Reporter Elizabeth Balsam will do anything to break a huge story about a local politician's secret involvement in the 1967 Detroit race riots.  Her dodgy methods don't get her the scoop, however; they get her sacked.  Finding herself with a lot of extra time on her hands all of the sudden, Elizabeth decides to follow up on an odd request from a stranger who asks her to deliver an old camera and a stack of photos to a relative she's never met.  Her curiosity is piqued by her visit to Lapeer County, Michigan, where Elizabeth meets Nora Balsam, her great aunt, for the first time.  It's clear from the get-go that Nora is hiding a very intriguing story.  Her journalistic Spidey senses tingling, Elizabeth determines to uncover her family's secrets.  What she finds is a startling tale of love, strength, resilience, courage, tragedy, and a past that isn't nearly as distant as one would think ... 

I'm a sucker for books about family secrets, especially those that stretch back through the generations.  We Hope for Better Things, a debut novel by Erin Bartels, fits that bill perfectly.  It tells a surprising tale that's full of action, romance, mystery, history, and more.  The book is populated with likable, sympathetic characters.  They're all flawed, imperfect people who struggle through challenges, make mistakes, and yearn for redemption.  Plot-wise, this novel is engaging and compelling.  Although We Hope for Better Things is a Christian novel (it won a Christy Award last year), it's more inspirational than preachy.  Overall, it's an appealing story that is clean, uplifting, thought-provoking, and timely.  I enjoyed it very much.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of novels by Susan Meissner and Lisa Wingate)

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Fear of a vengeful abusive boyfriend sends Hope Wright scuttling to get to the only place she has left to go—The Orchard House.  Her mother never had anything good to say about her ancestral home, but Hope is praying she and her traumatized 10-year-old daughter, Tink, can find refuge there.  At least for a night or two until she can find them a better hiding place.  She only hopes her estranged aunt Peg, caretaker of the house and surrounding orchards, will be receptive to unexpected visitors.

Although Peg initially meets her surprise guests with the business end of a shotgun, she softens when she realizes just who is quivering on her doorstep.  It's obvious Hope doesn't remember being at The Orchard House, doesn't remember Peg or any of what happened there.  Vowing to leave the past where it belongs, Peg guards her secrets while doing her best to care for the skittish mother and daughter.

With cherry season in full swing, it's not long before the Wright women are laboring side-by-side, forming a tight bond.  Even as Hope and Tink find healing in the comfort of family, newly-formed friendships, and the satisfaction of working the land, the threat of Hope's murderous ex looms.  Tink's dug up some intriguing clues to the past in Peg's off-limits bedroom and Peg is wracked with guilt over the secrets she's keeping.  What will happen when things come to a head, exposing the truth about the past?  Can Peg keep Hope safe, not just from a physical threat but also from the emotional bomb that's about to go off?  Or will Hope and Peg both end up losing everything that's most important to them?

You all know by now what a sucker I am for homecoming stories.  If they feature juicy secrets, all the better!  Not surprisingly, then, I was drawn to the premise of The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season by Molly Fader.  It stars a sympathetic trio of females, who are all wounded but fierce in their own ways.  Rooting for them is a no-brainer.  Plotwise, the novel moves along at a steady pace.  It's obvious from the get-go what's going to happen in the story, all the way down to the role of the surprise item Tink finds in Peg's hidden box, but the tale is still compelling—even if there weren't any plot "twists" I didn't see coming.  On the whole, then, I very much enjoyed The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season.  It's a tender story about family, forgiveness, love, and the power of coming home.  Although it deals with some difficult themes, overall it's an uplifting, empowering novel that made me smile.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other homecoming novels, although no specific titles are coming to mind.  You?)

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It's been nine months since Eden Wallace's husband died and yet, she can't move on.  The 35-year-old widow has become so paralyzed with grief and anxiety that she barely leaves the house.  She's given up on her photography, her job, and any kind of social life.  Her fear of the dark has become debilitating.  Even Eden has grown tired of her grief, so when she discovers that her husband pre-paid for a week-long couple's retreat at a dark sky park near Lake Michigan for their tenth wedding anniversary, she decides to go on her own.  It's time to put her fears to rest so she can finally start living again.

