New York Times bestselling author Karen Hawkins returns to her beloved Dove Pond series with another “mesmerizing fusion of the mystical and the everyday” (Susan Andersen, New York Times bestselling author)–but this time, the magic is in the tea leaves. Ava Dove–the sixth of the seven famed Dove sisters and owner of Ava Dove’s Landscaping and Specialty Teas–is frantic. Just as her fabulous … frantic.
Just as her fabulous new tearoom is about to open, her herbal teas have gone wonky. Suddenly, her sleep-inducing tea is startling her clients awake with vivid dreams, her romance-kindling tea is causing people to blurt out their darkest secrets, and her anti-anxiety tea is making them spend hours staring into mirrors. Ava is desperate for a remedy, but her search leads her into dangerous territory, as she is forced to face a dark secret she’s been hiding for over a decade.
Meanwhile, successful architect Ellen Foster has arrived in Dove Pond to attend the funeral of her estranged daughter, Julie. Grieving deeply, Ellen is determined to fix up her daughter’s ramshackle house, sell it, and then sweep her sixteen-year-old granddaughter, Kristen, off to a saner, calmer life in Raleigh. But Kristen has other plans. Desperate to stay with her friends in Dove Pond, Kristen sets off on a quest she’s avoided her whole life–to find her never-been-there father in the hopes of winning her freedom from the grandmother she barely knows.
Together, Ava, Kristen, and Ellen embark on a reluctant but magical journey of healing, friendship, and family that will delight fans of Alice Hoffman, Kate Morton, and Sarah Addison Allen.
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This is an emotional read. So many feelings are explored … from the loss of a child, fears, and secrets with the potential to destroy a family. There are a lot of characters threaded throughout the pages and they are well developed. The mysticism aspect is my least favorite part of the book. But as the women’s self-discovery expands, their friendship evolves. That makes for a warm feeling.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
The Dove Pond NC series by Karen Hawkins needs to be made into a TV series! It reminds me a bit of the Good Witch series (which I love) but with an expanded universe of seven different sisters with seven different powers. Magical realism at its finest.
A Cup of Silver Linings focuses on the sixth sister, Ava, and a grandmother and grand-daughter, although we do continue to get to know more about the Dove Pond residents from book one. There are some pretty heavy issues dealt with in this book including a secret that has been trying to get loose for many years, death, family, and affairs of the heart. Hawkins is able to explore these issues in a sweet but realistic way… along with a touch of magic.
I would love to live in Dove Pond and be able to benefit from Ava’s teas and her sister’s knowledge of books. Books and tea are two of my favorite things, so of course, this series has endured itself to me. But I’m also looking forward to the next book since one of the sisters will be coming home, opening a store next to Ava, and using her weather (or air) powers in some spectacular ways.
If you enjoy watching movies on the Hallmark channel or books/movies with magical realism you need to check out Hawkin’s Dove Pond series.
I loved the previous Dove Pond novel, The Book Charmer! This new book was equally wonderful. The story was so charming. It has a cozy, small town atmosphere, where everyone seems to know everyone else. Ellen has arrived in Dove Pond because her daughter passed away. She comes for the funeral and she is determined to take her granddaughter Kristen home with her. The two Dove sisters who live in Dove Pond have special abilities. Sara has a special way she understands books. She knows what they want and who needs them. And Ava has a special ability to make teas that help people with different issues they are having. There were parts of this story where I could feel the emotions and the struggles that the characters were going through. And there were other parts that made me smile and laugh out loud.
I love Dove Pond and the characters! Dealing with death, remorse and forgiveness! Beautiful story! I can’t wait for book 3!
A Cup of Silver Linings by Karen Hawkins is the 2nd book in The Dove Pond NC series. While it can be read as a standalone, I believe it is better to read The Book Charmer first. It will give you a better understanding of the Dove family and their gifts as well as the town. I was not aware that A Cup of Silver Linings was part of a series when I requested it. Dove Pond, North Carolina is a town filled with quirky characters that includes Ava Dove, the sixth Dove sister. Ava is getting ready to open her tea shop when something goes wrong with three of her custom tea blends. Ava needs to discover what happened and get it corrected before her reputation is ruined. In addition, Ava’s teenage employee, Kristen Foster is dealing with the loss of her mother. Her grandmother, Ellen has become her guardian and she wants to take Kristen to Raleigh with her. Kristen comes up with a plan to stay in Dove Pond. A Cup of Silver Linings had several storylines with alternating points-of-view. It can be hard to keep track of the various characters and their stories. It does not allow any one of the stories to become fully fleshed out. Plus, new secondary characters are constantly being introduced. I sometimes felt there were details that were not needed. They did not add to the story. It felt like something just added in as filler. I thought the author created a charming small town with quaint, quirky characters. This book series would make a great television program on Hallmark. I liked the paranormal element. It is interesting how each Dove sister has a different gift. I wish A Cup of Silver Linings had focused on Ava and her gift. I think it would have allowed the author to fully develop her character and her talent. I did like how everything came together at the end. Despite my comments, A Cup of Silver Linings is a sweet story. It is a good summertime book (perfect for reading by the pool or at the beach). A Cup of Silver Linings is a charming, heartwarming tale with troublesome teas, an imperturbable grandmother, an impatient package, a tearful teen, and a shocked sister.
