*Chasing Dust* by Dani Keen is a captivating exploration of self-discovery, love, and the unbreakable ties of family. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Taos, this small-town romance masterfully weaves together the themes of identity and healing through the story of Cali, who embarks on an unexpected journey after finding the keys to a mysterious house left behind by her late mother.

As Cali delves into the secrets of her mother’s past, she not only unravels the mystery of who her mother was but also begins to understand herself in a profound way. The novel beautifully portrays the complex dynamics of found family and the healing power of embracing one’s heritage and past. Keen’s rich descriptions of the local culture, history, and the picturesque scenery of New Mexico bring the story to life, offering readers a deeply immersive experience.

The characters are thoughtfully developed, each playing a crucial role in Cali's journey of self-acceptance and transformation. The book delicately balances themes of loss, guilt, humor, and love, ultimately reminding us that sometimes, the most difficult paths lead us to where we truly belong. Keen’s sensitive portrayal of the cultural intersections in the Southwest, particularly the Native American and Mexican influences, adds a layer of depth and authenticity to the narrative.

Overall, *Chasing Dust* is a heartwarming and poignant story that resonates long after the last page. Dani Keen has crafted a tale that is both a touching romance and a profound reflection on what it means to know oneself. Highly recommended for readers looking for a contemporary novel with emotional depth and a strong sense of place. Five out of five stars!

It was an interesting premise but it wasn't enough to keep me going until the end.
I did enjoy the mother's story subplot.

There was a lot packed into this book! A lot of heavy themes but done in an easy way. It was a slow start, and I thought about giving it up, but I’m glad I finished it. Well-written, thoughtful, interesting — it ended up being really great.

Loved this book! It was sad to read that she didn’t have a great relationship with her mom while she was alive but throughout the book it was beautiful how her love and respect for her Mom grew. Her story with Alex was also great and I loved that he was the artist! The end of the book was wonderful.

It also really goes to show how powerful a journal can be! It gave me inspiration to start journaling again.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So many feelings while reading this book. I started reading Chasing Dust by Dani Keen while I was at my parents house that I had inherited. Since my mom passed away a few years ago, I've been going through everything in the house, remodeling it and finding treasures I never knew about. Because of all of this, I was able to relate to what Cali Clarke, the main character was going through. The author, Dani did fabulous at writing the feelings and the angst that Cali went through. If you want a feel good book that can take you through all the emotions, I highly recommend this book. If you want a book with great story telling, I highly recommend this book. Very excited to see this is book 1 in a series and can't wait to read the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Paper Moth Publishing and Dani Keen for the ARC.

I struggled a bit with this one. I wanted to love it so much, but it just felt like it took to long to get into the mystery of who Cali’s mom was as a young woman. I wanted to know more and felt like I was being strung a long a bit too much. I did think the dynamic of the characters was really great, and I loved all the interwoven female friendships. I did enjoy the messaging of the book (I think it really played up to the 'write your own story' trope), but I finished it feeling like a lot was to be desired, and didn't find myself rushing back to it.

Chasing Dust is a debut novel by Dani Keen. Kudos on such a well written novel!

Cali's father had cancer and passed away and then her mother died unexpectedly a while later. In cleaning out her mothers home, Cali finds a key to a home in Taos, NM that she never new existed. So ... well ... who wouldn't want to investigate the windfall of a home?

Cali can be flawed at times, but I was really drawn into the story and I loved how her mother's journal complimented Cali's journey.

Additional kudos to Dani Keen who also created the beautiful cover for her novel!

Thank you to NetGalley (for yet once again) introducing me to a new-to-me author! Thank you to NetGalley and Paper Moth Publishing for providing the Advance Read Copy in exchange for an honest review

At about 30-50%, I was thinking I would probably rate it around 4 stars, but after 50-75% I had decided that I would round up to 5 stars. There was a little glitch with NetGalley and I thought that my ARC disappeared before I could finish the last 40 pages. Man was I distraught! But I ended up figuring out. :)

Evidently Chasing Dust is the first in a companion series. I'm not a huge fan of series, but I'd definitely read another book by Dani Keen.

This book was so good. Hard to get into initially but then it really got going. Not the typical thing I would read but I’m glad I did. I loved following the story of cali as she found out more about her mother with whom she didn’t have the best relationship. I love how it was focused more on her family and mom’s past rather than her new relationship with Alex. I also loved the incorporation of Latin culture and Spanish

This book was everything. I cried so much. All the loss, the grief, the loneliness, dealing with difficult family situations - I could feel all of it. Cali was hit hard by life and she needed to get back up on her feet. She needed to find her people which she did in Taos along with finding love. It was great reading about Cali’s journey even it was sometimes heartbreaking. Also, respect for Dani Keen for shedding light on those parts of history that were victims of white-washing; they are important, too.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the book.

I really wanted to like this one. It has great reviews and I haven’t read much romance set in the southwest particularly in small towns. However, I just couldn’t get into it. I ended up giving up around 30%. It was well written but I think I wanted more small town fix up a house and this was more focused on family discovery. I was looking for Fix It Up and this was One Italian Summer instead. That's by no means a negative as many readers adored One Italian Summer but it didn't work for me. One Italian Summer had similar vibes of a daughter learning about her mother after death, so I think it would be perfect for fans of that one. I did adore the descriptions of Taos and it's individual characteristics. Another thing that made this not idea for me is I tend to prefer a book that jumps into the action quickly especially the romance. At 30% I believe we had only met the love interest once. However, for readers who want an element of romance without it being the main focus this one would be great.

