Not what I have expected (based on the brief introduction to the novel).

Henny Broek is dead. This is not a spoiler, as she dies within the first few sentences. But she is still somewhat present as a semi-ghost (without any paranormal powers or special knowledge about her "ghostly" purpose), watching her friends and acquaintances from the smalltown coming to terms with her passing. And this plot was what I have been expecting and even looking forward to, as the coming winter has found me thought about the deeper things in life. But unfortunately, the most part of the novel are dedicated to politics, LGBTIQ+ rights and small mindednes of Christians in a small city - which I has not been expecting and was not interested in. But I have read on in hopes I could find some substance in these unexpected plot lines - only to found the novel being one-dimensional, shallow and full of cliches. There is no real conflict, everything moves along the stated lines of what is supposed to be right, the "deus et machina" mechanisms help to solve all the conflict easily and in reality no one truly misses Henny, whom everyone supposedly loves, but who is worth only a few minutes of their time. Only interesting and really tormented character is the truck driver who unwillingly killed her on the road.
There are some sweet thoughts present, but this is it.

A sweet story about coming together when the loved one of a small town passes away. Definitely a story for someone who loves small town fiction. I found this one a delight. Heartwarming.

Pine Creek, Oregon is home to some of the most eccentric and interesting people and they all are somehow connected to the local motel. When Heddy's life ends in an accident, she remains to push her loved ones towards a better life. I really liked the characters in this book and thought that they were definitely relatable to people that I know. I thought the entire concept was thought provoking. I wish there would have been more of a concrete purpose, but this was definitely an original. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

In Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins, Katarina Bivald offers readers another exploration of the beauties and challenges of small town life. It’s not an easy novel to craft a teaser for, because the quirk-level is high, but here goes! Henny worked at the Pine Away for years and when she meets an untimely end crossing the road, everyone is devastated. But Henny isn’t going anywhere just yet. Her friends and community need her more than ever to help them discover what matters most individually and collectively, and to move forward with their lives with greater strength and truth.

I loved Readers of Broken Wheel recommend, so I was pretty excited to read more from Bivald. Based on my experience with her debut, I was expecting this to be an unusual read with an entertaining and wide cast of oddball characters. Broken Wheel had a lot of heart, and I admired how Bivald explored deeper themes while managing to keep the tone lighter overall. She does the same here. This is a character-driven narrative, with a great small-town vibe. Bivald is good at small towns. However, there is SO much going on here, that it’s almost too much. Can there be too much quirk? I think so. Unlike in Broken Wheel, with this offering, I found it difficult to integrate all of the elements and to stay interested some of the time.

I was reminded of J. Ryan Stradal and Fredrik Backman’s style, and I think that if you enjoy their books, you would be up for trying this one and it might be just the story for you. Personally, the endearing aspects of this book didn’t quite make up for the unevenness. However, I will want to read more from this author because I admire her creativity, her big picture focus, and the way she merges deeper themes with humour and gentleness.

3 1/2 stars

WELCOME TO THE PINE AWAY MOTEL AND CABINS by Katarina Bivald is a novel about hope and friendship. I liked that it includes a reading group guide and a conversation with the author. Bivald is certainly skilled at developing characters and chose here to confront issues of acceptance and prejudice concerning gay rights. The story itself started out in an intriguing manner – Henny, who has long been tied to the Pine Away Motel, just can't seem to leave, even after being killed in a road accident. In this gentle and often heartwarming story, Henny struggles to set things right with her friends and the townspeople, but like Bivald's earlier work, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, I found that the novel moved slowly and I lost interest. 3.5 stars

DNF...just not for me. I thought this book sounded interesting but just not to my liking. Since I did not finish I will not post my review on Goodreads.

I was really disappointed with this book and didn't end up finishing it. I loved Katarina Bivald's first book, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, endlessly so my hopes for this were, and perhaps they were a bit too high. I didn't click with the characters, I felt no attachment to the story and the charming whimsy of her first novel were just missing for me. I will continue to try Bivald's books however as I loved her first book so very much.

Thank you NetGalley for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Welcome To The Pine Away Motel And Cabins
By: Katarina Bivald

REVIEW ☆☆☆
I love the quirky fun title of this book, and I hoped to find the same in the story. Not so much. I just found the entire thing weird. There are two storylines that don't mesh, and it felt all over the place. The afterlife aspect didn't work for me, and I barely finished reading it. This is an unfortunate miss for me.