Oh, how I love Dove Pond! This is the second book in the Dove Pond series and I loved it! The story is full of magic. The story is about Ava Dove, who owns a local landscaping business and is in the process of opening a tea room. There is a long history about the special talents of the Dove sisters. Ava’s particular talent is that she can understand the feelings of plants. That’s what makes her a master gardener and successful in her landscaping business. That is also what led her to create her own line of specialty teas. She even makes personalized teas to “cure what ails you” for many of the the people in town.
We get to know more about Ava’s employee Kristin, a teenager who has just lost her mother. Kristin’s high brow grandmother, whom she barely knows, comes to town and is her guardian. Kristin struggles with the loss of her only parent, and the drastic changes her grandmother wants to make in her life.
Ava and her sister Sarah (who talks to books) have a falling out and Ava starts losing all her tea business and many landscaping customers too. Things are really falling apart but that’s when the power of love, forgiveness, and family come into play for all the customers involved.
I don’t want to give anything away, but I really love this story and this series and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a lighthearted read.
My thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I love this series so much! While I did read the previous, first book in this series (The Book Charmer), I believe you can read the books independently of each other, but why would you want to do that? The first book introduces this unique town and it’s inhabitants. This second book builds on that foundation.
This is a series that many of the characters from the first book appear. (Unlike some series where it is just the setting that is the same.) The characters are created so well and I enjoyed reading more about their lives. There is something special about the seven Dove sisters that live in Dove Pond, and in this book we learn about the special gift that Ava Dove has. The bit of magic that exists in this book’s world is just the correct touch for me. I honestly am not drawn to stories with too much fantasy. There is just enough in this series that it becomes believable to me, and I hope these gifts do exist in the real world.
The story deals with many issues, but the main focus is on grief. How each person deals with it differently and at their own pace. Also a subplot is keeping secrets and forgiveness. Just as grief takes time, forgiveness does also. The issues in the story are handle with kindness and grace.
I love the author’s style. This was just the second book I read by Karen Hawkins, but I definitely will be reading more of her work. I adore the book cover and title. Great selections!
I definitely recommend this book very highly!
I want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for the pleasure of reading the advanced reader copy. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.
Second in a series focused around the “magically-favored” Dove sisters of Dove Pond, NC.
Ava is the 6th sister of 7 and her “gift” is nurturing and having empathy with plants. She owns a nursery and is set to open a cafe to specifically showcase her teas which can help folks in extraordinary ways.
Kristen is a teenager who works for Ava who has just lost her mom to cancer. Her estranged grandmother Ellen (and now guardian) wants to sell Kristen’s home and move her to Raleigh to live with her. Kristen is still grieving and doesn’t want to leave her friends and hometown.
There are several storylines going on here…will Ava’s cafe survive when she’s beset with problems before it opens; will Ava and her sister, Sarah, find love; will Kristen be able to track down her unknown father to challenge Ellen’s guardianship; will Kristen and Ellen put aside their differences and compromise?
Obviously there’s A LOT going on here…perhaps a bit too much. Somehow I’m not connecting with these quirky characters and unique town as I thought I would. I found myself somewhat disappointed (as I was with the first book) because I’ve always loved everything written by this author. Still, it is well written, and I’m sure there are plenty who will embrace and enjoy it.
My thanks to #NetGalley and #GalleryBooks for providing me the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.
I absolutely loved the first book in the series, The Book Charmer, and anxiously waited for book 2 to come out. This one did not disappoint and I love it just as much!
I am truly fascinated by the idea of inanimate objects being magical or mystical—whatever you want to call it—coming to life or offering healing and insight to the people and things around them. This Dove Pond series does just that, with books that communicate with the librarian and tea that knows just what people need.
In A Cup of Silver Linings, Ava mixes up a bad batch of tea and things really start going wrong for her, and for others in the community. As she struggles to right the wrong that has happened, a young girl, Kristin, has had her whole world turned upside down. Can the books, the tea, and the community come together to make it all right again?
I really love this whole series and hope that this author has many more stories to tell. I’m pretty sure the ending of this story sets up the beginning of the next book. Yay!
