I’m always thrilled when I get a new book from Bette. I’ve read all of her stories and trust each new one will be filled with diverse characters and touching scenarios.
Before I get to my review of Blueberry Hill: A Sister’s Story I want to tell you about Bette’s fantastic deal!
Her $.99 Sale Starts Sat. Aug. 9 and ends Fri. August 15th so grab it today!
Blueberry Hill on Amazon to buy, borrow or read for FREE!
That means if you’re enrolled in Amazon Prime or their new program Kindle Unlimited, you can read this book for free.
Click on the cover to check it out!
My Review
Whenever I get ready to read one of Bette’s books, I always have a new box of kleenex handy. Her stories are so rich in emotions I invariably cry with and for her characters, even if I’m smiling through those tears.
Blueberry Hill had that effect on my. But for a new reason.
I connected with Bette and her younger sister, Donna, because I went through the same experience with my older sister.
As far back as I can remember, my sister was a wild one with an endless stubborn streak. She would do what she wanted and to hell with the consequences. The difference in this story is the young sister, Donna, rebels and follows the wrong path, while my story has the older sister choosing it.
As Bette struggled to understand her sister, began to accept there was no changing her, I too felt the frustration and anger, the hopelessness. She realized, as did I, that all you can do is love them, be there for them, go through it with them.
So many times I felt like I was almost reading my own story. Loving an addict, whether with drugs or alcohol, takes from you, wounds your heart. Even though you understand the addiction is behind their actions, it still hurts when they brush aside your offers for help, ignore your advice. All that’s left is the memories of long ago, before the drugs or booze took that sister from you. Happier times to fall back on when the despair tries to settle in.
I may have read this book too soon after the loss of my sister. My heart is still bruised, my grief still lingering. But I found a new strength in knowing everything I felt, good or bad, was okay, and I still loved her.
I didn’t cry while reading Blueberry Hill. I cried afterwards, and the tears flowed freely as I wrote this review.
Two sisters, choices, consequences, acceptance, and love. That’s what this story is about. And the author wrote it honestly, bravely, revealing the bare bones of the relationship. What it gave and what it took.
5 STARS
Synopsis
CAN LOVE SAVE A SISTER FROM SELF-DESTRUCTION?
From the USA Today Bestselling Author of Spare Change comes the heartwarming story Blueberry Hill, a Sister’s Story.
Based on the realities of her own family, Crosby calls this a memoir of sorts. Traveling back to a time when the sisters were young enough to feel invincible and foolish enough to believe it would last forever, Crosby has bared her soul in a story of regrettable decisions and inevitable outcomes.
Blueberry Hill is a tale of family relationships, love and tragedy. It is a story that will touch your heart and stay with you long after you have closed the book.
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Other books by Bette Lee Crosby
My Review for Jubilee’s Journey
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My Review for What Matters Most
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My Review of The Twelfth Child
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My Review of Cracks in the Sidewalk~ Coming soon!
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My Review of Cupid’s Christmas ~ Coming soon!
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ABOUT Bette Lee Crosby
Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby brings the wit and wisdom of her Southern Mama to works of fiction—the result is a delightful blend of humor, mystery and romance along with a cast of quirky charters who will steal your heart away.
Crosby’s work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. Since then, she has gone on to win several more awards, including another NLAPW award, three Royal Palm Literary Awards, and the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal.
Her published novels to date are: Cracks in the Sidewalk (2009), Spare Change (2011), The Twelfth Child (2012), Cupid’s Christmas (2012) and What Matters Most (2013). She has also authored “Life in the Land of IS” a memoir of Lani Deauville, a woman the Guinness Book of Records lists as the world’s longest living quadriplegic.
Crosby originally studied art and began her career as a packaging designer. When asked to write a few lines of copy for the back of a pantyhose package, she discovered a love for words that was irrepressible. After years of writing for business, she turned to works of fiction and never looked back. “Storytelling is in my blood,” Crosby laughingly admits, “My mom was not a writer, but she was a captivating storyteller, so I find myself using bits and pieces of her voice in most everything I write.
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