I was looking forward to reading this book after the author’s previous novel, In An Instant, was a surprise hit at my local book club.

This story is about a family coming to terms with their grief, their guilt and the changes in their life, following the death of one of the daughters. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character, which helps to identify how each member of the family is dealing with their loss.

As part of the changes the family meet Davina, a woman with her own history and trauma, who is living in a secluded hut by a river. The descriptions of nature and of Davina’s self sufficient life alongside the river were reminiscent of Where The Crawdads Sing.

I soon became engrossed in the story and was keen to find out what was in store for the characters and how their stories would be resolved. Through the character of Davina, in particular, the author offers suggestions on how people cope with trauma and the feelings of guilt which often accompany grief. Although some resolution is reached in the book, some things were left open ended. I wasn’t sure if this was intentional or a result of the author changing the focus of her novel part way through writing it, as she discusses in the author’s note at the end.

Overall it’s an engaging story that I felt invested in and would recommend to anyone who enjoys books focusing on family / community dynamics and the effects of change and trauma.

A well-written and beautifully told compelling story packed with emotion, grief and hope.
I enjoyed reading it.

Contemporary Fiction

Another stunner from Redfearn!

The Egide family has suffered the unimaginable - the drowning death of their daughter, Phoebe, in the family pool. Their son Brenden feels responsible, Phoebe's twin Penelope thinks her sister visits them in the form of a butterfly. The older daughter Hannah is suffering from debilitating headaches and Marie and Leo's marriage is hanging on by a thread.

Marie feels that the family is in desperate need of a change and to her that means moving to another town and leaving the painful memories behind. In order to be able to afford that move, they must sell a house that has been in her family for years. It's more than a house as it is very large and has a person living in a cabin on the outer edges of the property.

The person in the cottage is Davina and some call her a witch. She has knowledge of herbal remedies and helps the locals in any number of ways. She mostly keeps to herself as she was injured by an IED on her last tour of duty.

The relationships each character develops with Davina and how each person's decisions impact each other, the family, the town drives this story. The character's actions aren't all good, the consequences of the decisions they make are impactful and the ensuing resolutions of the story are gritty and still beautiful.

I loved this book so much. In some ways it reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing - another book I loved. If I have one complaint, it's that the story wraps up too quickly. I wanted more time with all the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing Amazon Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by a favorite, Suzanne Redfearn - 4.5 stars rounded up!

The Egide family is trying to figure out how to move on after the death of one of their children, Bee. The mother, Marie, inherited a family home in New Hampshire that they plan on selling to be able to afford a new house in a different city for a fresh start. But you can't run away from your problems, and soon the family has new ones to deal with. They didn't realize that a disabled war veteran, Davina, was living in an old cabin on the property. Marie can't sell the property with Davina there and Davina says that Marie's grandfather wanted her to stay.

I loved the way this book was written. We hear from each family member and Davina - each chapter picks up the story and moves it forward in these different voices. The reader gets to feel the story play out as each character experiences things in their own way, dealing with their own issues as well. Davina is such a wonderful, strong character who has so much to teach us, while also coping with immense sorrow. This story focuses on grief, guilt, and the really important things in life. Another wonderful read by this author!

After 8-year-old Phoebe ("Bee") Egide dies in a tragic accident her mother Marie, her husband and their three surviving children, one of whom is Bee's twin, travel to New Hampshire to fix up and sell a family estate. Unknown to Marie, Davina Lister, a veteran who was injured in Afghanistan and is badly scarred as a result, lives in a small cabin on the property and has lived there for 20 years or more. Davina had permission to live in the cabin from Marie's grandfather who has now passed away.

The story is mainly about the Egide family and their interactions with Davina. There are quite a few characters in the story which is told from the points of view of the different Egide family members and Davina herself. Some of the characters are very unlikeable and others are easy to care about. The chapters are short, it's a good story and the book is a pretty quick read. I enjoyed it a lot. I got pretty teary-eyed near the end. I decided to rate this at 5 Stars because it flowed well and held my attention throughout.

Word of the day: "smaragdine" is an emerald green colour!

TW: Injury to a dog.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: February 6, 2024

With WHERE BUTTERFLIES WANDER, Suzanne Redfearn has once again shared a compelling, beautifully written story with powerful characters wrestling with memory, the past, the present, and the future that is possible even after unthinkable tragedy, where the heavy weight of grief at the loss of a child is unbearable. Knowing the basis of the story, I was leery of another grief-soaked, emotional wringer, but this book probed the depths with grace, compassion, and profound intelligence.. I was captivated by this story, dropped right into the rich setting, following the butterflies, entranced by a wonderful storyteller telling a story in her unique, engaging way. A particular strength is her ability to write such different points of view, particularly the little girl named Penelope. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Where Butterflies Wander, bySuzanne Redfearm, is an emotional story of a grieving family confronting new challenges while still struggling with the past. It is also the story of war veteran dealing with challenges of her own. While the story is told through multiple points of view, I did not find it as jarring as I have in a few other novels. The author masterfully positions one character's understanding versus another's in ways that breaks the reader's heart. She reminds us that the same situation can have radically different explanations and provoke very contrary reactions. This is a quick read, and honestly, I was sad to leave this family as I finished the last page. Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Press for allowing me to read a digital ARC. Highly recommend!

