Where Butterflies Wander by Suzanne Redfearn was such a powerful book.
An exceptionally beautifully read. Well-constructed characters, engaging storyline and a touching story.
This new contemporary fiction didn’t disappoint.

Thank You NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It was my first book by this author! I found it a bit slow in some spots but I enjoyed the story overall

I have read several books by Ms Redfern and enjoyed them all. She puts a lot of emotion into the characters and her writing.

This is the story of a family who is almost destroyed by the fact that there is an inhabited cabin sitting on the corner of their inherited property. Someone is living in it, she is known as The River Witch. Very complex plot, very interesting. A series of events, each one piggybacking the one before.

The above dilemma is complicated by the fact that they are also mourning the drowning death of their 8-year-old daughter, one half of a set of twins.

Lots of conflict, lots of emotions, lots of angry decisions and actions. It asks the age-old question: Is money more important than happiness?

Each chapter is told by a different member of the family. The reader truly gets a comprehensive look at what is happening.

The characters are well-developed. They are flawed, they are human.

I loved the resolution at the end. I was not far into the book when I knew it would be a 5 star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

After losing a child, Marie, Leo, and then three surviving children move to New Hampshire to sell their family estate. They realize a war veteran known locally as “the River witch” is living in their cabin and refuses to move.

This was my favorite of Redfearn’s yet! It was very entertaining and easy to read. It’s one of those stories that will frustrate you during it, because there’s a lot of unnecessary pain involved but in the end it’s a learning lesson. It reminded me a bit of one of my favorites, the House of Sand and Fog, with a home ownership dispute. There’s a lot of sentimentality to the story and history to uncover, as well as recent loss to grow around.

“No one loved is ever truly gone. And if we keep them in our heart we are able to keep them with us.”

Where Butterflies Wander comes out 2/6.

Thank you to Net galley and Lake Union publishers for a copy of Where Butterflies Wander. This was my second book by this author. I was happy to read a book by an author that I have read before thanks for the opportunity.
In my opinion the author, writing is associated with grief, family and tragedy, This book was a little slow and found it hard to keep track of the characters. It was a story full of different POVs, If you like this type of book look for it coming Feb 2024.

Life for the Egide family went from being pleasant and peaceful to be confusing and chaotic. The family suffered a great loss. Marie felt change was needed in order for her family to move forward. A change of scenery was in order. They moved to a place that she use to visit years ago in the summer.
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Where Butterflies Wander is about a family who trudges forward in life after the death of their eight year old daughter Bee. Marie and Leo came from nothing having created a beautiful home with hard work and filling it with four children. This was one tragedy cracked the solid foundation they created making them question everything about themselves.
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As soon as they settled into the home a woman who lives in a cabin by the river befriended two of the children. Marie and Brendon weren’t as warm hearted as the two girls. This left Leo and man divided between choosing the side of Davina or his wife. What ensues is a domino effect of actions that needed to take place in order for some to grow and experience what life had to offer.
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This is my first time reading a book written by Suzanne Redfearn. Having the story told by the entire Egide family offered various perspectives allowing readers the opportunity to explore all sides of the story.
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The message is a wonderful gift to readers about change and how each individual reacts to change. Suzanne Redfearn shows readers how Children mirror parents actions and how Children mentor other children and how Adults admire other adults. What it all means is that as individuals we take our thoughts and make decisions. These decisions impact others because we share our lives with them. The true purpose is to help each other in the process by making it as simple as possible.
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This book gave me Hallmark moments of happiness knowing a lesson was to be learned. I kept reflecting back to the movie Where the Crawdads Sing for some reason that movie with its secrets, lies, and survival aspects had me thinking about those similarities. There are many components making up this story: money issues, loss, forgiveness, lies, love, and grief. Of course, there’s the element of family, motherhood, and childhood growth and development. Together these components and elements bring a well rounded story about moving forward in life.

I just finished reading Where Butterflies Wander and can I just say how nice it was to read a book that was a little bit different? I feel like the same themes and ideas are written about over and over again sometimes (or maybe I should just be choosing a wider array of books!) but Where Butterflies Wander took me to some welcome new places.

Four stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of Where Butterflies Wander in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. I loved the characters and all of their individual stories. Several learned important life lessons. Davina is a special person and I loved how the author wrote her character and things she had suffered through. Strong and resilient. I could say so much about this book, but you just need to read it to find its warmth. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved In An Instant, so I was very excited to read Where Butterflies Wander.

