Blog Tour: The Space Between Sisters by Mary McNear

Author: Mary McNear

Publisher: William Morrow

Date of publication: June 2016

They are two sisters who couldn’t be more different. Win, organized and responsible, plans her life with care. Poppy, impulsive and undependable, leaves others to pick up the pieces. But despite their differences, they share memories of the idyllic childhood summers they spent together on the shores of Butternut Lake. Now, thirteen years later, Win, recovering from a personal tragedy, has taken refuge on Butternut Lake, settling into a predictable and quiet life.

Then one night, Poppy unexpectedly shows up on her sister’s doorstep with her suitcases, an aging cat named Sasquatch, and a mysterious man in tow. Although Win loves her beautiful sister, she wasn’t expecting her to move in for the summer. At first, they relive the joys of Butternut Lake. But their blissful nostalgia soon gives way to conflict and painful memories, and buried secrets threaten to tear the sisters apart.

As the waning days of summer get shorter, past secrets are revealed, new love is found, and the ties between the sisters are tested like never before . . . all on the serene shores of Butternut Lake.

The Space Between Sisters was a nice return to Butternut Lake.  It's the tale of two sisters who spend a summer reconnecting and helping each other move on with their lives.  Poppy shows up unexpectedly at Win's house with no job, no money and all of her worldly possessions.Win doesn't like surprises and hopes the Poppy gets her act together real soon.While not my favorite, I definitely enjoyed this fourth installment of the series.  It could definitely be read as a stand alone book as characters from the previous books don't really make more than drive-by appearances.  So new readers won't miss anything. 

 I loved Poppy.  I really felt her struggle with everything throughout the story.  The secret she had been keeping for years was just gut wrenching.  Sam was the perfect guy to help her begin to heal. Having recently lost my own elderly cat, I found myself a bit teary-eyed during one part of the book. I liked Win a little less.  I felt like I didn't get to know her as much as Poppy. Her grief over her dead husband seemed to be very genuine, but I didn't feel like that part of the story was really explored enough.  I would have loved to see more of the budding relationship between her and Everett.   

I highly recommend this book and this series as a whole.  Make sure to check it out when you get a chance!

About Mary McNear

Mary McNear, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Butternut Lake series, writes in a local doughnut shop, where she sips Diet Pepsi, observes the hubbub of neighborhood life, and tries to resist the constant temptation of freshly made doughnuts. Mary bases her novels on a lifetime of summers spent in a small town on a lake in the northern Midwest.

Connect with Mary on Facebook.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Tour Stops

Tuesday, June 14th: A Tattered Copy

Wednesday, June 15th: Reading Reality

Thursday, June 16th: Palmer’s Page Turners

Friday, June 17th: Books and Bindings

Tuesday, June 21st: 5 Minutes For Books

Wednesday, June 22nd: Reading is My Super Power

Thursday, June 23rd: Tina Says…

Monday, June 27th: Kritters Ramblings

Tuesday, June 28th: From the TBR Pile

Wednesday, June 29th: A Chick Who Reads

Friday, July 1st: Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

Friday, July 1st: Into the Hall of Books

Book Tour: Moonlight on Butternut Lake by Mary McNear

Author: Mary McNear

Publisher: William Morrow

Date of publication: May 2015

From the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Up at Butternut Lake comes the third novel in the Butternut Lake series—a dazzling story of two wounded souls seizing a second chance at life and love.

On the run from her abusive husband, Mila Jones flees Minneapolis for the safety and serenity of Butternut Lake. Ready to forge a new life, Mila’s position as home health aide to Reid Ford is more than a job. It’s a chance at a fresh start. Though her sullen patient seems determined to make her quit, she refuses to give up on him.

Haunted by the car accident that nearly killed him, Reid retreats to his brother’s cabin on Butternut Lake and lashes out at anyone who tries to help. Reid wishes Mila would just go away. . .until he notices the strength, and the secrets, behind her sad, brown eyes.

Against all odds, Mila slowly draws Reid out. Soon they form a tentative, yet increasingly deeper, bond as Mila lowers her guard and begins to trust again, and Reid learns how to let this woman who has managed to crack through his protective shell into his life. While the seemingly endless days of summer unfold, Reid and Mila take the first steps to healing as they discover love can be more than just a dream.

