Chelsea Weibley at the Library

I am always drawn to beach settings and Southern fiction, so when the two are together, it’s already going to be a win for me. I read The Hideaway by Lauren K. Denton a couple of years ago but it is one of the books that sticks with me long after I closed the cover. Sara Jenkins is summoned from New Orleans to Sweet Bay, Alabama, when her grandmother, Mags, passes. Her grandmother’s will says she is to renovate her run-down B&B and then she can choose what to do with it. Mags had friends who lived at the B&B and they are still there as Sara and her contractor work on the home, which makes it challenging for Sara but charming for the reader. Throughout the renovation, Sara goes through Mags’s belongings and learns about her grandmother’s mysterious life as well as the brave choices she made. As Sara’s stay at the B&B continues, she falls in love with the home of her childhood and needs to decide if she belongs in New Orleans or Sweet Bay.

The pull of home versus moving on is a theme I love to read. It often makes for a heartwarming story and this is definitely not an exception. The characters in this are what really take it beyond the norm and I loved the flashbacks of Mags. Both Sara and Mags were wonderful characters and the residents of the B&B were a lot of fun to read too.

Check out this read and others by the author in our eLibrary at https://lclibs.overdrive.com/ or using your Libby app.