Couldn’t put it down and devoured it in a day!
Emily is down on her luck. After being fired (yet again), she also receives notice that she’s being evicted and her acting agent is moving and she’s being dropped. To make things go from awful to worse, when she calls for a bail out from her adoptive mom, she interrupts her birthday dinner without realizing the date and her parents are ready to write her off as well. So when her old boss, Scott Denny, is in the right place at the right time and rescues her from an oncoming bus, Emily is ready to let him be her white knight. Indeed, Scott decides Emily’s bad luck is exactly what he and his family needs as they’re looking for someone without any ties or commitments to uproot their lives and move to France to help with a renovation and anything else his wife might need.
When Emily arrives at Querencia, everything is almost too good to be true. Though the property is certainly in disrepair, Emily learns that her sweat and labor are worth the payoff. Scott, living in London, leaves Emily and his wife to it and Emily and Nina begin to develop a bond. Of particular curiosity is Aurelia, the Denny’s daughter. As a baby, she fell ill and has never fully recovered, now suffering from a variety of ailments including allergies to the sun and muteness. Nina’s helicopter tendencies feel excessive, on top of the extreme security and isolation of the grounds, but Emily quickly accepts what a doting and adoring parent Nina is. As the relationship between the Denny’s and Emily grows, Emily distances herself more and more from the life she left behind. After years of feeling lost and alone, has she finally found her footing and her chosen family?
Much of the novel is a family drama and I wondered where and when the eery atmosphere would come into play. Not exactly an edge of the seat thriller and not unpredictable by any means, but the book was still a total page turner that had me completely absorbed. I loved the depth of the characters, the building of suspense, and the writing overall was superb. I absolutely recommend this one for anyone ready for an engrossing and entertaining read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
When Emily arrives at Querencia, everything is almost too good to be true. Though the property is certainly in disrepair, Emily learns that her sweat and labor are worth the payoff. Scott, living in London, leaves Emily and his wife to it and Emily and Nina begin to develop a bond. Of particular curiosity is Aurelia, the Denny’s daughter. As a baby, she fell ill and has never fully recovered, now suffering from a variety of ailments including allergies to the sun and muteness. Nina’s helicopter tendencies feel excessive, on top of the extreme security and isolation of the grounds, but Emily quickly accepts what a doting and adoring parent Nina is. As the relationship between the Denny’s and Emily grows, Emily distances herself more and more from the life she left behind. After years of feeling lost and alone, has she finally found her footing and her chosen family?
Much of the novel is a family drama and I wondered where and when the eery atmosphere would come into play. Not exactly an edge of the seat thriller and not unpredictable by any means, but the book was still a total page turner that had me completely absorbed. I loved the depth of the characters, the building of suspense, and the writing overall was superb. I absolutely recommend this one for anyone ready for an engrossing and entertaining read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.