Such a fun read! Loved this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

The Singing Trees by Boo Walker is a captivating tale that effortlessly transports readers into a world of enchantment and wonder. Walker's vivid descriptions bring the magical forests to life, leaving you mesmerized by the allure of nature's hidden melodies. With its easy-to-read prose and delightful characters, this book weaves a charming story that is both heartwarming and thought-provoking. The Singing Trees is a true gem for those seeking an engaging escape into a mystical realm.

This is a love story, just not a romantic love story. This book deals with love in a variety of ways … family love between parent and child, siblings, etc. … as well as that we experience throughout our lives. There were lots of references to the Vietnam War, love, forgiveness, determination, coming of age. I loved the thought of windchimes in the trees. I could hear them provide a comfort to Annalisa as she thought of her mother.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Annalisa Mancuso is part of a Italian family that lives in Maine in the late 1960's. After her parents are killed, she lives with her grandmother in a small town and she has big aspirations to leave after she graduates and become a well known artist. Annalisa is so driven to be successful, that she will even cut love out of her life. Until she meets Thomas, a boy from a well off family.

This was a bit of a slow go for me. I enjoyed the characters and the time period that it was set in, but I felt that the story could have been about 50 pages shorter and it would have been more enjoyable to me.

Absorbing. Readers will be well and truly smitten with Annalise and her determined quest to widen the confines of her world and to discover love and her inner artist.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

⭐⭐⭐

This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I loved the big Italian family. The setting. The time period. A lot of the characters were very likable. All positive things. However, I found the writing to be simplistic. The pace incredibly slow. The book overly long. And the biggest issue was it contained one of my biggest pet peeves...lack of communication. Nothing annoys me more than when a simple conversation would clear the air, thus avoiding all the drama and long separation. 🤬

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This was heartwarming! Annalisa is beginning a new adventure in a new city. She’s leaving behind her Nonna and a large Italian family. But she’s eager to start a new life in a bigger city. Annalisa is renting from an older gentleman who has a watch and clock repair store. I loved her interactions with him from the first day they met. Annalisa wants to focus on her artwork, but she meets someone and their relationship will change everything. She will face challenges, but those closest to her will help her.

I really enjoyed this story about a young woman forging her own path and finding herself through internal and external turmoil. The writing was beautiful. I loved the imagery and detail. I could really picture the settings and the characters were very well developed. Overall, a great read.

This is a story of family and the events and lies that hold them together and tear them apart. Annalisa lives with her grandmother after her parents are killed in a car accident. She moves away and becomes a known local artist in Portland, Maine. Set in the 70's with the events of that era shaping her life, Annalisa never forgets her roots and returns home to set things right as she gets older. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The novel tells the story of Annalisa Mancuso, a teenager who lost her parents in a car accident and longs to be an artist. She is trapped in the small town of Payton Mills, Maine, but yearns to move to the city to follow her calling.
One of the most interesting aspects of the story is the always changing perspective that Annalisa and the reader has of the other characters. Her grandmother seems overbearing and stifling, but turns out to be open minded and free thinking. Annalisa's perception of her boyfriend ranges from annoyance to infatuation to being convinced of his betrayal. None of the characters are as they seem. Like real people, they are multifaceted and neither fully good or bad.
The book is set in the 70's during the closing years of the Vietnam War. The author does a good job of capturing the anxiety felt by the young people of draft age during that era. The book covers several years and can feel disjointed at times, but the story line is tied up well in the end.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Boo Walker writes magic. I have loved every book that I have read.
This story grabbed me right away and held my interest throughout the book. Had me feeling all the "feels". The characters are full of life and likeable.
5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author and publisher for a copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

I love this book! Master storyteller Boo Walker’s The Singing Trees is the story of artist Annalisa Mancuso who has lost her parents in a tragic accident. In this beautiful, well-crafted story, Annalisa learns to open herself up to experience what life has to offer her helping her to be who she is meant to be. The Singing Trees, a story about love, loss, and relationships, shows the power of persistence. I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to Boo Walker's next book.

The Singing Trees is the second book I’ve read by author Boo Walker. After reading An Unfinished Story, I was so taken with his writing that I knew I would want to read all his books. And this story was just as wonderful! I’m not really sure which one is my favorite. This is the story of Annalisa Mancuso, and Italian girl who in 1969 suffers a tragic loss of both her parents and goes to live with her Nonna. Annalisa’s dream is to be a painter, an artist like her mother Celia was before her. This book has the most beautiful storyline and it’s about loving people in all the many and different forms. The characters are all amazing although I did have a few favorites with Walt being one of them. It included the Vietnam War as part of the storyline which I liked because even though I was alive at that time, I was much too young to understand the impact it had on all the adults. This is a book that has the most fabulous reviews and I can understand why. I loved it and would highly recommend it to other readers. I should warn you to have tissues nearby, as it had me crying towards the end of the story. However, they were happy tears because the ending was perfect and beautiful! After only reading two of Boo Walker’s novels, I think I can say he’s made it on my list of favorite authors. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc that I obtained off the Read Now section to read, review and enjoy. This is absolutely a 5 star read and I recommend you read it! You won’t be disappointed, I’m sure.

