I think I would actually rate this book as a 3.5. I did enjoy it, but it seemed to be lacking in some way, though I can't quite put my finger on it.
The story starts in New York, but circumstances change suddenly, so the family moves to New Hampshire, into the house that used to belong to Susannah's parents. This is quite a change in lifestyle for both Susannah & her family, & all have to adapt to their new lives. Her son, Jack, has an easier time of it, but her daughter, Cally, is having a much more difficult time. She is angry & seems to hate everyone.
Susannah had spent one summer in this house, with her parents, & she has a lot of memories of that time. She meets people she used to know & meets new people, too. One such person, Alice Renfrew, is an elderly lady, with an air of mystery about her. She bonds with Cally, which Susannah knows is good, yet she feels jealous. Susannah also meets Corbin Bailey, who owns the hardware store. She knew him during that long-ago summer & finds herself drawn to him.
There is a bit of a mystery in this book, as well. Susannah finds a love letter, written to her mother, but not signed, & definitely not from her father. This starts an intense search for more clues. Polly, Susannah's best friend, feels Susannah has become a bit obsessed with this alleged affair her mother had. She thinks Susannah should focus on her future & her family instead of the past.
There is certainly a lot going on in this book, most of it very interesting. Yet, at the same time, it felt a bit shallow to me, which is why I would not give it a solid 4 stars. Susannah always seems a bit too distracted to me. Her main focus, at first, is writing a new book. She is focusing on Ruth Blay, the last woman to be hanged in New Hampshire. It was a bit disconcerting for me, at least in the beginning, to be reading a book within the book. At least the print for Susannah's novel was in italics, so it was easy to follow. I did get used to this style & found I enjoyed both books. To be honest, I found I was enjoying Susannah's book, about Ruth Blay, more than the main story.
All in all, it was a good book, great for a weekend's reading. The air of mystery that surrounds the family, Alice, as well as Susannah's mother, make for an interesting read. It kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next. In spite of a bit of disappointment, I would still try another book by Yona Zeldis McDonough.