A recipe for living . . . New friends can be found in unexpected places. For Bridget and Amy, that place was the cancer ward of an Anchorage hospital. Now, as each struggles to overcome loss, they lean on each other for support—sharing suppers, laughter and tears. Bridget and Amy aren’t about to let hardship knock them down—Bridget plans to return to her veterinarian school studies, Amy to her … her veterinarian school studies, Amy to her position as a second-grade teacher—but neither feels quite ready. And so the Sunday Potluck Club is born, a way for Bridget, Amy, and other women who have lost a loved one to find solace and understanding. Savoring favorite dishes while sharing memories and the comfort of connection, the members of the Sunday Potluck Club nourish body and soul.
As weeks go by and the group grows in unforeseen ways, both Bridget and Amy are inspired to find greater purpose. Amy reaches out to a student whose father bravely faces his own struggle. Bridget volunteers at the local animal shelter, rehabilitating dogs whose unconditional love will bring others a chance to heal. And with the help of two special men, Bridget and Amy are realizing that there’s always room at the table for love and rekindled joy . . .
more
A poignant and touching story of friendship, love and healing. Perfect for your book club!
“To feel pain is to feel alive. You wouldn’t want to be perfectly content all the time, believe me. You need the lows to appreciate the highs.”
“We need to say what we need and also *what we feel* with no apologies” (emphasis author’s)
Four unlikely friends: Amy, Bridget,Hazel and Nichole, bounded around caregiving and cancer. Over the time their parent was ending their bouts with the disease. (Nichole’s father went into remission, but she was still a big part of the foursome) The story opens as the friends gather to bury Bridget’s mother. Then the author pulls the lens farther back as we get to see the aftermath as the friends wonder if, and how, they can pick up their lives, as wounded as they are, and move forward…or not.
This story is seen primarily through Amy’s eyes as she returns to work as a second grade teacher after being on leave to see her mother through he final illness. Synchronicity becomes a touchstone as she celebrates, mourns, gets angry, and begins to move into her [new] life. She says she wants to, but does she really? It all starts with a dog…..
I am a big fan of Melissa Storm in her many guises. She is a quiet example of uplifting fiction that entertains and soothes the reader from the reality of life; with twists of faith and love in all its aspects. I highly recommended the Sunday Potluck Club (series) and look forward to the next book that’s teased in the back of the book—after the recipe. 5/5
[disclaimer: I received this book as a gift and voluntarily read and reviewed it]
This is my new favorite book. The Sunday Potluck Club by Melissa Storm is one of those feel good stories which makes you glad it came into your life. It has close friendships, death, grief, romance, angst, pets and one special little girl named Olivia whom I fell in love with. This book has a little something everyone can relate to.
The group of four friends met and came together in a hospital while each one had a parent fighting cancer. They were support for each other and The Sunday Potluck Club was born. This book reminded me of my group of friends called the Sister Chicks made up of widows. Women can be our strongest support and allies in times of need.
The writing style is so effortless and easy to read. You feel yourself falling right into their world. I didn’t want the book to end and it’s a bit of a shock when you realize you are going to miss your friends for a little while.
If you liked The Ivy Creek Sewing Circle by Tammy Robinson Smith and A Dog’s Hope by Casey Wilson, I think you will love The Sunday Potluck Club by Melissa Storm. I don’t think you can go wrong picking up a copy of this book.
I received this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review.
What a unexpected delight to get this one since I do love to escape in a novel or two of this author’s. This also was a good time for this one it offers us readers new friends with being isolated this could be sooo good. Bridget and Amy meet in a place that has sadness as high as accomplishments. Now we follow them to see how the healing will go in the form of a potluck club. What a wonderful thing I think. As it grows and the story goes along we are filled. We are given love and laughter along with that filling.
This is an amazing book. I finished it last night but have been unable to move on. I couldn’t begin the review until I thought about so many things that came at me while reading it. I still am not certain what to say. This book has layers.
I knew, after reading the first two pages, it would make me cry. I was ready for that. I got a box of Kleenex ready. I wasn’t ready for the push, pull of the book. The push to read on, wanting to know what was going to happen next, especially with Amy, Trent and Olivia. The pull to stop and absorb; to exam my feelings and connections.
Maybe it is because my mom has Alzheimer’s. Not the same as cancer but equally hurtful and devastating. There is two deaths in Alzheimer’s. Did you know that? The first death comes when your parent no longer knows you and you only get glimpses of who you knew was your mom, or dad. The second, the final one, the I’m still not acquainted with, the one I dread. My mom will be gone with no glimpses a possibility. I thought about how different it is from cancer yet the same. I thought of Amy and how closely I felt to her. How much I felt understood and validated by her internal emotional swings. I stopped quite a bit to examine her..and me. I wasn’t as close with my mom as Amy. My mom hurt me. I’ll never know why now. It’s locked up. I’ll never get the apology either that I wanted. Though, in reality, I wanted it with no real hope of getting it. I forgave because I needed to move on. I needed to cling to the belief that it wasn’t me, that I was so bad I didn’t deserve to be loved. But even so, I wanted to hear it from her. Now, even if she wanted to tell me it wasn’t me, she can’t. It’s never coming so I have to deal with that.
