On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni: Book Review

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Cora Matthews's life is a mess. A broken engagement and the unexpected death of her mother have left her wondering if things will ever return to normal. Whatever "normal" is.

It certainly isn't what she finds at Moonberry Lake. After she receives her family's dilapidated lakefront lodge as an inheritance--with a surprising condition attached--Cora finds her life overrun by a parade of eccentric neighbors who all have something to say and something to teach her.

As Cora works to put her life back together, she must decide if she is willing to let go of the past, open her heart to love, and embrace the craziest version of family and home she could ever have imagined.

Holly Varni is a native Minnesotan of strong Norwegian descent, who was raised in the Lutheran Church that Garrison Keillor made a career depicting. Between the lutefisk, grumpy grandparents, and crazy neighbors who mowed their lawn wearing pajamas, the seed to becoming a storyteller was planted. Though she, her husband, and their three sons live along the Central Coast of California, her beloved Midwest roots continue to haunt everything she writes. She hosts the Moments from Moonberry Lake podcast where she shares more stories of her beloved characters. Learn more at www.hollyvarni.com.

With a debut like this, I absolutely cannot wait to see what Holly Varni does next. Truly, it was a beautifully written story and I didn't realize it was a debut until sitting down to write this review. 

Right from the start, the story drew me in. We learn that Cora's mom has a knack for knowing when people are going to die... to include herself. After her passing and a broken engagement, she returns to her grandparents' lodge in Moonberry Lake where she had not been since she was a child. She has many questions she wants to have answered. Throughout the story, we get to meet a wide variety of people from the town... and boy what an eclectic mix it is! Each of them was so unique and quirky... and I absolutely loved that. While Cora's character was great, of course, it was definitely this eclectic group of characters as a whole that made this story so very entertaining. There was romance, which I loved... but I definitely appreciated the friendships and found family in this story even more! If you enjoy Christian romance with small town vibes, this is absolutely one to check out.