Good book by V. C. Andrews. It is the second book in the Umbrella series Saffron Anders had been living with her grandmother since her mother died when their house caught on fire. Her father meets with her and tells her to come to his home. He is remarried with a daughter and son. He cheated on Saffron's mother with his wife Ava who doesn't know about Saffron. He creates a story that Saffron is his niece. Saffron feels unhappy about living a lie. Her father and his wife decide to adopt her.

Out of the Rain is the second book in the Umbrella Lady series. Picking up where the Umbrella Lady left off, Saffron travels to Saddlebrook to find her father. Once she arrives, she realizes her life will continue to be shrouded in secrets as her father lets her know his new family does not know about Saffron. He concocts a story where Saffron will be his niece, rather than his daughter. In spite of her misgivings, Saffron goes along with it until she finds something in her "aunt's" jewelry case that makes her question the circumstances of the fire that took her mother's life and changed hers forever.

As a fan of the original VC Andrews's books, as well as many of the books written by her ghost writer, I look forward to reading the next installment. Out of the Rain left in a place that has me ready to find out what happens next and see if my instincts about Saffron's next moves are correct.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Out of the Rain, book #2 in The Umbrella series, follows Saffron Anders as she hunts down the father who abandoned her. Her grandmother who raised her has recently passed away and her estranged father is her only option to stay out of foster care. Her father takes her in on one condition. She must pretend he is her uncle because he never told his new wife and daughter that he already had a child.

This is definitely slow to build up and is not a stand-alone novel, but it is a real treat for readers like me who relish really interesting, well-developed characters. It's a great character-driven narrative. I would recommend reading the series in order. I received this one as an ARC and had not read the first book in the series. I now need to go back and catch up. It did fill in some of the background but I still feel like I am missing a lot. However, I am anxiously awaiting the next installment in the series. This is a slow, steady build-up to a surprise twist ending and I loved it.

I can't wait for the next one to come out.

Ahhhhh this was just such a great read. I just didn't want this book to end and I was sad to turn the last page. I'm so excited to see what's next from this author.

Thanks to NetGallery for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anyone following V.C. Andrews for any amount of time will be aware that as Virginia Andrews herself passed away in 1986, her estate has employed a ghostwriter Andrew Neiderman (author of Pin and Devil's Advocate to name a few) to carry on in her stead. These ghostwritten books vary in quality, with a heyday of the 90s with series like Dawn and Ruby and in recent years have tapered off in quality. I've been a devoted fan since childhood first and foremost of the original, gothic books of the original VC (Flowers in the Attic and Heaven) but I do have a soft spot for the oddness of Neiderman VC.

Out of the Rain (and the first book The Umbrella Lady) feels like a step in the right direction from some of the more recent ghostwriting work. It's not the original author, not even like the same ghostwriter of the 90s, but it isn't the exact same formula we have been given over and over.

Telling the story of Saffron, she journeys to find her father after he abandoned her and is made to pretend to be his niece. There isn't a huge amount of action in this book but there is a clearly set up follow up based on the ending. I think this book was interesting because of the cliffhanger from the first book alone. There is some originality I didn't expect. You can really see the family dysfunction and a lot of the characters are aware of it and that is refreshing. More than ever in recent ghostwritten VC books, I wanted to see what would happen and continue to do so. I want the secrets to be revealed and want everything to come crashing down around her father.

I think this is a series worth sticking around for---I'll read the third book when released to see how this all plays out.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Very captivating with amazing character development. VC Andrew’s is amazing. For. Real. She does it again. A woman finds out she has been abandoned by her family and ends up with no one left to care for her so goes back to her birth father. Without knowing if he will take her back in. How will it turn out and what secrets will be revealed along the way. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Out of the Rain by V.C. Andrews is book #2 after The Umbrella Lady. It picks up right where that book ended. I know secrets are a fundamental part of these books, but, honestly, so far I’m not getting why the need to call Saffron a niece instead of daughter. I’ll still read book #3 to see if more of that puzzle is revealed. Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There are times when nothing will satisfy my hunger for junk quite like V. C. Andrews. I have at times devoured one a day, plowing through an entire series. Andrews is my go-to beach read.

So, my first question is, how many books will be in this series? I still have a lot of unanswered questions. I don't trust that dad one whit -- is he truly evil and conniving or just a pansy-assed puppet? -- but his FIL intrigues me.