The book is a romance, a testament to friendships and, in an odd way, a coming of age. A different age from the usual teen into adult, but still, a coming of age. Amy, Bridget, Nichole and Hazel are all becoming someone different yet the same. All but one have gone from being a daughter into some new role. The memories are there. The love remains. But the arms are empty, the ears don’t hear and the only time you see them, is when you catch a glimpse in the mirror or, if you have them, in your children. You are still you but you have been changed. Death has left its mark just as walking the rocky road to adulthood does. So yes, a coming of age book.
Now, go, read the book.
*Thank you to the Kensington publishing family for gifting me this book. No review was requested or expected. It was a gift, unexpected yet delightful. I wrote this review because I was truly touched by this book. I recommend it because I believe you will be touched, too. All thoughts, opinions and ramblings came from my head and my heart.*
Bridget and Amy met on the cancer ward of an Anchorage hospital. Now they belong to a small group of women who call themselves the Sunday Potluck Club. As the women return to their lives they must find new ways to support each other through jobs, love, and loss. As their time together gives them each a chance to heal it also gives them each a chance to find joy.
New friends can be found in unexpected places. The four women in the novel met in the hospital cafeteria while their parents were being treated for cancer. Bridget, Amy and Hazel all lost their parent and Nichole’s father went into remission. The four new friends decided to meet every Sunday and have a potluck dinner to help work through their grief. Their one rule was to remember that every one grieves in their own way and they should respect that in each other and try not to change their friends. The four friends have vastly different lives – Amy is a 2nd grade teacher, Bridget works as a vet tech, Hazel is a decorator and Nichole is a psychologist. It’s interesting to say the way that their professions affect the way that they handle their friendship and life in general. This book is a look at how grief manifests itself after a parent’s death and how strong female friendship can help with the process. Along the way, it has a little bit of romance and a lot of rescue dogs to help brighten these friends lives. I am looking forward to the next two books in the series to learn more about these four women and their friendship.
Beautiful, touching story of new friendships kindled by the common bond of fear and grief as a loved one dealt with illness. Three of the women and one man and his daughter struggled with acceptance of their losses and how to move forward with their lives. The Potluck Club allowed them a time and place to come together and deal/survive in their individual ways. Pets were also shown as another way to assist with loss. 4.5*
This book really hit home for me. I lost my aunt who was like a second mom to me to cancer five years ago. It was horrible having to watch her go through all the pain that she did.
Amy, Hazel, Bridget, and Nicole all know what it’s like to have a parent battle cancer. For three of the women, their parents succumb to their battle while Nicole’s father goes into remission. Each have through the motions of grief in order to be able to move on. For Nicole it’s more of letting go of the guilt that her friend’s parents died, but hers got to live.
Amy learns to let go of her grief and give love a chance.
Bridget learns that no matter how busy she keeps herself she will never move on from loosing her father until she slows down and goes through motions of mourning.
This book is so touching and heart warming. I started reading it and finished it the same day. It really helps anyone who has ever lost a loved one to cancer.
A touching story about friendship. Four women bond at the hospital cafeteria; all there because a parent has cancer. The story begins with the third funeral, after one of the parents has gone into remission. The story centers around Amy a second grade teacher and Bridget a veterinary medicine student. Everyone mourns differently, but Bridget’s behavior becomes a bit bizarre and Amy can’t seem to center herself. But they are there for each other’s struggles and meet at least weekly for a Sunday Potluck Dinner. The story is well written, but I found Amy annoying.
I really, really wanted to like this book. I just didn’t. The story just didn’t do much for me. It really had a lot of promise. Four women who become friends as they are helping loved ones travel the horrible road that is cancer. I just couldn’t get into it. The dogs didn’t even pull me in.
I did finish the book, but it was strictly with the hope that it would get better.
Book one in The Sunday Potluck Club series a well written story with a very good storyline. A story of two friends Bridget and Amy who meet through difficult times and how that friendship grows. I recommend this book. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A gripping story about love, loss, and grief. The Sunday Potluck Club interweaves Four heartbroken women, at the cusp of the most devastating time in their lives. They learn to cope.
How to lean on each other and journey through identity challenges as a result of the pain they’ve endured. Melissa Storm is a new-to-me author that I’m glad I had the chance to check out. Her words are beautiful, yet easy to read, and I look forward to the rest of this series. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
The short excerpt was wonderful! Good friends and food make life so much better. When I read the entire novel I will update, so far it’s 5 stars all the way.
