marie didn't ~look~ like she was underage, to which he gets an immediate "Did she look thirty?" Burn!
That said, the final flashback chapters get real interesting, real fast and make me want to push the rating back up to a full 5. The sudden and very real threats that come as a result of his art and antique "dealing," his parting gift, the final reveals that spell a death knell for their relationship...
And that's when I burst into Method Reader tears as acute as any I shed for Harry's headspace, when Benoit tells her that "you will move on . . . but I will always be stuck in this age, here with you." O RLY? Or will she spend the rest of her life sad and mostly alone, unfulfilled by life except during those few years of active motherhood, and never really happy again to her (premature) dying day? Sometimes first love is true* and sometimes love DOES save a person and when you take it away, it doesn't force them to become stronger or self reliant or discover themselves, they just wither on the vine. I like a book that acknowledges this.
*again, I still don't personally believe this one was. But if it was for her, that's all that matters. The tragedy of her life that didn't have to be ripped my g.d. heart out.
Present Day
Back to Harry & Tabitha -- I didn't entirely love the ending*, but I'm happy enough with it.
*
Speaking of that trinket, though it does not feature as heavily in the story as you might think despite being the catalyst for pretty much everything, every detail we learned about the Klinkosch box and its history was fascinating. So is Tabitha's job -- even though she doesn't spend a lot of time there on the page, everything about her work interested me.
Overall:
Continuing to waver between 4 and 5 stars because Harry & Tabitha's story made my heart shoot the moon, and I feel like I should forgive any of its flaws just for that. When I checked this book out, I assumed it was Christian romance because the title and summary made it sound a bit cheesy and Hallmark-y, so I was genuinely surprised by the strength and depth of the writing overall.
On second thought, the amount of heartache I am in right now reading any reviews less than 3.5 stars tells me that I have already adopted this book into my heart as something special and that it will remain one of my more memorable reads of the year, so FINE. Five stars we go.
P.S. I highly recommend the audiobook. True, I eventually had to switch to print for the flashback chapters because Benoit's strong French accent in combination with his character became entirely repugnant, but I loved Paul Fox's narration in the present day chapters so much that I regularly went back and listened to sections again, the way you might rewatch favorite clips from a movie (and in the flashbacks, as long as Benoit isn't speaking, Ell Potter's narration is equally lovely). I even renewed my checkout on Libby, which I very rarely do, and so may end up buying it.
June 8, 2022
This was a very sweet book, but I found myself speed reading it since it was rather predictable. I enjoyed the ending though and I loved the description of the south of France.
April 24, 2022
Harry's mother has recently died, and he now has the towering task of sorting through the innumerable possessions in her house so it can be auctioned to pay debts. He is overwhelmed, and melancholy, when into his life returns the women who he loves more than anything, and who he thought he lost ten years ago, Tabitha. When it becomes clear that Harry's mother brought them back together, to not only repair the relationship, but also to find mysterious antique that holds the secrets to Harry's past, Harry has to learn to face his mistakes, and his past, to try to save his future.
This book, from the very beginning, just felt disconnected to me. Everything was either really abrupt, or had little context to it, or was just incredibly predictable. You know where this story is going, and you know how it is going to end, almost from the first page, all you don't know are the little details of the lives of the characters.
Harry and Tabitha's relationship was so strangely constructed. Harry, in the beginning muses about nothing else other than how he pushed her away, and she was his one true love. Then, when she comes back into his life, and makes it clear she wants to stay, he starts saying they will just be friends. Until, of course, the inevitable ending. The notes just felt so discordant, it was really off putting.
Also, based on the description of the book, the lost antique they are looking for is supposed to be the lynchpin of the story, yet it takes up surprisingly little of the plot. You never really get a firm sense of what it was, it's history or how it was lost, all that is glossed over in favor of massive romance plots.
All in all, in my humble opinion, not the most well put together story.
This book, from the very beginning, just felt disconnected to me. Everything was either really abrupt, or had little context to it, or was just incredibly predictable. You know where this story is going, and you know how it is going to end, almost from the first page, all you don't know are the little details of the lives of the characters.
Harry and Tabitha's relationship was so strangely constructed. Harry, in the beginning muses about nothing else other than how he pushed her away, and she was his one true love. Then, when she comes back into his life, and makes it clear she wants to stay, he starts saying they will just be friends. Until, of course, the inevitable ending. The notes just felt so discordant, it was really off putting.
Also, based on the description of the book, the lost antique they are looking for is supposed to be the lynchpin of the story, yet it takes up surprisingly little of the plot. You never really get a firm sense of what it was, it's history or how it was lost, all that is glossed over in favor of massive romance plots.
