Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Dec 31, 2008

Lila rated it:

What a great book this one is. To give you a short description, the story revolves around Meg Powell and Carson McKay. Through their childhood and teenage years they were best friends moving on to being lovers and true soul mates. But then Meg was faced with a marriage proposal from another man and she made a choice to accept it and put her ‘puppy’ love behind (I write ‘made a choice’ because I believe we always have a choice even though those of you who already read it or will read might not ag More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

May 07, 2008

Jackie rated it:

This book is all about what it is we do for love--love of parents, of children,
of siblings, of the boy next door. Meg Powell and the next door boy Carson McKay were inseparable since their 5 and 6 year old selves met on the country
school bus. They were even going to get married--until suddenly Meg was offered an opportunity to help her dirt poor parents and 3 sisters have a much better life. At the cost of her happiness and great secrecy. Flash forward 16
years and all of the More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 31, 2011

Karen rated it:

I loved so many things about the book, mostly how Therese took the reader from 'commercial' fiction to 'literary' fiction (I hate labels but need one or the post will be forever!) The theme's were deep, I am grateful for the courageous stand Therese took with her first novel.

"Fiction is where you get to read the truth" holds true for this novel. Deep Spiritual truths like you can't always control what happens to you, but you can control how your respond. The brutal nature of More...

0 comments like

Aug 20, 2010

Vivian rated it:

I can't believe all of the favorable reviews that this book has generated. I couldn't read past the first 75 or so pages. It all felt very Lifetime movie to me with plastic characters and a less than interesting storyline. I don't think she writes that well. I've lost interest in reading her debut effort and will be posting that book onto my bookshelf shortly.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 07, 2008

Alison rated it:

Did not like this book for a few reasons... #1) subject matter such as teenage sex and drug use, #2) some bad language, #3) the storyline turned out to be plain dumb, and #4) because I would consider myself to be a pretty picky reader. Most of all, though, the characters in this book didn't have the best morals and it bugged me.

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 23, 2008

Therese rated it:

I'm kind of partial to this book, it being my first published novel and all. :)

9 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jul 07, 2009

betsy rated it:

For some reason a lot of the reviews compare this to Nicholas Sparks; it's not like that - it is good.
I agree with the reader who said she was really surprised. I read the prologue and almost didn't continue because I was expecting a soap opera-y potboiler and found a very realistic story about people making hard choices and having real problems and found myself moved to tears for the first time since I first read "Cider House Rules" maybe 20 years ago. I've found myself " More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 18, 2009

JoJo rated it:

I'm not an expert i just know what i like, and i really enjoyed this story. I loved the characters. I loved that it was so real. I really felt for Meg. I'm someone who always sacrifices for others, and this really hit home & told me i need to really live and not waste my life. (even though i am really young).Carson was a great character( i wanted him and Meg together so bad!) i fell inlove with his character. I definently cried a waterfall when meg was suffering with the disease. As it moved fro More...

0 comments like

Aug 22, 2011

Beth rated it:

This is a very compelling story. What would you do if you were terminally ill with a disease that would rob your body of the ability to move? ALS is akin to being buried alive--your body wastes away leaving you immobile while your mind remains fully functioning. I know because I watched as this hideous disease ravaged my mother's body. Therese skillfully captures the emotional and physical impact as well as the repercussions that the disease can have on the lives of family and friends. I highly More...

0 comments like

Jul 17, 2009

Soni rated it:

I picked this book up from my book club not knowing anything about it and I have to say I loved it. Maybe because I saw my first boyfriend this week for dinner and my mother was in town, I don't know but the writing was excellent, the premise of the story was captivating. It was the first novel for the writer and I think I will have to check her other books out. After reading this book it promoted a long, intense dicussion with my husband and I and I think that is proof that the author was co More...

0 comments like

Jul 29, 2010

Jenn rated it:

The beginning of this book was interesting enough, but suddenly it turned into Lifetime TV for Women. I finished the book to see where it was going but I really didn't enjoy it. Cheesy ending. The other problem is the author gave too much attention to the 'good' guys in the story. I would have loved to hear from Meg's husband point of view too. Does he really love her, how did her illness effect him, along with her decisions, etc. Certainly would have given the story a bit more depth, tha More...

0 comments like

Oct 20, 2010

Ns rated it:

Souvenir is about living with the choices that have shaped and altered life.

Meg Powell and Carson McKay are childhood sweethearts and soul mates who were meant to be together. Meant to marry and make a life together. Then circumstances present Meg with an opportunity to better the lives of her loved ones, or so she thinks. Although, her decision to marry another man means sacrificing her future with Carson she resolutely accepts the opportunity, a reflection of her nature as the fam More...

0 comments like

Aug 27, 2008

Kathy added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 23, 2008

Jen rated it:

I read the prologue online and was hooked. The prologue introduced the main character, the love of her life and showed their last moment together before she had to marry a different man...but the love of her life doesn't know she 'has' to marry the other man.

The rest of the book didn't grip me as much as the prologue but it was still good. I really connected with the MC and the sacrifices she made in life...I could definitely sympathize with this character. And I think this author d More...

0 comments like

Jan 09, 2010

Meg rated it:

I was a little disapointed in the turn that this book took. I liked the characters and the love story. I wish that the author did not drag on the ALS as much and the ending was blah. I thought the author developed the characters and made me feel like I knew them, but then it just fizzled. I would not compare Therese Fowler to Nicholas Sparks. I rated this as "I liked it", which I did. I coudnt put it down becuase I wanted to see what happened next. But then about 3/4 the way thr More...

