A feel good book for readers seeking a pick me up during the pandemic. This book should be made into a Hallmark movie! Follow Maeve from her worst day ever to meeting the the St. Francis Society and watch what can happen. It will warm your heart and offer up hope in this dark time.

St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets was the perfect book for these times. An engaging story with unforgettable characters, both human and animal.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

What I thought would be a light-heart read was more of a emotional book with a few twists and turns to keep me wanting to read long after my bedtime. I will read more of Annie Noblin in the future.

Immediate connections to characters are a huge thing for me when it comes to reading. If I can’t connect to a character, then ninety nine percent of the time I won’t like it. I’m happy to say that’s not the case here. I immediately connected to Mae as she navigated throw some tough changes in her life. She’s reeling from a very public humiliation and her birth mother just passed away.

“Maybe I wasn’t looking at my visit to Timber Creek the right way. Maybe it was an opportunity. Maybe I was being given a chance to start over in a new place.“

What starts as a closure for Mae for the mother she felt never wanted to know her—begins a story of love, secrets, and ultimately finding family in the most unlikely places. I loved that the story goes into Annabelle’s past. We grow to understand all the whys and the hows of her life. Mae will finally earn some much needed answers.

Things really started to pick up for me once Mae decides to stick around in her mother’s hometown and where she was left with everything Annabelle owned. That included a house, car, some money, and a cool group of women in a knitting club.

I thought that I would be getting a light-hearted read about a woman who finds herself after a bad breakup. What I got instead was something much deeper and meaningful that I couldn’t help but tear up. Adored this to the moon and back!

Remember Calgon bath salt ads? “Take me away!” this is a Calgon book. It took me away from real life and gave me joy and entertainment. When Maeve finds that she has inherited her birth mother’s estate, she leaves Seattle for a small town and becomes enmeshed in the lives of the small town citizens. Good characters, plenty of humor an sprinkle of romance, and general neighborliness make this a fun read.

This was a sweet, fun story that I will definitely recommend to our gentle readers. I think fans of The Readers of Broken Wheel recommend will really enjoy this.

I wasn’t sure that I was actually up to stuffing in another new read in the midst of the backlog – but I am SO VERY glad that I took a chance on this story. Maeve is thirty-six, adopted, newly broken from an adulterous boyfriend and suddenly unemployed when the paper she worked for went bankrupt. Never quite feeling as if she ‘fit’, particularly after a series of letters to her birth mother went unanswered when she was a teen, she’s always felt a bit less than. But when notice comes that her birth mother has died, and that her lawyer wants to speak with her, Maeve is faced with a dilemma. Should she go and satisfy a bit of curiosity, or should she just do as she had been – in her childhood bedroom at her parents’ house. While her father is truly a sounding board for her, the tension with her mother (who really is trying in her own way to support her) and her adopted brother all weighing in – she decides to attend the service with her best friend, and then return home the following day.

The small town in which Maeve’s only relative lived is ‘typical’ with gossip and secrets – and everyone knowing one another. But more striking to Maeve is the fact that everyone remarks on how similar she is to her birth mother – despite her anger at being given up, no answers, and her general malaise as the emotions overwhelm. From being the only one to inherit her mother Annabelle’s worldly goods, to seemingly inheriting her friends, a cranky cat and the constant reminders of ‘what her mother did’ just like her – there’s plenty to take in and more questions than answers.

Throughout it all, Noblin depicts and shares the emotions that Maeve would feel – and contrasts those with a few chapters of perspective from her birth mother, Annabelle, as well as an undercurrent of ‘something strange’ from the knitting ‘club’ that makes sweaters for pets, a special ‘starter kit’ for knitting projects that are given free of charge, and the fact that a reclusive yet famous writer is her new neighbor. Maeve first makes a decision to stay without making any decision, and soon finds herself provided with answers, more questions, a new direction and a sort of peace that she never before felt. With plenty of heart, enough emotion to pack a serious punch, a dangerous climax and a sharp recognition of ‘perfect’ people versus people, the story is lovely and engaging. I read this in one sweep – and was disappointed to see the story come to an end, even as all of the biggest questions were answered beautifully. A favorite for the depiction of Maeve’s emotions and questions, and the answers that she came to learn.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aAC/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Great read! I wasn't sure what to expect with this story but I really enjoyed it! Maeve is reeling from losing her job and boyfriend when she finds out that her birth mother has passed away. After going back to her birth mother's small hometown, she discovers that a house and car have been left for her. Nice, engaging story.