I am always amazed when I read a series at how I can think I love the latest book, only to be blown away by the next one.  Moonlight in Butternut Lake definitely fits the bill this time.  I loved this book.  This is Reid's story.  He is Walker's brother, the workaholic who never had a serious relationship.  After a bad car accident, he has retreated to Butternut Lake to recover.  They hire Mila to be his third and hopefully final home health card aid.  Mila is running from her own abusive husband and hopes to find a fresh start.

What I loved about this book was the slow build to Reid and Mila's relationship.  It isn't insta love or attraction.  In fact, Reid does everything he can to drive Mila away.  He spends his day swallowing in self pity and depression.  It was just heart warming watching Mila slowly draw Reid out of his cocoon. To realize that it is great to be alive and still have a chance at a future.  In Reid, Mila is able to finally find a home and someone to love her.  

As the story progresses, we learn about Mila's childhood and how she went from a determined young woman to a timid abused housewife desperate to get away.  It's scary how easily it happened.  I was really rooting for her to break free for good.

This definitely could be read as a stand alone book.  While characters from the other books show up, I didn't think anyone would be lost coming into this book not having read the first two.  I highly recommend this series!

About Mary McNear

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mary McNear is a writer living in San Francisco with her husband, two teenage children, and a high-strung, minuscule white dog named Macaroon. She writes her novels in a local donut shop where she sips Diet Pepsi, observes the hubbub of neighborhood life, and tries to resist the constant temptation of freshly made donuts. She bases her novels on a lifetime of summers spent in a small town on a lake in the northern Midwest.

Connect with Mary on Facebook.

Purchase Links

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

Mary’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, May 12th: A Chick Who Reads

Tuesday, May 12th: Lesa’s Book Critiques

Wednesday, May 13th: Fuelled by Fiction

Thursday, May 14th: Raven Haired Girl

Friday, May 15th: From the TBR Pile

Monday, May 18th: Always With a Book

Tuesday, May 19th: Mrs. Mommy Booknerd’s Book Reviews

Wednesday, May 20th: Walking With Nora

Wednesday, May 20th: Peeking Between the Pages

Thursday, May 21st: Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Monday, May 25th: Bibliotica

Wednesday, June 3rd: Reading Reality

Butternut Summer by Mary McNear

Author: Mary McNear

Publisher: William Morrow

Date of publication: August 2014

Caroline’s life is turned upside down the moment her ex-husband, Jack, strides through the door of her coffee shop. He seems changed—stronger, steadier, and determined to make amends with Caroline and their daughter, Daisy. Is he really different, or is he the same irresistibly charming but irresponsible man he was when he left Butternut Lake eighteen years ago? Caroline, whose life is stuck on pause as her finances are going down the tubes, is tempted to let him back into her life . . . but would it be wise?

For Caroline’s daughter, Daisy, the summer is filled with surprises. Home from college, she’s reunited with the father she adores—but hardly knows—and swept away by her first true love. But Will isn’t what her mother wants for her—all Caroline can see is that he’s the kind of sexy “bad boy” Daisy should stay away from.

As the long, lazy days of summer pass, Daisy and Caroline come to realize that even if Butternut Lake doesn’t change, life does. . . .

I was hoping I would enjoy Butternut Summer as much as I did Up at Butternut Lake (my review). While I liked the first one more, I still found this one enjoyable.  This is really a story about forgiveness and second chances.  But it's also explores the mother/daughter relationship as the daughter becomes an adult. I thought the author navigated this struggle very realistically.  Caroline and Daisy both have unexpected summers. Not only is Caroline's ex-husband back in town, but she is faced with a daughter who is in love for the first time.

Between the two, I enjoyed Will and Daisy's story the best.  It was very sweet watching them fall in love. The timing felt just right for me as they took their time to get to know each other.  Daisy is able to look beyond Will's past and really see the person he is and who he can become.  Their HFN ending was a bittersweet, so I hope that in the next book, they are revisited.

While I liked Jack and thought his life change was genuine, I thought the forgiveness from Caroline came a little too fast for me.  I kind of felt like they didn't spend enough time together for her to really see a change in him.  I would have liked to see more of Jack trying to get her back. I did love what he did for her in the end, I just felt the whole thing was a bit fast.

There is one other "romance" in that I kind of felt cheated on.  I won't name who, but I would have loved to see how the romance played out.  Maybe in a novella?  It was nice to revisit the town of Butternut.  I do look forward to the next book in the trilogy!

