THE CLOVER GIRLS is a sweet and nostalgic story that will have you reaching for the tissues! Fans of women's fiction are sure to devour this tale of 4 friends. Switching back and forth between summer camp in the 80s and the present day when Emily has passed away, the narrative moves at a nice clip. Sometimes books with multiple narrators are hard to follow, especially if the author does not adequately differentiate between the narrators. However, Viola/Wade does a nice job so that, as a reader, it's easy to keep the narrators straight. I was very impressed with the evocative setting and period details and the level of emotional introspection, which was just enough without being too sappy.

Grab a box of tissues, a bottle of wine, turn off your phone and give yourself an evening alone to sit and read this work of art novel. There are truly not enough stars to give this book and have it be enough.

Em, Liz, V, and Rach are best friends.forever. They meet at summer camp when theyre kids and go back each and every summer. As they grow, their friendship is tested by both outside conflicts and internal friendship fights. As usually happens unfortunately, they began to always expect the bad in each other instead of seeing the good they knew was there. Because of this, one day their friendship is splintered and Em is left being the only one who keeps in touch with the other three. Rach, V, and Liz receive a letter from Em letting them know she's passed, and her last wish is for them to meet at camp to spread her ashes. What happens is a week of each of them finding out who they are as individuals and who they are as friends. With scenes from present day mixed in with scenes from their time at camp in the 80's, were given the whole picture of just what happened to these BFF's and can watch while they try and fix what's broken.

I can't tell you enough just how good this read is. Viola Shipman is the pen name for Wade Rouse, and that makes this book even more amazing. Its honestly hard to read a good friendship book written by a woman that captures female friendship and emotions in such a raw real way. To find out that Wade did it shows just how much of an artist he truly is with a pen. He captures sometimes intense scenes with such honesty and truth you can see this actually happening in real life. The 80's scenes will also have you googling "where to watch The Breakfast Club" when you're done. You'll also think about unplugging more.and maybe writing a letter to a friend instead of texting, if you can find out where to buy a stamp anymore. 😉

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Viola Shipman, NetGalley, and Grayson House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

Em(ily), Rachel, V(eronica), and Liz met at summer camp in 1985 and became life-long friends (or so they thought). They spent the next four summers together and they called themselves the “Clover Girls”. Unfortunately, that last summer, there was a rift that pulled them apart. Em tried to keep in touch with everyone, but mostly they went their separate ways and had their own lives.

Liz had a family, then divorced, and in current day, is a realtor and watches over her mother in a care home (her kids and grandkids never visit); V became a model, then married and gave up her career for her husband and kids; Rach was an actress for a while, then went into politics… well, I’m not sure what exactly she is, but she works for a very conservative politician and she seems to do some kind of damage control (in the form of being in the spotlight to explain things, mostly things with regard to policies around women).

When they each get a letter out of the blue from Em, she is already dead. She wants them to revisit the camp to spread her ashes, and of course, to come together again.

I enjoyed this. I loved all the 80s references! Starting with friendship pins (remember those!?), then of course, the music and movies… What brought the rating down a bit for me was that there was a bit more gushi-ness than I would have liked. Maybe it’s because I’m really not a gushy person (at all! Probably the opposite), but it didn’t seem real to me. It was too much for me. Also, one thing near the end… I felt like a couple of the women acted very childishly in that one event. They didn’t act like adults. Overall, though, I still liked the book. Liz and Em (easily) were my favourite characters, and I did like Liz’s storyline. There is also a book club guide at the end; I hadn’t thought of it as a book club book but there were some good questions included.

I love Viola Shipman books. I'm forever amazed by how Wade Rouse deeply understands the minds of women. I loved the feeling of nostalgia in this novel, the descriptions of Michigan and summer camp, and the theme of friendship. It was done so well. All of the characters were different, and I loved reading about how they came together to honor a friend and overcome their differences. It kept me interested and invested, and I truly enjoyed it.

