Sydney Bishop hasn’t returned to Haven Lake, her idyllic childhood home, since a pair of shocking, tragic deaths shattered her family when she was only sixteen. Now a child psychologist engaged to marry a successful surgeon, Sydney has worked hard to build a relationship with Dylan, her fiancé’s teenage son, so she feels nothing but empathy when he runs away—until she discovers that his hitchhiking journey has led him to Haven Lake and her mother Hannah’s sheep farm. Sydney returns to Haven Lake for the first time in twenty years to coax the boy home. Against her daughter’s wishes, Hannah offers to take Dylan in until he’s ready to reveal his own troubling secrets.
I received an advance copy of Haven Lake from the publisher for an honest review.
First of all, let me say that while I read everything, if I went to a bookstore right now, this would not be my first choice. In fact, had I not been asked to review this, there's a chance that I might've never read it, and that would've been a real shame, because Haven Lake is an excellent book with the deepest emotions running through it like a river.
What's funny is, though the plot is driven by the characters, the plot was better than the characters.
Dylan and Sydney are very normal people, you might live next door to them. Hannah is a bit more unique and outrageous, and she was very enjoyable. I think it was the mix of normalcy and mystery that really brought this story together as a cohesive whole. You had Sydney's story, Hannah's storyband Dylan's story. Each would've made an excellent individual novella, but somehow Ms. Robinson managed to tie them all together into one beautiful book.
The story starts out strong, levels out for awhile and then you get hit with a shocker even I didn't see coming. Don't let the women's fiction part get you: this is, in every way, a mystery. It just happens to have a little more heart than your typical mystery novel.
An excellent book, and one you'll want to share with your loved ones!
4/5--a great read!
Purchase Haven Lake at your local bookstore, or online via:
Official site (has all international purchase links)
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