Enjoyed this one very much, another fantastically written and heartwarming tale from author Heather Webber (aka Heather Blake). Never disappoints, highly recommend!

This was such a thought provoking book which really made me look at my family life. I loved the realistic dynamics shown. It was a good read, well paced.

Ms. Webber never disappoints with the magic in her books. Right now, we all can use some magic. I love how there’s always so much hope in her books; along with forgiveness.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I adore magical realism books. Especially Heather Webber’s books! Having enjoyed both Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe and South of the Buttonwood Tree, I knew when I saw The Lights of Sugarberry Cove- I had to read it.

What I Liked:

This cover is so dreamy-licious.

Sadie Way and Leala Clare. I loved these 2 sisters.

The town of Sugarberry Cove and lake magic!

Bottom line: If you want a good Southern story, you gotta try Heather Webber!



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

Heather Webber's "The Lights of Sugarberry Cove" is a heartwarming tale that enchants readers from the very first page. Webber's easy writing style effortlessly draws you into the story, while the vibrant characters and the secrets of Sugarberry Cove keep you eagerly turning the pages. This charming book is a true gem for readers of all ages, offering a genuine escape into a world of wonder.

Sadie has a tragic experience when she was younger, now she’s brought back to the place where she has such horrible memories. This story is light hearted and the bond between sisters makes me wish I had my own.

Really great story! I've read many books by this author and they never disappoint. I'm a fan of magical realism, the author does a great job with it. I would highly recommend!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a wonderful book about family with very believable characters. Sadie and Leala (sisters) do not have the best relationship with their mother. She raised them as a single parent while running a bed and breakfast. Leala never left Sugarberry while Sadie left after almost drowning there. They reunite due to their mother’s heart attack. I loved the dynamic between the sisters. This is a very heartwarming story. I will definitely read more of Heather Webber’s books

The thing is, I'm not the biggest fan of dual POVs, especially if those voices sound the same.

I couldn't get into the book. I can't say which of the sisters seemed more boring and unlikable and this book just wasn't something I enjoyed.

I am on record that I will read anything Heather Webber writes That said, this one wasn't a favorite.

I'm going to blame some of that on my strange reading moods/rhythms at the time. I loved the southern setting, the magical realism, the Bed & Breakfast and the lake community. Sadie Way Scott has been avoiding home for over eight years, ever since she almost drowned. But concerns about her mom and the family's run down B&B reluctantly bring her home.

The strained relationship between Sadie and her mother and Sadie her sister rang true for me. But I didn't find the romance compelling and the miscommunication trope was too much for me.

Webber is an auto buy author for me and highly anticipate her next novel.

Thank you to the author, Forge Books and NetGalley for the complimentary digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3. This book was so saccharin sweet to me that it became not so appealing. All of the characters were waiting on ENLIGHTENMENT and they all got it. Everything tied up in a big bow at the end. I felt the entire book lacked depth and left me wanting more.

After enjoying Midnight at the Blackbird Café by the author, I thought this would be a book I would like. I am not a fan of magical realism or a hallmark style story, so I did not become invested in this story at all. As with the author’s previous book, South of the Buttonwood Tree, this was too syrupy sweet and lacked a depth that would have allowed me to care what happened between the first and last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forge Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is the first book I have read by Heather Webber and now I am wondering why I've waited so long.
You could say Sugarberry Cove is a place of magic, a place of new beginnings.second chance relationships. Sisters, Sadie Way Cross and Leala Clare do not have the best relationship with their mother, she raised them as a single parent while running a bed and breakfast on the shores of the lake. After almost drowning there years ago Sadie moves away wanting no reminders of her time there.
The story will give you all the feels as you read about Sadie coming back to Sugarberry when her mother has a heart attack. She may not even admit it to herself but Sadie actually missed Sugarberry and reminisces about good times there.
Leala never left Sugarberry, instead staying there,marrying and having a child.
Sadie assumes she is happy there and all is well, but is it?
Dealing with mending relationships and they really talk , this mother and daughters based book is brimming with love,compassion and truths revealed you won't want to miss, The Lights of Sugarberry Cove.

Pub Date: 20 Jul 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Awesome story!