This is the first book that I have read from the author, Viola Shipman and was not aware until I was finished that it is the pen name of Wade Rouse. I was very impressed with the author's writing and will be reading more!
This book, The Clover Girls, was such a great story about the relationship between four women when they were teenagers and then between them as adults in their forties, after they meet again. The story is told with a dual timeline between summer of 1985 and summer of 2021. This is a story of growing up, growing apart and then reconnecting along with learning about their own-selves and what truly makes them happy.
I LOVED this book! It was great to read about women close to my age (over 50) and relate to their place in life. The story made me smile, it made me cry big fat tears, it brought some anger at times along with laughter. It brought back memories of being a child and camping with my family and the friends I made along the way. The Clover Girls was so well written that I felt like I was actually there. I could picture the camp, the lake, the trees, the campfire, I could feel the emotion. I was so sad when I turned to the last page, not because of how it finished, but because it was finished.

This is a book that I have recommended over and over again on social media and will continue to recommend after it has been published (May 18, 2021).

Thank you so much to Harlequin-Trade Publishing and to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this true 5 star book!

Solid Story Brought Down By Emphasis On Real-World Politics. As a camp story and as a story of long ago friends coming back together after a tragedy and working through both the awesome times and the tragedies of both then and now, this story was really quite good. The way Shipman (a pen name for a dude, making this even more remarkable) is able to craft each of the characters and use the settings themselves as additional characters really shows just how strong of a storyteller she (he) is. Ultimately though the aftertaste of this book - if you even make it that far - will be flavored by your view of its politics and arguably more pointedly, how it portrays the side the author very clearly abhores. Me, I read to avoid the real world. Between the events of 20201 and my own real-world background as a political activist at various levels, I *really* don't want politics in my books, and if it must be there, I want a balanced and non-preachy approach. Neither of which I got here, and thus the star deduction. Still, a worthy read and truly a good one, other than the preachy politics. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book. The Clover Girls features four girls who met at summer camp but grew up and grew apart. An event brings them together again but old wounds are hard to heal. I loved the memories of the 1980s interspersed throughout the book. It make me long for the days of teased hair, our cooler-than-cool looks, and a John Hughes movie marathon. For a bit of escapism with a realistic look at how we grow up and friendships wane, read The Clover Girls. You’ll want to go to summer camp forever…and call your old friends.

I was really looking forward to reading this novel. First of all, I enjoy Viola Shipman's comfort reads a lot. Second, this one has a different premise in comparison to her previous novels, as it focuses on three women and goes back and forth between time periods. As usual, it did not disappoint!

This was a sweet story about friendship and nostalgia. I love that Viola placed it at a camp during the summer. The descriptions made me feel like I was right there and I could practically smell the campfire and feel the early morning cool air before the day heated up. Even though I didn't have the kind of friendship that the Clover Girls had at their camp (I somehow ended up with girls like "The Birches", with the exception of my already established best friend), it made me think of retreats I went on, where I first connected with a friend I've been close with for 30 years now.

I loved all the eighties references, especially with the music. Some parts of the story even made me cry. I liked seeing the women as adults and what their lives were like now and seeing them try to turn things around for themselves. I also enjoyed the subtle shout-out to Randy Rainbow and even the one mention of Drake (being a Degrassi fan and all).

Like Viola's novels tend to do, this one also got sappy and overly introspective at times, but everything else that was going on balanced it out. I feel like they could tone down the sap and still have an incredible story. Some parts felt predictable, but I still enjoyed the story and wanted to see where it would go. It was hard to get a full grasp of ages, since I wasn't sure how old they were when Emily started at the camp in 1985 (she sounded like she was twelve or thirteen) and it seemed like Liz would still be too young to have teenage grandchildren, unless she had her kids in her late teens. I was placing them at early fifties in 2021.

Viola has created another winner with this novel and it's one of her best! Get swept up in nostalgia this summer and become friends with Veronica, Rachel, and Liz. I hope you'll enjoy getting to know them as much as I did!

