With a dash of magic and an ensemble cast of oddball, small-town characters, this feel-good novel explores forgiveness, family, and the sense of humor it takes to live with the ones we love the most.
Ebey’s End is a small town on an island off the Pacific coast, reachable only by ferry (assuming the gods are with you and it’s not a Tuesday). It’s a comfortable, familiar (but okay, fine, sometimes lonely) life for its resident grocer Anita Odom. That is, until fourteen-year-old July shows up on her doorstep.
Taking in the recently orphaned daughter of an estranged cousin had not been on Anita’s to-do list. In fact, it’s a terrible idea. Anita is ill-suited, ill-prepared, and absolutely certain the entire enterprise will end in disaster—for both of them.
From the moment she arrives, July seems to “know” what each customer at the Island Grocery needs. They’re small: a housekeeping magazine slipped into old Mr. Daly’s basket or a coconut cream pie pressed into the hands of Pastor Chet. But one by one, these gifts start to change the lives of nearly everyone in town in ways much larger than they—or July—could have imagined.
It's not long before secrets are exposed and questions emerge, and everyone in Ebey’s End has to open their hearts a little wider to make room for it all.
Ashley Ream got her first job at a newspaper when she was 16. After working in newsrooms across Missouri, Florida and Texas, she gave up the deadlines to pursue fiction. Her debut novel, Losing Clementine, which sold at auction, was a Barnes & Noble debut pick, a Sutter Home Book Club pick and was short-listed for the Balcones Fiction Prize. She and her books have appeared in L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles Magazine, Bust Magazine, the Kansas City Star and Marathon & Beyond Magazine, among many others. After a decade in Los Angeles, she recently moved to Wisconsin where she runs ultramarathons and is finishing her next novel. Her new book, The 100 Year Miracle, is coming in Spring of 2016.
The Peculiar Gift of July has that little bit of magic that I love in books! It also has secrets, found family, community, and a cast of quirky and interesting characters. When fourteen-year-old July shows up at Anita Odom's doorstop she doesn't know quite what to do with her. July who has been recently orphaned, was the daughter of Anita's estranged cousin.
Anita runs the local grocery, and July has a knack for knowing what each customer needs. Her gift of knowledge soon begins to brighten the lives of those in town. This book is like a smile wrapped in a hug served along a slice of coconut cream pie! I enjoyed the quirky cast of characters and how July came to their small town and changed all their lives. I especially enjoyed watching Anita's transformation from being a lonely woman set in her ways to being a warm embrace and supportive caregiver.
This is a lovely tale about found family, the bonds of a close community, secrets, learning the truth, relationships, and magic! Speaking of magic, I enjoyed the 'gifts' or 'knowledge' that July had. It was used in a minor way in the book and appeared naturally and seamlessly.
Charming, heartwarming, delightful, original and a joy to read! I look forward to reading more of this author's books in the future.
Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
I am not generally a stand-alone book lover, but this book was an exception for me. I love the character of July. The only reason this is not a 5 star book for me is because I would love to have had more of her and her gift throughout this book. It still grabbed me and went at such a fast pace I didn't want to put it down.
The entire book has great characters, and the storyline was amazing also. I especially loved the ending.
The book, The Peculiar Gift of July focuses on a recently orphaned 14 year old girl who comes to live on a small island off the coast of Seattle because her cousin, Anita, is her only surviving blood relative. Anita, who recently lost her own mother has never married and at the age of 40 has taken over running the towns grocery store from her father after he had a stroke and retired.
Initially, Anita is reluctant to take responsibility for July. However, when the social worker informs her that July will become a ward of the court unless she agrees to take care of her, Anita accepts the responsibility of raising a teenager . To make matters worse, July believes she is responsible for her mother’s death. July had a vision of her mother being killed in a car accident. She convinced her to walk to work the day she died. Tragically, July’s mother was killed in a crosswalk by a distracted driver. Now she blames herself. It’s a heavy burden for a 14-year-old to carry..
July seems to constantly know things she shouldn’t be able to know. As she forms acquaintances and then friendships with the residents of the community, she employs her “vision” to assist them in resolving personal challenges, often without their conscious awareness. In a small town, everyone seems to harbor a hidden secret that contributes to their struggles. This book delves into how the community embarks on a journey of self-healing, guided by the subtle nudges from July.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story about individuals facing real-life challenges. Even the subtle elements of magical realism didn’t distract from the meaning of the interconnected subplots that beautifully weave throughout the book. I was delighted to meet the diverse cast of characters, and I particularly loved the evolving relationship between Anita and July.
”knowing you should say something and knowing precisely what that something might be were two different kinds of knowing.”
