Skip to main content

Book Review: Paisley Memories by Zelle Andrews

Title: Paisley Memories: The Beginning of Me
Author: Zelle Andrews
Synopsis: At seventeen, Tess Cooper was a high school drop-out, an orphan, and a single mom to a baby girl with Down syndrome. The next two years didn’t turn out like she thought it would. 

After her dad’s death, she flees Brooksville, Alabama, in his beloved 1957 Thunderbird before the red clay on his grave can settle. A year of traveling from place to place brings Tess and Paisley to the deep fried, southern town of Panacea, Florida, where her money runs out. 

A stranger, named Butterball, takes them in and gives Tess a job taking pictures at Wakulla Springs State Park and the annual Sopchoppy Work Grunting Festival. 

Afraid to trust these people, Tess plans to leave, but the T-bird is stolen and she is forced to stay. Paisley is thriving on all the attention. Tess weighs her options. Can she give her baby what she needs? Should she put down roots in this place where she has found friends? Or should she give Paisley up for adoption and head out on a life of her own?

Review: Paisley Memories is the first book by author Zelle Andrews. It's a strong debut. The voice of Tess is consistent and charming. Andrews manages to juggle an impressive cast of characters while making you care about each one and feel like you really know each of them by the end of the book. She also managed to keep several plot lines running under the main plot without either overpowering the main plot or losing track of any of the subplots. I flew through the book in a out three hours but because of the multiple story lines, the book never felt sparse.

My main - well, really only - complaint is that it is at times a bit cliche, but not to the point where I ever wanted to stop reading.

All in all, Paisley Memories is warm and charming and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a mood-lifter.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Wonder That Is NetGalley

I've recently joined NetGalley which is a website where so-called "professional readers" (read: bloggers, librarians, booksellers, etc.) can request print ARCs and e-galleys from publishers. Of course, this is not the only way to request books from publishers. Sometimes bloggers are sent books from publishers without having to ask, but I have not reached that level yet. The other way to get advanced copies is to email the publisher directly and ask for a copy. To do this, you have to write out a whole, official email telling them about yourself and your blog and asking for a copy, which can be very intimidating. I have requested books from publishers directly and I do plan on continuing to do this (it's how I got my copy of Tonight the Streets Are Ours  by Leila Sales) but NetGalley is a great option. You get a faster response and you don't have to write out a whole email. There are a lot of books available to request, especially ones you might not have known ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Spring Reads 2019

I'm coming up to the end of my semester which is a relief. The most exciting part is that I'll finally have time to read! I'm also planning on finally playing some of the video games that the Internet and my boyfriend have been telling me to play for forever.  I thought I would share with y'all the books I'm most looking forward to reading as soon as my exams are over.  Also, for the sake of transparency, the links in this post are affiliate links to Amazon. These don't change the price for you, but I do get a percentage of the cost of anything you buy through the link. It would be great if you used these links, but please feel free to buy these books however you want or get them at your local library.  I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver May 28, 2019 Buy from Amazon When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they're thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husb...
Post a Comment
Read more