A Turn in the Road (Blossom Street) [マスマーケット]

"A Turn in the Road" by Debbie Macomber is the latest installment in the Blossom Street series. Our main character is Bethanne Hamlin who we met earlier in the series after her husband, Grant, left her and her two children for a younger woman. Six years have passed and her ex-mother-in-law is planning to drive from Seattle to Florida to attend her 50th high school reunion. Grant has seen the error of his ways, divorced the lovely Tiffany, and wants to reconcile with Bethanne. There is nervousness in the family about the older woman taking on such a cross-country drive and Bethanne sees the opportunity to get away and contemplate her decision so she offers to go along and assist with the driving. When Bethane's daughter, Annie, has a major bump in her romantic life, she decides to go along as well and our three-generational triad is formed.

I have largely enjoyed Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series (with the exception of the latest one) and I have also enjoyed the Blossom Street series ..... until now. I know I am going to take a beating from the die-hard Debbie Macomber fans (and will watch all the "unhelpful" votes roll in which likely mean they don't agree with me), but I didn't find this book to be very good. The premise is great and, while fans will miss the cast of characters from Blossom Street, I thought this road trip had the potential to offer story variety which would keep things fresh in the series. I recently finished "The Knitting Diaries" which contains a short story of the Blossom Street characters and thought I had my "fix" so I was ready to hop in the car and go along for an enjoyable ride.

This time out, the beginning starts out well and the end is interesting but the middle is repetitious. The three of them drive along with Annie whining about the trip, Annie campaigning on her father's behalf, and Bethanne trying to pacify her. Bethanne contemplates her decision about Grant, makes a decision, and then reverses herself. They get to a stop-over spot, Annie complains, Grant calls and irritates Bethanne, and Bethanne reassesses her decision to see if she made the right one. Repeat, repeat.

Bottom line, this would have made a good short story, but there just isn't enough material here to support a full-length novel. I truly think that Ms. Macomber has reached the point where she is turning out so many novels every year that the quality is suffering. I LOVED "16 Lighthouse Road" and all of the earlier books in these two series, but the quality of the recent installments has taken a nose dive. I use to count on these for the perfect, light reading material I so enjoyed --- now I feel like with the past few novels, I sludge through to the end. Sad and disappointed; I even considered a 2-star rating.

Bethanne Hamlin has recovered very well since her husband left her for another woman. She had started her own business and it has been very successful.

Her daughter Annie, will be starting her last year of college and she helps her mom with her business.

Bethanne's ex-mother-in-law, Ruth, is planning to drive from Seattle, Washington to Vero Beach, Florida to attend her 50 year high school class reunion. This trip will not happen if her daughter Robin as anything to say about it.

Three women all at different places in their lives, all facing some important decisions. Bethanne's ex-husband has made it known he wants her back now that his second marriage has fallen apart. Can she forgive him for all the pain he has caused her? She is no longer the same woman he left behind. Annie thought her boyfriend was going to propose marriage and instead he broke her heart by telling her he was going to travel Europe with friends for a year, just expecting her to wait for him. Ruth is going back to see old friends, but there is one special friend she really wants to reconnect with so she can apologize for for hurting them.

Bethanne and Annie decide to travel cross country with Ruth to give them time to make the right decisions and with them going along Ruth's daughter can't keep her from a trip she has been planning for almost 50 years. Packed up and with their route mapped out they head out for the trip of a lifetime. But "A Turn in the Road" can make a well-planned excursion have a few unexpected surprises. This turns out to be a trip that will change the lives for several people, especially Ruth, Bethanne and Annie.

I LOVED IT!!!!!

You can never go wrong with a Debbie Macomber book. This is not your normal Blossom Street Novel except that is where we first met Bethanne back in A Good Yarn. The story takes us on a wonderful adventure with three wonderful strong women. I found myself worrying if I was going to like the ending, which way was the author going to take us. Debbie's endings always seem to come with a little surprise, like all good books should. The entire story was a pure pleasure to read. I hope the author includes updates on these characters in future Blossom Street editions. This is a perfect "escape" book and can be read as a stand alone or as part of the series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

I have read just about every book Debbie Macomber has written and really felt like I got to know the characters and would love to have them as friends and neighbors. This book was not good. I got so tired of Annie's whining and pushing her mother to get back with her ex-husband, same words said at each stop of their cross country trip. I would have taken her to the nearest airport and sent her back to Seattle long before they ever got to Vegas. If it had not been mentioned that Annie was finishing her courses for an MBA I would have assumed she was a pre-teen. She called her father constantly to tattle on Bethanne's comings and goings. The only character I liked was Andrew, Annie's brother, and he was not in it that much. Bethanne came off as a wimp in her personal life, albeit a successful businesswoman. Annie was obnoxious. Grant, the wayward husband who wanted back in everyone's life now, was sleek, charming ad nauseum, trying to get Bethanne to give him another chance. Ruth, Grant's mother, was silly, not at all well rounded. The "prom theme" was ridiculous. This story could have been so much better. It actually should have been a short story. To lengthen it there was way too much repetition. It was more like a Danielle Steel novel. I hope Debbie Macomber gets back on track. Her other books were so wonderful.