I rarely write reviews—usually, I’m content to rate a book and quietly read what others have to say. But after finishing the last page of The Peculiar Gift of July, I couldn’t stay silent. This story is simply magnificent.
I picked it up because of the intriguing gift the main character possesses, but soon found myself completely invested in everyone. As the plot unfolded, Ashley Ream’s writing swept me away—sometimes making me laugh out loud, other times nudging me to reflect on my own life, and often making me wish I could pack my bags and move to Ebey’s End.
This is a story about life in all its complexity: the secrets we keep, the ache of grief, the thrill of something new, the courage to start over, the healing power of forgiveness, and the priceless love of friends and family.
For two weeks, these characters were part of my daily routine—and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
I’m a sucker for books set in the PNW, so picked this up even though the description set off my cutesy alarms. It did have a bit of a Hallmark movie vibe (especially the end), but overall I was pleasantly surprised at the writing and storytelling. Recommend!
THE PECULIAR GIFT OF JULY is sprinkled with just the right amount of light-hearted humor and quirky wit to ease the weightiness of the complex issues the story tackles.
What I loved:
➛The writing style ➛The characters ➛The small town setting ➛The touch of magical realism ➛The friendships and found family ➛All the vibes
Reading this book left me feeling happy.
*Thanks to Dutton Books for the free eARC, provided via NetGalley!*
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel – my first exposure to the author. It not only explored some weighty issues – infidelity, adoption, death, loneliness, love, and forgiveness – with sensitivity and compassion, but it also had well-crafted subtle humor woven into the story. I was impressed by the colorful and imaginative descriptions that reflected the author’s skill in creating evocative prose.
Ebey’s End, a fictional small island off the coast of Washington state, is populated by a host of quirky characters who spread gossip at the speed of light. Anita Odom is one such character - a never-married manager of the local grocery store – who notices everything about her patrons’ purchases and deduces the states of their lives. When she suddenly finds herself the guardian of July, her 14-year-old adopted niece, Anita is thrust into a new and very unfamiliar role. July possesses the unusual ability to sense what others (unconsciously) require for much-needed change and thus, sets off a wave of shifting relationships on the island. July’s determination to find her birth mother is the catalyst that unearths deeply held secrets that bring about healing for multiple residents.
I enjoy novels with a touch of magic or paranormal, so this story kept me entertained and engaged from the first chapter. I would have liked more exploration of July’s “peculiar gift,” and perhaps the title can be interpreted on a second level – that July herself was the gift to the islanders.
My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The Peculiar Gift of July is a quiet story that really focused on emotional depth and growth. July is a complicated character who’s been through a lot in her short life, and I loved how her gift was woven into themes of grief, love, and growing up. The pacing is a bit slow in the middle, but the writing was beautiful. A meaningful, character-driven read with a gentle touch of magic.
Ream’s writing is both poetic and inviting. The characters are so well written that they remind you of people in your own life. The level of detail lends a richness to the island of Ebey’s End that makes you feel like you want to stay awhile. This is the perfect cozy read for those who love reading about small towns and found family.
Blurb: With a dash of magic and an ensemble cast of oddball, small-town characters, this feel-good novel explores forgiveness, family, and the sense of humor it takes to live with the ones we love the most.
Ebey’s End is a small town on an island off the Pacific coast, reachable only by ferry (assuming the gods are with you and it’s not a Tuesday). It’s a comfortable, familiar (but okay, fine, sometimes lonely) life for its resident grocer Anita Odom. That is, until fourteen-year-old July shows up on her doorstep.
Taking in the recently orphaned daughter of an estranged cousin had not been on Anita’s to-do list. In fact, it’s a terrible idea. Anita is ill-suited, ill-prepared, and absolutely certain the entire enterprise will end in disaster—for both of them.
From the moment she arrives, July seems to “know” what each customer at the Island Grocery needs. They’re small: a housekeeping magazine slipped into old Mr. Daly’s basket or a coconut cream pie pressed into the hands of Pastor Chet. But one by one, these gifts start to change the lives of nearly everyone in town in ways much larger than they—or July—could have imagined.
It's not long before secrets are exposed and questions emerge, and everyone in Ebey’s End has to open their hearts a little wider to make room for it all.
My Thoughts:
It took me a bit to get into this book. It has multiple POV which can tend to be a challenge/a little confusing. Beyond that, the book seemed to be full random anecdotes that didn’t really seem to pertain to the storyline. As the storyline progresses, these anecdotes become recognizable threads that are being woven into the tapestry of this incredible story that I did not see coming. The ending GOES OFF. If you pick this book up and start to feel a little bored, trust me when I tell you to keep reading. The ending is incredibly rewarding. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable but they make an interesting story about the human condition and how the choices we make affect our lives and the lives of those around us. Definitely worth the read.
