Review by Booklist Review
Emily, Veronica, Liz, and Rachel meet at summer camp in 1985 and form a close friendship, dubbing themselves the Clover Girls. They reunite each summer, making their way from campers to counselors, and their bond endures until a betrayal tears them apart. Years later, Emily has died, and her final wish is for Veronica, Liz, and Rachel, now middle-aged, to reunite at Camp Birchwood to reinvigorate their long-dormant friendship. Veronica is a retired model who lives in a showcase of a home surrounded by her indifferent family; Liz is the sole caregiver for her mother, who has dementia; and Rachel is a right-wing pundit whose bombastic takes on current events have made her a household name. Upon arrival, the women find that Emily didn't intend for this to be a reunion, but rather an opportunity for the friends to heal old wounds, let go of long-standing regrets--and inherit Camp Birchwood, if they can survive a week together. Shipman (The Heirloom Garden, 2020), pseudonym for the writer Wade Rouse, departs from his usual intergenerational formula, though The Clover Girls maintains much of what readers enjoy about his books: the close bonds between women, the light romantic subplots, and the uplifting ending. Nostalgic flashbacks to the women's summer-camp days are interspersed throughout the book, but the focus is clearly on their personal growth as middle-aged adults. Shipman's many fans will devour his latest; it's also a good choice for fans of Jeanne Ray and Mariah Stewart.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Elizabeth (Liz), Veronica (V), Emily (Em), and Rachel (Rach) were best friends--the Clover Girls--in the late 1980s, when they spent every summer together at a Camp Birchwood in northern Michigan. Today, 30-plus years later, they are virtual strangers. Their youthful friendship was tainted by an immature undermining of one another, fueled by secrets, jealousies, and hurt feelings. As adults, they couldn't be more different. V is an aging supermodel with a failing marriage; Rach works for misogynistic politicians; and Liz cares for her dying mother and sells homes on Lake Michigan, instead of following her passion for design. When Em dies, the other Clover Girls honor her dying wish that they return to Camp Birchwood to reconnect and revive their beloved camp. That will mean putting aside past and current hurt, confronting the stagnation in their lives, and learning to celebrate their passions and each other. VERDICT Shipman's (The Heirloom Garden) evocative novel is a love letter to Michigan summers, past and present, and to the value of lifelong friendships. A blissful summer read sure to please the author's many fans, and fans of writers like Elin Hilderbrand or Kristin Hannah.--Karen Core, Detroit P.L.
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