Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for The Way Back by Heidi Chiavaroli hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
Title: The Way Back
Series: Lights of Acadia #1
Author: Heidi Chiavaroli
Publisher: Hope Creek Publishers
Release Date: June 18, 2024
Genre: Dual Timeline Women's Fiction
My Review:
I didn't realize going into The Way Back that it was a dual-timeline novel. It is the second book I have read by Heidi Chiavaroli, and I am looking forward to reading more from her.
The opening scene reads like a suspense novel and immediately drew me in. It was completely unexpected and heart breaking.
The story is mainly told from present day, so I was surprised when Laney finds a journal and we start getting diary entries from the 1850s. This is an interesting way to do a dual timeline. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but as the story progressed, I was drawn more to the historical timeline than the present day.
The story had threads of grief woven throughout it. It also had themes of hope, healing, reconciliation and forgiveness. Overall, while heavy at times, it is a reminder that there is always hope, we can find healing in the most unexpected ways, and God is bigger than all our messes.
Content warning: death of a teen, self-harm, neglect
Thank you to JustReads Publicity and the author for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
About the Book
Young love means everything . . . until it leaves you with nothing.
The summer before her senior year of high school, Laney Jacobs and her best friend jump from a six-story beachside cliff in an attempt to impress their boyfriends. Laney rose from the water. Her friend did not.
Six years later, when Laney’s troubled mother’s memoir hits the bestseller list airing the family’s destructive secrets, Laney is forced to relive the trauma, this time in the public eye. To escape the scrutiny, she seeks shelter at her estranged grandmother’s seaside inn. But she can’t reconcile the loving woman with the heartless parent in her mother’s book. As she seeks answers, the boyfriend who once cost her a promising future reappears, stirring up both pain and hope.
When her mother's vindictive fans threaten her grandmother's livelihood and the lighthouse Laney has come to love, she turns to the century-old words of a young lighthouse keeper to help her find the courage to move forward. But once truths from the past come to light and old love finds new beginnings, will Laney discover that forgiveness is the only way toward true healing?
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
About the Author
Heidi Chiavaroli (pronounced shev-uh-roli...sort of like Chevrolet and ravioli mushed together!) wrote her first story in third grade, titled I'd Cross the Desert for Milk. It wasn't until years later that she revisited writing, using her two small boys' nap times to pursue what she thought at the time was a foolish dream. Despite a long road to publication, she hasn't stopped writing since! Heidi writes women's fiction, combining her love of history and literature to write both split time stories and contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, Freedom's Ring, was a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist, a Romantic Times Top Pick and a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut. Her second Carol Award-winning novel, The Orchard House, is inspired by the lesser-known events in Louisa May Alcott's life and led her to write The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast series, a contemporary twist on Little Women. Heidi makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Wyatt, her standard poodle.
Connect with Heidi by visiting heidichiavaroli.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a print copy of The Way Back, themed canvas tote bag, bath salts, 3 specialty teas, ocean-inspired candle, magnet, gel pen, notebook, and $25 Amazon gift card!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight June 19, 2024 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on June 26, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
Glad you enjoyed this one. I don't always love dual timeline novels because I tend to like one timeline over the other and then wonder why the author didn't just focus on that story. ;D
ReplyDeleteLark, I understand! Sometimes I enjoy them equally, and sometimes I gravitate to one or they other, LOL!
DeleteDual timelines can be hit or miss, but it sounds like this one was a pleasant surprise. The opening suspenseful scene must have been quite the hook. I love when a book can unexpectedly draw you into a historical timeline, especially through something as intimate as diary entries. The themes of grief, hope, healing, and forgiveness are always powerful, even if heavy at times.
ReplyDeleteEthan, I agree! It was an intense opening, and a good story.
Deletelovely review, Cindy - so glad you enjoyed it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Carrie!
Deletenice cover
ReplyDeleteIt is!
DeleteSounds fabulous!
ReplyDelete