This was such a lovely, magical, hopeful story! When you first start reading it, you may find this to be an unusual and seemingly off description, but as you continue to read and watch the universe develop, you will see what I mean. This one is chock full of heartbreak, but things come together in ways that will surprise you - and bring a smile to your face.
The writing style is very engaging. The characters are delightful - they are complicated and bent-not-broken, having persevered despite obstacle after obstacle. There is magic here - not obvious, in-your-face magic, but the sweet and slowly unfolding magic of perception and optimism despite the odds often being stacked against so many of the characters.
Ebey's End is a fabulous setting for the book; its insular nature suits the secretive nature of the story perfectly. This was a lovely read and I'm looking forward to more from Ashley Ream - but not in a stressful, pressure-inducing way, since I learned my lesson from Carol! (that will make sense after you read the book)
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
I absolutely loved this book! It's full of quirky and unique characters, secrets, a bit of magic, and at its core is lots of love in many different forms. People make certain decisions that they think are the best at the time, but later learn that maybe they made the wrong choices. That's a big theme in this book as well. July is a great character because she's young, innocent, smart, spunky, and understands people more than they think she does. Call it intuition, ESP, or just plain old know-how, she gives people what they don't know they need. Anita is a natural mother figure even though she's never been a mother. It just comes naturally to her. Carol is like a lot of married women of her age, dependent on her spouse. She's a lot stronger than she thinks, though. Mack is an old curmudgeon, with wit and fierce love for his daughter Anita. There are quite a few more fantastic characters in this book but I can't write about them all. I'm not writing a book here! Lol! Read this book if you want to find out about all the people of Ebey's End and how having July come into their lives changed everything. (I won this ARC copy here on Goodreads)
Centered around July, a recently orphaned girl after the death of her adoptive mother, and her relationships with the residents of a small island. She seems to know what people need or should do before they do, and nudges them in that direction with subtle and not so subtle clues.
The concept of this book was interesting, and while it was well-written, it never really made me feel anything besides slight intrigue. I don’t really know what to say about it other than that it was unremarkable. Not bad, not good. All in all, I wouldn’t recommend it.
I really liked this book - the writing, the characters, the ending. It is a well written book that felt like a Fredrik Backman book where you don't want to let the characters go. It also has a touch of magical realism - similar to Sarah Addison Allen - which is also a favourite.
'A green speck of an island so far north and west of northwest, folks were in danger of having to learn the metric system and the Canadian national anthem.
'Obligation was underrated. Obligation was the glue that held people together.'
'Her mouth was so full of the words she'd like to have said that they got tangled together and none of them would come out.'
'Everything had gotten sorted, but the glue on the arrangement hadn't yet dried.'
'The true depravity of the human soul can only be know to someone who has cleaned a public toilet...'
'Neither of us did exactly right back then. 'Chet finally said, 'but it's still possible what we did was the best we could have done.'
What a fantastic and heartfelt read! I'm the type of person that reads like she eats a sleeve of girl scout cookies - reading it all quickly and furtively and shoving past packaging to just get to the good stuff. But this book about such an interesting community and place didn't allow me to binge read it. I needed breaks to consider and let the words breathe. Like a handmade quilt, all the separate and distinct personalities came together in the end and filled my heart with warmth. I feel like all the characters in this book are people I've known for years. What a wonderful story and story telling!!
What I loved about this story: - Found Family - Loss and Grief and Healing journeys - Female Friendships - A quirky Old Man (Mack) - Anita's special way of knowing people as a local business owner - July's gifts of really knowing people.
What I didn't love about this story: - I would have loved clearer boundaries in the changing of POVs. Sometimes it felt a little jumpy or muddled.
All in all, The Peculiar Gift of July was a beautiful and cozy read. I really enjoyed the characters, the twists, turns, and resolution.
Thank you to Net Galley, Peguine Group/Dutton, and Ashley Ream for an eARC of this story.
Magical Realism at its finest. I am brand new to Ashley Ream. She writes with vulnerability, wit, and charm. 3D Characters. Did I suspect a second book at the end? You will fall in love with the small village setting, cast of characters, storyline, themes, and humor. Highly recommend.
Oof. This one was tough. I had to force myself to finish this one. And if I took too long of a break I’d forget things. Too many characters. Still not sure what this gift is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was an enjoyable summer read. Good characters, a bit of magical realism, and a satisfying ending. Plus much of it is set in a grocery store on an island. Which is like perfection for me.
I am in a mental health dip (it’s so hot where I live I have summer SAD) and this little bit of magic was like getting some sunshine. I also ugly cried from happiness at the end.
A heartfelt but inconsistent novel—the first 90% is telling one story while the concluding 10% tells another. The end result made both plots feel incomplete.