Eagerly anticipating book 3 . . . ?

I’ve always been a fan of V.C. Andrew’s and this book was worth the read. I very much enjoyed the second installment of this series. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this read.

I received Out of the Rain as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

Young Saffron Anders finds herself on the doorstep of the father who abandoned her years previously to be raised by her maternal grandmother. But what she finds is not the idealized daddy of her memories, but a secretive, status-conscious shadow with a wealthy wife and two children, none of whom have any idea who she is and that she exists. Determined to keep her identity hidden, they pass her off as a long-lost niece, but upon entering the Saddlebrook home, Saffron finds herself on edge, needing to play a role she wasn't prepared for while living amongst a family that is increasingly hostile and secretive.

This was a novel that intrigues and disappoints simultaneously. I liked the gothic edge to it--unhappy families, dark secrets--and the plot is a bit slow and winding, but I felt it was appropriate for the tone and feel of the book as a whole. Despite not having read the first book in the series, I didn't feel like I was missing anything crucial. However, the writing isn't entirely convincing. The dialogue was stilted and not really how people, particularly young people, talk--but there was enough there to intrigue me to wonder how the story ends.

Reading V. C. Andrews is a singular experience. It is rare to find an author that writes Gothic horror/family sagas quite like she does. Her plots are both mundane and moody; commonplace and creepy; unremarkable on the surface and yet unsettling the deeper you go. She often focuses on family secrets and cruel twists of fate and doesn't shy away from taboo topics (has anyone at this point not read what Flowers in the Attic is about?). There is a "car crash" quality to her writing and plotting that has you both cringing and craning your neck to get a better look.

Now that I'm done waxing poetic about Andrews, let me get straight to the point: this novel has none of Andrews' (black) magic. On the surface, this book contains the same themes as a classic V. C. Andrews (family secrets, sibling dynamics, rivalry, jealousy, abandonment, betrayal), but somehow it presents it all in a very dull package. Whereas Andrews could give a trip to the grocery store a dark twist, this book makes even the most outwardly "creepy" scenarios a snoozefest. The bigger transgression in my mind is that there are so few instances of the moody, unsettling tone I've come to love in an Andrews book. Mind you, before I come off as an Andrews historian here, I should mention that I've only read the Dollanganger series. Although, the tone, subject matter and style in that series was very consistent and gave me a good idea of what I could expect from an Andrews book moving forward. Out of the Rain, sadly, comes up short.

Out of the Rain is the second novel in The Umbrella series (the first book being The Umbrella Lady). I did not realize that it was the second book in a series before picking it up (which was my fault), and I was left feeling a bit confused throughout. I felt like I was missing something, and once I figured out that it was the second book in a series, I realized why. Even so, the feeling that I had throughout the book could be described as "missing something," and I don't think it can all be attributed to me reading this book out of its series order.

Out of the Rain follows, Saffron, a young girl who after the events of the first book, seeks out her father for the first time in years only for him to demand she act as his niece rather than his daughter for "reasons". The father has married into a rich, powerful family, and Saffron's very existence threatens the idyllic life he's built for himself. The majority of the novel follows Saffron navigating life with her father and his second family: Ava, the wife; Karen, the half sister, and Garson, the baby half brother. They believe she is related to the father, but they don't know the full extent of their relationship...which turned out to be pretty ineffective as a tension builder. It wasn't clear what would happen if Saffron was revealed to be her father's daughter (rather than his niece). Ava would get upset and tell her daddy? And? The stakes weren't that high.

There were a lot of missed opportunities here in terms of characterization, tone and plot. The father was a chameleon that changed his reaction to things depending on the needs of the scene. Ava could have been so much more threatening/domineering. It would have raised the stakes surrounding Saffron's "secret". Karen was so annoying and childlike. Garson was a literal baby. He couldn't have spiced up the plot if he wanted to. Tone (a specialty of Andrews) was constantly changing. There were times where the book veered off into contemporary YA territory (the party scene and any interaction with the high school basketball player, Tommy) and then suddenly remember that it was supposed to be a Gothic horror novel and throw in a suspicious glance or creepy turn of phrase. Almost nothing happens in this book. I was confused about why I was following Saffron's day to day life. It's like watching a reality show about an aggressively average person. I couldn't shake the feeling that there would be something much more interesting happening next door. If you find yourself wanting to read about the neighbors rather than your main character, something's gone horribly wrong.

