A Thousand Tiny Stitches

This was an interesting read! it had themes of grief, sacrificing, and family issues. It was interesting and I had different opinions throughout the book. I think this would make a great book to read in a book club because I feel like readers will have different feelings on this one. Overall, I liked the themes and the storyline

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

What a heartwarming book. Lily has lost her only daughter and is raising her granddaughter Emma. They find healing in redoing an old house that her daughter had bought to open a quilt shop. As they overcome all the obstacles they find the help of many people who love them and help them to heal And in the process bring life back to a small town. A must read!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for this ARC.

Lily Wolfe is at a point in her life where she should be able to lean back and enjoy her retirement. But her daughter Amanda has recently died in a car crash together with her husband Matt, so their 8 year old daughter Emma is now an orphan and needs her.

Lily loves quilting and the love has clearly been inherited by Amanda who bought a run-down house with a view to turning it into a quilt shop before she died and which Lily is now trying to make habitable.

I'll be honest, I requested this book for the utterly gorgeous cover but I also love a renovation project, especially if it's done as a healing process. This delivers in spades, with Lily discovering how many good friends she has who love to help, like the women from her quilting circle and her friends Becca and Vicky.

Lily is warm-hearted, nurturing and loves to feed people, so when she discovers a young army veteran squatting in her barn she lets him stay in exchange for help with the renovation. Doug is a skilled wood worker but thinks he doesn't deserve a good life because of guilt he has over a fellow army friend who died on his watch. This was his friend's dad's house, but the Dad, Jack, is now in a care home with dementia and thinks he's his son Billy. Jacks old dog, a Jack Russell first called Jack then Russell, adopts Doug, Lily and Emma as his new family.

We need to talk about Philip - lawyer and widower of Lily's friend Rose who somehow thinks she wants him around all the time. He is bossy, arrogant, selfish and annoying. Instead of supporting Lily's new venture and friendship with Doug, he jealously tries to sabotage them at every turn.

No wonder Lily gets overwhelmed with trying to keep her daughter's dream alive while at the same time looking after grief-stricken Emma who resorts to pulling her own hair and acting up in school after being bullied by a classmate.

It is incredibly moving how Lily, Emma and Doug work through their grief while not only renovating a house but also trying to help the community. There is also a lot about how quilting is good for the soul and how it helps to bring people together. I really liked this gentle story about grieving people getting better.

This is an engaging read about strong and resilient women who deal with loss and find love and friendship. Recommended even if you don't care about quilting.

“We think it’s the patchwork that makes a quilt, but it isn’t. A patchwork alone is nothing but cloth. A quilt is when you layer it with batting and a backing and bind them together with a thousand tiny stitches.”

4.5 stars

I was attracted by the themes of a grandmother suddenly having to bring up a grandchild, of grief over her lost daughter and son-in-law and the challenge of dealing with an overwhelming situation. The title and cover were attractive.
Lily Wolfe is a strong and engaging character. The story of how she tackles her own, and other's grief through a house renovation, with the help of another damaged soul intrigued me. I found the novel absorbing and thought provoking. The quilting group, and the support Lily receives from her friends and community are life enhancing, a reminder that sharing is the best way to deal with grief. I loved the way Lily gradually draws in another trauma sufferer, in the same age group as the family members she has lost.
The descriptions were occasionally overdone on the physical world and underdone on the emotional world, which is why I have only given 4 stars. The dialogue was good, including when Emma, the grandchild, was involved. The gradual unfolding of the flaws of the 'good guy' and the strengths of the 'bad guy' added to the element of suspense in the plot.
I loved the way this story built into a new vision for the whole community, drawing in people from all walks of life, young and old, to work together.

What a journey! It’s been heartwarming to watch Lily surmount obstacles to open the quilt shop that would keep the memory of her daughter alive. The heartache of handling the grief of the passing of your daughter and your son-in-law, all the while taking care of their daughter is represented in a realistic, heartwarming and graceful manner.

Taking into account that grief is rarely linear, I could appreciate the dynamics of interaction between Lily and her grand daughter Emma, as well as their personal growth along the way. I also liked Lily’s circle of friends, which instilled humor and rapport into the book.

If you’d like a dose of humane quilt warmth, then this is a book you wouldn’t want to miss.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for sending me an ARC of this beautiful novel in exchange of an honest review.