I highly recommend A Cup of Silver Linings, as well as The Book Charmer, if you like a touch of magical realism in your reading world.
Seriously, this series has the most amazing covers. Once again, that’s what drew me in even before I knew it was the next book in the Dove Pond series.
Just as in the first book of this series, The Book Charmer, the first half of this book moved quite slow. Actually, it moved even slower that the first book. I actually felt there were too many perspectives. I understand how the lives and stories of Ava and Kristen overlap, but it just felt like too much to me. There was so much going on. Kirsten grieving her mom and worried she would have to move with her grandmother, Ellen (the grandmother) trying to bond with Kristen and regretting the relationship she didn’t have with her now deceased daughter, Ava trying to get her tea room ready for opening while hiding a huge secret from even her sisters while also trying to be a comforting present in Kristen’s life, Ava also losing business when she has a bad batch of teas.
While I loved Sarah in the first book, we were only given random scenes with her here that didn’t show her charm to the extent that I would have liked. With the minimal amount given, I don’t understand why any of the chapters were written from Sarah’s perspective. Again, it was too much.
When I was reading Kristen’s storyline, I wanted things to stay on her storyline. While I was reading Ava’s, I wanted it to stay on Ava. That is to say, I enjoyed both of their stories. It was the jumping back and forth that got to me. (I should note, this is not something that generally bothers me in a story.) And as the story jumped characters, it also jumped time. With the weeks flying by, it made no sense that Kristen’s story hadn’t progressed more.
Here are a bunch of positive things. Most of the characters are wonderful. I still enjoyed the quirky and magical nature of the Dove family. The town as a whole is downright charming. The concepts are original and interesting. All of that kept me coming back. It was the loosey-goosey nature of the flow of the story that had me only reading a chapter at a time.
I feel invested enough in the Dove sisters to want to know what happens next, but I’m hoping the next story is a bit more cohesive.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
This is such a good story. There are several things going on, but all connected. Ava is working so hard to get her tea shop opened, but she has a secret that she put into a box that is constantly reminding her of her mistake. It is thumping constantly at her like the Jumanji game. When she and Sara have a big fight, people in town start taking sides and Ava is loosing business. Kristen works for Ava and when her mother dies, Kristen has so much sadness and anger, she doesn’t know what to do. Her grandmother, that she barely knows, comes to town and expects Kristen to be happy to move to another town and leave everything and everyone she loves behind. So, Kristen decides to find the father her mother never told her about, and hope he will want her to stay with him in Dove Pond. Will Ava and Sarah reconcile? Will Kristen find her father? Kristen’s grandmother is having conversations with her dead daughter about how to help Kristen. Will she listen or do what she always does, not listen and do as she pleases?
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the magical family and their friends. Some of this book triggered grief over the loss of my own family but put into perspective some of my own issues and how I dealt with and am still dealing with, even after a lot years that have passed. I’m so looking forward to reading the next installment. Hope we don’t have to wait long!!
This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was a sweet, magical story focused on community, friendship and connection. It held my attention and I didn’t want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.
A Cup of Silver Linings by Karen Hawkins
This book starts out with a dedication page. Story starts with Ellen, the grandmother.
She has returned to Dove Pond and is attending her daughter’s funeral. She is there to tend to the care of her granddaughter Kristen, a high school teen. Her mother had run away when she was a teen and had Kristen but never returned…she’s now dead, Julie.
Each chapter follows Ellen, Ava who runs the tea room and her sister Sarah-there are many other Dove Sisters that make brief appearances in this story.
Kristen also gets her chapters and I like how we get to hear her point of view. She knows her whole world is about to be turned upside down, she will be forced to go live with her grandmother in another town.
She has two very close friends that have her back. She figures the only way to be able to stay is to find her real father. She gives Ellen some tea before bed and she hopes to search the house for more clues from her mother as to who her father is.
They search through year books and come up with three clues as to who it could be. Ava is having her own problems with her sister and a big secret that comes to light.
She never meant for her tea concoctions to turn out as they did. Lots of Magic.
Love that there are many different generations of people involved and how they are all connected, over time you will learn all about them. Book excerpt from next in the series, also Q&A is included for discussion questions.
Received this review copy from Gallery Books via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
This is a book about women and teens coping with grief, betrayal and friendship. It could be difficult for some to read and it is NOT ROMANCE although there is relationships that will end in marriage. I chose to read this book because I love Karen Hawkins’ romance stories. She had a gift of writing images that are real to life and you believe you are peeking into these women’s lives.