Description
The Lights of Sugarberry Cove is a charming, delightful story of family, healing, love, and small town Southern charm by USA Today bestselling author Heather Webber.

Sadie Way Scott has been avoiding her family and hometown of Sugarberry Cove, Alabama, since she nearly drowned in the lake just outside her mother’s B&B. Eight years later, Sadie is the host of a much-loved show about southern cooking and family, but despite her success, she wonders why she was saved. What is she supposed to do?

Sadie’s sister, Leala Clare, is still haunted by the guilt she feels over the night her sister almost died. Now, at a crossroads in her marriage, Leala has everything she ever thought she wanted—so why is she so unhappy?

When their mother suffers a minor heart attack just before Sugarberry Cove’s famous water lantern festival, the two sisters come home to run the inn while she recovers. It’s the last place either of them wants to be, but with a little help from the inn’s quirky guests, the sisters may come to terms with their strained relationships, accept the past, and rediscover a little lake magic.

A lovely little story. It is romantic and sweet. Coming home in a time of need two sisters put aside events that led one to stay away the other to harbor guilt feeling that have impacted her adult decisions. Both are back to help out their mother who is dealing with her new physical limitations. As each daughter comes to see this place in a new light, they realize their fears of this place once home is now home again.

I loved this sweet book about finding yourself, second chances and the power of love. This is my first book from this author but it will not be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed it and will recommend it to others!

*** I received an ARC of this book from the author/publisher and NetGalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review or any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

A few months ago now I read and loved Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber. It had so many elements that I love - Southern charm, good food, great characters and a dash of magical realism. I already had this book on my Kindle waiting for me to read so it was a no brainer that I was going to read it. Whilst I enjoyed Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe slightly more, this was still a fun read with a lot to like about it.


Told in alternating voices between Sadie Way Cross and her sister, Leala Clare, the story is fundamentally the story of the two sisters and their mother who have a very difficult relationships. Their mother had raised them as a single parent whilst running a bed and breakfast right on the shores of the lake, the lake that Sadie had nearly drowned in 8 years previously. Whilst she survived, the colour of Sadie's hair had changed overnight to "glittery silver tresses" which Sadie's mother reminded her of the stars. Tired of being different, Sadie left her home town of Sugarberry Cove and didn't look back. Well, except for maybe when she was being honest with herself about how much she missed Sugarberry Cove and her home and family.


Sadie is an online content creator with her own YouTube channel, A Southern Hankerin'. She found people from all over the South who talk about a particular recipe, whether it be a family favourite or something that brings back memories. They could be complicated or as simple as buttermilk scrambled eggs.


Whilst Sadie doesn't really have a home as she travels all across the South, Leala is the opposite. She has stayed in Sugarberry Cove. She has the perfect husband, the perfect child and the perfect show home. So why isn't she happy?


Their mother, Susannah, having a heart attack is the trigger to bring all three members of the family together, forcing them to face their own truths about their life both past and present, about their relationships with each other and those around them and what the future may bring. First and foremost, it makes them see how much their mother really hasn't been coping for quite some time. The B&B is in desperate need of a makeover, and it isn't making enough money.


Leala and Sadie have been so engrossed in their own worlds that neither really know each other. Leala assumes that Sadie's channel is a little hobby rather than the extremely successful undertaking that it is and Sadie assumes that Leala is happy in her perfect life.


There are a cast of other characters who pass through the book including Teddy who comes to stay at the B&B every year for years and has become a close family friend, who this year brings her niece Bree for the first time, Sadie's uncle who has played a pivotal role in the absence of their deceased father, her first love and more.


Another character is the lake. There is a legend that the lake is home to Lady Laurel, the lady of the lake. Each year in August, there is a lantern festival where the townspeople can make their wishes and they may come true. It sounds like a truly magical event.