Movie casting suggestions:
Veronica: Molly Ringwald (for meta reasons, of course!)
Liz: Moira Kelly
Rachel: Elisabeth Shue

Four girls meet at summer camp and become friends. That friendship changes and life gets in the way, they don’t keep in touch like they should. Three of them receive a letter from the fourth friend that brings them back to the camp where they first met.
This book is about friendships and how their life changed after summer camp. It’s about forgetting the closeness they once had and coming back together to heal old hurts.
I really enjoyed this book. It made me remember going to camp.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I really enjoyed Viola Shipman's 'The Recipe Box' so I was excited to read this one too. This is a beautiful look at friendship through the ages of Elizabeth, Veronica, Rachel, and Emily. They have spent many summer camps together through the years until things fall apart. But then years later Emily asks them to reunite once again. This was a beautiful book about how important friendships are and how taking second chances can be worth the risk.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

⭐⭐⭐.7 rounded up
My first Viola Shipman| novel was "The Summer Cottage" and it was such a delightful story, I have been looking forward to my next read.
Note: It is interesting that author Wade Rouse chose his grandmother’s name Viola Shipman
as his pen name. He states he grew up with her in the Ozarks and her extraordinary life was
filled with beauty, hope as well as tragedy and is his inspiration for so many of his stories.
https://waderouse.com/about/

I really am not a Chick Lit/romance fan, however since we are still being on the safe side due to this nasty virus is nice to read a sweet story. Plus the water is always calming ~ Lake Michigan may not be the ocean but I have seen it and it certainly looks like an ocean with smaller waves!

This story starts when four girls Elizabeth, Veronica, Rachel, and Emily meet at summer camp in 1985 and the first thing they find is a four leaf clover. Their initials E-V-E-R has them declaring that they will be friends forever Four-ever. The camp counselors called them “The Clover Girls”. In addition, to their initial, finding the four-leaf clover, they love green!
The Clover Girls! Friends -4-EVER!
They continued to meet every summer at Camp Birchwood. However, after several fun years something happen that changed their friendship and they no longer met at camp.
Now 2021 they are middle-aged and each facing challenges. Liz, V, and Rach receive a letter from Em asking if they would meet at Camp Birchwood. The rest you need to read ~ I won’t spoil it!

This story flashes back to their summers at the camp; so lot 80s references, it is about friendship ~ good times and sad times.

I always enjoy reading the Author’s Acknowledgements ~ a fun insight to the motivation for the story. I liked the quote the author mentions that is from his mother “A good friend is like a lightning bug. They light up your life when you need it and least expect it”.
Aww yes! I can remember the joy of seeing the first lighten bug light up and shout to everyone to come see!! Unfortunately we don’t have lightening bug here in California but they are still a great – fun memory!

This story needs to be discussed and is perfect for books club. Has great ‘Discussion Questions’ in the back.

Want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing (US & Canada) for this early release granted to me for an honest professional review. Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 18, 2021

When reading this book you will realize just how much friendship impact our lives and just how important they are to our well being. I enjoyed getting to come along on the journey of these 3 friends as they find there way back to each other as adults. You get to experience them as they realize just how much there camp friendship of "The Clover Girls," shaped who they became. It makes you realize that second chances are worth while.

I picked this book up because I had read The Recipe Box and enjoyed that sweet story. This one is about four girls, Elizabeth, Veronica, Rachel and Emily, who met and bonded at Camp Birchwood in northern Michigan. They were best friends and met every summer at camp for several years. Then something happened to their friendship that drove a wedge between the girls. Now as the women are middle-aged and each is facing major life challenges, Liz, V and Rachel each receive a letter from Em with some sad news and she asks that all the girls reunite at Camp Birchwood one last time for a week.

This book is a touching look at friendship, betrayals and forgiveness. It is well written and a sweet story. The narrators are Liz, V, and Rachel and goes back and forth between present and past. Viola Shipman is the pen name for Wad Rouse - he chose his grandmother's name as his pen name. I am surprised that he, being male, does so well writing female characters.

Thanks to HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing through Netgalley for and advance copy.

Oh my gosh!! I absolutely loved this novel.

I have read previous books by Viola Shipman but I truly think this precious gem of a book is my favorite!

The Clover Girls is such a special novel about friendships, love, and family. I loved the 80s references and it made me want to go back to camp again haha.

I just love how Shipman writes so beautifully across the pages and her talent sores through this novel. Definitely not one to miss!

4 stars!!