I found it difficult to wade through the pain teen Kristen Foster is going through loosing her mother to breast cancer. Her grandmother Ellen, who is a stranger to her, comes to tell her she’s leaving the life she knew to start over. Then there’s the stress and guilt Ava Dove is having over trying to get her new tea house open while hiding a secret from her dear sister Sarah. On top of that her teas are going wonky. The town grows to mistrust her and life is hard for her too. Woven into this story is the loyal friendship Kristen has with her two friends Missy and Josh helping her cope. Ava has a loyal circle of friends as well. We get glimpses with old friends from the prequel Love in the Afternoon and the first book The Book Charmer. Ultimately the magic happens and Grandma Ellen & Kristen find a compromise. Then the town rallies and makes Ava’s tearoom a raving success.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Cup of Silver Linings is the second in the Dove Pond series but can be read as a stand alone although I highly recommend reading The Book Charmer first. This series is about the seven Dove sisters who each have a unique gift, this is Ava Dove’s story. Ava is the owner of Ava Dove’s Landscaping and Specialty Teas in which she creates special teas to help those suffering; however, she is having issues with her teas not doing what they are supposed to do and she must discover why. She is also harboring a long held secret that is destined to be revealed just before the opening of her new tearoom and this secret can possibly destroy everything she holds dear. Kristen is a teenage helper who works for Ava and has just lost her mother to breast cancer. With her life in disarray, her estranged grandmother attends the funeral and shortly after announces that they will sell her family home and move to Raleigh. Kristen desperately wants to stay in the only home she has ever known and along with her two friends begin to search for the father she has never known. Ellen, Kristen’s grandmother, is devastated by the loss of her only daughter and although they were estranged, she never stopped loving her. Now she must find a way to connect with her granddaughter, contain her grief, and get back to Raleigh where her job and life await. The story that follows each of these different paths is filled with a variety of emotions that will draw the reader into the story. Secrets are revealed, reasons are discovered and family relations are tested. At the heart of this story is love, family and forgiveness. This is a wonderfully written, magical story to entertain and delight until the very last page.
I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher but all thoughts and feelings are my own.
The author definitely plays on our emotions in this story which builds on loss and ultimately, fear. Loss of a child, potential loss of a grandchild, fear of change, fear of failure, and secrets that could destroy a family. That is a ton of emotion packed into this book.
With clarity and deep dives into the human psyche, Hawkins develops a tight knit family and town where everyone knows everyone, yet accepts them as they are – faults and all.
I loved this book with its delightful wander into a bit of mystical imagination and levity that balances out the heavy loss of a friend, daughter, and mother. Dove Pond is a fun series to get lost in!
I thought this was a good book. The story kept my interest through out. There’s some magic in this book and a touch of romance. I enjoyed the book. Now I need to go back and read the first book while I wait for the next one in the series to come out. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy
This is a wonderful read by Karen Hawkins. In this outing, Dove Pond’s Ava Dove, who dispenses the individual teas she creates for her neighbors, like something for a neighbor with arthritis in his knee or a tea for another neighbor who has trouble sleeping. When three of her customers report that their tea causes unwanted side effects and spread the word that her teas are wonky, Ava becomes dispirited until she finds out the reason, and it involves one of her favorite people, Kristen, a sixteen-year-old whose mother has recently died. When Kristen’s estranged grandmother, Ellen, shows up ordering Kristen to accompany her to Raleigh, Kristen’s world nearly collapses.
This is such a delightful book. The characters are charismatic, strong, and intelligent, and very well-drawn and it doesn’t take long for Hawkins to have you feeling like you already know them as friends. The story line is well plotted and there’s very little angst even with a sixteen-year-old as one of the main characters. The writing so very good, you’ll find yourself unable to wait to get back to this book if you have to set it aside for a while. You may even find yourself reading into the early hours of the next day to finish one more paragraph, one more page, or the entire book.
If you read only one book this season, read this one. You’ll soon find yourself joining the ranks of Karen Hawkins’ fans getting in line for the next book in this wonderful series.
My thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an eARC.
We’re back in Dove Pond, a book I have waiting for since reading an ARC of The Book Charmer in 2019. This book focuses on both Ava and Sarah as Ava works to set up her tearoom. But also includes chapters from Kristen and her grandmother Ellen. We left book 1 in a precarious place for Kristen, and she’s going through a rough time. Hawkins delivers a heartwarming read in A Cup of Silver Linings.
“Tears are a testament to the strength of a person’s memory.”
I find it interesting that book 1 spent a lot of time with Travis and then omitted him with this one. At times, I found Kristen’s voice was off, but I love her as a character. All the characters are multidimensional and relate well to each other. The storyline is engaging, and you find yourself unaware of the passing of time. Overall, an enjoyable read. Thank you, Gallery Books, for sending this along!