The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery

Title: The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery

Author: Amanda Cox

Publisher: Revell

Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Christian Fiction

Source: Revell

My Review: 

Three generations. Three women. All with secrets and a stubborn will to keep them buried...the question is, don't they know things hidden in the dark often come into the light?

The cover of The Secrets of Old Depot Grocery is captivating and represents the story well. While the story is a work of fiction the idea behind it came from Old Depot, a store that the author's maternal grandparents owned when she was a child.

Amanda Cox has written an emotional story with complex dynamics. Presented in a dual-time format that is expertly crafted, the author weaves a tale that started in 1965. I have read and enjoyed quite a few dual-timeline books, but none have flowed as smoothly as this one does. 

This story will pull on your heartstrings as you follow Glory Ann, Rosemary, and Sarah through the story. You will see the effects that keeping secrets had on their lives and the way it eroded relationships. Family dynamics are often complex and rarely do you see the whole story. This novel is a testament to that. This story is so realistically written that it could be my story or yours. The story has you wrestling with several potential outcomes and you wonder if the secrets are revealed if they will heal the hurt or push it deeper?

I think fans of historical fiction and contemporary fiction will enjoy this novel. There is so much depth and so much to be explored that I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories with complex family dynamics.

Thank you to Revell and the author for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

★★★★/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

Present Day. After tragedy plunges her into grief and unresolved anger, Sarah Ashby returns to her childhood home determined to finally follow her long-denied dream of running Old Depot Grocery alongside her mother and grandmother. But when she arrives, her mother, Rosemary, announces to her that the store is closing. Sarah and her grandmother, Glory Ann, make a pact to save the store, but Rosemary has worked her entire life to make sure her daughter never follows in her footsteps. She has her reasons--but she'll certainly never reveal the real one.

1965. Glory Ann confesses to her family that she's pregnant with her deceased fiancé's baby. Pressured into a marriage of convenience with a shopkeeper to preserve the family reputation, Glory Ann vows never to love again. But some promises are not as easily kept as she imagined.

This dual-timeline story from Amanda Cox deftly explores the complexity of a mother-daughter dynamic, the way the secrets we keep shape our lives and the lives of others, and the healing power of telling the truth.