It is told from the perspectives of the Egide family, who have just suffered the loss of their 8 year old daughter and sister, and Davina, a war veteran who lives in a cabin on the family's property.

I thought that the chapters were too short, and I didn't think it was necessary to have the perspectives of 6 people telling the story. I think it would have been better if Marie, Davina, and maybe Hannah were the only characters telling the story. It was a moving story of grief and learning to move on, and overall, it had more good points than bad.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Where Butterflies Wander is a beautifully written novel about a grieving family who is trying to deal with loss in their own ways, while trying to find a fresh start to begin the healing process. I absolutely loved this book (the characters, setting,....) from start to finish; I couldn't put it down. Must read!

Suzanne Redfearn proves once again that she possesses an extraordinary talent for contemporary fiction. In this novel, Where Butterflies Wander, there are many explored themes including grief, war, and family. Is the concept of family merely genetic in nature, or can we find family without shared DNA?

Davina, also known as the ‘River Witch’ lives a solitary life on the river, after enduring horrific injuries in combat. Her life is upended by the arrival of Marie and her family. Marie owns the main house, the property and the shack in which Davina lives. Marie and her family arrive to improve the property for sale, in order to move from their current property to avoid their grief of the loss of their daughter Phoebe. Marie’s plan to restore the property for sale goes horribly awry when the townspeople become aware of the forced eviction of Davina.

The beginning of the book was slow and with the multiple points of view, initially, it was a little difficult to follow. However, as the characters became more developed, the story began to pick up. The various themes and story lines added depth to the story and was very interesting. I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was the most amazing and powerful book I have read in a while. I had to read it slowly so I could savor it. After the tragedy of losing one of their children, Marie and Leo need to grt away so move to a house that Marie inherited from her grandfather. Marie had no knowledge of the woman living in a cabin on the property, Davina. Davina claims that Marie’s grandfather told her she could stay as long as she liked. Marie tells her she has to leave as they have to sell the property. A battle commences! Davina is very popular locally and the townspeople side with her. A great story!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I always want to expand my horizons and try new things but at the end of the day. Certain topics just aren’t for me. Family stuff is usually one of those.

Where the Crawdads Sing meets My Sister's Keeper. A heart breaking story based on two women who have lost a child, either by death or force. A story about right and wrong, and how everything isn't black and white. Community, small town and wild.

I found this book absolutely fantastic. So much so I devoured it in less than one night. Suzanne Redfearn has such a beautiful way with words, allowing you to become fully immersed in the story and the family.

It is rare that I read a book and do not have anything negative at all. My only complaint is I read it too quickly!

I adored reading Suzanne Redfearn's Where Butterflies Wander. I thought it was a great book that tugged on my emotions. Five stars.

This is the second book I have read from this author and it definitely did not disappoint. My interest was captured immediately and really enjoyed that it is told in alternating POVs so that all of the story is captured from all angles. There is just so much that resonated with me about this book. It deals with grief, young love, loss, PTSD, and so many other issues in a way that really strikes to the core. The story was very well written and it will be definitely one that I recommend. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I read another book(which I loved) by this author and was excited to be able to read another of her books early and this one did not disappoint. From page one I was pulled in to the story which focuses around a family and a chance encounter of another from a distant relative. It teaches and reminds us of hope, health, love, friendship, forgiveness and loss. All the dynamics I’d life that can sometimes swallow you whole. Great story, I’d love to see it as a movie. Suzanne Redfearn you have done it again. Thank you so much for allowing me to read this one early. I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I did. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher also for allowing me to read this one early in exchange for a honest review! 5 stars.

I loved In An Instant by this author so I had high hopes for this book. There are many many characters to keep track of and Davina, the River witch is quite the character. Women literary fiction lovers will probably love it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published February 2024.

Where Butterflies Wander by Suzanne Redfearn is a sweet, intertwined novel of family tragedy, personal tragedy, triumph over hatred and disappointment, and the importance of finding love. This story is engaging, both happy and sad, and eventually triumphant.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I really enjoyed this story about resilience, healing and rebirth. After tragedy falls on Marie's family, they get away to her childhood home for some time to heal. They meet Davina and from that point on their lives are intertwined whether they want them to be or not. The characters, setting and plot of this story were very enjoyable. This was a great story to insert yourself into and observe all the human interaction/reaction to heartbreak, both recent and past.