This story opens with the accidental death of Henny, from Pine Creek, Oregon. Henny was born and raised in Pine Creek and has worked at the Pine Away since high school. Her high school sweetheart, Michael, returns to town and their relationship rekindles, briefly. Henny finds herself in a ghost state, with the responsibility of making sure her friends are settled into their new reality, without her. Her father is also at a loss, and Henny eventually realizes that she didn't spend enough time with him in her adult years. She realizes she doesn't know his inner workings and I found that sad.
This is an oddball story that starts one way, with Henny and Michael and then twists to spend a lot of time on the relationship of Mackenzie and another high school friend. It has some complex characters and reaches into LBGTQ issues.
I was interested in the characters, yet didn't understand all the drama of that small town.

Bivald has more of a unique writing style and so far, has not written in a predictable or formulaic way. Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins focused on the life and afterlife of main character Henny Broek, whose death was quick and unexpected, when she was in her late20’s. Her closest friends and her father are understandably shaken up her untimely death and are not coping well with their loss. Henny for some reason, is able to be a ghost and be part of their lives, believing her spirit has allowed to stay behind to help them. In addition to this plot, a second storyline is introduced that takes place decades earlier, about gay rights and religion. The two stories eventually intersect but it takes quite a while for that to occur, an along the way, it is a bit convoluted. My other criticism is the fact that Henny is only an observer; she has no ability to influence her friends and family, to make anything happen, to even give them a sign of some sort. That inability made it hard for me to read the story, more than anything else, as it was frustrating as well as unhelpful She believes she was there for a reason yet no one knew she was lingering around. In the end, pieces come together and there is some conclusion, but it will take a patient reader to get there.

A new women's fiction read from the author of the much-loved THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND, WELCOME TO THE PINE AWAY MOTEL AND CABINS is another moving and charming story of the life of a small community and the many ways a single life can touch numerous others. Katarina Bivald is a force to be reckoned with, and I look forward to her future work.

I'm not giving anything away by mentioning Henny is deceased. The chapter headings allude to this as well. The motel and characters are quirkily charming, but I didn't love it like I thought I would.

Another quirky and captivating novel by Katharine. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

I could not get into the story line of this book. Just not my cup of tea.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

(Shelf Awareness for Readers, Starred Review) Setting aside for a moment the fact that Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins by Katarina Bivald (Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend) is narrated by a ghost, readers will find the novel perfectly captures the joys and trials of small-town living. Layer over that Bivald's choice of narrator--the spirit of Henny, a young woman recently killed in a freak car accident--and the book becomes more than the sum of its parts, a nuanced story of life and death, legacy and love.

"I mourn for the people we were and the people we were forced to become and everything we could be again, if only we had more time," laments Henny. And so she uses her extra time--spent in an ethereal and invisible state--to linger among her friends and family, pushing them each toward some kind of peace as best she can: her father, a questionably homophobic old man who slips into a curmudgeonly solitude following his daughter's death, and his nosy church-going neighbor. The one-time local high school football star and his unhappy wife. And most importantly, her friends: Michael, her high school love; MacKenzie, her best friend and coworker at the motel; and Camila, inheritor of the motel. Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins is somewhat slow to build, but as each of these characters comes to terms with both the individual and collective loss of Henny, the novel picks up momentum, culminating in a story full of both hope and heart.

This book was Do Not Finish. For some reason, I expected it to be more uplifting or humorous. I read the first two chapters and then the end, and wasn't motivated to continue with the book.

Having read and enjoyed The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, I looked forward to Bivald's new book, Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins. The story is well-written and the characters engaging. Henny does not allow her death to deter her from helping the ones she loves. A story of heart-warming friendship and courage. Henny remains on earth and figures she must be among her friends and family for a reason. Readers will discover a good story.

This review is hard for me to write because I really loved the author's first book The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. In fact it was one of my favorite reads. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for this book. While the author does another great job creating a story around the quirky characters of a small town, this book just did not grab me.

To begin with, it is an extremely slow moving story. Several times I put it down and debated on whether to finish. My curiosity got the best of me because I wanted to see how it all ended. Not much different from where it started unfortunately. It also morphed into a story about the religious right and gay rights; not really what I was looking to read.

While I did like the characters, all in all I just found this book to be a depressing read.

Henny,her funeral in pine Crest was about to begin. She can't be a ghost forever. She should be greatful for chance to see her loved ones grieve.unless she goes to heaven. I thought the events were boring.

I'm curious where the high ratings are coming from. I forced myself to get to 48% over the course of several days but I just cannot go on. It's being noted as quirky, I don't see that. There are unique characters, but if there's a plot, I'm not seeing it.

The author goes back and forth between when this group was in their teens and the present (the stories in the past were the highlight of what I read), and I normally enjoy that kind of storytelling, but the parts in the present are going nowhere and at a snail's pace.