The Hope Chest by Carolyn Brown

The Hope Chest Reviews

• 
  Sandy *TheworldcouldendwhileIwasreadingndIwouldnto

  EXCERPT: 'You haven't changed a bit.' Flynn slapped her hand away. 'I think they mixed us all up as babies. I should have been born the preacher's son, and you should have been the daughter of the greatest smart-ass in Texas.'
  
  'That's pretty much what my daddy told me this very morning. You wouldn't have lasted overnight in the house I grew up in.' Nessa went back to the stove and browned some more toast in the big cast-iron skillet.
  
  'As bossy as you are Nessa, and as smug as you are Flynn, y'all would have wilted and died if you'd grown up here,' April said. 'Nanny Lucy was a wonderful lady, but she could put a guilt trip on a person that went all the way to the bottom of the soul, and believe me when I tell you that she knew very well how to wield a switch. Ten licks was the minimum.'
  
  'Are you serious?' Nessa was stunned.
  
  'Y'all knew her as a sweet nanny for two weeks. Somehow you being here was when she had good days,' April answered. 'But I was the bastard offspring of the daughter who had disappointed her and then died four days after I was born. At least once a day, and more in the days after y'all left and went back home, she reminded me that I had my mother's genes, and I knew that was a bad thing by her tone. It didn't seem to matter if she was having a good or a bad day. I was always a thorn in her side.'
  
  Nessa could well understand what April was saying. Looking back, she'd always felt like one of those thorns for her father. 'I guess that's where my daddy got his ability to make me feel guilty about even the air I breathe.' Nessa talked as she cooked breakfast. 'He could put a guilt trip on Jesus, and he practiced on me almost daily.'
  
  Both women glanced over at Flynn.
  
  'Hey, my dad was always too busy either chasing women, marrying them then chasing women, or getting divorced because his wife caught him chasing women to ever even talk to me.' Flynn shrugged. 'I was just a bratty kid that he didn't want to raise but had to when my mama died. I did pretty much what I wanted from the time I went to live with him - no questions asked except on payday, when he held out his hand for half of what I made to pay for my room and board in his house.'
  
  'We should call that childhood the O'Reilly curse.'
  
  ABOUT 'THE HOPE CHEST': An inheritance has reunited three estranged cousins. Their grandmother Lucy left Nessa, Flynn, and April her home nestled in the woods near Blossom, Texas, as well as a hope chest to be unlocked after they complete a special task. Together, they must hand-stitch a cherished quilt Lucy left unfinished. It meant everything to her. And now, to three people struggling with their own patchwork pasts…
  
  To Nessa, the house has always been an escape from her strict parents—a home away from home. Flynn has followed a profligate path into adulthood, never guessing it would lead him here. And the town of Blossom only stirs up a lifetime of disappointments for April. Lost and with nowhere to go, her last chance is helping fulfill Nanny Lucy’s final wish.
  
  Thread by healing thread, Nessa, Flynn, and April bond over the quilt and all it represents. As they discover the family they’ve been looking for in one another, they share more than memories. They share the hope of new beginnings.
  
  MY THOUGHTS: The Hope Chest is a warm and comforting read. Carolyn Brown writes wonderful characters, interesting characters that have the reader firmly in their camp, rooting for the best possible outcome for them.
  
  Nessa, Flynn, and April have all had terrible childhoods and have each reacted in different ways, but ways that have brought them no happiness. Flung together by fate in the form of Nanny Lucy's last will and testament, they are initially resentful and wary of one another. The Hope Chest charts their journey through repairing both their childhood relationships with one another, and their damaged self image.
  
  Although described as a romance, The Hope Chest is so much more. There is mystery surrounding Nanny Lucy's past, and a heartwarming thread involving the rebuilding of family relationships, and forgiveness. Brown also touches on mental illness in the forms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and the damage caused when it goes undiagnosed.
  
  I have loved everything I have read by this author, and The Hope Chest is no exception.
  
