Willa's Grove

Thank you Net Galley, Laura Munson and Blackstone Publishing for the chance to read this lovely book. Willa has spent her entire adult life living in rural Montana with her husband and sons. Her sons have now gone off to College and her husband passed away suddenly. This book centres around Willa and her friend Bliss, Bliss’s friend Harriet and Harriet’s friend Jane. These woman receive invitations to go to Willa’s Grove to help her pack up as she can’t afford to stay and run the town that she owns. What follows is a heart warming story of four very different woman who learn to love each other as they each deal with their deep personal issues. The characters are deep and lovely woman, each with a different lifestyle. While they learn how to live the rest of their lives and let go of their troubles we learn how strong women are. I was uplifted reading this book and wanted to call my female friends to tell them they are strong and can “do this” Simply a beautiful story told in such a beautiful way. The author told this story so well I felt I was there in the kitchen with them. I was sad to have this book end.

Laura Munson’s lovely debut novel, Willa’s Grove, invites us into the friendship between four women of a certain age who come together for a week of companionship, support and soul searching in hopes of answering the question: “So Now What?”

Recently widowed Willa is the catalyst for the gathering as each woman finds herself at a crossroads either personally or professionally. In one way or another, they are all lost or have lost some part of themselves, none more than their hostess, who is grieving and about to lose the beloved Montana home that has been in her late husband’s family for generations.

Montana itself is not only the backdrop for Willa’s Grove, but is at the very heart of the novel. Munson has gift for establishing a visceral setting which draws us right into the quaking aspens, the rush of the river, the gentle slope of the butte. We feel the ground shake from a buffalo stampede, smell the fragrance of dried sage, taste morels foraged in the woods, hear the song of a bluebird, and feel the silky velvet of a mare's warm neck. This square mile of Montana is both Willa’s passion and her albatross. Munson’s love letter to the place tugs on us, engendering both empathy for Willa’s dilemma and a wee bit of envy that we aren’t tromping through it all alongside her.

Munson cleverly divides the women’s week together into individual days. Having lived in this wild and natural space for decades, Willa knows Montana will work its healing magic. She may be saying goodbye to the property’s sacred spaces, but as she treks through her land with these friends, one by one, day by day, they open up to one another, confessing both secrets and dreams, and admonish each other to stop saying “Sorry!”

So Now What? I’ll not spill the beans on each woman’s resolve as their week together reaches its crescendo. I will say, if you have a group of what I call “heart friends,” or if you long for the support and intimacy of strong female friendships, you will likely find pieces of yourself and your own crew in one or more of these richly drawn characters. You’ll be rooting for them and wondering what their So Now What? looks like once their seven days together are over. You might also feel just a little homesick for a certain corner of Montana.

The author’s introduction at the beginning is so touching and inspiring. Love it.

This story is for all the women who search for an answer to the question, “So now what?” Willa's Grove tells the story of four women - Willa, Bliss, Harriet, and Jane - who gather for a week of camaraderie and support at a difficult time in their lives. By sharing their life stories, the women guide each other into "the life that is waiting" for them.

I don’t know if everyone will FEEL this book like I did. Maybe it’s because I’m at a similar place - not yet 46 nor a widow, but at a place where I am thinking “so now what” as my youngest goes off to school, my husband retired from the Army - the only lifestyle I’ve ever known because I grew up a military brat and married a soldier before I was ever NOT a military dependent and I didn’t get accepted into my (stupidly) ONLY choice for a doctorate program for Psychology. As I turn my sights towards new endeavors and try to settle our family into the town that will become “home” for more than two years, “So Now What?” is a question I’ve struggled with the last couple of months. That may be why this book was so touching and perfect for me but I can see how it would be boring to anyone not at this stage in life. It doesn't have any action or plot twists or suspense. It's just a sweet, touching story about connection and life.

My review will also be posted to Goodreads and Instagram @rosetree_bookreviewer

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC of Willa's Grove in exchange for my honest opinions.

“That’s why I love it. It reminds me how truly small I am every single time. And how wild is the base of the natural world.”

I really enjoyed my time with this story. This is the story of four women who are, for different reasons, at a stage in their life where they are at a precipice. They have (or want to have) left the life they're living behind and they are trying to figure out what should/could come next.

They all gather at Willa's home in Montana to spend a handful of days together and see if they can figure out what's next while supporting each other through their journey of discovery.

"Maybe the reason we’re having such a hard time figuring out what to do next in our lives is because we’re starting with fear instead of love.”

Each of the women have different personalities and different reasons why they are stuck and they open-mindedly support each other as they discuss bits and pieces of their lives and struggles. If you're close to that place or stage of your life, you might really enjoy this book. If you're far from it, it might feel hard to connect.

“So it’s a fine bit of irony, really. We don’t want what we have, and then it’s all we want.”

For me, it was a great read. I liked the way the women supported each other. I liked how each character was wildly different and yet they were each struggling in their own story. It reflects how we can each be struggling even if our stories differ and the struggle itself might be something we have in common and something we can guide each other through. It's a story about community and how we're built for community.

“That’s why I love it. It reminds me how truly small I am every single time. And how wild is the base of the natural world.”

It's also a story about beautiful nature and Montana which I also loved.

If you're looking for a sweet, character-driven story and are wondering your own So Now What? I'd recommend this read.

with gratitude to netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Willa, Bliss, Harriett, and Jane didn't all know each other when they arrived in Montana to help Willa pack up her life after the death of her husband. By the end of the weekend, however, they know more about each other but most importantly, they've learned something about themselves. Each of them has a choice to make and an issue to deal with- each is different but at root, they are all facing an uncertain future. While it might have benefited in spots from another edit, it's a good read that gives you a sense of these women. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. You might identify with one of them, which is always a plus.

This book is now on my favorites list. It is a heartbreaking but relatable story about 4 women in their late 30’s to early 40’s whose lives have all been turned upside down one way or another. And they have come together to support each other to determine what’s next. I’m not sure how to explain how this book is speaking to me on so many emotional levels. It is putting into words so many things that I felt and felt with during and right after the divorce, of finding out who am I, my supposed to be didn’t turn out the way it was planned to, what does my future look like how? I get it, I get where they are and what that place looks like in retrospect, even if you aren’t in the middle of a life’s crisis the raw beauty and message of this book is absolutely worth the read. Spent the last 10% crying, just wow