I had the honor to read this as an ARC book. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy! We begin with Cali, an ambitious millennial who has spent the last several years putting her career first. She is now forced to take a different look at her life as she is grieving the unexpected loss of her mother. Due to the sudden loss, she feels like she’s left with unanswered questions about her mom’s life. While sorting out the estate, she finds a key to a home in New Mexico that belonged to Lyla (her mom). She decides to travel to Taos in the hope of discovering more about Lyla’s life before Cali came along. I appreciated the mother-daughter storyline being told through 2 timelines. The author does a wonderful job at describing Taos. I felt like I was there alongside Cali and Lyla. Things I wish the author did a bit differently: speed up the dialogue. There were times I felt myself skimming to get to the next plot point. Focus on the main theme of the book a bit more. While the main theme was Cali and Lyla’s relationship, we also found ourselves in a romance, friendship quarrels, a tug of war with work-life-balance. While that is true to how life works, there were times where I felt the other themes distracted me from the main storyline.
All in all, it was an interesting and descriptive debut novel! I look forward to read the upcoming books in the companion series following the connected lives of 6 women!

Loved loved this beautiful heartfelt story of finding your inner self.
Cali is a character that you'll immediately fall in love with and her story will not let you go until you are finished. I simply couldn't put this story down! I devoured it all in one day.
I especially loved my visit to Taos a place I've never been. The descriptions were so wonderful that I felt like I was there.
I loved it all! Family dynamics, Secrets and romance? Goodness what a wonderful combination!
I really like this new to me author and I hope they'll be more books by her if there's not already
Here's a quote that hit me like a brick wall so hard it knocked me down because it speaks volumes.
It shows that even though you thought you knew someone when in truth you don't. I definitely can relate to this.
People can be so hard to know especially if they don't want you to.
I want to say this fine novel is a fine representation of life, liberty, and love.
5 stars for a job well done and for keeping my interest. I highly recommend!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

While this book took a little bit to get into the goodness of the mystery of who Cali’s mom was as a young woman, the history, food descriptions, landscape descriptions and details painted a beautiful picture of Taos. It helped you actually picture the location and feel more connected to it. Not only that, but I enjoy history, so having characters that brought joy and excitement of their history, town and culture makes you feel as though you’re more connected to them.

I loved the dynamic of the characters and how they all played into each other. Cali, a hardworking and non adventurous young woman, loses her mother to a car wreck and her father to cancer. She finds a key to home in Taos that was her mom’s and she does the unthinkable; she decides to drive there to find out what it’s all about. She meets Lena, a vibrant and feisty barista and Alex, the quiet and reserved sexy bartender. They show her around the town and teach her about their culture as she continues to unpack the pieces of her mom’s past.

In the end, this book was about following your heart and writing your own story. It was a feel good story filled with sadness, guilt, humor, mental challenges and love!

Overall, this book is wonderful and I can’t wait to read the next one in this series!

Thank you Net Galley, Paper Moth Publishing and author Dani Keen for gifting this ARC for an honest review in return.

Friendships, family secrets and throw a little romance in there you are in for a good read! These characters were easy to fall in love with and you can only hope they find what they are searching for!

After the death of her mother Cali finds out that she lived a life before Cali was born that she knows nothing about. What she finds out will change her life. Wonderful book.

When Cali's mother Lyla unexpectedly dies, she learns that her mother owned a house in Taos, New Mexico that she never knew about. She hopes that traveling to this mysterious house will help her learn more about her elusive mother. When Cali arrives at the house she stumbles upon her mother's journal, with entries detailing Lyla's time in Taos and her dreams of becoming an artist. As Cali reads on, she learns more about who her mother truly was, and pieces together details that send her on a quest to uncover secrets that may change the course of her life.

With side characters that leap off the page, vivid descriptions of the food and scenery of Taos, and a romantic male lead that will have you swooning, Chasing Dust is an emotionally gripping novel about a young woman who makes peace with the past and discovers who she truly is and where she belongs.

They are not wrong; Dani Keen definitely writes novels that feel like a vacation. This book was so beautifully written that everything felt so real. The author did a great job at making me feel what Cali felt, in a deeper way than I can describe. She was so relatable as a woman thriving in her own life in a big city, in the corporate world, and having achieved the corporate success. To have all of that questioned when she finds her mother's mystery that she feels the need to solve, this book delicately and eloquently combines the themes of mystery, family, and romance in a way that felt like a vacation. This novel had me tear up in many parts of the book. This book is a definite must read and I cannot wait for the next books in this series.

Wow. Honestly that's the first word that came to my mind whilst reading this book.

Dani Keen has written the perfect romance book that doesn't just focus on the relationship, but puts a focus on Cali's journey into finding answers & growing in the time she spends in Taos. Not only is this book an absolute page turner, but it also importantly take a look into the culture & history of New Mexico itself.

I now myself want to visit the business' and people that don't exist, go window shopping for numerous jars of chilli jam & woven blankets. I love the details into the many festivals, markets and farmers markets that puts a magnifying glass on the homemade ethos.

The writing in this book is beautiful and also takes a look at daily anxieties and the inner feelings of someone who is struggling. Although the book keeps it light, it was important to look at Cali's struggles considering how much she's lost and what she has been through before.

Not only that but the writing about Otis truly had me smiling.

This book is full of second chances, getting answers and learning to let yourself free.

Thank you to Dani Keen, Paper Moth Publishing & Net Galley for the ARC.

I'll be keeping my eyes out for the next book in the 6 degrees series.

The cover and title of this book drew me in and I enjoyed the story and vivid descriptions of the American Southwest. Keen provides a spunky character who works at finding her way to a truer life for herself. Recommended for readers who enjoy stories of women and second-chances, and/or the American Southwest. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.