This story is quite entertaining if a touch contrived. Maeve Stephens life collapses one day - her boyfriend cheats on her on national tv, and then she loses her job - so when she learns her birth mother has left her a house in a small town she checks it out as she has nothing else to do. The title and cover of the book point to a light chicklit dog-related bit of romantic fluff, but while a bit fluffy and with a touch of romance and one dog wandering around a bit, they really don't play a large role in the story. The St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets is actually a women's knitting group who look out for wayward people more than pets, and Maeve is their new project. While Maeve is discovering more about her Mother and roots (which she really did NOT want to do), she also discovers how family isn't always defined by blood and maybe small towns aren't as backward as they at first appear. Enjoyable.

Maeve loses her boyfriend and her job at almost the same time, and then she gets the biggest shock of all: the birth mother she's never met just died, and she's been asked to come to the funeral. I expected this book to be more animal-centric like Noblin's other works. They're not front and center, but when they are there, it's cute. I liked this story, but there is A LOT going on. It tackles grief over a lost spouse, domestic violence, death of a birth mother, various reasons for being adopted (including one particularly dark story), animal abuse, and a bit of sexual harassment. I think this book could easily have been a series to flesh these things out more instead of tackling everything at once. I liked the characters, and it was a joy to watch Maeve find a new life.

Maeve is trying to find herself after losing her job, her boyfriend and home. She finds out that her birth mother passed away. Turns out her mother left her everything including a house and a cat. Maeve decides that she will stay and try to figure out what her next steps will be. The attraction she feels towards the reclusive author neighbor helps with that decision. This was a good read. I feel as though the title is a little off though as the St. Francis Society was more about knitting.

This book isn't really about what you'd think from the title or cover. It's about a woman named Maeve who finally learns her origin story when her birth mother dies. There is a tiny bit of romance, a tiny bit of danger, and a tiny bit about pets. But the St Francis Society is pretty minor. .

The book was okay, but I really feel like the title and cove art are misleading. I thought there would be more animal content and was disappointed. I also felt myself more drawn to the secondary characters and stopped caring so much about Maeve's story. This one didn't live up to the expectation for me.

This is a fun and sweet story that will make you want to move to a small town. Full of heart, I really enjoyed this book. It drags a little at the first but once Maeve moves to Timber Creek it flows better.

Maeve's life has been turned upside down, and then one more shoe drops. Just when she decides that life has thrown her all of the curve balls it can, she finds out her birth mother has passed away and left her a house in a small town not too far away. Questions she has always wanted to answer, but thought long forgotten suddenly rise to the surface as she faces a turning point in her life. I am not sure I would have picked this book up, if I hadn't gotten the ARC, but I am so glad that I did. Connections and choices, so many that can change a life if we alter our path even just a little bit, and Noblin does a great job exploring these.

I had not read any of Annie England Noblin's other books prior to trying to read St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets. I just could not get into this book. It was too depressing with all the misfortune but I felt the misfortune was just poured on to illicit sympathy for Maeve. I am positive all turns out for her but I just could not read any more.

reaaaaaly thought there would be more animals with that cover and title but the society is more about knitting for pets than actually interacting with pets. plus some other stuff that i will not say for spoiler-y reasons. the characters and plot and romance were all fine, nothing amazing really. it was good. would be a nice summer beach read.

thanks to the publisher for an ARC, this is my honest review.

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley. Enjoyed it and hope others will too!
Really enjoyed this book! A little mystery, a little humor, a little romance, all held together by Maeve, who finds that life doesn't have to be so confusing. Day one finds her jobless, watching her boyfriend caught on camera kissing another woman, then robbed a knife point as she heads home. At 36 years old Maeve thinks she is a total failure at life, broke and having to move back in with her parents. Then comes the phone call that will change everything for her. She gains a totally new prospective on life and what friends and family really are. Between wrecking her car, the dog eating the door and the crazy neighbour with a gun, she finds a way to put it all together.

Maeve is already dealing with losing her job, being cheated on by her boyfriend, and even being mugged. The last thing she wants to add to her pile of troubles is the news that the birth mother who gave her away as an infant has died. Maeve attends the funeral hoping to get closure, but discovers that Annabelle has left her her house, her car, and even a cat. With no reason to return to Seattle, Maeve stays in Timber Creek and discovers that Annabelle may also have left her the answers to who her mother really was and why she gave her up. Flashbacks to Annabelle's life help us see her side of the story and give the background for the life Maeve finds herself discovering in Timber Creek. The pets play less of a role in this title than they have in Noblin's other works, but it's still a sweet story.