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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Sinking into this book on a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea and a cozy blanket; meeting with these characters, their beautifully articulated world and and their mesmerizing stories; I could not imagine a better place to be.

Wendell Combs, a strong, somewhat austere military veteran has dealt with so much fear and loss that he is unable to process his feelings safely. As the property manager and caretaker for the Lancaster family’s “White Pines” estate, Wendell manages a lakeside property in rural Connecticut that teems with wildlife and raw beauty, inspiring a closeness to nature at its core that has become his one true solace.

Without giving the plot away (no spoilers here), Wendell’s roughly hammered-closed world is forever challenged as events unfold and he is thrust into deeper interactions with the Lancaster children – Julia, fifteen, a tempestuous teen on the brink of all the mysteries love and grown-up life has to offer her; and Pippa, a six-year-old pixie of a child, whose innocence and wide-eyed trust cannot help but charm all who come to know her.

The resulting story is equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, a raw and tender journey of the ups and downs, and ins and outs, that time and life can take to allow emotions long-hidden and “safe” to begin their ascent slowly into the light again.

I loved this book, feeling its poignant message and satisfying ending a lovely close to an afternoon’s read.

A great big thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

All thoughts presented are my own.