Thank you so much to the publisher for my copy.

Pub date: 5/18/21

Take a dip in the lake of nostalgia. One of the things I loved about The Clover Girls was the references to the 80s: the TV shows, songs, fashion fads, it was an awesome decade. I never went to camp but I’ve read plenty of books, fiction and true about people who did. Friendships do change. The Clover Girls were fortunate to find their way back to each other. One of my favorite scenes involved Liz, Billy, and a Madonna song. It was straight out of a teen romance book I used to,read in the 80s. A fractured friendship can sometimes be mended. It’s a good lesson about acceptance, forgiveness, and the power of friendship.

Have you ever read a book that within five minutes of reading, you knew you already loved it? 😍 Well, that happened with The Clover Girls for me! I devoured this book in 2 days and it is definitely my favorite book of 2021 so far. 🤩

This book is about four best friends who met at summer camp in 1985. The camp lasted a few years, but during the last year they had a falling out. Fast forward to several years later, they receive a letter from Emily (one of the four friends) telling them to go back to camp and fix their friendship. Emily is dying and she wrote this letter shortly before she passed because she knew in heart that this had to happen.

When the girls go back to camp, they are overwhelmed with emotions and it makes them all take a step back and look at their lives differently. The Clover Girls had SO many takeaways, one of them being to cherish friendships and to never forget where you came from. 💞

Thank you #NetGalley for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

#theclovergirls #netgalley #harlequinpublisher #bookstagram #kindle #read #ilovetoread #winterreading #violashipman

Thank you NetGalley for the privilege to review this title.

I LOVED it, but grab some tissues. This title offers family, friendship and minimal romance. It does go back and forth between the decades, but very easy to follow.

Summer Camp in the 80s is when four girls, Veronica, Elizabeth, Rachel and Emily all meet. They become best friends. While they see each other every year at summer camp, there comes a time when they grow up and lose touch with one another. They’re reunited when one passes away and they take a journey to relive their childhoods at camp. Although, they lost touch and didn’t quite get along anymore- this novel shows the struggles that many have as our lives go on. We lose touch with those that once were the center of our lives, but drift apart. Life happens, but it’s important to always act like a child from time to time.

The Clover Girls is a story of friends and family, change, struggles, and growth. This was a very emotional read for me. The characters were well written and I kept going back and forth between deciding if I liked them or couldn't stand them. By the end of the story, I liked them all. The growth that could be seen in all of them by then end was wonderful. I enjoyed the fact that even though the story had a happy ending things weren't perfect either. It's a reminder that even in the good times, life can have it's low points, but it's really how we choose to move forward that counts. If you're looking for an emotional read with a happy ending, then this is the right book for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest book by one of my favorite women’s fiction authors. He understands women well and this book was no exception! I felt connected to each of the four women and love the way he brought them all together and how their stories in twined. Ultimately this book is about women’s friendship and forgiveness.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I cried more than once reading this story of four friends who meet at summer camp in Michigan in 1985. The story is set in 2021 and flashes back to different summers at the camp on the shores of Lake Michigan near Glen Arbor, MI. Four friends bond and then break apart in a big way. Two go on to fame both already peaking, one becomes a librarian (yay) and another who stays local, is divorced and sells real estate. Emily (the librarian) was the connector through the years and creates a situation that causes everyone to return to the summer camp. The time at camp allows for the women to reflect on their lives, camp days, the meaning of friendship and their own happiness.

I am new to the author and learned he uses his grandmothers name as a pen name. I'm often leery of men writing about women's feelings and emotions but Shipman does it very well. That isn't to say I liked every storyline. The politics felt polarizing and preachy. And I thought the actions that caused the original breakup were more than unkind and not sure if these four would have really gathered back in a real life scenario. But I was genuinely moved by the novel and could relate it to relationships I've had in the past and friends who if they asked, I'd be there for them. I especially related to Liz whose mother is in a care center with hospice. These women are a just few years younger than me and I loved all the 80s references.

This will appeal more to women and lovers of (women's) fiction. I am planning to recommend it for my bookclub next year. (We've already selected this years books.) Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC ebook in exchange for a honest review.