First Frost

by Sarah Addison Allen

Autumn has finally arrived in the small town of Bascom, North Carolina, heralded by a strange old man appearing with a beaten-up suitcase. He has stories to tell, stories that could change the lives of the Waverley women forever. But the Waverleys have enough trouble on their hands. Quiet Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley's Candies, but it's nothing like she thought it would be, and it's slowly taking over her life. Claire's wild sister Sydney, still trying to leave her past behind, is about to combust with her desire for another new beginning. And Sydney's fifteen-year-old daughter Bay has given her heart away to the wrong boy and can't get it back.

From the author of the New York Times bestselling sensation GARDEN SPELLS, FIRST FROST is magical and atmospheric, taking readers back into the lives of the gifted Waverley women - back to their strange garden and temperamental apple tree, back to their house with a personality of its own, back to the men who love them fiercely - proving that a happily-ever-after is never the real ending to a story. It's where the real story begins.

• ISBN10: 1444787128
• ISBN13: 9781444787122
• Publish Date: 29 January 2015 (first published 20 January 2015)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 5 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[ladygrey]

This book is absolutely delectable. I adore the way Sarah Addison Allen takes her characters, their struggles and fears and hopes and insecurities and love, and manifests them so tangibly as magic in her world.

And while I pretty much always love a Sarah Addison Allen novel, it was unexpectedly wonderful to go back to the Waverleys. Bay as a teenager was interesting and Claire and Sydney in the depths of their marriages were different than [b:Garden Spells|1158967|Garden Spells (Waverley Family, #1)|Sarah Addison Allen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347309330s/1158967.jpg|2689445] and interesting. It was fantastic to go back to Bascomb and spend more time with these characters and get to know new ones. You don't need to have read Garden Spells, Allen very elegantly provides the information you need without blunt exposition. But of course having read it will provide some depth and nuance to this story.

I also love the first frost and the pressure it put on these characters and the different ways they dealt with it. While in some ways I was glad to read the end, in other ways I wanted more - more depth and more pages and more story. Not because it's lacking but because I enjoy it so much I'll take as much as she'll give me and always still want more.

[Leah]

***Please be aware this is the second “Waverly” novel so if you haven’t read GARDEN SPELLS, there may be spoilers***

If you read my review of Garden Spells, you’ll see how big a fan I am of Sarah Addison Allen. I think she’s a genius. So much so, that as soon as I finished Garden Spells, I leapt straight into its sequel First Frost, which is set almost a decade later. I’ve been waiting to read it since it was released in January, but knew I needed to read Garden Spells first, and I was finally in the mood for it and devoured both books in one day (oops).

First Frost sees us return to the Waverly family ten years after we first met them, as they wait for the first frost, due to happen over Halloween. But as it’s the Waverly’s there’s always something afoot, and Bay, Claire and Sydney are all hoping to get to first frost without any damage. (Which is harder than it looks when there’s a vanishing stranger hanging around Waverly house and Bay’s experiencing the first flushes of love – with a Matteson, no less!).

It was SO nice to be back with the Waverly’s. Even though it’s a decade later, it didn’t even feel like it was, which meant it was so bizarre to see Bay all grown up! But what a wonderful teenager she is! If I had a kid, I’d want her to be like Bay for sure. It was just so nice to see everyone again – Sydney, and Claire, and their husband’s Henry and Tyler. For a moment, I wasn’t sure we were going to see Evenelle, but she’s still around, still giving people things they may need, and it seems as if some of her superpowers have rubbed off on Frank.

Reading a book written by Sarah Addison Allen is like slipping in to the warmest, coziest bath imaginable. With candles, and a big glass of wine and a wonderful book. I always read her books far too fast, and I find I have just one more to go to have completed all of her books, which makes me so sad and so hopeful that she’s working on something new. She’s so delightful and if you haven’t yet had chance to sample her fantastic work, I suggest you do. You will not regret it in the slightest, because her books are so soothing and so magical and so warm and lovely.

[Kim Deister]

First Frost First Frost picks up several years after the magical Garden Spells. Things have changed for the Waverly women, and little Bay is in high school now. Magic is still afoot and it is so delightful to read each Waverly's journey with the family magic and how it works for each of them.
 
I like that these books don't focus on just one of the Waverlys, but weaves the stories of all of them together. Even the stories of Evanelle and Loralei stories are told in Frost Frost, despite the distant relation of Evanelle and the fact that Loralei is long since past. We even learn a bit about Mary, the grandmother of Sydney and Claire. All of their stories have a piece of the Waverly magic, manifested in different ways and used in different ways.
 
I love this author's writing! Like everything she has written, there is a little bit of magic, a little bit of whimsy, a lot of love, and no small amount of intrigue. The apple tree in the garden of the Waverly home is as magical as ever, ready to be celebrated again as it blooms, atypically, at first frost. First frost is a big deal to this family, almost a time of renewal as all the craziness that has been building comes to an end when the tree blooms again!
 
My Recommendation
 
This is an amazing read and I highly recommend it. In fact, I recommend everything by Sarah Addison Allen!

[kimbacaffeinate]

Five reasons to snuggle up with First Frost

• If you are a fan of Allen and like me, you hold Garden Spells as your favorite of her books; you are in for a delightful treat. Once again, we are back in Bascom, North Carolina and spending time with Sydney, Claire and Bay. Beautifully written with all the magic of Garden Spells, First Frost displayed all the reasons I fell in love with Sarah Addison Allen. I loved this glimpse into their lives and hope Allen revisits them again.


• Magical realism lives and breathes within the Waverley family home. Pendland Street, the apple tree and old Queen Anne home are magic and I loved the subtle way the tree and house voice their opinion.


• Being a part of Claire and Sydney’s life again was exciting. Sydney still has her gift with hair and Claire with baking. A lot has happened since we last visited these sisters, their spouses and friends. Allen made it feel like coming home after a long spell away. A cup of good tea, a little bread and I felt warm and fuzzy. I quickly became caught up in both of their struggles.


• Bay is a teen now and very much a misfit with her gift of knowing where things and people belong. I loved how the author weaved in Bay’s story with threads from her mother’s past. I adore Bay and her calm acceptance of who she is. Unlike her mother, she embraces her heritage, and is comfortable in her own skin, even if being a teenager especially a Waverley sucks. The characters emotions, actions and interactions have a genuine feel to them. I honestly can say I identify and connected to each of them.


• There is a stranger in town, and things are off for each of the Waverley women. The time between the last harvest and awaiting the next cycle in the apple’s tree brings unease and unrest into the Waverley’s life. Sydney wants to conceive, and Claire’s bout of fame has not been all that. Bay struggles with her unrequited feelings for a young man and her desire to help him find where he belongs. All of the threads are beautifully blended to create a story that held me captive. I love how balanced First Frost unfolded with each perspectives. The author has this uncanny ability to make me relax and savory events.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer