Set in the late 80s, Hawthorn Woods gives us Francine, who is taking a mini-vacation at her sister Ellie’s house to jumpstart her life after a devastating divorce. Ellie’s home is in a close-knit neighborhood, where everyone is into everyone’s business, and they don’t love newcomers. Francine has trouble from the start, but she’s found a good friend in Laura Jean. But when she stumbles upon a mystery, Francine jumps in head first, but it might be more than she can handle.
I have to be very careful reviewing this because I don’t want to spoil anything. I loved the mystery element to this, and that Francine was so persistent in trying to figure it all out. I loved Laura Jean and her friendship with Francine. They fed off each other, and it was highly amusing. This book brought back a few fond memories of the 80s, especially the neighborhood game of Kick the Can, which we turned into kick the ball because it went farther and made for a bigger challenge, but I digress. I loved the characters, even the ones you loved to hate like Lori. Hawthorn Woods is my second book by Canning, and if you haven’t read him yet, you need to. This was a super fun read from start to finish, definitely a book that could start a fantastic series.
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Hawthorn Woods is available on Amazon for $4.99, it’s enrolled in KU.
Lastly, while I have you here, please go check out the other book of Patrick’s that I have read, Cryptofauna. It’s smart and witty, and fantastically strange. It was by far, one of my most favorite reads of 2018.
Rae's Reading Lounge 