3 comments like

Jul 12, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

Reviewed by Amanda Dissinger for TeensReadToo.com

SOUVENIR is a heart-wrenching novel in the vein of Nicholas Sparks' THE NOTEBOOK and A WALK TO REMEMBER.

It is a novel about lost love, the possibility of second chances, and the fate that brings us all together.

Meg is a doctor with a sixteen-year-old daughter, and a businessman husband. Things seem to be normal in her life; she's stable at home, and she loves her job. However, she's still holding on to many se More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 18, 2011

Tiffanie rated it:

most amazing book i've read in a while. Everything this mother goes through to help her parents keep their farm. an the unhappiness she endured giving up the person she felt was her soulmate to help her parents. All the unknown questions she didnt have answers to an left the world still not knowing the one she wanted to most. Im glad she got to spend as much time as she could with her daughter. i dont think she was being selfish with how the book end. its a must read in my opinion.

0 comments like

Aug 31, 2009

Shona rated it:

Meg Powell has been diagnosed with a deadly illness at the same time that her childhood sweetheart re-enters her life. Carson Mckay is a famous musician who is idolised by Meg's daughter Susannah.

The story follows how Meg struggles t come to terms with her illness and how her life turned out after she left Carson and married her husband. At the same time her daughter ends up in a dangerous sexual relationship with someone she met online.

0 comments like

Feb 06, 2010

Justin rated it:

This book is definitely not a light read. It's pretty heavy and emotional, but I enjoyed it very much. The characters were strong and very realistic. The characters take you along on a roller coaster ride of events in their lives and with those events a roller coaster of emotions.

If you're looking for a quick and light hearted read, save this book for another time. But I definitely recommend it, just have a box of tissues nearby.

0 comments like

Jun 15, 2009

Christy rated it:

I vacillated between not really not liking the story line of this book and not being able to put it down. I was not prepared to be saddened and sometimes even angry when reading this story, so in the book's defense, it's not at all what I was expecting. That being said, it's a good story that does make you think. The major turnoff for me in this book was related to Savannah; her character seemed to be somewhat thrown together and her part in the story line was too fantastic and unbelievable som More...

0 comments like

Oct 26, 2011

Jeanne rated it:

I'm not sure what to think about this book. The premise is a little unbelievable - parents' debt paid off if daughter will marry suitor. Resulting husband becomes distant and uninvolved, though you would expect him to be controlling. Rejected lover becomes famous rock star and pines for lost love. Questionable paternity. Terminal disease. The biggest issue I have is that the main character, Meg, just isn't very likeable. Still, I kept reading.

0 comments like

Jan 28, 2012

Ashley rated it:

I liked this one a lot better than I thought I would! It's a little bit love story and a little bit life/regret/redemption and has a dash of social issues thrown in. A touch sappier than I typically prefer, but Fowler handled the various subject matters adeptly and without the typical sugary sweetness that turns my stomach.

The characters were well-developed and multi-dimensional; I had no trouble identifying with them and their various positions, simultaneously, which added a nice de More...

0 comments like

Sep 10, 2009

Onewooga rated it:

What can I say--my mom left it after her last visit and I was curious. It was sad, but sort of a romance novel in slightly more sophisticated clothing (the guy doesn't get the girl, and there's less bodice-ripping). Actually, I take that back--there's not that much sex, so it's more like Jodi Picoult (the one book I read of hers, anyway) with a bit more depth. I wouldn't buy it, but I didn't hate it.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 08, 2009

Jule rated it:

When I bought this book, all I was expecting from the blurb on the back was a nice love story, but I was put right circa in the middle of the book. I couldn't put it down and had a sad expression on my face or was even sobbing during the second half of the book.
It's such a tragic story, that made me think about life, how valuable family is and that some decisions just can't be undone!

0 comments like

Apr 18, 2010

Kathy rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Oct 05, 2009

Kristen rated it:

read this one really quickly. fell into the story and really wanted to see what was going to happen with the characters. slightly predictable, but i still enjoyed it. good writing - which is sometimes hard to come by when you just want a 'light' read. wasn't super fond of savannah's charaacter. i know spoiled little rich girl and all that but she couldn't possibly be that stupid right?

0 comments like

Feb 18, 2009

Melinda rated it:

This book was a bit strange...about a woman in love with her long time boyfriend, but marries someone else because it was a business deal. Then she doesnt know if her daughter is her husbands or the long time boyfriends. Then her sister gets kidnapped by guys she met online and then the mom reconnects with her long time love, then comits suicide. Weird book

0 comments like

Jul 12, 2008

Adrienne rated it:

When you can figure out the end from the prologue you assume the book is not going to be good. But you (read I) stick with it because you hate giving up on a book. It’s the journey right? You know how it’s going to end but it the how you get from A to B that’s important.
I am so very happy that I stuck with this book. It starts out very cheesy, boy meets girl, boy wants to propose to girl, girl breaks up and marries someone completely wrong. Being an avid reader of “romance” novels y More...

0 comments like

Oct 23, 2010

Val rated it:

This is one of those amazing books that stays with you for a lifetime. Fowler writes a complicated plot with an ending that completely pierces your heart. I finished this book and sat and thought for a couple of hours. Then, I went to Barnes and Noble and purchased a leather-bound blank journal. This book is one I will read over and over again.

0 comments like

Sep 28, 2009

Mindy rated it:

I didn't expect this to be so sad! I'm not a fan of depressing books. It was written well, that is way I am rating it three stars. Sorry, though its just not for me. The cover looked so fun... definite lessons in this one. choose to be happy : ) if your not, change it before its too late. Always make time for your loved ones. Cherish life, and live each moment like it is your last

2 comments like