For Ava Whalen, a new marriage and a move to St. Simons Island means a new beginning. But what she doesn’t realize is that her marriage will take her on an unexpected journey into the deep recesses of her past that will transform her forever… For as long as she can remember, Ava Whalen has struggled with a sense of not belonging, and now, at thirty-four, she still feels stymied by her family. Then she meets child psychologist Matthew Frazier, and thinks her days of loneliness are behind her. After a whirlwind romance, they impulsively elope, and Ava moves to Matthew’s ancestral home on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia. But after the initial excitement, Ava is surprised to discover that true happiness continues to elude her. There is much she doesn’t know about Matthew, including the mysterious circumstances surrounding his first wife’s death. And her new home seems to hold as many mysteries and secrets as her new husband. Feeling adrift, Ava throws herself into uncovering Matthew’s family history and that of the island, not realizing that she has a connection of her own to this place—or that her obsession with the past could very well destroy her future.
Sea Change is wonderful book with romance, suspense and secrets at its core. I definitely enjoyed this southern escape. I read it while on vacation while in the south, which perhaps added to its charm as the descriptions were perfectly spot on. This book is told in the voices of the three main protagonists, all of whom I liked and enjoyed getting to know. The POV from the 1800s seemed spot on in every aspect from language to clothing descriptions. This book offers history, mystery, romance, secrets, past lives, strong women and of course a scoop of mother/daughter issues. Gardeners will love this book as there are a plethora of quotes about flowers and gardening. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Quotes I liked:
I was grateful in a way only a daughter can be in that moment when she realizes that her mother is an extension of herself, another limb, another heart to bear the pain and shore you up at the same time.”
– “Love isn’t a buffet where you pick and choose the parts of your life you want to include in your relationship.”
– “She told me that being a mother is like being a gardener of souls. You tend your children, make sure the light always touches them; you nourish them. You sow your seeds, and reap what you sow. She called her children her flowers.”
– “Maybe we just need to open our minds to the possibility that the universe is bigger that we know, that there are things can’t be taught, things that can’t be understood anywhere except in our hearts.
– “Ava and I had always known that sticking our fingers in the dirt was a lot like holding the past and the present in your hands, understanding that decaying plants nourished the soil for new seedlings.”
– “Because sometimes we have to be a hero and do the right thing, even if it’s just for one person and even if nobody else notices.”
