Sarah Addison Allen is a delight. A little backstory regarding my first reading selection of the new year: I just moved from the balmy south to the chilly Midwest and am experiencing my first real winter in about 8 years. I reached out to the Cannonball Read hive mind for reads that would either raise my spirits (light and fluffy things to warm my heart) or create a sense of schadenfreude (people having miserable winters, or miserable life happenings) and someone mentioned Allen, who was already a smile-inducing member of my bookshelf.
I first read this book in January of 2009 and really fell in love with Allen. Here is my original, albeit brief, review, and my second review (because apparently I read this one twice already!)
“I absolutely loved this book. One of my favorite authors is Alice Hoffman and this book is very reminiscent of her writing. I would say that the plot is a little predictable, but I didn’t mind. It was a comfortable, relaxing read. If you are looking for something to read that is an easy read and will make you smile, definitely pick this book.” Review two: “Loved it just as much this time and didn’t want to put it down. Next up, re-reading all of her novels. So dear to my heart!!!”
The reason for reading the third time around is because for the aforementioned winter reasons I put Allen’s “First Frost” at the top of my reading list, and it is Waverly Family #2, so I wanted a bit of a refresher. Reading it for the third time, it was just as charming and predictable. Like a warm blanket on a chilly winter day. Small-town quirky characters, romance, and mild conflict. If you enjoyed the book or film versions of “Practical Magic” the Waverly family is very reminiscent of the Owens family both in design and magical realism execution.
So if like me, you could use a smile on your face in the new year, curl up with this one, or any of Allen’s other offerings.