Master storyteller Suzanne Redfearn (favorite Author) returns following Hadley & Grace and In an Instant with another emotional, compelling, and gripping tale, WHERE BUTTERFLIES WANDER —featuring a family reeling from grief and a woman haunted by war— while they all are searching for home.

It is a heart-wrenching story about a grieving family and the different ways people cope with grief.

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."
—Jackie Robinson

After a tragic accident, Marie Egide is desperate to start over with her family. With her husband, Leo, and their three surviving children (daughters Hannah and Penelope), son, Brendon, and dog Bajo, they set out for Marie's grandfather's house she has inherited in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. The plans are to spend the summer at the house, prepare it for sale, and move to Farmington.

She had forgotten how peaceful and beautiful this place was. However, much to her surprise, a war veteran, Devina, known by the locals as "the river witch," lives in a cabin on the property and says it was a gift from Marie's grandfather. She refuses to leave.

The two women start a battle with lines drawn. Both believe in their rights, and tensions run high. There is no legal paperwork to back up her claims.

Temper, anger, and a hostile environment. The town’s residents become involved, and the situation escalates.

The river witch also has some folk remedies, great herbal ideas handed down generations which proved to cure things such as migraine headaches and more. She is deeply scarred.

However, a tragedy occurs which changes everything. Fate takes control, and there is no choice in who wins. A fire ignites in the timberland and causes a train of events. Both women must come face to face with their past to move forward. The two have more in common than they know.

EVERY ENDING IS A NEW BEGINNING.

A captivating, gripping, and emotional tale told from the POVs of Marie, Leo, Penelope, Hannah, Brendon, and Davina.

With many beautiful metaphors, symbolisms, and lyrical prose, the butterfly effect can often impact lives, as the Author references.

The butterfly effect is that something small can have a much larger impact, altering your life. It's the notion that the world is profoundly interconnected and that a small occurrence can influence a much larger complex system.

As always, the author writes about thought-provoking topics of grief, loss, tragedy, love, joy, family, hope, healing, forgiveness, life's challenges, and relationships for an uplifting tale and life lesson.

WHERE BUTTERFLIED WANDER is character-driven, with many different personalities and how they view life. You will enjoy some characters more than others.

What makes for true happiness and contentment? What makes for a good person? Can you redeem yourself by doing good?

I loved Pen's belief that her sister Bee's spirit manifests itself in butterflies and birds and is still with them, reminiscent of Sarah Addison Allen's books (another favorite).

Having read all the Author's books, I am a big fan —I enjoyed the inspiration behind the book and the Author's notes. WHERE BUTTERFLIES WANDER is ideal for book clubs and discussions. Discussion questions included.

The powerful, moving family saga is for Redfearn fans and those of authors Catherine Ryan Hyde, Sarah Addison Allen, Jodi Picoult, and Elizabeth Berg. For readers who enjoy books about small rural towns, magical realism, family, friendship, and literary fiction with a strong takeaway message.

I look forward to listening to the audiobook narrated by a full cast of favorites: Kate Rudd, Vivienne Leheny, Jordan Cobb, Michael Crouch, Jess Nahikian, and Joe Knezevich.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a gifted digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating; 5 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 6, 2024
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This is a beautiful story about a family trying to start over after a tragedy, about a woman helping others, about a strong community, second chances and acceptance. It is about inner beauty, PTSD and grief, about admitting your mistakes and learning from them.

"It seems to me, wherever we go, the dents and scratches are going to go with us and that it's going to take more than a new house in a new town in order to set things right."

The story develops through multiple perspectives, each of them unique and providing depth to each main character. All of them have their own subjective view on the world and people around them, and it was interesting to see all the differences in their thoughts. I loved the fast paced writing style, the shortness of the chapters and the quirkiness of some characters. The setting was very atmospheric and picturesque! Before finishing the whole book, I wasn't aware of the fact that it's based on a true story, and that has made me appreciate it even more!

"Because what is life if not a collection of cherished memories?"

If you love reading about troubled families finding their way out of misery and learning to live fully again, or about how important it is to sympathize with others and learn their side of the story before judging, I believe you'd appreciate this story a lot.

A beautifully written story that drew me in immediately and held me tight, before gently placing back into reality when it ended.

The Egides are a family who, on the surface, are united in their grief over the death of eight year old Bee, but in reality are so far apart from each other that they are hanging together by an emotional thread.

Renovating an inherited property to sell, in order to be able to finance a house move to give them all a fresh start, soon becomes tense when much loved war veteran Davina, known locally as The River Witch, refuses to leave her home, a cabin on their land.