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2
  
  #TheHopeChest #NetGalley
  
  I: @carolynbrownbooks #montlake
  
  T: @thecarolynbrown #Montlake
  
  #contemporaryfiction #familydrama #mentalhealth #mystery #romance
  
  THE AUTHOR: Hi! I'm twenty five years old and movie star gorgeous. The camera added thirty plus years and a few wrinkles. Can't trust those cameras or mirrors either. Along with bathroom scales they are notorious liars! Honestly, I am the mother of three fantastic grown children who've made me laugh and given me more story ideas than I could ever write. My husband, Charles, is my strongest supporter and my best friend. He's even willing to eat fast food and help with the laundry while I finish one more chapter! Life is good and I am blessed!
  
  Reading has been a passion since I was five years old and figured out those were words on book pages. As soon as my chubby little fingers found they could put words on a Big Chief tablet with a fat pencil, I was on my way. Writing joined reading in my list of passions. I will read anything from the back of the Cheerio's box to Faulkner and love every bit of it. In addition to reading I enjoy cooking, my family and the ocean. I love the Florida beaches. Listening to the ocean waves puts my writing brain into high gear.
  
  I love writing romance because it's about emotions and relationships. Human nature hasn't changed a bit since Eve coveted the fruit in the Garden of Eden. Settings change. Plots change. Names change. Times change. But love is love and men and women have been falling in and out of it forever. Romance is about emotions: love, hate, anger, laughter... all of it. If I can make you laugh until your sides ache or grab a tissue then I've touched your emotions and accomplished what every writer sets out to do.
  
  I got serious about writing when my third child was born and had her days and nights mixed up. I had to stay up all night anyway and it was very quiet so I invested in a spiral back notebook and sharpened a few pencils. The story that emerged has never sold but it's brought in enough rejection slips to put the Redwood Forest on the endangered list.
  
  Folks ask me where I get my ideas. Three kids, fifteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren. Note: I was a very young grandmother! Life is a zoo around here when they all come home. In one Sunday afternoon there's enough ideas to keep me writing for years and years. Seriously, ideas pop up at the craziest times. When one sinks its roots into my mind, I have no choice but to write the story. And while I'm writing the characters peek over my shoulder and make sure I'm telling it right and not exaggerating too much. Pesky little devils, they are!
  
  DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Montlake via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Hope Chest by Carolyn Brown for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
  
  For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
  
  This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage
  https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
• 
  Lori (on semi hiatus, life is crazy busy))

  Carolyn Brown is my go to author for when I need a heartwarming story.
  This one takes place in Blossom, Texas where three estranged cousins have come to learn about their inheritance from their Grandma Lucy. Flynn, April and Nessa must finish a quilt within a month to get their inheritance and also see what is in the hope chest. Throughout this story each person learns to find themselves and make a new life. They learn secrets, make new friends and grow close to one another.
• 
  Robin (Bridge Four)

  This review was originally posted on
  Books of My Heart
  
  Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
  
  The Hope Chest is a smidgen outside my normal reading genres.  There are no fae or dragons, far off lands or epic quests to undertake but sometimes a story about going home can really just hit the spot.
  
  Three cousins spent two weeks each summer at their grandmother's house.  For all three, they were the best times of their lives and they have great memories.  When their grandmother dies and leaves them the house in the country and a hope chest, they only get to open once they've completed a quilt she has left for them.  Nyssa, Flynn and April are all at crossroads points in their lives, being together again after about a decade is a bit of a struggle at first but quickly becomes a routine they don't want to live without. Each cousin will help the other deal with the issues in their lives and find a new path moving forward.
  
  This is definitely a character driven book, but I really enjoyed learning about the cousins and how each had very different ideas of the others lives and how they were going.  Apparently sometimes you really don't know a person until you spend some time quilting with them.  I too wanted to know what was in the hope chest and really liked how the cousins became a family again.
  
  A nice easy read when you want to root for family and watch them find a way to happy. This is shelved as contemporary romance and while there is a romance happening in the book, the focus is more on the three cousins coming together and changing their lives.
  
  Narration:
  Brit Pressley had a great voice for the southern feel of this book.  She portrayed each character well and I really liked how her narration made me feel about the characters.
  
