Overall, I liked the general storyline of this book and thought it was really cute to read. There is a theme of friendship and love, as well as strong independent women making things happen. For me, those themes are what make books like this worthwhile. There is not a strong love story or romantic plot, rather, it becomes a secondary aspect of the plot that seems to just happen naturally as the story progresses. While I do like reading romance books, I think I like the natural progression better because it does read like something a bit more realistic and actually capable of happening.
In addition, the strong female characters that this book features are so important in the progression of the story and really make it what it is. Without the strong female characters, this story would not be as good as it is and probably not last as long. It was fun getting to read different storylines within this book and encounter so many strong women. This book is set in the South and reads just like it because of the hospitality towards everyone, the quirky magic, and the general small-town feeling.
My critique of this book is not a big one. I think that, for me, this book was a bit slow as it started and drug a little in the middle. By the time I got to the end, the plot had grown so much, but so little was being resolved. It felt almost as if the front three-quarters were big and busy, and the last quarter of the book really had to work to get everything wound up and resolved. The epilogue also worked more than the front half of the book by resolving even more plot questions and truly ending the book. For me, this wasn't a real problem reading it, but it did cause me to slow down reading as it started to drag a bit. But, once you get past that part and can see the story resolution coming, it gets a lot better. I enjoyed seeing the story wrap up and seeing the end.
Also, really quickly, let's talk about how cute this book cover is! I definitely love this cover and it was what really drew me into this book before I even read the book information.
Overall, I gave this book three stars just because of the short lag in the beginning/middle and because the plot progression, after those slow bits really goes a bit too fast. You don't get to read about the festival, that is such a big part of this story and the town. The apple festival is glossed over and is something I would have loved to have a full chapter on, just to fill the reader in on what happens with that and how it generally progresses. Otherwise, this was a cute story with an even more fitting setting. I can definitely see where this will become a series, as there are plenty of Doves to help tell the stories. I can't wait to see what comes next in this series!
In addition, the strong female characters that this book features are so important in the progression of the story and really make it what it is. Without the strong female characters, this story would not be as good as it is and probably not last as long. It was fun getting to read different storylines within this book and encounter so many strong women. This book is set in the South and reads just like it because of the hospitality towards everyone, the quirky magic, and the general small-town feeling.
My critique of this book is not a big one. I think that, for me, this book was a bit slow as it started and drug a little in the middle. By the time I got to the end, the plot had grown so much, but so little was being resolved. It felt almost as if the front three-quarters were big and busy, and the last quarter of the book really had to work to get everything wound up and resolved. The epilogue also worked more than the front half of the book by resolving even more plot questions and truly ending the book. For me, this wasn't a real problem reading it, but it did cause me to slow down reading as it started to drag a bit. But, once you get past that part and can see the story resolution coming, it gets a lot better. I enjoyed seeing the story wrap up and seeing the end.
Also, really quickly, let's talk about how cute this book cover is! I definitely love this cover and it was what really drew me into this book before I even read the book information.
Overall, I gave this book three stars just because of the short lag in the beginning/middle and because the plot progression, after those slow bits really goes a bit too fast. You don't get to read about the festival, that is such a big part of this story and the town. The apple festival is glossed over and is something I would have loved to have a full chapter on, just to fill the reader in on what happens with that and how it generally progresses. Otherwise, this was a cute story with an even more fitting setting. I can definitely see where this will become a series, as there are plenty of Doves to help tell the stories. I can't wait to see what comes next in this series!