UPDATE: This book is absolutely wonderful! If you like a well written book that will keep you turning the pages, grab this book, just make sure you have a box of kleenex handy. This book will touch your heart and soul. I loved it! Thank you Kensington Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this wonderful book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Sunday Potluck Club by Melissa Storm
This is a wonderful story about supporting each other through the toughest times when a loved one is going through one of the toughest diagnosis and most difficult to speak about which is Cancer. As a nurse, this is one of the hardest for me is to go through death and dying with patients and I certainly could see that for caregivers and families, having strong support and love from one another can certainly pull you through even the toughest times. It is not only the person suffering that needs the support but all the other families that are affected as well, I thought that Melissa Storm did a beautiful job writing about the human experience through this fantastic novel that is full of heart and understanding.
The Sunday Potluck Club is about 4 people who developed friendships through these pot lucks in order to help each other move forward with their lives despite the devastating and painful loss they have gone through.
This may have a sad topic but the book is positive and hopeful. Melissa Storm’s brilliance is the development of these characters you will love reading about and people you would want to get to know about. I loved the dialogue, the subject matter, and the overall message of this wonderful read. I highly recommend this and look forward to this start of the series.
This is the story of four women – Bridget, Amy, Hazel and Nichole – who met while each had a parent in the cancer ward of the local hospital. During that time, they started the Sunday Potluck Club which would be hosted at one woman’s home weekly and everyone else would need to bring something.
Amy recently lost her mom and is getting ready to get back to work as a second-grade teacher. One of her students is extremely withdrawn when she arrives as a new student to the school. Bridget volunteers at a local animal shelter and decides to do a Valentine’s Day Adoption Event.
For the most part, the book seems to revolve around Amy and Bridget’s stories while Hazel and Nichole are interspersed throughout. It was a good, quick, lighthearted read once you get past the first 50 pages or so.
Although The Sunday Potluck Club by Melissa Storm is about four women dealing with their parents having had cancer and three of them dying, this book focuses the most on Amy, with Bridget getting a larger share of the story too, compared to Nichole and Hazel.
The book had me crying at the beginning and the end, but the middle didn’t have as strong of a pull on me. Having had cancer myself (currently 10 years in remission) and having lost my mother to ALS five years ago, I quickly found a kinship with these women.
I was really hoping for more story with all four of the ladies involved and a lot less of Amy continually lamenting how she doesn’t deserve to find love so quickly after her mom’s death. Some parts of her new relationship with a student’s father, Trent (who also recently lost his wife to cancer) were cute and uplifting, but there was a lot that was repetitive and dragged the story down for me. And for me, there was a huge red flag that went up with Trent when Amy was unable to keep a promise because she had to help Bridget out, who was in a crisis. Trent’s reaction was so violent and extreme, and I know he’s grieving and people can lash out, but it just had domestic abuse written all over it to me.
Bridget’s part of the story showed another way that people grieve and I really appreciate how realistic Storm was able to write it. The extra touch with the animals at the shelter added a wonderful layer to the story for me, and I was happy to see that book two in the series, Wednesday Walks and Wags, will focus more on Bridget and the animals.
Although I found myself skimming a lot when it came to Amy and Trent’s interactions, I would read the next book if I was looking for something light with a chance of tears.
This is the emotional, fun, heart breaking and healing journey of four engaging women sharing loss, love and food that feeds the soul. Was a great read!
THE SUNDAY POTLUCK CLUB is the first book in the Sunday Potluck Club series. Each will be a stand-alone romance focused on one of the four friends who met and became a support friendship circle while each walked the cancer path with one their parents.
I loved this story. I loved the support, camaraderie, and raw truthfulness of dealing with life during the time of cancer, remission, survivor’s guilt, trying to live while others are dying or dealing with death, coping with loss, celebrating life, denial, anger,… I loved that these women are able to reach beyond themselves while in the darkest days of their lives.
I loved the uplifting lessons that everyone grieves in their own way. Grief has its own timeline for each person. Ask for what you need, without excuses. People need their friends (including the four-footed kind).
Given the subject matter, you know the story is emotional. I will repeat: the story is EMOTIONAL. Bring your tissues; you’ll need them for tears of sorrow and joy.
I wish I had had a group to turn to when I was the support for my sister as she was going through chemotherapy. It has been four years (almost to the day) since she gained her wings, but I still go through the stages and have no close circle that I feels understands. Reading this story, I found four friends who do understand. I am really excited that there will be more books in this series. I will get to reunite with my tribe in August!
Note: While I received this book as a gifted ARC via NetGalley, my opinions are my own and are given freely.
Title: THE SUNDAY POTLUCK CLUB
Series: The Sunday Potluck Club #1
Category /Genre: Contemporary Romance
Recommended for: 14+ due to adult content
Grammar/editing: book received as an unedited ARC / errors excused
Received from: Melissa Storm
It prompted me to think about what I want and what I feel.