  Listen to a clip: 
  HERE
• 
  Dale Harcombe

  Three and a half stars.
  Nessa, Flynn and April are cousins, though they have not seen each other for a long time. But when their grandmother Lucy leaves them her small home in the woods near Blossom, Texas, as well as a hope chest, they are forced to come together. They cannot learn what is in the hope chest till they complete a certain task. Together they are required to hand stitch and complete a quilt their grandmother left largely unfinished.
  Till then the locked hope chest and the key is in the care of Lucy’s friend and neighbour Jackson Devereaux. Nessa, Flynn and April all come to this quilting experience wondering what the future holds. Each of them in different ways has a checkered past and issues and family situations they need to overcome. Each of them has very different memories of Lucy and their times as children spent with her in Blossom. For Nessa and Flynn it was a refuge. they hated to leave. Not so for April who was raised by her grandmother. As they work on the quilt secrets emerge. They learn a lot not only about themselves but the past of parents as well as grandparents.
  It took me a while to get into this book. I struggled to get past the sadly too familiar trope of the person claiming to be Christian, wielding religion and punishment out. After a time the story of the three cousins did get me in, though it does tend to be repetitive in parts as stories emerge. It is interesting at one point when Nessa realises that religion is not the issue but her father’s controlling personality. The cousins also find out reasons that help explain their grandmother's behaviour.
  It does raise questions about how people respond differently to other people and vice versa, which I liked. The main characters are likable and it was an interesting read, if a bit repetitive. Those who like family stories, romance and people starting over and trying to forgive past hurts should enjoy it.
• 
  Susan

  THE HOPE CHEST is a slow burn contemporary story that I was pulled in to from the very first page. To be honest, I fell in love with the cover the minute I saw it. Don’t you just want to know what is inside that chest? I knew I would read it anyway, because I love Carolyn Brown, but the cover really pulled me in. I loved everything about this beautiful story and I’m excited to recommend it to my reading friends. Carolyn Brown always has a way of grabbing her readers and she never lets us go. When their grandmother dies and leaves them her house and a quilt top to be completed, they each learn the story of the others and realize their lives were all harsh in many ways. Every family has its secrets.
  
  Three cousins gather to fulfill their grandmothers last wishes. THE HOPE CHEST really takes a turn that will have you unable to put this beautiful story down. Neither Nessa or Jackson are looking for a relationship, but they can’t seem to ignore the feelings they have when they are together. So here we have these two crossing paths and each time, there is a pull to see more of each other. It was cute watching these two dance around their feelings for each other. I just didn’t want to see Nessa get hurt again like she did in the past. She’s had a very rough life and I couldn’t help but cheer her on through out this heart warming story! Carolyn Brown knows how to tell a story that will keep you turning the pages. If you’re a fan of Carolyn Brown, then you’re going to love this one too.
  
  THE HOPE CHEST is filled with twists and turns and had me staying up way too late one night to finish! I had to know where Carolyn Brown was taking us and what would happen to these three cousins. I really loved how the whole community came to their aid and only wanted them to feel loved and realize that they were home. There is so much heart in Carolyn’s writing that I’m always left with a huge smile on my face and my heart very happy. I could totally see THE HOPE CHEST becoming a Hallmark movie and I would love to see it. All of the characters are very interesting and believable, so much so that I felt as if I’ve known them for a long time. I would love to hang out with Nessa, Flynn, and April. I’m sure they could teach me a thing or two and I know they would keep my laughing all day long! I love how Carolyn does that to me each and every time.
  
  I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.
• 
  Elizabeth

  I have found that the death of a family member either brings families together or completely splits them permanently apart. It was a beautiful thing to see the three cousins come together to bring their grandmother's hope into being. I laughed and I cried seeing the cousins learn from each other -- and from a quilt that Nanny Lucy left for them to finish.
  
  This is a beautiful story that will grab the reader's heartstrings and never let go! Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.
• 
  Elaine

  The Hope Chest
  By Carolyn Brown.
  
  A wonderful Story about
  Family. Learning To Forgive.
  Making amends and Simple Loving one another..
  
