I read this book as part of my library's monthly book club. This book was not what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised. The novel focuses on a main character named Caroline Shelby. There are three main story lines that are woven together in this book. We are introduced to Caroline as she is driving back to her hometown after suffering a huge blow to her career and a unexpected guardianship of two children. The second story line the love/loss relationship between Caroline and local coach Will Jensen. The third story line is the formation of The Oysterville sewing circle, Caroline reeling from the unexpected death of her friend is exhibiting extreme guilt for not noticing the signs of drug addiction and domestic abuse. She confides in her old boss. Lindy, who reveals that she too was a victim of domestic abuse. This revelation leads to Caroline creating the sewing circle as a support group for women that need a safe space. One of my favorite elements of this book is storytelling through flashbacks. This book deals with heavy subject matter but is well balances with heart warming elements.
Caroline Shelby is a small town girl who moved to New York City to become a fashion designer. The wind is knocked out of her when its revealed that a prominent designer has stolen her designs. Caroline tries to confront him but with no evidence, there isn't much she can do. Caroline is dealt another unexpected blow when she discovers her friend dead on her couch, she had suffered a fatal overdose. Angelique, leaves behind two children, Flick and Addie. Caroline becomes their cardigan but with no job and no experience as a mother, she does the best thing she can think of, she heads back home. I liked the development of Caroline into a mother figure for the children. There were so many heartwarming moments two of my favorites were reading Old Yeller and her first day cape shirts. The relationship between Caroline and the children was extremely well executed in my opinion.
The second story line is the love/loss relationship between Caroline and local teacher and coach Will Jensen. This story is revealed through flashbacks. When we first meet Will it is revealed that there is was history between the two. I think what the author did well with their relationship is show how they had grown up together and how their bond was formed. However, she introduced this almost villainous character named Sierra, who was Caroline's best friend in High School and eventually goes on to date Will. We find out that in present day, Sierra is checked out of her marriage, she finds Will too perfect, she wants a bigger and better career and the biggest bombshell, Sierra had terminated a pregnancy without telling Will. The reader knows how much Will had wanted to become a father and he was even developing a bond with Flick and Addie. This was the final blow to their marriage and they eventually leads to divorce. I have to be honest, I was rooting for Caroline and Will throughout the book. I wanted to know more instantly, I wanted to know their story, and how they had gotten, where they are.
The third story line is the creation of The Osyterville Sewing Circle, a support group for victims of domestic violence. When Caroline returns home, she also returns her favorite local fabric store where she had worked when she was younger. Caroline shares with Lindy that her friend was a victim of domestic violence, Caroline feels immense guilt for not noticing the signs of drug abuse. She also feels extremely guilty for not confronting her friend when she notices bruises on her arm. I liked the chapters that focused on the sewing circle and the group of women that were strong enough to tell their stories. I wish that this story line was explored a bit more, I just was looking for a little more.
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