Review by Booklist Review
A small, southern, seaside town provides the backdrop for Harvey's (The Summer of Songbirds, 2023) nod to the importance of seeking happiness from our history. Having lost her job and home, Keaton Smith finds herself in Beaufort, North Carolina, to open a house that has been locked up since her grandparents disappeared 50 years ago. The house is a time capsule, complete with the remains of a dinner party. Excerpts from the entertaining notebook of Keaton's grandmother, expert hostess Rebecca Saint James, describe how much Becks loved her life and husband but raise questions about their mysterious disappearance. Keaton plans to stay only long enough to ready the house for sale, but Beaufort's charm and the single father next door have her reconsidering. Harvey's love for community, homes, and the history that fulfilled both her ancestors and her own life stand out in this novel with a vibrant setting and a bit of mystery. Readers who love secrets by the seaside (and possibly Martha Stewart) will adore this, along with fans of Mary Kay Andrews, Mary Alice Monroe, and Patti Callahan Henry.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Harvey (The Summer of Songbirds) spins a moving tale of a heartbroken young woman discovering her family's secrets. Keaton Smith, a marketing guru in New York City, leaves her job after learning her boyfriend has just gotten her boss pregnant. Keaton then retreats to her hometown of Beaufort, N.C., occupying herself with helping her mother and uncle ready her grandparents' abandoned house for sale. The grandparents, Townsend and Becks, disappeared almost 50 years earlier and were presumed dead after their wrecked car was discovered in a creek. Their lives have long been a forbidden subject for the Smiths. When Keaton arrives at the house, which she didn't know was still in the family, she quickly gathers that nothing has been changed there since 1976, the year her grandparents were last seen, and grows determined to find out what happened to them. In a parallel narrative from Becks's point of view in 1976, Harvey breathes life into the home, where Townsend and Becks regularly host dinner parties that make them the toast of the town. Gradually, Harvey reveals the reasons behind Becks's disenchantment with her life and desire for a change. The tautly plotted story thrums with yearning as Becks and Keaton each seek meaning for their lives. This is women's fiction at its best. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group. (June)
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