  3 cousins all grown up who inherit their grandmother's home in blossom Texas.. With this inheritance there are stipulations to be met. Quilting together. these cousins
  Haven't seen each other for years. Things they will learn about not only themselves but their grandmother what she went through in life. Things about their granddad. Simply things you would never think your granddad would do..
  Secrets that were buried come to light. Knowing why your grandmother treated each of you differently. And the truth is always what is best in the end.
  
  I truly Enjoy Each Book I Read By This Author. Her Books Are Wonderful. I recommend her stories to Everyone.
• 
  Sophia

  A grandmother’s death bring her three broken grandchildren together to fulfill her final wishes while at the same time, providing them a second chance, restoring what has been broken in each of them all their lives. Bittersweet, touching, and thoughtful family story full of country charm and a smidge of romance for this latest release from Carolyn Brown.
  
  When Granny Lucy passes away, her three grandchildren return to Blossom, Texas. Each had a past that tore them up and defined them, but all three are ready to make drastic changes and get off the destructive paths they have been on. Granny Lucy’s final wishes might help with that. The three cousins, Nessa, Flynn, and April inherit the old family property and some start up cash, but they also inherit the darker secrets from their family past to be revealed and a mysterious old Hope Chest that they are only allowed to open once the three of them finish the work on Lucy’s last, unfinished quilting project out in her quilting shed.
  
  Carolyn Brown has always done great at writing an engaging story and characters, but I thought her inclusion of untreated bi-polarism in a family and how the choices of older generations can pan out in succeeding generations can influence lives created a poignant depth to the story. Each of the cousins had to deal with this in their own way and fight their own demons. I enjoyed that it didn’t get dreary, but the tone stayed hopeful and, at times, fun. The mystery behind Granny Lucy’s past and what was in the hope chest had my curiosity on high alert.
  
  There is romance, particularly for Nessa, with that amazingly engaging next door neighbor, Jackson, but it is not the focal point of the story. Still, Jackson was a handsome, hardworking guy, and made a scene with him sparkle. I also found April’s time at the animal shelter taking care of the critters and meeting her own dashing man was lovely, too.
  
  The story takes it’s time getting there and meanders along until this family has found their way back to each other and to happiness or at least, in Flynn’s case, a happy for now. It makes a great lazy summer day read and recommended for women’s fiction fans who like a country setting.
  
  I rec'd an eARC of this book through Net Galley to read in exchange for an honest review.
  
• 
  Danielle B

  This is my first book by Carolyn Brown.
  
  Nessa, Flynn, and April are all cousins that are brought back together after their grandmother Lucy passes away. The cousins have inherited Lucy's cabin in Texas. This cabin contains a special hope chest with strict instructions to be opened only after a task is completed. The task is to finish a partially completed hand made quilt that Lucy left behind.
  
  This was a nice story about the cousins. They find some comfort in each other as often happens when a death brings family back together.
  
  Many thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
• 
  Susan

  Good story about family, love, and forgiveness. Nessa, Flynn, and April are cousins born just a few months apart. Though they spent two weeks together every summer at their grandmother Lucy's house as kids, they haven't seen each other in many years. Then an inheritance brings them all back to Blossom, Texas. Nanny Lucy left her home to the three cousins with some unusual conditions. The house can never be sold, to claim their inheritance, they must hand-stitch the quilt that she left for them, and her hope chest will go to the first cousin who marries. All three face decisions about the directions of their lives.
  
  Nessa remembers Nanny Lucy's house and her time there as a place of refuge. Her father is a super-strict preacher, and her mother follows right along. Nessa saw their hypocrisy early in life and continues to rebel. She teaches kindergarten but isn't all that happy in her work. A series of failed relationships make her question her judgment. A summer at Nanny Lucy's provides a chance to consider a change.
  
  Flynn, the only child of divorced parents, remembers summer fun with his cousins until the year he turned fifteen. His mother died in a car crash on the way to pick him up. Though he begged to stay with her, Nanny Lucy sent him to live with his father. Matthew is an unrepentant womanizer who had no interest in being a father to his son, leaving Flynn mostly on his own. Flynn grew up to follow in his father's footsteps but recently decided to change his ways. Spending the summer at Nanny Lucy's is his chance to start anew.
  