It's all about families and how they help us through our lives. . .and how they stand right in our way. Annalisa leads us through her life, her intense desire to be a great artist, to reach and achieve farther than her parents did. Thank goodness for her traditional Italian, very Catholic Nonna, and a steady cousin who step up when she needs to survive and move beyond the deep wells of grief that threaten to overtake her when the worst happens.

From there life seems determined to thwart her every good thing. Or does it?

An evolving romance for quiet moments. As Annalisa figures out how love fits in her life, you'll find yourself back on your own shaky path . . . frissons aplenty.

A Sincere Thanks to Boo Walker, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.
#TheSingingTrees #NetGalley

This book will give you all the feels! Touching and full of love, the story of Annalisa and Thomas will warm you up like a comforting blanket. Annalisa is a strong character who never waivers in her determination to become an artist, despite deep losses in her family. An excellent read!

Triggers: Suicide, Depression and some instances where abuse is mentioned
My favorite quote from the novel:
"When you love someone, then you have each other, and you can face all these together. That answer isn't in ending us; it's in finding a way through it together".
The Singing Trees is all about love and forgiveness. Annalisa is a budding artist who is dealing with her circumstances in a small town and meets Thomas who is from an influential family. Both fall in love with each other but time and again they part away from each other due to misunderstandings and betrayal. A classic love story but the way this story has been handled is so beautiful. Nonna and Walt are such beautiful and strong characters and they are the people whom you want really know in real life.
This novel is a beautiful story where ambitions and love come together. Though its a classic romance story the author has added a beautiful poetic and lyrical touch to it. Annalisa's confusion, her ambition and her struggles is so tough to read and you can't help but feel her pain. Thomas's devotion to Annalisa, his love and steadfastness shines through in the novel. Can't reveal much in the review since this is one of those novels where reading the book is the best thing. I was on the verge of crying at the end of the novel and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

This is the first book by Boo Walker that I’ve read and it definitely will not be my last! I was totally absorbed in this story. The story takes place during eras I’m very well versed in since I lived them myself. The characters were well defined and carefully thought out. I have to admit I was caught by surprised that a man could speak as a female so eloquently.

I found the story engaging and easy to read. I found it hard to put this one down because I wanted to know what Analisa was going to do and how things were going to go.

Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Boo Walker for giving me the opportunity to read this book fir a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The singing trees are handcrafted wind chimes hanging in various trees around one characters home. They are brought to the hospice of the character while she is on her deathbed. I loved the description of the chimes as singing trees...How lovely.

This is not my first Boo Walker read and it certainly won't be my last. The story of Annalisa, Thomas and Emma grabbed me in the first page and never let me go. Like a lot of Mr. Walkers books it broke my heart. Amazingly written, he skillfully took me along for the ride through the '60s. This book is an accomplishment in prose, the ending was near perfection. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

The Singing Trees describes Love in all it's forms. The concept of People loving People has been explained with utmost beauty and is something we carry away from the book.

Anna, the protagonist of our story is a strong headed artist determined to make her way in the world. Thomas, makes his way into Anna's heart and their lives change forever. Their journey starting from around 1969, with a glimpse of the effects of war, is worth reading and has its fair share of ups and downs.

Love isn't just about romantic love between a couple. We come across Love in various forms, between a parent and child, siblings, grandparents and grandkids, relatives and the love we share with people that we meet along the paths of life.

I would recommend The Singing Trees to readers who are drawn toward romance stories and would like to see it from the eyes of a girl trying to fight for her dreams and make way for love.

This is my first book by Boo Walker and I enjoyed reading it, will definitely be picking up another one soon.

The Singing Trees by Boo Walker

The Singing Trees by Boo Walker is a novel of chances, those you take and those you make. Annalisa Mancuso is an artist, just like her mother who taught her. However, her father caused both his and her death and Annalisa doesn’t want to allow anyone to get close and prevent her from being an artist. She has plans: leave Payton Mills, move to Portland, and become a famous artist.

Thomas is charming and born from money. His family has plans for him that DO not include Annalisa. Annalisa does not want to be charmed by him, nor fall for him. After all, she is going to be a famous artist. Thomas wears her down and slowly they fall in love. Meanwhile, Annalise is moving to Portland, so she breaks up with him, but realizes while he is serving inn Vietnam, she may have been wrong.

The story continues to move forward between Annalisa and Thomas. However, it does not answer the question from the first chapter about the separation and family discord. The story moves more quickly toward the end OR I was reading more quickly. I liked the characters, the storyline, even the deceptions that played into the storyline were interesting (although not unexpected).

This is the first book I have read by Boo Walker. I found him to be able to write interesting characters and a poignant storyline. The Singing Trees by Boo Walker was a good read.