I went into this book expecting somewhat of a thriller or suspense novel. I guess I thought this due to the mention of a young girl not returning after a night out in the description of the book. While this was not what I expected, I really enjoyed this book. This story followed the story of two young sisters spending the summer at their grandparent's lake house in Arkansas in the 1980s. We also get glimpses into the lives of the young girl's mother and grandmother. The mother, navigating a new life far from home as a student at a New England college in the 1960s/70s. And the grandmother experiencing life in coastal Texas and Arkansas during World War II as she studied to be a nurse. Bonds are formed, mistakes are made, and a tangled web of secrets is spun throughout the decades. I thought each of the stories told in this book were beautiful and really spoke to the fragility of innocence and how coming of age sometimes happens in an instant rather than slowly over time. The stories told in this book are so very real, sometimes painfully so. As an Arkansas native, I'd also like to note the descriptions of the lake and surrounding community (undoubtedly inspired by the Hot Springs area) was artfully and perfectly done. As someone who has spent countless summers in the same area, I could truly see the fog of the lake in the morning and feel the scalding wood of the dock beneath my feet. This story will stay with me. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC of this novel.

When I read a coming of age story, I like to feel like I’m wholly engaged with every character in an intimate, passionate way and while I enjoyed the premise I felt as though I struggled to connect with the characters. The descriptions were beautifully done but sometimes I felt as though they were too much, detracting from the story. Overall I feel as though the story is just “okay”

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Much thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for my gifted e-copy of this book.

Five Oaks is a coming of age story told by a young Sylvie as she spends the summer with her sister at their grandparents house in Arkansas. This house has seen 3 generations grow up to be the women they are today, but the things that take place this summer will change them all.

At it's heart this is really a beautiful nod to growing up and how innocence can sometimes be taken away so quickly. This is a multi-generational story, so not only do we get Wren and Sylvie's story, we also get their mother and their grandmother's story of staying at this same lake house.

Each of these stories separately were detailed with their own heartache. The women in each were strong and resilient.

My main complaint with this is how we flip back and forth between the generations. It was very disjointed and I ended up taking notes so I could remember where each story left off and the next picked up. I do think this is still worth reading, but maybe tread lightly as there are some really tough situations.

TW: rape, abortion, sexual assault of an underage girl

Read if you enjoy:
*Coming of Age
*Multi-generational
*Young Love
*Female bonds

Five Oaks is a beautifully written story about two sisters that have went to spend the summer with their grandparents for the first time away at the lake house. Sisters promising to keep secrets. This is how the truth comes to life. You will visit this vivid lake house and find out why the family will never be the same. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book.

This one feels very near and dear to my heart. I'm a sucker for coming-of-age stories, multi-generational sagas, and Southern fiction so this feels like it was cooked up in a lab for me. Julie Hensley leaves the reader with that same ache that comes with growing up and realizing that you'll never see the world in the same perspective as you once did. It's not so much the story that stood out to me as the atmosphere. Her descriptions take you back to those same feelings of carefree fun and later crushing responsibility and loneliness.
This novel is perfect for people who never moved on from Steel Magnolias or The Man in the Moon.

Thank you Julie Hensley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

For Wren, a 15 year old teenager and her sister 11 year old Sylvie this is the first time they are spending summer away from home. They are staying with their grandparents at a lake house in Arkansas. It is a coming of age summer for Wren as it was for her grandmother and mother before her.
Secrets abound with first love, and most of all keeping secrets. Secrets which Sylvie vows to keep and secrets she can't wait to have of her own. In this multi-generational novel, you read about the grandmother and the mother of the two girls. When the secrets come to life and the reality of truth is absorbed, nothing will ever be the same again. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC and the opportunity to read this story..

It was an ongoing struggle, for me, to keep track of which characters were doing what at any given time. I grasped that it was a multi-generational story featuring the women of a family from the '40s through the '80s, but it did take more effort than I wanted to expend to wrap my head around who all the characters were and who was dating who or married to who and what their roles actually were. The dark events were eluded to but never overtly spoken of or described and quite frankly, I only had a sense of "something bad" happening; it was only after finishing the book and reading a few reviews that other peoples' interpretations provided clearer clues. I am unsure how I feel about the book, because I did enjoy it even though I knew I wasn't getting everything the author would have hoped. For me it was a 2.5, so I will round up to 3 because I recognize my own shortcomings in terms of not being in sync with the cloak and dagger nature of many of the story's plot points.