  April is the daughter of Lucy's youngest child, Rachel. Rachel died four days after April's birth, leaving April to be raised by Nanny Lucy. April couldn't wait to get away after she graduated, but her life since then has been one disappointment after another. After her latest disastrous relationship, April is broke and homeless, leaving Nanny Lucy's her only option. There she hopes to find a new start.
  
  Nessa, Flynn, and April settle into the house and work out schedules and responsibilities. There's a bit of snark and sarcasm in those first interactions until the memories of the good times they shared started to kick in. As they talk about those summer visits, each one discovers that their memories of Nanny Lucy don't necessarily match those of the others. As they look at those childhood memories through adult eyes, a clearer picture of their grandmother emerges. The things they learn about Lucy also help them understand their parents and themselves. I liked seeing them open up about their own lives and challenges and accept that they are works in progress. Each of the three cousins came to Blossom looking for a new start, and I enjoyed seeing how each of them found their way. Above all, they found the home and family each of them craved.
  
  It wouldn't be a Carolyn Brown book without a little bit of romance. In this case, Nanny Lucy's net door neighbor, Jackson, was charged with keeping the hope chest until they met the will's conditions. Jackson left a successful law career five years earlier and went to work with his uncle making furniture. Having been at the same place as Flynn, April, and Nessa, Jackson is uniquely positioned to help all of them in their quests. I loved watching him become friends with all three cousins, but there was a little something extra in his interactions with Nessa. Smitten early on, Jackson knew what he wanted and had the patience to wait for it. Having been cheated on before, Nessa was in no hurry to start another relationship. I liked seeing their friendship grow into more and Nessa learn to trust Jackson. There was a minor hiccup in their growing relationship, but both acted like adults and talked it out. The epilogue caught up with everyone a year later.
  
  #netgalley
• 
  Carla

  I enjoy stories about estranged families who are forced together by older of deceased relatives wills. In The Hope Chest, Nessa, Flynn, and April are cousins who spend many summers together at their grandmother Lucy's home. Over the years, they have all gone their own ways and lost that wonderful friendship they had as children. When Lucy passes, the cousins find out that they have inherited the house and land, but their are a few catches. The house can't be sold, and the cousins have to stay at the house and finish a quilt that she had started. Lucy's hope was that they will unpack the baggage they all have and become a caring family together.
  
  I loved this story. Each of the cousins had secrets. They had not shared everything they had gone through in their lives that brought them to where they were on that day they stood in the lawyer's office. They also didn't totally trust each other, so it took awhile to open up to each other as well as those in town. Blossom, Texas has memories for each of them, but they are not all good memories. As they begin to figure out what they are looking for, begin to stand on their own two feet, become family again and complete the quilt, they each make decisions that will finally have them finding peace and whatever else they have been looking for. I love Carolyn Brown's books. They are warm and comfortable They are full of wonderful characters and healing. This one has a huge secret or mystery involving Nana Lucy which is discovered through diaries and is also very sad. The story deals with mental health issues such as narcissism and bi-polar disorder, but it is woven into the story wonderfully. If you are looking at a story with some great family themes, then pick up The Hope Chest. I did a read/listen (KU) and really enjoyed Brittany Pressley's narration. She uses expression and tone to bring emotion and voice to the various characters. I definitely recommend this one.
• 
  Sue

  When their grandmother dies, three estranged cousins are called back to Blossom, Texas to learn about the will. Nessa, Flynn, and April had all spent time with her over the years but their lives had gone in totally different directions and the only connection was their grandmother. They are told that they must complete a quilt that their grandmother was working on when she died. As they work on the quilt together, they begin to talk about their pasts and reveal secrets of their lives.
  
  Nessa - is the oldest of the three grandchildren. She is a teacher and the daughter of strict parents who want her to follow their directions on how to live her life. She has been thinking about giving up her job for awhile and while she works on the quilt, her plans for the future begin to come clear. The weeks that she spent at her grandmother's every summer were a welcome relief from her life with her over-zealous religious parents.
  
