The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

The Peach Keeper

by Sarah Addison Allen

Welcome to Walls of Water, North Carolina, where secrets are thicker than the town's famous fog. Willa Jackson wants nothing more than a life beyond her family's legacy. The Jacksons met with financial ruin generations ago, and the Blue Ridge Madam - built by Willa's great-great-grandfather, and once the town's grandest home - has stood empty for years. However socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood has intentions for the house. She wants to restore it to its former glory, and begins a bold renovation project. But when a skeleton is found buried beneath the property's lone peach tree, the town's troubled past is suddenly brought to the surface once more. The two women must form an unlikely friendship to confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families ...

Reviewed by Joséphine on

2 of 5 stars

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This was such a dull book. Since I didn't hate it though, I'm going with 2 stars.

The Peach Keeper was predictable, containing the expected Southern "unsolved" murder twist and "doomed" romance that eventually works out anyway. The characters weren't particularly memorable and the events mostly plodded along with little excitement. One point of contention I did have was the flippant representation of a gay character. He ended up with his best friend of a woman because he wasn't actually gay. There was a lot of fallback on their high school years too, even though at 30-ish years old, they could've had more recent memories that bound their relationships.

It also took a lot of time to get used to the narrator. At first she sounded like she was constantly out of breath. That made me feel rather out of sorts but I ploughed on because I was looking for an audiobook to accompany me on errands.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 June, 2016: Finished reading
  • 20 June, 2016: Reviewed