Terrific book about family, friendship, love, and new beginnings. In the five years since her divorce, Lily's life was taken over by the day-to-day stresses of work and home, leaving her little time to give her kids the attention they needed. Her cheating ex-husband gave her full custody because his new wife had no interest in being around children. He flits in and out of Holly and Braden's lives, unreliable in actions and attitude. She experienced a rude awakening when she discovered 14-year-old Holly smoking a joint in the library bathroom, and that 12-year-old Braden was regularly sneaking out to drink and smoke with his friends. Devastated and furious, Lily takes drastic action. She takes all of their electronics away and moves them from Austin to her tiny hometown of Comfort, Texas.
I had to hand it to Lily. She didn't shilly-shally when faced with trouble, but took immediate action. Nor did she allow the kids to guilt her into changing her mind. She may harbor a few doubts, but she wasn't about to show them to the kids. Returning to Comfort was a big step for her. As a teen, she couldn't wait to get away from the small, sleepy town and experience city life. Her return feels a bit like a failure, but she'll do what she must for the kids. Her return also forces Lily to face some unresolved guilt about her relationship with her deceased mother. In the middle of her divorce, Lily was unwilling to deal with the stress of handling her mother's house, so she rented it as is to Mack Cooper, the high school ag teacher. It's a fairly large house, so she and Mack come to an agreement that he will continue to rent and live in the downstairs, while Lily and the kids live upstairs. They'll share the kitchen.
I really liked Mack. He's a quiet, steady man, who enjoys his work with the kids at school. He's accepted that love is likely not in the cards for him after having been burned twice. I ached for him and that part of his past, as the two women he loved threw him over for his flashy and shallow twin brother. Personally, I felt he was better off without them, as they obviously didn't truly love him. I loved the way that he welcomed Lily and the kids into his life. I especially enjoyed his connection with Braden and seeing the positive influence he had on the boy. I had to laugh at Braden's enthusiasm for the goats, much to his sister's disgust.
A lot was going on in this book. First and foremost was Lily's need to reconnect with her kids and help them see the error of their ways. It was a tough go at first, as the withdrawal pains from their lack of electronics made them unusually irritable. I had a great deal of fun watching them all cope with their new reality - no wifi??!!! Both kids had some severe culture shock going on, and I enjoyed seeing their progress from spoiled brats to good kids. It wasn't all smooth sailing for them, and I liked seeing them deal with their various challenges. I especially loved Braden's defense of his friend and cheered the awesome principal. There was a little while where I worried that Holly was headed down the wrong path again, but she too came through with unexpectedly mature decisions.
I also enjoyed seeing Lily reconnect with her childhood friends. It didn't take long for them to be as close as they had ever been. I enjoyed seeing Lily get involved in the antique store and discover that the slower pace suited her new lifestyle. Her friendship with her mother's best friend also gave Lily the chance to learn things about her mom that she hadn't known. When going through her mother's desk, Lily found an old journal that turned out to be written by earlier generations of the women in her family. I loved the snippets that were shared in the book, and how many of them had parallels in what Lily herself was experiencing. When Holly needed a school project, Lily shared the journal with her. I loved how sharing that link with their ancestors brought the two together in new ways. It was fascinating to see the effect it had on both of them.
There was also the growing relationship between Lily and Mack. It started as friendship, with the two learning to work together as they shared the living space. Mack's quiet strength helped Lily stay true to her goals for herself and her children. I liked how he took an interest in the kids and provided the kind of example they didn't have in their own father. I enjoyed seeing the two of them settle into a comfortable friendship with trust and respect for each other. And the more time that they spent together, the stronger the sparks of attraction between them grew. Both are a little wary, as Wyatt did a number on Lily's belief in herself, and Mack's brother Adam's dog-in-the-manger attitude toward anything Mack has made him reluctant to trust his heart to another woman. I had to laugh at Lily's reaction to Adam and his stunned disbelief. I loved that Mack was there for Lily when Wyatt pulled his bone-headed stunt with the kids. I loved the ending and seeing the changes that everyone experienced. I was left with a wonderfully warm feeling and the belief that Comfort was both a place and a state of mind.
One of my favorite secondary characters was Granny Hyatt. She was something else, with her fierce independence and blunt speech. She also showed the heart of Comfort and how everyone looks out for each other. It was quite a surprise to see how she took to the rebellious Holly. It was fascinating to see how two such different people connected. There was an interesting twist involving Granny at the end of the book, which answered a few questions Lily had from reading the journal.
I had to hand it to Lily. She didn't shilly-shally when faced with trouble, but took immediate action. Nor did she allow the kids to guilt her into changing her mind. She may harbor a few doubts, but she wasn't about to show them to the kids. Returning to Comfort was a big step for her. As a teen, she couldn't wait to get away from the small, sleepy town and experience city life. Her return feels a bit like a failure, but she'll do what she must for the kids. Her return also forces Lily to face some unresolved guilt about her relationship with her deceased mother. In the middle of her divorce, Lily was unwilling to deal with the stress of handling her mother's house, so she rented it as is to Mack Cooper, the high school ag teacher. It's a fairly large house, so she and Mack come to an agreement that he will continue to rent and live in the downstairs, while Lily and the kids live upstairs. They'll share the kitchen.
I really liked Mack. He's a quiet, steady man, who enjoys his work with the kids at school. He's accepted that love is likely not in the cards for him after having been burned twice. I ached for him and that part of his past, as the two women he loved threw him over for his flashy and shallow twin brother. Personally, I felt he was better off without them, as they obviously didn't truly love him. I loved the way that he welcomed Lily and the kids into his life. I especially enjoyed his connection with Braden and seeing the positive influence he had on the boy. I had to laugh at Braden's enthusiasm for the goats, much to his sister's disgust.
A lot was going on in this book. First and foremost was Lily's need to reconnect with her kids and help them see the error of their ways. It was a tough go at first, as the withdrawal pains from their lack of electronics made them unusually irritable. I had a great deal of fun watching them all cope with their new reality - no wifi??!!! Both kids had some severe culture shock going on, and I enjoyed seeing their progress from spoiled brats to good kids. It wasn't all smooth sailing for them, and I liked seeing them deal with their various challenges. I especially loved Braden's defense of his friend and cheered the awesome principal. There was a little while where I worried that Holly was headed down the wrong path again, but she too came through with unexpectedly mature decisions.
I also enjoyed seeing Lily reconnect with her childhood friends. It didn't take long for them to be as close as they had ever been. I enjoyed seeing Lily get involved in the antique store and discover that the slower pace suited her new lifestyle. Her friendship with her mother's best friend also gave Lily the chance to learn things about her mom that she hadn't known. When going through her mother's desk, Lily found an old journal that turned out to be written by earlier generations of the women in her family. I loved the snippets that were shared in the book, and how many of them had parallels in what Lily herself was experiencing. When Holly needed a school project, Lily shared the journal with her. I loved how sharing that link with their ancestors brought the two together in new ways. It was fascinating to see the effect it had on both of them.
There was also the growing relationship between Lily and Mack. It started as friendship, with the two learning to work together as they shared the living space. Mack's quiet strength helped Lily stay true to her goals for herself and her children. I liked how he took an interest in the kids and provided the kind of example they didn't have in their own father. I enjoyed seeing the two of them settle into a comfortable friendship with trust and respect for each other. And the more time that they spent together, the stronger the sparks of attraction between them grew. Both are a little wary, as Wyatt did a number on Lily's belief in herself, and Mack's brother Adam's dog-in-the-manger attitude toward anything Mack has made him reluctant to trust his heart to another woman. I had to laugh at Lily's reaction to Adam and his stunned disbelief. I loved that Mack was there for Lily when Wyatt pulled his bone-headed stunt with the kids. I loved the ending and seeing the changes that everyone experienced. I was left with a wonderfully warm feeling and the belief that Comfort was both a place and a state of mind.
One of my favorite secondary characters was Granny Hyatt. She was something else, with her fierce independence and blunt speech. She also showed the heart of Comfort and how everyone looks out for each other. It was quite a surprise to see how she took to the rebellious Holly. It was fascinating to see how two such different people connected. There was an interesting twist involving Granny at the end of the book, which answered a few questions Lily had from reading the journal.