  Flynn - has always been a playboy. His father had been married numerous times and he seemed to be following in his footsteps with the number of women that he had been involved with over the years. His two cousins had no idea how rough his life was when he went back to his father's house every year to start school.
  
  April - is the youngest cousin. She was raised by her grandmother and spent more time with her than the other two. She's made a lot of mistakes in her life and now has no money, no job and is living in her car. She hopes to use her time in Blossom to start to turn her life around.
  
  All three of the cousins bring their past baggage to the quilting shed at their grandmother's. Can they change their patchwork pasts and learn to love and respect each other again?
  
  I'm not sure why but Carolyn Brown has not been on my radar. After reading The Hope Chest, I plan to change that and read some of her earlier books. This was a well written book with very believable characters and a great plot that showed their personal growth throughout the book. It was a comforting easy read that was hard to put down.
  
• 
  Alex Curtis

  First of all I have to thank NetGalley for this chance to read this book.
  The Pros :
  - The Cover is exquisite and I just needed to read this book, because of this cover..
  
  
  the cons:
  I have never read a Carolyn Brown book and I probably won't again, Not that this book wasn't well written but I just didn't find it terribly fascinating..
  I read a little about Carolyn and this is what it said about her on her own website; Her books include romantic women’s fiction, historical, contemporary, and cowboys and country music mass-market paperbacks. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and when―and they read the local newspaper on Wednesdays to see who got caught. She sounds like a sweetheart but not someone I would be friends with or ever read again..
• 
  RubieReads

  I loved her book The Family Journal! So when I seen her newest The Hope Chest....
  I had to get it! Brown is an amazing romance writer! Love her books!
  Excited to read this one!
  Review to come!
• 
  Gale

  For me, the bottom line of this story was: family. Usually my next line, when in conversation, is ‘gotta love ‘em’! I think it fits perfectly.
  
  Loved reading about these cousins: Nessa, Flynn, and April (in close birth order). They have just inherited a cabin from their grandmother Lucy but there are stipulations that they have to follow in her will. The first thing you need to remember is, family is complicated. All three cousins are in different places in their lives BUT…are they? Their parents are, let’s call them off the wall (or looney, if I’m being honest), have shaped their lives to the point where these three doubt themselves, their pasts and their futures. Together, they work thru the sometimes horrific events in their lives to come to at least love themselves, and each other – more.
  
  The way they relate to one another is sometimes hilarious. They can be loving, of course, but the snark! Totally enjoyed that. They are working on a quilt and thru that effort, they talk to each other, learn to look at events in their lives from another’s perspective, and I think that they heal one another. No worries, they are in turn selfish and then selfless; amusing and then supportive; and their familial bond grows stronger every day. And even though their parents don’t “get” what they are doing (to come to terms with their lives and their parental relationships), Nessa and Flynn and April all have their defining moments.
  
  Really enjoyed this story. The author delivers much feeling and what I think of as family. Can’t get much better than that!
  
• 
  theliterateleprechaun

  A quilt really is a timeless treasure, isn’t it? Kind of like family.
  
  Pour yourself a sweet tea and allow Carolyn Brown to transport you to Blossom, Texas. This town is “the best-kept secret in all the world and it’s right next door to Heaven.”
  
  A grandmother’s loving bequest forces three estranged cousins to reunite for two weeks. The girls’ lives change forever as they bond over the quilt their grandmother wanted them to finish together.
  
  This book needs to be read as if you were working on a quilt, slow and with a vision of the future. Each square represents a memory and as it is stitched together with the square beside it, it contributes to the larger vision. Each seemingly unique piece is needed, just as each memory and member contributes to the family as a whole. Brown uses country music lyrics to reinforce her prose. She highlights bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and the effect it has on family if it goes undiagnosed and untreated.
  
  The connecting threads of love, hope and family stitch together fractured lives and leave them with fresh hope and new beginnings in this sweet, wholesome, small-town read.
  
