USA TODAY bestseller Hurricane Season is the story of one family’s unconventional journey to healing–and the relationships that must be mended along the way. Betsy and Ty Franklin, owners of Franklin Dairy Farm in southern Alabama, have long since buried their desire for children of their own. While Ty manages their herd of dairy cows, Betsy busies herself with the farm’s day-to-day operations … day-to-day operations and tries to forget her dream of motherhood. But when her free-spirited sister, Jenna, drops off her two young daughters for “just two weeks,” Betsy’s carefully constructed wall of self-protection begins to crumble.
As the two weeks stretch deeper into the Alabama summer, Betsy and Ty learn to navigate the new additions in their world–and revel in the laughter that now fills their home. Meanwhile, record temperatures promise to usher in the most active hurricane season in decades.
Attending an art retreat four hundred miles away, Jenna is fighting her own battles. She finally has time and energy to focus on her photography, a lifelong ambition. But she wonders how her rediscovered passion can fit in with the life she’s made back home as a single mom.
When Hurricane Ingrid aims a steady eye at the Alabama coast, Jenna must make a decision that will change her family’s future, even as Betsy and Ty try to protect their beloved farm and their hearts. From the author of the USA TODAY bestseller The Hideaway comes a new story about families and mending the past.
“A poignant and heartfelt tale of sisterhood, motherhood, and marriage, Hurricane Season deftly examines the role that coming to terms with the past plays in creating a hopeful future. Readers will devour this story of the hurricanes–both literal and figurative–that shape our lives.” –Kristy Woodson Harvey, national bestselling author of Slightly South of Simple
- A full-length Southern Women’s Fiction Novel
- Includes Discussion Questions for Book Clubs
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I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was drawn in first, as one so often is, by the cover. It’s so pretty and warm and welcoming!
In the beginning, I was a bit reluctant. I don’t know anything about dairy farming or being a mom (or a single mom) or having a good relationship with a sibling. I kept thinking, “How am I going to relate to this? How am I going to enjoy it?”
But enjoy it I did.
The chapters are told from three different points of view: Betsy, her sister Jenna, and Betsy’s husband Ty. It was a lovely choice because it allowed me to see how each character thought about a situation while still holding back some secrets. And the trials and tribulations they go through are entirely relatable. The more I read, the more I felt like I was sinking into a warm bath to nurse my battered spirit. Because they’re all battered in their own way. Battered but finding a way to carry on. I appreciated Jenna’s story line a lot because I identify with her desire to pursue a creative career and her dreams deferred. But there were elements of Betsy’s and Ty’s stories that hit home, too.
Lauren did a wonderful job of drawing me in and keeping me interested, keeping me invested. It all felt very natural. The story had a great rhythm, too! It really felt like a hurricane season. There were moments of quiet, the tension of a possible storm, a lull, the anticipation of waiting to see what the next one will do, another anxious lull, the building momentum, the storm, and the sudden stillness of the aftermath. It really was a lovely read.
I would absolutely recommend this!