It’s was definitely a complicated character driven story, that brought up so many important issues and topics. Throughout three generations of women in one family was done different aspects of life as woman. The writing real suites the story itself and how everything was told. This book is thought provoking and make think about certain destinations that characters make and whether you could made the same mistakes or go wrong on some directions.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This coming of age novel focusses on the events of one critical summer when two young sisters go to visit their grandparents at their lake house in Arkansas.

Teenage Wren is testing her boundaries while the younger sister Sylvie is the onlooker who keeps Wren's secrets - including the most problematic ones (perhaps especially the most problematic ones).

Except when Wren goes missing, it becomes clear just how high the price of secrecy is...

This is a powerful inter generational novel about women, the secrets they keep about themselves and for each other, and the ties that bind. An engrossing family drama.

Thank you so much for allowing me an advanced reader copy . The author did a great job of describing each of the 3 women’s origin story and drawing you in. I feel like there were parts of the plot that could have had more detail and it left me wanting more. A few trigger warnings of sexual assault which doesn’t bother me as a reader but can affect some. I did enjoy the book and the characters just felt it left me wanting more.

This is a multi-generational story about a family who spends time at Five Oaks. It's a lake house in Arkansas where the grandparents live. The mother in the story spend her summers there and now her granddaughters are spending their summers there.

The story was interesting, with multi-dimensional characters and a lot of good coming of age stories. Along with that though, was a great deal of generational trauma and heartbreak. I found it to be tough to read some sections, although the scenes of abuse and power dynamics were mostly off scene.

This was a compelling read. It covered 3 different generations of women and showed that nothing really changes and how one decision can alter your whole life and the lives of those around you.

Five Oaks is a story following 3 generations of women in different time periods. I enjoyed reading the individual stories of the characters. But, I did think the story was a bit slow for me. I usually really enjoy stories that offer different timelines but I did find this one really hard to follow.

I really enjoyed getting to go on this journey with the three generations of characters. The realism worked well with the characters and was invested in what was happening with the characters. Julie Hensley wrote a strong writing style that had that feel that I was looking for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of this book. Five Oaks is the story of three generations of women in one family and is narrated by the youngest granddaughter, with the families’ lake house, Five Oaks, anchoring them all. The author did a great job of describing each woman’s origin story and drawing you in to the actual characters. They are authentic women, each dealing with different challenges of societal expectations, mental health, love and loss. I gave this book a three because at times the story lacked details of some of the more important aspects of the plot that in my opinion really needed to be flushed out.

Trigger warnings: mentions of sexual assault, inappropriate sexual encounter between minors.

A Captivating Multigenerational Story That Stole My Heart!

From the moment I opened "Five Oaks," Julie Hensley transported me to a world that felt both familiar and magical. Her vivid descriptions of the lake house in Arkansas made me feel like I was right there alongside 15-year-old Wren, her sister Sylvie, and the generations of women who came before them.

I found myself fully immersed in the coming-of-age stories of these remarkable women, connected by blood and the time they spent at Five Oaks. The way Hensley weaves together the past and present is truly masterful, revealing secrets, heartaches, and triumphs that echo through time.

Each character's journey of self-discovery resonated with me, as they navigate the challenges and joys of growing up, falling in love, and forging their own paths in life. Their stories intertwine in surprising ways, leading to a powerful conclusion that left me both moved and inspired.

"Five Oaks" is a book I won't soon forget. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves stories about strong women, the bonds of family, and the unforgettable summers that shape our lives. Julie Hensley has crafted a true gem that I'll be recommending to all my fellow book lovers!

Five Oaks by Julie Hensley. The characters and their stories in the story Five Oaks are described and well developed.

this was a hard book to get through. It jumped around too much and jumped from character to character so often that it was very hard to keep track of anything. I think the character development was just starting to happen but then the book ended, so that should be worked on a bit.

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

I don’t really have strong feelings about this story one way or another. I did find the writing to be beautiful. The characters I absolutely loved and would have liked to have a little more development but overall I still loved them. I love a timeline that jumps back and forth. However, I found it difficult to keep track of the different characters in each timeline. And I kept waiting for something to happen but it didn’t hit the mark for me. I didnt feel like it fully developed for me.

I love a good coming to age story and while the characters are compelling. It felt like the story would never end it just dragged on. There were some parts where the story picked up but they were few. Also didn't love the random acts of abuse that didn't really add to the story and felt like they were added because they could be.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book