First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: First Frost (Waverley Family #2)
Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: January 20th 2015 by St. Martin's Press

ISBN: 9781250019837

Pages: 304 pages

How I Read It: ARC ebook

Genre: magical realism, fiction, fantasy, chick lit, contemporary

My Rating: four and a half crowns

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of GARDEN SPELLS comes a story of the Waverley family, in a novel as sparkling as the first dusting of frost on new-fallen leaves...It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly.  As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree... and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store. Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley’s Candies.  Though her handcrafted confections—rose to recall lost love, lavender to promote happiness and lemon verbena to soothe throats and minds—are singularly effective, the business of selling them is costing her the everyday joys of her family, and her belief in her own precious gifts.
 
Sydney Waverley, too, is losing her balance. With each passing day she longs more for a baby— a namesake for her wonderful Henry. Yet the longer she tries, the more her desire becomes an unquenchable thirst, stealing the pleasure out of the life she already has.
Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has lost her heart to the boy she knows it belongs to…if only he could see it, too. But how can he, when he is so far outside her grasp that he appears to her as little more than a puff of smoke? When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before.  And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.

Lose yourself in Sarah Addison Allen's enchanting world and fall for her charmed characters in this captivating story that proves that a happily-ever-after is never the real ending to a story. It’s where the real story begins.

My thoughts:

“First Frost was always an unpredictable time, but this year it felt more … desperate than others. Something was about to happen”.

First Frost is the highly anticipated sequel to the gorgeous 'Garden Spells'. Although not necessary to read the first in this series, I would recommend ‘Garden Spells’ to gain more of an insight and fully appreciate the characters and their varying magical gifts. Let me say it from the outset, I am a Sarah Addison Allen fan, she is an exceptional writer. Diving into a Sarah Addison Allen book is a real treat. I love her magical writing that makes you feel at one with not only the characters, but also life itself. She has such a wonderful way of adding just enough magic that cleverly enhances the story without overwhelming it; it's subtle enough to make you believe in it.

It was an absolute delight to catch up with everyone a decade on from where ‘Garden Spells’ left off.  In a way, this novel felt a bit like coming home and revisiting close friends: the quirky Waverley’s who never fail to make one smile. It did not take long for me to be swept away once again with this family, their magical tree and mysterious gifts. If you enjoy magical realism books, any of Sarah’s books are a delight. 

“She couldn’t change who she was, and she no longer wanted to, even if she could. She knew that who you are is a stone set deep inside you. You can spend all your life trying to dig that stone out, or you can build around it. Your choice”.

My only slight disappointment is that ending felt a bit unfinished, up in the air, like there are more stories to come, and I can only hope that means there will be. I was also sad that Tyler's and Henry's parts in the story were minimal, as I always enjoyed their input. In this instalment, they made no major contributions like in ‘Garden Spells’.

This is a story about family and exploring the hidden parts that might not be so comfortable to embrace and share.  Secrets are revealed. Mysteries are confronted. Happiness, as always,  the long term goal. What more could one ask for? I recommend First Frost when you are ready to snuggle up with a book that will leave you with that lovely contented feeling. If you enjoyed ‘Garden Spells’, then you will definitely love this. If you haven't read Sarah Addison Allen before, I highly recommend that you start with Garden Spells and follow up with this, ‘First Frost’.

“Have you ever had the feeling that you were waiting for something? I have. I feel that way all the time. I feel like I’m always waiting for things to fall into place, to fall where they belong, so I can finally take a deep breath”.


 

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This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.