Highly enjoyed this one! It kept me engaged throughout and was a joy to read, would certainly recommend!

Loved the relationships that Jess built with Lucy in this novel full of struggles and strife. I appreciated how delicately Jess's character was built!

I loved it! Very different than what i expected. It's definitely a story where you cheer on the characters, especially Jess. I rate this book a 4.1

more 3.5 rating
Thanks to NetGalley and Boukouture for an e copy in exchange for a review.
You can easily read the summary of the story for yourself....althought this is the part that drew me in...Circus people don't ask who you were before , or what god you believe in - - when you join the circus, you are family , whatever your past. For me that set the stage for what I hoped to be an interesting story.
I've read a lot of WW II novels over the past two years and part of me thought I just couldn't do another WW II setting. If that is you also - - reconsider this book. The cover of the book is delightful and the war setting is more of a backdrop for a story rich in characters. It is also based loosely on the true story of Adolf Althoff, an Austrian circus owner , who hid a Jewish family of 4 in his circus during the war.
FOr me the book started off slow and I had difficulty getting into the characters - -didn't seem like there was a lot of depth. But 1/2 through , the author really starts to get into the characters, their stories, and why they are all there. So if you feel the same way while reading, I'd suggest sticking with it. The story is a good one and has a satisfactory ending. Worth the read.

I loved this book from start to finish. It held my interest all the way through.
I loved the characters, the descriptions and the era.

I highly recommend this one to all.

Thank you #NetGalley and Lake Union. This is a very good book that I would read again.

4 stars

I loved this book and how Jess and Star found Lucy when they really needed to. I enjoyed the backstories of Jess and Lucy and how they intertwined. I found it interesting how Lucy's "powers" worked and how others in town thought of her as a witch. This book made me a cry a few times so keep your kleenex nearby. I don't want to spoil too much but please read this book!

I didn't want this book to end. Very good story with great characters and good writing. Had all the elements I look for in a book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

The Secrets of Lost Stones is my first introduction to Melissa Payne's writing. I thought it was a good read and would be interested in their future books. Three and a half stars.

The Secrets of Lost Stones was a mesmerizing novel! I enjoyed how the characters were portrayed and how the story was told. One day when she's fleeing her life to start over somewhere new, Jess stumbles upon an older woman named Lucy. She accepts Lucy's offer to stay with her and be her caretaker. But what she doesn't know yet is that she will meet other people through Lucy that will make her face her past and face her future. Perhaps it wasn't an accident that she met Lucy. Lucy is an interesting older woman who either is beginning to get dementia or who can see things that other people can't. She is mysterious, sometimes funny and sometimes seemingly indifferent, but all the time she is determined to take care of all of "the loose ends."

I absolutely loved this book. I have always believed that we have links to other people and their “stories”. This book showed how meaningful that can be, and I didn’t want it to end. The hint of the supernatural was perfect. Great debut!!!!
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Amazing! Need I say more?

Take one sad, defeated woman, one lonely, lost teenager and one old woman with possible magical powers, unknown to the woman and teenager, bring them together and you have the makings of a book different from most if not all of the books I've read!

Jess is a woman who has lost everything. She finally decides to move on and ends up in a little town called Pine Lake. She meets Lucy, an "eccentric" older woman and becomes her caretaker. They later find Star, a lonely teenager who has been living on the streets. There is one thing holding these women together. I'll let you figure the rest out.

This is an amazing woman blending lives and histories together that I didn't see initially. The prose was lovely, the characters believable. This is a book I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The beautiful cover and description of this book made me excited to read it, but the story itself fell flat. Events just seemed too coincidental, this clairvoyant old lady that draws everyone together to tie up loose ends. It was predictable and repetitive, so just an ok read for me.

The Secret of Lost Stones is a very well written debut novel. Good plot with believable characters. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


This was a great debut novel by Melissa Payne. I was immediately drawn in by both the characters and the plot. I read this book straight through. I absolutely could not put it down.


This book travels through the phases of grief. I really felt terrible for Jess. She went through so much. She lost her job, her home, and more importantly.. Her son. The death of her son really devastates her (as it does with anyone losing a child). Jess decides to leave her life behind her and drive away. She ends up stuck in the small town of Pine Lake. Jess ends up taking a temporary job as a caregiver to a rumored local witch named Lucy. Lucy becomes Jess’s salvation, helps her grieve her losses, and start over.


There is so much raw emotion portrayed in the pages of this book. I enjoyed Melissa’s writing style so much I really hope to see more from her. Each character is unique and greatly flawed just like real life.


Thank you so so much Melissa Payne for this amazing story. It was truly wonderful to read. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title.

This is a well written story that gives the read a puzzle piece to try to tie the story together. This is done in the form of a crossword puzzle and each of the clues helps to fit the characters in the story together. Jess is a young mother who has lost her son, her job and her apartment. Her car breaks down in a small little town where Lucy, an intuitive person, helps Jess to see she has some loose ends that need to be addressed. Jess becomes a guest in Lucy’s large home intent on helping to care for Lucy. Lucy just knows that Jess needs to be there. Star is a teenaged girl who has been living on the streets. Lucy meets Star and invites her to come and stay with her in her large house. Star and Jess have been brought together to help each other. But will either be willing to share their secrets and heart wrenching pain they have suffered? Will Lucy be able to help Jess and Star? Or will it all be too late? How are the loose ends tied together?
This was an easy read. I enjoyed it a great deal. I liked how the story was woven together and the clues were given to help unravel the story. I enjoyed the characters and how they interacted with each other.
I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This has been suspenseful and entertaining and thoughtful in dealing with loss and pain.

Star and Jess are both running from tragedy and troubles and they end up in Pine Lake with Lucy, a woman believed to be a clairvoyant. Jess is a 33 year old who lost everything- her son worst of all. Star is a teen runaway with a secret. Their stories are told in alternate chapters. If you, like me, guess where their stories are going, know that Payne has thrown in some twists. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A nice debut- well written and thought provoking with some tugs at the heart.

I received this book "The Secrets of the Lost Stones" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. A great debut book from the author. I really enjoyed the story and looked forward to reading it each day. I loved the mystical side of the story most. The characters were very likeable.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own.

This is a phenomenal debut novel ! Well done to the author. I was captivated by the atmospheric setting, the charcters and the plot. I was so enchanted I was unable to part with this book until the end. This is a novel about grief first, and of the human predicament of connection with others through our shared experiences .

Here we meet Jess as our main charcter who is only 32 but she has lost everything: her job, her home, and her son has died. She decides to leave her home in Denver and drives into the mountains where her car dies in the small town of Pine Lake. She has no intention of staying but she needs to work and decides to work as a caregiver for Lucy who is rumored to be a local Witch. Lucy is expert at premonitions and helps Jess grieve her losses and start over . Jess is open to Lucy teaching her about how to navigate her new life. When Lucy invites a young girl to stay with them Jess must navigate her feelings amid worry that this may be a runaway with a family searching for her.

I love the emotion of this book, the raw human emotion that drives us all at our core. I enjoyed the writing which was well crafted to the story and pleasing to read. This is a remarkable story and one that will captivate readers as they fall under its spell . Very well done to the author. I love the paranormal edge to this book, the descriptions of the charcters and the settings. All in all this is a very enjoyable read !

Very enjoyable, suspenseful, mystical, semi-family-drama. If that doesn't make sense, it's because this book is hard to categorize. It's also difficult to believe it's the author's first book. I hope she has more up her sleeve, because she could easily become a favorite of mine.

Round up to 4.5

A great debut book for the author, I enjoyed reading this book. A well written book which kept me reading into the early hours.
I would read more by this author in the future.