I thought I would share a passage from one of the A Southern Hankerin' episodes



"Is there anything I can do to help, Mrs Teakes?" I needed a diversion from my thoughts or else I was bound to fall into a deep mudhole of self-pity. I'd alreaady set up my cameras, three in all, to frame specific shots of the homey kitchen that breathed vintage charm, which was easy to do since it hadn't been updated in at least sixty years, possibly more. The room was painted a cheerful blue, and the scent of vanilla floated in the air, as if being exhaled by the colorful, floral wallpaper that served as a backsplash. The bulbous white fridge, covered in family photos, postcards, and old newspaper clippings hummed loudly, its long chrome handle gleaming. The wide stove with side-by-side ovens had two storage drawers at the bottom, and I could only imagine the stories it could tell of the meals it had cooked.


But those stories would have to wait. The focus of today's video ws on a dish served cold. Several small glass bowls were lined up along the ceramic tile countertop, each filled with different ingredients. Shredded coconut. Mandarin oranges. Sour cream. Maraschino cherries. Pineapple chunks. Mini marshmallows. Once the food prep was complete, I'd bethe one asking all the questions for the sake of the video, which would be posted the following week on my YouTube channel, A Southern Hankerin'.


The videos wereabout more than Southern cooking. At their heart were human-interest pieces featuring people across the South willing to share a family recipe and the story behind it. Last week, I'd had an in-depth preliminary phone interview with Mrs.. Teakes, and today I'd film her while she told me how, in the late 1960s, she'd captured the heart of her late husband with her recipe for ambrosia salad


During the interview I'd be sure to mention how the South proudly labeled some desserts as salad. To those who lived here, this came as no surprise. After all, this was the land where mac and cheese was considered a vegetable But my audience wasn't limited to the South. I had viewership that spanned the globe, a fact that amazed me - though it shouldn't. People tuned in for the heartwarming, relatable stories, which were needed in the world more than ever.



It sounds like a Youtube channel I would like to watch!


I am already excited about the next book that the author is releasing which is going to be called In the Middle of Hickory Lane

Do you have any cooking related Youtube channels that you watch, or podcasts you listen too?

Hands down, this is the best book I've read all year - and that's saying something since I've already read a good 50+ books this year.. Including some of the "hottest" books of the summer which were more of a 3 or 4 stars for me personally.

The book was full of love, hope, healing, and a touch of magic. The underlying theme is the exploration of family, especially of mother-daughter relationships.

Sadie Way Scott is a popular "Influencer" and YouTube star that hosts a regular show called A Southern Hankerin' about Southern food and, more importantly, the stories behind that food. But the story she avoids the most is her own.

Back when Sadie was 18, she drowned in the lake behind her home (and mother's B&B), but is brought back to life by the "Lady in the Lake" ...and she is left with the deep need to prove WHY she was spared...and a permanent reminder of her death by brilliant, starlight hair (that no amount of hair dye can cover) as well as the ability to heal within moments of any injury.

She's also been avoiding home, but when her mother, Susannah, has a heart attack, she is forced to face the past...as well as her future as she returns to help alongside her sister, Leala Clare, who is dealing with her own challenges of being a mom and a wife to a workaholic.

Each and every page of this book is brimming with love and heart and warmth and laughter and tears and hope and loss and healing. All of the characters are beautifully and honestly brought to life...and I shed quite a few tears as well as some laughs. And, because I loved the writing so much, I re-read the last ten chapters immediately after finishing the book as I wasn't quite ready to leave the characters.

Though I know Magical Realism may not be for everyone, it was the perfect ingredient to inspire healing, hope, and even more love.

Thanks to Netgalley, Heather Webber, and Forge Books for the opportunity to read this beautiful book. All views are my own.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I enjoyed Leala Clare and Sadie's characters. Heather Webber's writing style is phenomenal. This book is my first by her, and I can already tell you I will definitely be reading more books by this author. If you guys have not read this book yet go get your hands on it right now. This book is in stores for $26.99 (USD).

First let’s talk about how beautiful this book cover is. Second the book is just as magical as the cover. I have not read any of Heather Webber’s books but now I am intrigued. I want to read more. She had a way of captivating me with her writing, character building, and world building. There are parts of this book that we can all relate to because the problems are everyday problems. But the fun part about reading is escaping to that fictional place and The Lights of Sugarberry Cove help you do just that. It is easy to fall in love with several of the characters especially when the book is fill with so much love and a bit of magic at the lake. Home is always where the heart is no matter the past or other problems that may arise.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book.