The characters were so well written, I really felt like I was there in the woods, swimming upstream in the river and enjoying the luxury of the current carrying me back. Listening to Davina’s bees busily making honey, before picking fresh produce from her garden for a delicious meal. Utter bliss!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Suzanne Redfearn and Lake Union, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I really loved this book. The character development is wonderful and allowed to grow with the individual chapters told from their point of view. The family in the book is struggling with a death in the family, each affected differently. The "river witch" is a military veteran left with horrible scars that cause her pain every day. She and a couple of the members of the family clash, while she really bonds with others. It causes not only turmoil between them, but also turmoil between the family members. There are also secrets everywhere.

This book was such a treat to read. I can't wait to read more by Suzanne Redfearn.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the copy. All thoughts are my own.

A beautiful literary fiction novel written in short chapters, with each chapter told from a point of view of one of the six main characters. Five of the six are dealing with the death of a family member and the sixth is brought into their turmoil by living on their land. Such a moving story combining grief and how happiness and contentment are not about money. It isn’t difficult to relate to at least one of the characters in this novel and immerse yourself in their life.
The cover design is the perfect representation of the scenery detailed in this novel.

Where Butterflies Wander by Suzanne Redfearn is a beautiful, mesmerizing tale of a family dealing with grief. The parents, Leo and Marie Egide, recently lost one of their four children, Phoebe, a twin to Penelope, who recently drowned in their backyard pool. While reading, each chapter is told by the different characters so that the reader can get a feel for and experience what each family member goes through and how they deal with coping with their loss. Marie feels a change of scenery will do the family good so they head to New Hampshire for the summer to stay at a family home that’s located in the woods. It’s there that they find Davina, a facially scarred veteran who is known as the local river witch who is living in an A-frame on their property. Marie and Davina don’t see eye to eye, they really clash and trouble ensues. This is where and when the family’s feelings become divided. It’s a very complex story that covers many feelings and emotions such as loss, grief, guilt and love. There is so much love! It was a very emotional read for me as I found myself crying more than once while reading! I feel the author couldn’t have done a better job with writing the ending as it left me feeling both happy and uplifted with the way the characters lives turned out. I’d like to thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the arc. This was a story I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend to others. I’m giving it a 5 star rating and would be very happy to read more of this authors work in the future.

4.5 stars rounded up.
Where the Butterflies Wander is the first book I've read by this author and I'll definitely be reading more. I was hooked from the very first page and read this book way too fast! The story deals with grief, guilt, trauma, and judgement and there are some valuable lessons throughout. A lot of the issues covered are very relevant and I could really relate to the characters and their emotions. I found the mother in the story, Marie Egide, infuriating at times and found myself rolling my eyes and getting mad at her actions - her character was very believable! Penny is such a wise young girl, and I loved being part of her healing journey.
This was an enjoyable read, thought provoking but not too heavy.
Thank you to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Suzanne Redfearn for an ARC to review.

I received at complementary ARC of this book from Netgalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.
I thought the characters in this book were really well thought out and developed. This story touched on a lot of sad and heavy topics. Death and grief, loss and loneliness. The story was well thought out and told through the characters point of views and it made it easier to understand their feelings.

This book drew me in from the first page. I enjoyed how the chapters alternate first-person POV for each character in the book. This is an emotional story about family, loss, and grief. I loved this book. Thanks to the author Suzanne Redfearn, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Following a tragic accident that claims the life of one of Marie Egide’s children, her family travels to New Hampshire with plans to sell the family estate prior to moving to a new home. However, when they learn that local “river witch” and veteran, Davina, resides in a cabin on their property and refuses to move, tensions rise between the two women, Marie’s family, and the town as a whole.

I was immediately captivated by this story, immersed in the beautiful setting, and did not want to put it down! The novel is told from the multiple perspectives of the members of the Egide family, as well as Davina, and I think their different points of view help to draw you to each character, understanding their thoughts, actions, and emotions. As a sufferer of chronic migraine for 10+ years, I saw myself so much in the emotions and pain endured by the character of Hannah {Marie’s teenage daughter}, and I really appreciated the representation of this chronic illness. The novel reminded me a bit of the book “These Silent Woods” {which I also absolutely loved} with the majestic forest setting and the PTSD representation. I absolutely loved this book, and would highly recommend it to all readers—get your hands on this one ASAP!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for my gifted copy + e-ARC!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I thought the different points of view on dealing with heavy grief was very spot on and believable. My only complaint would be there were so many characters, it was sometimes hard to keep track and know who was who.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about a family grieving from one life's most painful tragedies and trying to heal from this loss together as a family. When they meet their neighbor, the river witch, almost all of them form connections with her, except for the mother, What both women don't know is how much they have in common and how much they will change the other's life forever. I appreciated and enjoyed the themes of this story, and especially loved the ending in how it came full circle.

I received an advanced copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This book is about a family attempting to rebuild their lives after a tragic loss (which only occurred 6 weeks prior).
I found it non-believable with too many POVs and unlikeable characters especially the mother Marie.
Marie’s anger toward everyone including a long deceased grandfather, was unrelated to the loss of her child. She’s just not a good person. It was difficult to relate to any character, except Penelope or become engaged in this story at all.
Lastly, in my experience, the actions and behavior of most of the characters is not a true representation of how a family/parents react, feel or cope with a tragic loss to a young child. Would not recommend.