All in all, in my humble opinion, not the most well put together story.
June 9, 2021
Got my hands on an early copy. Quirky boy and studious girl search through a hoarder’s house to recover an item lost from WWII. This is the first modern-day novel where I was acutely aware that I was older than the characters.
December 29, 2021
Dear Fellow Reader,
The new year is around the corner waiting to bring us surprises. What will you be reading? One of the things that I find very helpful is that I set a reading goal at www.Goodreads.com. Not only do I see how many books I’ve read during the year but also, if I can’t remember if I read a book, I can check there. That happened just last week. I was reading the new book by Anne Patchett (These Precious Days) and I could not remember if I had read The Dutch House. I was sure that I had but I just checked with Goodreads, and I had read it. Goodreads also tells you the longest book you have read for the year (Fresh Water for Flowers) and the shortest (The Beautiful Struggle). I find it interesting to see my stats for the year.
I was given a copy of this week’s book in exchange for my honest review. (Yet another free book in exchange for a review.)
Hidden Treasures is about Francis (although we never meet her in current time), Harry, and Tabitha. Francis is Harry’s mother. She had left him on a park bench when he was 4 years old. This desertion by his mother has affected Harry throughout his life. When he sees her house one day, he knows it is the house he grew up in and goes to the door. And there she is. He moves in with her and walks away from Tabitha, who he loved. He wants his mother to tell him two things. Why did she leave him and who is his father?
As the story opens, ten years have passed since he moved into his mother’s house and she has just died. Harry must clean out the house and move. There is no money for him to be able to stay in the house. He is lost as to how to start to clean out the house. His mother was a hoarder and the house is full to the brim with things. As he is sitting contemplating what to do, there is a knock on the door. When he opens the door, there is Tabitha. She has received a letter from his mother asking her to come and help Harry find an antique jewelry box that is hidden in the house. She is intrigued by finding the lost jewelry box and comes to tell Harry about the letter. After looking around in awe of the job ahead of them, she announces that she will help Harry find the box.
The story moves back and forth between Harry and Tabitha and Francis. How did Francis end up in this house with all this stuff? Why did Francis leave Harry behind and who is his father? Will Harry and Tabitha find the love they had previously? They both have secrets that will be revealed that might break apart any re-kindling of their romance.
And then another knock on the door brings in a surprise character that will lead to most of Harry’s questions being answered.
Communication was apparently not a big deal in these relationships. Does Harry ask Tabitha what she has been doing for the last 10 years? Does Tabitha ask Harry about how he “found” his mother and why he didn’t know about her before? Of course, the lack of communication causes problems between the characters.
I like the premise of the book. I found it to be a little slow from time to time and the characters’ lack of communication was frustrating. How does Harry not ask Tabitha what she has been doing for the last 10 years? How does Tabitha not know anything about Harry’s life – like that he was in foster care? And poor Francis. If only she had known that she was being protected and not hunted, what a difference it would have made in her life.
This is yet another book with chapters that switch back and forth in time. Are there books that don’t do that anymore? It is easy to follow whose story is being told.
So, do they find the box? I’ll let you find out for yourself.
Thanks for reading.
The new year is around the corner waiting to bring us surprises. What will you be reading? One of the things that I find very helpful is that I set a reading goal at www.Goodreads.com. Not only do I see how many books I’ve read during the year but also, if I can’t remember if I read a book, I can check there. That happened just last week. I was reading the new book by Anne Patchett (These Precious Days) and I could not remember if I had read The Dutch House. I was sure that I had but I just checked with Goodreads, and I had read it. Goodreads also tells you the longest book you have read for the year (Fresh Water for Flowers) and the shortest (The Beautiful Struggle). I find it interesting to see my stats for the year.
I was given a copy of this week’s book in exchange for my honest review. (Yet another free book in exchange for a review.)
Hidden Treasures is about Francis (although we never meet her in current time), Harry, and Tabitha. Francis is Harry’s mother. She had left him on a park bench when he was 4 years old. This desertion by his mother has affected Harry throughout his life. When he sees her house one day, he knows it is the house he grew up in and goes to the door. And there she is. He moves in with her and walks away from Tabitha, who he loved. He wants his mother to tell him two things. Why did she leave him and who is his father?
