Item: Dreams of Falling
Rating: 4.00
Author: kimbacaffeinate

by Karen White

One of PureWow's "Best Beach Reads of Summer 2018"

New York Times bestselling author Karen White crafts evocative relationships in this contemporary women's fiction novel, set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, about lifelong friends who share a devastating secret.

On the banks of the North Santee River stands a moss-draped oak that was once entrusted with the dreams of three young girls. Into the tree's trunk, they placed their greatest hopes, written on ribbons, for safekeeping—including the most important one: Friends forever, come what may.

But life can waylay the best of intentions....

Nine years ago, a humiliated Larkin Lanier fled Georgetown, South Carolina, knowing she could never go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she realizes she has no choice but to return to the place she both loves and dreads—and to the family and friends who never stopped wishing for her to come home.

Ivy, Larkin's mother, is discovered badly injured and unconscious in the burned-out wreckage of her ancestral plantation home. No one knows why Ivy was there, but as Larkin digs for answers, she uncovers secrets kept for nearly fifty years—whispers of love, sacrifice, and betrayal—that lead back to three girls on the brink of womanhood who found their friendship tested in the most heartbreaking ways.

White shares the story of two generations. Larkin's mother goes missing and is later discovered injured in their burned out ancestral home. Our tale takes place in Georgetown, South Carolina, spanning two timelines over a fifty-year period.

Past: Margaret, Ceecee, and Bitty are best friends. Margaret comes from privilege, Ceecee's father is a minister and Bitty is just Bitty. The flashbacks share what happened the summer of graduation when they spent two weeks in Myrtle Beach and the consequences. I loved getting to know each of these women and while I didn't always love them, White fleshed them out, shared their emotions, strengths, and weakness allowing them to live and breathe within the pages of this tale.

Present Day: We meet Larkin first, who has moved away and lives in the big city. She hasn't been back to Georgetown in over nine years. Her childhood friends, Mabry and Bennett still reside in Georgetown. White shares their friendship and the events that drove Larkin to leave and never look back. The present-day story shares healing, rekindling of friendships and the possibility for love.

These threads were woven together and wrapped around the mystery surrounding Larkin's mom and their ancestral home and of what she had discovered. It brings the past into the present as it pulls the reader in emotionally. The author did this while adding a layer of suspense to their stories.

I devoured this in a single afternoon, and love when an author can pull me into the story. I laughed, cried and went through a slew of emotions and opinions based on their actions. I genuinely cared about these characters and thought about them long after I closed the novel. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

Dreams of Falling

by Karen White

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on Apr 19, 2018

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