Book Review: The Last Carolina Summer by Karen White

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The Last Carolina Summer by Karen White is the story about Phoebe Manigault returning home to Mt. Pleasant, a suburb of Charleston, South Carolina, to help her sister with their ailing mother. When past memories resurface, Phoebe is thrown back into some childhood turmoil. I requested an Advanced Readers Copy ARC of The Last Carolina Summer from NetGalley, and I was ecstatic when the provided me with a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. So, a big thank you goes out to them! When I began reading this story, I just happened to be vacationing in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. I loved hearing about the different places, including streets and a bridge called the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which I had to cross to get into Mt. Pleasant as well as Isle of Palms. It's always nice to be able to visualize the places and author writes about. With that being said, I'm not a fan of traveling over bridges, and one of the scenes of The Last Carolina Summer mentions a car going off ...
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Book Review: The Garden by Nick Newman

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Suspense NetGalley ARC Book Review of The Garden by Nick Newman
The Garden by Nick Newman opens with two elderly sisters living alone in their secluded and isolated family home and maintaining their self sufficient farm, beehives, and garden. When a young boy appears at their house without explanation, the sisters look for an explanation on how he got there and the reason why.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for approving my request for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Garden by Nick Newman. I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, I was extremely excited to read this book, but I struggled with even finishing the story because it was slow paced and boring. It seemed pointless, and I expected more of a mystery or more suspense. Don't get me wrong, it was well written, but it just didn't appeal to me. It reminded me of Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alan, which I disliked immensely.

As for the main two characters, Lily and Evelyn, both characters had good and bad qualities, but I found myself disliking Lily the most. The minor characters of their parents weren't that great, but their mom seemed like a total nutcase. Their dad seemed to legitimately care for them but seemed to be a bit standoffish. As for the young boy, there wasn't really any character development for someone who's supposed to be a main character.

Overall I found The Garden by Nick Newman to be disappointing, and it just wasn't for me. I gave it an underwhelming two stars out of five stars.

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