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.
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.
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