Review: Just Fine With Caroline by Annie England Noblin
Just Fine With Caroline
From the author of Sit! Stay! Speak! comes an unforgettable story about love, friendship, and community. Perfect for fans of Mary Kay Andrews and Mary Alice Monroe.
Annie England Noblin
William Morrow Paperbacks
Releasing October 11th 2016
364 Pages
Book Summary
Whenever someone tells you they’re “just fine” . . . they’re probably lying!
Caroline O’Connor tells herself everything is “just fine.” Never mind that her faithful companion dog is mostly deaf, her best cousin’s marriage is on the rocks, her mother has Alzheimer’s, her father retreats to his study every night, and she’s stuck back in Cold River, Missouri, a place she once thought she’d left for good.
There’s all that, and Noah Cranwell, too. A far-flung relative of a local family mostly known for running moonshine, the ex-veteran has come home to Cold River with troubles of his own and he has his eye on Caroline and her dog. He also seems to be the key to something that happened to Caroline’s mother in the past, something that’s been a secret for decades.
Caroline has always believed she knows everything about Cold River and the people who live in its hills and hollers . . . but occasionally life’s greatest surprises happen closest to home.
Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
My Thoughts
*Print ARC provided by Publisher*
Just Fine With Caroline is a well-written, laid-back, and enjoyable romance story about a young woman who has come home to Cold River, Missouri to help her dad care for her mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Caroline is doing her best to get through her days and a myriad of different family issues “just fine,” but she has a lot on her shoulders and she’s struggling to figure everything out, including whether or not to let herself care for her new neighbor, Noah Cranwell.
I really liked this story. The quirky characters, small town community, and family secrets made for an entertaining and enjoyable read. I love the added history of the town, and of the state, and how well both were woven into the fabric of the story and the experiences of the characters.
Just Fine With Caroline is my first Annie England Noblin read, but I have to say, though she is a new to me author, I liked her writing style a lot. The story had depth to it, and the characters a lot of charm. I enjoyed getting to know them, the town, the somewhat zany citizens, and learning about the events of the past as well. It made for an intriguing, lightly suspenseful read, and the perfect book for a chilly Fall night, one I found I couldn’t put down once I started. I definitely recommend checking it out.
Final Analysis
4 “enjoyable” Stars
About the Author
Writer. Mother. Wife. Bulldog enthusiast. Curly hair afternoon.