When she arrives at the retreat, however, she's dismayed to discover that the cottage reserved by her husband is not a private suite.  Six college friends have also booked the place for the week.  Although reluctant to stay, Eden is reassured by the group's charismatic leader that they're happy to share their accommodations—at least for the night.  Knowing she can't drive home in the rapidly-approaching darkness, she stays.

Hours later, one of the college friends is dead and everyone is a suspect, including Eden.  Required by police not to leave town, Eden has little to do other than investigate her roommates.  Each had motive and opportunity, but who harbored enough hate to kill?  As suspicion falls more heavily on Eden, she has to ask herself a most disturbing question—could she, in her desperate, sleep-deprived state, have committed murder?  If she can't even trust herself, who can she rely on?  What really happened that fatal night?  Who is the true murderer?

The premise of Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day intrigued me from the beginning.  I'd never heard of a dark sky park, but it certainly makes for an irresistible murder mystery setting.  The novel's characters are likewise intriguing, each a complex, flawed human capable of killing.  With its twisty, engrossing plot, this book makes for a fast, furious read.  I couldn't look away until I got to the ending, which wrapped everything up with a tight, satisfying bow.  This is my first read by Lori Rader-Day, but it for sure won't be my last.  I loved this thrilling page turner.

(Readalikes:  In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware) 

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Scandals aren't something that usually happen in the small town of Arbor Valley, Michigan.  So, when a popular high school math teacher gets arrested for criminal sexual conduct against a student, the news sends waves of shock throughout the community.  Especially since the victim, 17-year-old Morgan Monetti, insists T.J. Hill is no criminal, that their relationship was entirely consensual.  Hill agrees he's innocent, just not for the same reason.  He claims Morgan's a disturbed, obsessive young woman who's making up stories to get attention.  Who's telling the truth?  That's the million dollar question.

Morgan knows how she feels about Mr. Hill.  What happened between them wasn't just real, it was special.  And she'll defend him to her dying day.  She doesn't care if she loses every friend she has, alienates her parents, or gets bullied at school—she's standing by her man.  Morgan's always been told she's "mature for her age" and "an old soul," so why won't anyone take her seriously like the adult she knows herself to be?

No matter how defiant her daughter's been lately, Dinah Monetti refuses to believe Morgan's anything but the unfortunate target of an older man's manipulation.  She'll see T.J. Hill jailed if it's the last thing she does.  In the meantime, Dinah has to keep her cafe running somehow, worry about her twin sons, and deal with her husband, an assistant principal who's terrified of losing not just his reputation, but also his job at the school.

Rain Hill can't believe her loving husband's been accused of such heinous acts against a child.  He'd never do such a thing.  Would he?  Rain knows her staunch determination to have a baby despite multiple failed attempts has driven a wedge between her and T.J., but she still knows—and owns—his heart.  Doesn't she?

A heated courtroom battle will decide T.J. Hill's fate.  As the fight rages on, three women will launch their own quests for truth.  Questioning themselves and those they love will bring heart-wrenching revelations, life-changing decisions and mind-bending arguments about guilt vs. innocence, maturity vs. naivete, and childhood vs. adulthood.  Only one thing is guaranteed:  none will come out of the situation unscathed.

By now, you're probably thinking the premise of The Whole Golden World by Kristina Riggle sounds a little ... disturbing.  You'd be right.  The novel examines an uncomfortable subject, for sure.  And while it does it thoroughly, I'm not sure it does it satisfactorily.  I think my reluctance has to do with T.J. and Morgan, neither of whom really earned my sympathy.  Neither were particularly likable and yet, I definitely cared about what happened to them, if only because of Dinah and Rain, the characters with whom I did feel empathy.  The story's compelling, though, so much so that I had trouble putting it down.  It's also depressing and lacking in subtlety.  Perfect, the book is not; still, it's engrossing, thought-provoking and a decent read overall.  

(Readalikes:  The story format reminds me of a Jodi Picoult novel; the subject matter recalls Defending Jacob by William Landay; House Rules by Jodi Picoult; and Cartwheel by Jennifer DuBois)

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