Book Description

Present Day. Sarah Ashby returns to her childhood home, determined to finally follow her dream of running the family business alongside her mother and grandmother. So when her mother, Rosemary, announces to her that Old Depot Grocery is closing, Sarah and her grandmother, Glory Ann, make a plan to save the store. But Rosemary has worked her entire life to make sure her daughter never follows in her footsteps. She has her reasons–but she’ll certainly never reveal the real one.

1965. Glory Ann confesses to her family that she’s pregnant with her deceased fiancé’s baby. Pressured into a marriage of convenience with a shopkeeper to preserve her family’s reputation, Glory Ann vows never to love again. But some promises are not as easily kept as she imagined.

This dual-time story from Amanda Cox deftly explores the complexity of the mother-daughter relationship, the way the secrets we keep shape our lives and the lives of others, and the healing power of telling the truth.

Details

  • Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
  • Title: The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery
  • Author: Amanda Cox
  • Genre:  Women’s Fiction
  • Length: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Revell (Baker House Publishing)
  • Release Date: September 2021
  • Excerpt

My Thoughts

When an author can evoke emotions from a reader, I’m guessing the writing hits the mark for both parties. Full disclaimer: As I started this book, even though I fell in love with the cover, I was dragging my heels a bit. Did I want to read about a grocery store? 

Let me tell you, in two short chapters I was hooked. Yes, I definitely wanted to know what these characters had to say. The pages began turning faster and my reading time got longer.

This story, which has two timelines, kept me on my toes. But it gave insight into each character’s journey and possible reasons for their reactions. The relationships between three generations of women reflected the effects of secrets and lack of honesty. Even though most of the things that were withheld weren’t meant to hurt others, Secrets can many times have consequences. 

Not only did Cox bring to life the characters in this story, but she captured the time period and the rural setting beautifully.

My Concerns

Nothing

Final Thoughts

I mentioned at the first of this review the importance of an author to be able to cause the reader to feel some emotions. This book did just that for me, especially toward the last and for various reasons.

This is not necessarily a fast-moving story, but it’s one that captured my attention with the characters and intertwining relationships that revolved around family and the Depot Grocery. Though this is the first time I’ve read this author, it definitely won’t be my last!

A story I highly recommend.

My thanks to the publisher for a gifted copy. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.


Rating: 5 Stars

© Emilie Haney

About the Author

Amanda Cox is the author of The Edge of Belonging. A blogger and a curriculum developer for a national nonprofit youth leadership organization, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Bible and theology and a master’s degree in professional counseling, but her first love is communicating through story. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and their three children. Learn more at AmandaCoxWrites.com.


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