After a near-life long estrangement from her paternal grandmother, Emily Bryant gets a call from her uncle telling her that her grandmother has died and has left Emily her estate and literary business. To claim it, Emily must return to Cascata, California, and edit a stack of “forsaken” manuscripts. When Emily begins to make notes on the stories, she finds that the scenes she read and edited on paper begin to play out in real life.

I’m sad to say that this book was a miss for me. I’ve read a lot of books by Ellie Alexander and have been a fan for several years. She’s a favorite author of mine, which is why it’s difficult to share my thoughts when I didn’t enjoy a story by her. I simply couldn’t connect with Emily at all. Page after page seemed filled with her internal ruminations of what caused the estrangement in her family, why her grandmother left her the house and business, what she was supposed to do with the manuscripts, and if she was just imagining it all. I struggled to finish the story. I simply didn’t care what would happen and, honestly, I took no joy in reading it.

All of that noted I am keenly aware that not every book is a fit for every reader–and that’s okay! I continue to be a fan of this wonderfully prolific author and I thank the publisher for the copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinions. As with all books, I encourage you to try this story for yourself–it may just be your new favorite!