As the story opens, ten years have passed since he moved into his mother’s house and she has just died. Harry must clean out the house and move. There is no money for him to be able to stay in the house. He is lost as to how to start to clean out the house. His mother was a hoarder and the house is full to the brim with things. As he is sitting contemplating what to do, there is a knock on the door. When he opens the door, there is Tabitha. She has received a letter from his mother asking her to come and help Harry find an antique jewelry box that is hidden in the house. She is intrigued by finding the lost jewelry box and comes to tell Harry about the letter. After looking around in awe of the job ahead of them, she announces that she will help Harry find the box.
The story moves back and forth between Harry and Tabitha and Francis. How did Francis end up in this house with all this stuff? Why did Francis leave Harry behind and who is his father? Will Harry and Tabitha find the love they had previously? They both have secrets that will be revealed that might break apart any re-kindling of their romance.
And then another knock on the door brings in a surprise character that will lead to most of Harry’s questions being answered.
Communication was apparently not a big deal in these relationships. Does Harry ask Tabitha what she has been doing for the last 10 years? Does Tabitha ask Harry about how he “found” his mother and why he didn’t know about her before? Of course, the lack of communication causes problems between the characters.
I like the premise of the book. I found it to be a little slow from time to time and the characters’ lack of communication was frustrating. How does Harry not ask Tabitha what she has been doing for the last 10 years? How does Tabitha not know anything about Harry’s life – like that he was in foster care? And poor Francis. If only she had known that she was being protected and not hunted, what a difference it would have made in her life.
This is yet another book with chapters that switch back and forth in time. Are there books that don’t do that anymore? It is easy to follow whose story is being told.
So, do they find the box? I’ll let you find out for yourself.
Thanks for reading.
March 29, 2022
France. Summer 1981: In a small village in southern France, a wilful English girl is falling in love. Frances Langley has fallen under Benoit's romantic spell, and their summer of love finds Frances willing to do almost anything for the handsome art collector, even hiding a precious artefact for him, stolen by the Nazis decades before. England. Summer 2022: Frances's son, Harry, finds himself packing up the clutter and chaos of his late mother's home. Little does he know that his mother had sent a letter to Tabitha, the lost love of his life, begging the pair to find a priceless jewellery box, hidden in her cottage. Harry quickly dismisses the search, but as an art historian, Tabitha cannot risk the chance to recover something so valuable that was long thought to be lost. And so they embark on a journey of discovery, but soon find themselves searching for much more than a missing piece of art.
I fell in love with this book. The plot is stunning and I loved that it is set over a dual timeline. Personally, I found myself rushing through the 1981 chapters to get back to the present day but I think that is because I connected with those characters more, the chapters set in the past are still engaging to read. For me, this had everything including love, loss, joy, heartbreak and a treasure hunt. I felt every emotion Adams wrote about and was spellbound by this book. This was an enjoyable read but Adams does write about some very sensitive subjects which made for difficult reading at times but it was done well and provided more depth.
I have touched on the characters already but I adored Tabitha and Harry, I felt connected to them and was rooting for them the whole way through. Tabitha and Harry were my favourite characters but all the characters are well developed, integral to the plot and made me feel something. Plus I enjoyed the story they had to tell.
'The Lost Lives of Frances Langley' is a beautiful, emotional read and one that I found to be incredibly evocative. I loved this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy.
I fell in love with this book. The plot is stunning and I loved that it is set over a dual timeline. Personally, I found myself rushing through the 1981 chapters to get back to the present day but I think that is because I connected with those characters more, the chapters set in the past are still engaging to read. For me, this had everything including love, loss, joy, heartbreak and a treasure hunt. I felt every emotion Adams wrote about and was spellbound by this book. This was an enjoyable read but Adams does write about some very sensitive subjects which made for difficult reading at times but it was done well and provided more depth.
I have touched on the characters already but I adored Tabitha and Harry, I felt connected to them and was rooting for them the whole way through. Tabitha and Harry were my favourite characters but all the characters are well developed, integral to the plot and made me feel something. Plus I enjoyed the story they had to tell.
'The Lost Lives of Frances Langley' is a beautiful, emotional read and one that I found to be incredibly evocative. I loved this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy.
December 23, 2023
A moving yet somewhat uneasy story the dual timeline in Michelle Adams’s is heavy on the impact of some life changing decisions made by several characters in this novel. Adams looks at how upbringing and expectation shapes character as the impacts of abandonment and self sabotage linger across the course of this story.
The novel opens up with Frances guarding the Klinkosch box, an artifact stolen by Nazis decades before, and her young son. This then jumps into the 1980s when Frances met her older lover Benoit and also 2022 where Frances’s son Harry is reunited with his ex-girlfriend, Tabitha, as they search for the missing artifact.
