Famous in a Small Town by Viola Shipman

 

"Full of summertime delight…and sweet, nostalgic charm, Famous in a Small Town is a beautiful reminder to…fully embrace the magic that lives inside you." —Heather Webber, USA TODAY bestselling author of Midnight at the Blackbird Café

For most of her eighty years, Mary Jackson has endured the steady invasion of tourists, influencers and real estate developers who have discovered the lakeside charm of Good Hart, Michigan, waiting patiently for the arrival of a stranger she’s believed since childhood would one day carry on her legacy—the Very Cherry General Store. Like generations of Jackson women before her, Cherry Mary, as she’s known locally, runs the community hub—part post office, bakery and sandwich shop—and had almost given up hope that the mysterious prediction she’d been told as a girl would come true and the store would have to pass to…a man.

Becky Thatcher came to Good Hart with her ride-or-die BFF to forget that she’s just turned forty with nothing to show for it. Ending up at the general store with Mary is admittedly not the beach vacation she expected, but the more the feisty octogenarian talks about destiny, the stronger Becky’s memories of her own childhood holidays become, and the strange visions over the lake she was never sure were real. As she works under Mary’s wing for the summer and finds she fits into this quirky community of locals, she starts to believe that destiny could be real, and that it might have something very special in mind for Becky…

Bursting with memorable characters and small-town lore, the enchanting new novel from the bestselling author of The Clover Girls is a magical story about the family you’re born with, and the one you choose.

My thoughts:

Viola Shipman is a gifted storyteller as evidenced in this novel.  I have read a few books penned by this author and I fall in love with the writing style and characters with each book.  This one is the epitome of small-town charm, filled with lovable characters and a feel-good storyline.

Becky and her friend take off on a much-needed vacation to Good Hart, Michigan where they meet Mary Jackson and her delightful friends and family.  I loved Mary and the Very Cherry General Store.  Mary is a spunky 80 year old who is legendary in the small town, not only for her ability to run the post office, bakery and sandwich shop but for something much more interesting. 

Famous in a Small Town brought a smile to my face but also tears to my eyes. I will always remember the town, characters, and the wonderful storyline.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.  Opinions are my own.