About Mary McNear

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mary McNear is a writer living in San Francisco with her husband, two teenage children, and a high-strung, minuscule white dog named Macaroon. She bases her novels on a lifetime of summers spent in a small town on a lake in the northern Midwest.

Connect with Mary on Facebook.

Purchase Links

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

Mary’s Tour Stops

Thursday, September 25th: Ms. Nose in a Book

Friday, September 26th: Reading Reality

Wednesday, October 1st: A Chick Who Reads

Thursday, October 2nd: Tina Says…

Monday, October 6th: Bibliotica

Tuesday, October 7th: Fuelled by Fiction

Monday, October 13th: Rockin’ Book Reviews

Tuesday, October 14th: From the TBR Pile

Tuesday, October 14th: Jorie Loves a Story

Thursday, October 16th: View from the Birdhouse

Friday, October 17th: Peeking Between the Pages

Blog Tour: Up at Butternut Lake by Mary McNear

Author: Mary McNear
Publisher: William Morrow
Date of publication: April 2014

It’s summer, and after ten years away, Allie Beckett has returned to her family’s cabin beside tranquil Butternut Lake, where as a teenager she spent so many carefree days. She’s promised her five-year-old son, Wyatt, they will be happy there. She’s promised herself this is the place to begin again after her husband’s death in Afghanistan. The cabin holds so many wonderful memories, but from the moment she crosses its threshold Allie is seized with doubts. Has she done the right thing uprooting her little boy from the only home he’s ever known?

Allie and her son are embraced by the townsfolk, and her reunions with old acquaintances—her friend Jax, now a young mother of three with one more on the way, and Caroline, the owner of the local coffee shop—are joyous ones. And then there are newcomers like Walker Ford, who mostly keeps to himself—until he takes a shine to Wyatt . . . and to Allie.

Everyone knows that moving forward is never easy, and as the long, lazy days of summer take hold, Allie must learn to unlock the hidden longings of her heart, and to accept that in order to face the future she must also confront—and understand—what has come before.

Up at Butternut Lake is the first in a new trilogy by debut author, Mary McNear.  It was a really good book and I read it very quickly because I was sucked right in to Allie and Walker's story. It's heartwarming, heartbreaking and endearing all at the same time.  I could help but fall in love with both characters.  Allie lost her husband in the war overseas and had moved back to her family cabin to try to make a fresh start for her and her son. What she didn't count on was having a new and tempting neighbor to make things complicated. 

Allie and Walker in a way were both kind of going through similar experiences when they met.  They both had things to work out before they could totally commit to the other.  Allie had to learn to let go of her grief for her husband and work through the feeling that she was betraying him with another man.  Walker hadn't ever really resolved things with his divorce and the loss of his baby.  I found myself rooting for them to be able to make things work.  I really liked that their relationship wasn't an inst-love type of thing.  I thought the emotions and doubts that each of them had were very realistic and made me believe it more.  

The other characters in the book rounded out the story nicely.  The only thing I didn't like was the story-line with Jax, Jeremy and her ex, Bobby.  I felt like that was unnecessary to the book and felt like filler. While the hurt from the lies was heartbreaking, it was just too rushed for me and didn't fit in well. 

This is a great debut novel by Ms. McNear and I can't wait to see what she comes up with in the future.  The next book, Butternut Summer comes out in August.  I look forward to revisiting Butternut Lake again soon!

About the author:

Mary McNear lives in San Francisco with her husband, two teenage children, and a high-strung, minuscule white dog named Macaroon. She writes her novels in a local doughnut shop, where she sips Diet Pepsi, observes the hubbub of neighborhood life, and tries to resist the constant temptation of freshly made doughnuts. She bases her novels on a lifetime of summers spent in a small town on a lake in the northernMidwest.

Connect with Mary on Facebook.

Mary’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, April 15th: She’s Got Books on Her Mind

Wednesday, April 16th: Bibliotica

Thursday, April 17th: Kritters Ramblings

Monday, April 21st: Stephany Writes

Wednesday, April 23rd: A Chick Who Reads

Thursday, April 24th: Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, April 29th: Walking With Nora

Thursday, May 1st: missris

Friday, May 2nd: A Novel Review

Monday, May 5th: Always With a Book

Tuesday, May 6th: From the TBR Pile

Wednesday, May 7th: Time 2 Read

TBD: Book Journey

TBD: A Bookish Way of Life