Adams writes the young Frances well who is an old soul and more interested in the past as she would rather archive, to the dismay of her high flying parents. Although Benoit, an art collector, is significantly older than Frances, Adams captures realistically the preoccupation, excitement and sexual awakening of her younger protagonist who lives for her summer holidays in France. It reads as an incredibly intense relationship where there is a sense of foreboding of how this will end and is likely to trigger those who feel there is a sense of exploitation by Benoit.
Harry and Tabitha was a couple I rooted for in the modern portion of this novel who complement each other well. Adams writes them as characters who still have room to reflect and grow as the reasons for their initial separation are examined further. They are reunited in search of the box yet Harry continues to questions why it was he was abandoned as a child by a mum he did not know very well. Tabitha’s own story looks at her life post Harry in an unexpected twist. It very much feels that their second chance is dependent on not only finding the box but how Harry and Tabitha find their way to each other again for a second chance.
A somewhat serious read The Lost Lives of Frances Langley is a novel where love is not enough to sustain relationships and more interested in how fragile they can be when there is something to protect.
The novel opens up with Frances guarding the Klinkosch box, an artifact stolen by Nazis decades before, and her young son. This then jumps into the 1980s when Frances met her older lover Benoit and also 2022 where Frances’s son Harry is reunited with his ex-girlfriend, Tabitha, as they search for the missing artifact.
Adams writes the young Frances well who is an old soul and more interested in the past as she would rather archive, to the dismay of her high flying parents. Although Benoit, an art collector, is significantly older than Frances, Adams captures realistically the preoccupation, excitement and sexual awakening of her younger protagonist who lives for her summer holidays in France. It reads as an incredibly intense relationship where there is a sense of foreboding of how this will end and is likely to trigger those who feel there is a sense of exploitation by Benoit.
Harry and Tabitha was a couple I rooted for in the modern portion of this novel who complement each other well. Adams writes them as characters who still have room to reflect and grow as the reasons for their initial separation are examined further. They are reunited in search of the box yet Harry continues to questions why it was he was abandoned as a child by a mum he did not know very well. Tabitha’s own story looks at her life post Harry in an unexpected twist. It very much feels that their second chance is dependent on not only finding the box but how Harry and Tabitha find their way to each other again for a second chance.
A somewhat serious read The Lost Lives of Frances Langley is a novel where love is not enough to sustain relationships and more interested in how fragile they can be when there is something to protect.
January 3, 2022
*I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.*
One of my 2022 reading resolutions is to read more ARCs. I have been a lifelong reader, but I focused much more on personal development books in the last few years and I’ve been trying to play catch-up since the pandemic started. I feel I’ve missed so many great works of fiction.
Hidden Treasures by Michelle Adams was one of my last reads of 2021. It’s the story of Harry who, after the death of his mother, is left to deal with her house. His mother, Frances, was suffering from depression and was a hoarder. One day Harry opens the door of his late mother’s home and comes face to face with Tabitha, his lost love. She holds a letter sent by his mother begging the pair to search for a priceless jewelry box, hidden somewhere in the house. And so they embark on the adventure of finding the precious box and in the process, uncover so much more.
My thoughts: this book gave me the same vibe as Kristin Harmel. Very sweet, where the protagonists going on some sort of quest. It’s also about lost and recovered love. I did feel myself frustrated with the characters at times for letting their fears get the best of them, mostly because I have been in situations where my fear ran the show. The book is told in dual time between, Frances’ teenage years and Harry and Tabitha’s quest. If you’re looking for something fun and light, this is the book for you!
One of my 2022 reading resolutions is to read more ARCs. I have been a lifelong reader, but I focused much more on personal development books in the last few years and I’ve been trying to play catch-up since the pandemic started. I feel I’ve missed so many great works of fiction.
Hidden Treasures by Michelle Adams was one of my last reads of 2021. It’s the story of Harry who, after the death of his mother, is left to deal with her house. His mother, Frances, was suffering from depression and was a hoarder. One day Harry opens the door of his late mother’s home and comes face to face with Tabitha, his lost love. She holds a letter sent by his mother begging the pair to search for a priceless jewelry box, hidden somewhere in the house. And so they embark on the adventure of finding the precious box and in the process, uncover so much more.
My thoughts: this book gave me the same vibe as Kristin Harmel. Very sweet, where the protagonists going on some sort of quest. It’s also about lost and recovered love. I did feel myself frustrated with the characters at times for letting their fears get the best of them, mostly because I have been in situations where my fear ran the show. The book is told in dual time between, Frances’ teenage years and Harry and Tabitha’s quest. If you’re looking for something fun and light, this is the book for you!
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