  “If you want to change, you have to work for it.” Grandma knew best.
  
  I was gifted this advance copy by Carolyn Brown, Montlake Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
  
  Publishes June 22, 2021
• 
  Angela Sanford

  Never one to disappoint, Author Carolyn Brown has successfully written another novel that will have you on hooked from the first page through the last! The three O'Riley cousins always looked forward to spending their Summer with Nanny Lucy in Blossom, Texas where they felt life was perfect. Unbeknownst to them, Nanny Lucy was far from perfect and was good at hiding her own insecurities. Returning to Blossom to learn the terms of Nanny Lucy's will, Nessa, April, and Flynn discover they are to finish a quilt and place it in the hope chest that Nanny Lucy cherished before they are allowed to leave, if they choose to. Carrying a great deal of baggage from their own lives, they each want to make a change to better themselves. Questioning their nanny's motives behind the strange request, they soon discover that their nanny had a lot of skeleton's hidden in her closet. Will the cousins learn why their lives have been so dysfunctional? What kind of secrets will be discovered in the O'Riley family? I cannot praise this novel enough! I wish I could give more than five stars because this is such an inspiring read! Author Carolyn Brown has such a gift for writing such powerful and inspirational novels! As always, I am looking for to seeing what this amazing author writes next!
• 
  Shannon Rochester

  This was my first book by this author and I loved it so much...the story line, the atmosphere, the characters...it even had me looking up Blossom Texas to see if it was a real place...I kind of want to visit now...I am so happy that there are many many books I have not read and can look forward to. This particular one drew me in because of the title and the cover and I am happy to say that sometimes you CAN judge a book by it's cover.
• 
  Meg May

  When this book started, I did not think I would like it as well as I did. What I appreciated was the deepening relationship among the cousins. Those cousin relationships are very important in my life, so I connected to that part of the book.
• 
  Vickie

  This book was like a cold glass of water on a hot summer day. It totally quenched my thirst for family ties, relationships and starting again. It was a thought-provoking and brilliant plot with fascinating characters.Nessa, Flynn and April are cousins who return to their Nanny Lucy’s cabin in Blossom, Texas after her death. Nessa is a teacher who wants to do something else with her life. Flynn is a playboy who wants to change his ways and April just wants a place to feel secure again. The bequest of the cabin is not all that the secretive Nanny Lucy left the trio. In that cabin, they discover memories of their childhood, long-held family secrets hidden away by Nanny Lucy and a strange request to finish a quilt before they can obtain what she has left for them in hope chest. I was amazed that even Flynn pitched into sewing the quilt and I was amused that the quilt would have to be good enough to pass the inspection of Nanny Lucy’s former sewing circle. Each cousin has to overcome past hurts, family weaknesses and their own biological background in order to work together to find the treasure in the hope chest. This book made me quiver with anticipation the closer I got to their completing their task and to perhaps separating once again forever. I was invested in the tales of each cousin and of their friendly, helpful neighbor Jackson, the keeper of the hope chest for them. I wanted each of them to find their “happily ever after” despite a lifetime of not always making right choices. The theme of second chances and family love runs deep in this wonderful story. The idea of cousins being brought together by a crotchety old woman was inspirational to me; after all, she knew them best and loved them anyway. This tale reminded me of the Bible Scripture that says that unless a seed fall into the ground and die, it cannot bear fruit. I loved the captivating plot, the intriguing characters and the insightful lessons that the author teaches as she weaves a tale of quilting and hope in a hope chest.
  Disclaimer
  Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Jackie S. on Facebook. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
• 
  Suzan

  1 star
  
  DNF
  this book did nothing to grab my attention. I was excited it was a read and listen for free book and spent a hour at the gym listening. Then I tried reading figuring I could skim but even that didn’t hold my interest. I just didn’t care about anything that was happening
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  Tammy

  I wasn't sure what to expect when I downloaded this book, new to this author.
  Quite an extraordinary journey of 3 cousins brought together by their grandmother's passing and her will. The 3 are spending time together learning about themselves and each other in this amazing story. Really good read