The writing and dialogue is also very stilted and awkward at times:
"Another drop of suspicion trickled out of her eyes like invisible tears."

"Oh. That's sad."
"Just another in a long list of bad memories, most that would give you nightmares."
"Huh?"
"So what's the school like?" I asked.

"Huh?' I thought and uttered."

And internal questions happen at an alarming rate:
"Had my father gone there and fetched it? When? Had he had it sent to him? Why? Did he want me to feel more at home? Was that why he did it?" (There are two more questions after this, I just can't bring myself to write them.)

Hard pass. Might go back to read Andrews work in the 80s but likely won't pick up any more of Neiderman's work using Andrews' pen name. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I'm a big fan of the late V.C. Andrews and truly glad to see stories still in her name. I think the ghostwriter does the best that he can to fill Andrews' legendary shoes. Thank you so much Net Galley for the advance reader copy!

This is the 2nd book in the series about Saffron, following "The Umbrella Lady". The last book ends when h Saffron finds letters from her father and figures out where he is. This book starts with her going there and showing up on his doorstep, only to be told that they have to pretend that she is his niece instead in order to keep the piece with his wife's rich and powerful family.

Saffron is likeable and the book is easily readable, but nothing really happens. There is a little bit of a twist at the end (presumably setting us up for the 3rd installment) but there really just isn't much action through the rest of the book. I felt the exact same way about the first book.

Overall, if you like new VC Andrews, you'll probably like the book, but this series doesn't contain the kinds of shocking revelations that I came to love from the original author back in the 1980s. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This started out a little slow. The first 50 or so pages weren’t easy for me but after that it was amazing. It really captured and pulled me in. I couldn’t put it down once I got into it. Saffron hasn’t had it easy but she’s a fighter and she’s strong . She’s determined to rebuild her relationship with her father , but will he be as she remembered? So good!

My reading has been slow the last two weeks with all the cabinet painting but I was drawn back to this every moment I had - I think if I was actually free I would have loved to read this in one setting. I cannot say enough about the main character but in summary and to be concise- I absolutely love Saffron! What a name and what a character, I wish I had been more like her at her age heck even now there is so much to gain from her and her views as an adult. Then you have Mr. Amos Saddlebrook another great character, oh and Tommy who wouldn’t love Tommy! This reminds me in a way of a dark twisted Annie - if you took out the sunshine and rainbows and replaced it with more secrets, lies, and trauma then most could handle! I really enjoyed this story and the ending was a great wrap up and discussion for “real world” consideration and application ! This story served you some life lessons if you were listening… the ending left the possibility of a part two and I know I would love to read it! Well done V.C. Andrews WELL DONE

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me through NetGalley. This book was just absolutely wonderful. It was just so easy to get lost in and I just couldn’t put it down. I just lost myself within this amazing story. I most definitely will read more by this author.

I have see. The movies and the mini series but this is the first book I have read by this author. I couldn’t put it down. While it is the second book in a series, I was able to jump right in to Saffron’s live and the lies she forced to live. I enjoyed this and can’t wait for more !

My thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for this free ARC of “Out of the Rain” to which I give my Five star rating .
“Out of the Rain” is a thriller that kept me flipping pages in my Kindle until the end. It is the second volume in the series. But sum up the story would be a “spoiler” for every page is filled with “ What will happen in Saffron’s life next.”
As Saffron says, “ A quote I had read and memorized from one of the literature books Mazy had used in my homeschooling followed me into my room like some chant.” Oh, what a tangled web we weave ...when first we practice to deceive.” So just open the book and enjoy being kept on the edge of your seat.
I am awaiting book #3.....

I thought this was a really good book, it kept me engaged from start to finish. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone I know.

I was so happy to be able to read what happened to Saffron, I hoped with all of my heart that she would find her father and there would be good reason he wasn’t able to come back for her. All that she found was more lies and heartbreak. The umbrella lady was actually protecting and caring for her instead of the villain she was made out to be, She set her up to be a strong successful woman. I am excited to read what is next for Saffron.

Out of The Rain just sucks you in and you can’t stop reading until you know what’s next!