A Cup of Silver Linings by Karen Hawkins: Review

Many women’s fiction stories are evolving into a mix of romance and life/family balance. This new release is a classic womens fiction style story and a beautiful dive in to a family of seven sisters and the town they live in.

It has been several years since I read this author, so I was captivated by the fun and imagination of this book. Plus, I love that I get to share my thoughts and review with you on this new release. I am looking forward to the rest of the series!

A Cup of Silver Linings by Karen Hawkins
Publisher: ‎ Gallery Books (July 6, 2021)
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1982105563

OVERVIEW:
Ava Dove—the sixth of the seven famed Dove sisters and owner of Ava Dove’s Landscaping and Specialty Teas—is frantic.

Just as her fabulous new tearoom is about to open, her herbal teas have gone wonky. Suddenly, her sleep-inducing tea is startling her clients awake with vivid dreams, her romance-kindling tea is causing people to blurt out their darkest secrets, and her anti-anxiety tea is making them spend hours staring into mirrors. Ava is desperate for a remedy, but her search leads her into dangerous territory, as she is forced to face a dark secret she’s been hiding for over a decade.

Meanwhile, successful architect Ellen Foster has arrived in Dove Pond to attend the funeral of her estranged daughter, Julie. Grieving deeply, Ellen is determined to fix up her daughter’s ramshackle house, sell it, and then sweep her sixteen-year-old granddaughter, Kristen, off to a saner, calmer life in Raleigh. But Kristen has other plans. Desperate to stay with her friends in Dove Pond, Kristen sets off on a quest she’s avoided her whole life—to find her never-been-there father in the hopes of winning her freedom from the grandmother she barely knows.

Together, Ava, Kristen, and Ellen embark on a reluctant but magical journey of healing, friendship, and family that will delight fans of Alice Hoffman, Kate Morton, and Sarah Addison Allen.

A Cup of Silver Linings by Karen Hawkins Review

As I was preparing for this review, I realized that I have read one other story in the Dove Pond series before and it was one of the first novellas. That is why I had the warm and fuzzy feelings of familiarity with some of the characters as I was reading this new addition. I’ve met several of them before!

The author definitely plays on our emotions in this story which builds on loss and ultimately, fear. Loss of a child, potential loss of a grandchild, fear of change, fear of failure, and secrets that could destroy a family. That is a ton of emotion packed into this book.

With clarity and deep dives into the human psyche, Hawkins develops a tight knit family and town where everyone knows everyone, yet accepts them as they are – faults and all. That is something different from what Ellen is used to as she comes to town to attend her daughters funeral and take charge of her granddaughter and the home affairs. Finding a delicate common thread is tough but without realizing it, Ava is that thread.

One thing about reading a new series is learning all of the people. Fair warning, there are a lot of people in this book but not difficult to absorb them and follow along. I did feel like some parts were a bit sectioned apart. Ava and her story; Kristen and her story. Both critical to the plot but for some reason they didn’t seem relevant to each other until almost the end when brought everyone was brought together. It seemed a bit too disjointed for some reason.

Overall, I loved this book with its delightful wander into a bit of mystical imagination and levity that balances out the heavy loss of a friend, daughter, and mother. Dove Pond is a fun series to get lost in!

4 STARS!

Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.