The Lights of Sugarberry Cove

The Lights of Sugarberry Cove

by Heather Webber
Setting: Alabama
Genres: Fiction / Magical Realism
Published on July 20, 2021
Pages: 336
Format: eBook Source: Kindle Unlimited

The Lights of Sugarberry Cove is a charming, delightful story of family, healing, love, and small town Southern charm by USA Today bestselling author Heather Webber.

Sadie Way Scott has been avoiding her family and hometown of Sugarberry Cove, Alabama, since she nearly drowned in the lake just outside her mother’s B&B. Eight years later, Sadie is the host of a much-loved show about southern cooking and family, but despite her success, she wonders why she was saved. What is she supposed to do?

Sadie’s sister, Leala Clare, is still haunted by the guilt she feels over the night her sister almost died. Now, at a crossroads in her marriage, Leala has everything she ever thought she wanted—so why is she so unhappy?

When their mother suffers a minor heart attack just before Sugarberry Cove’s famous water lantern festival, the two sisters come home to run the inn while she recovers. It’s the last place either of them wants to be, but with a little help from the inn’s quirky guests, the sisters may come to terms with their strained relationships, accept the past, and rediscover a little lake magic.

I loved this book!

Sadie and Leala Clare haven’t spent much time together since Sadie almost drown the lake outside the family’s bed and breakfast. Local legend says that a water spirit grants wishes on one night a year. Leala feels guilty because she believes that her wish that night caused Sadie’s accident. Sadie feels guilty because she doesn’t think she lived up to the promise her small town neighbors thought she had. Now they are back together for the weekend after their mother had a heart attack.

All the characters in this book are well defined.  Each has their own motivations and hang ups.  The bed and breakfast is run down but their mother won’t hear of fixing it up.  The daughters each have different ideas about what should be done with the place.  Everyone needs to learn to put aside their preconceived notions about each other and listen to see how things really are instead of how they think things are.

This is a foodie book because Sadie runs a YouTube channel where people demonstrate their family recipes and tell the stories behind them.  It sounds like a fun channel to watch if it were real!

I like the magical realism in Heather Webber’s books.  You aren’t sure until the end if there really is a magical element to the lake festival.  What happened on the night of Sadie’s accident?  What did Leala wish for that night?