First Frost (Waverley Family, #2) in The Sarah Addison Allen Fan Group

Sep 11, 2014 Carolyn Hill rated it really liked it

I love being in the worlds Sarah Addison Allen creates. All the senses are more vibrant, the air sparkles, an apple tree holds a grudge, a house will lock its doors on you, and enchanted food can make lovers swoon. It's a most benevolent magic, at least for those deserving of it. It's a very comforting world, though to those Waverleys blessed with the gift, magic can set you apart, mark you as odd, and fitting in with normal people means sacrificing who you are. In different ways, the Waverley w I love being in the worlds Sarah Addison Allen creates. All the senses are more vibrant, the air sparkles, an apple tree holds a grudge, a house will lock its doors on you, and enchanted food can make lovers swoon. It's a most benevolent magic, at least for those deserving of it. It's a very comforting world, though to those Waverleys blessed with the gift, magic can set you apart, mark you as odd, and fitting in with normal people means sacrificing who you are. In different ways, the Waverley women and girls have to come to terms with that. First Frost is a return to the Waverleys we met in Garden Spells, and if you haven't read the first book, you should before reading this one. I think this is a bit of a love letter to Allen's fans, who were so enamored of Garden Spells. I include myself among those. It's been ten years since we left the characters behind, and, for the most part, things are going well for the Waverley sisters - marriages are happy, business is good, families are close. But in the real world, things are never quite happily ever after. For Claire, self-doubt enters in, there's money to earn and college to fund. Her sister Sydney thinks only having a baby would make the family complete and give her husband the son he deserves. And, though she knows with her deepest sense it's right, Sydney's teenage daughter, Bay, falls for the one guy who apparently doesn't want anything to do with her and whose family has a difficult history with her own. Then a strange elderly man shows up and makes Claire doubt all that she thought she knew about herself.

This sequel does not have the tension and angst of the first book, and conflict is relatively minor. Still, the plot has a magnetic pull, making it a "quick read." Bay's story is the most compelling, and, I feel, could have been more elaborated. There are no real surprises, and we know there will be a happy ending. (Even the unhappy event that was foreshadowed did not happen.) Nevertheless, it is a delicious experience dropping in on old friends and tasting the magic again. ...more

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Sep 11, 2014 Kathy rated it really liked it

too much time between books and it's hard to slow down and savor them. But Sarah has done it again. I LOVE the Waverly women and hope to hear much more from them. ...more

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Sep 18, 2014 Deb rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: foodie-fiction, chick-lit, romance, fiction, science-fiction-fantasy

I will admit to being concerned about a second book about one of my favorite fictional families The Waverleys, introduced in Garden Spells-one of my top foodie fiction titles. I wasn't sure that author Sarah Addison Allen could capture the same sense of magic that filled Garden Spells. Still, I was anxiously awaiting the publication when I found an ARC available on NetGalley, and a desire to find out what was happening in the next chapter of the Waverley's lives had me snapping it up.

The book t I will admit to being concerned about a second book about one of my favorite fictional families The Waverleys, introduced in Garden Spells-one of my top foodie fiction titles. I wasn't sure that author Sarah Addison Allen could capture the same sense of magic that filled Garden Spells. Still, I was anxiously awaiting the publication when I found an ARC available on NetGalley, and a desire to find out what was happening in the next chapter of the Waverley's lives had me snapping it up.

The book takes us back to Bascom, NC, ten years after Garden Spells. (If you have not read Garden Spells, I would recommend you do so before diving into First Frost to get the background of the characters and understand the Waverley's magical talents.) Claire, married to Trey and mother of a daughter (Mariah, has dropped the catering business and instead is caught up in an ever-growing hard candy production after her magical treats have been 'discovered' and all of the media attention has the orders pouring in. Sydney owns the hair salon now and is married to Henry (who adopted Bay) and wants to give him a baby. Little Bay is now 15 and in love with a local boy--Josh Matteson who is freaked out when she tells him they 'belong' together and does his best to ignore her. Evanelle's health is fading and Fred is her housemate and caregiver. The family is waiting for the first frost of autumn when the magical apple tree begins to bloom and change and fresh starts happen--meanwhile a mysterious old man pops up in town with an interest in the Waverley's particularly Claire and his appearance could have big effects on the family.

It took me a few chapters to get caught back up into the Waverley's lives and into the story but Addison Allen has created such great characters in these women that it was easy to get wrapped up in the drama and the magic. Bay has retained the "old soul" she had as a child and my favorite parts of the book involved her. Garden Spells is still my favorite Sarah Addison Allen book but First Frost still enchants and is a wonderful way to catch up with characters that feel like good friends. Here's hoping there is a third book.

Note: I received a review copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher but my thoughts and opinions are my own. ;-)

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Sep 13, 2014 Glenda added it

I read this book because it is somewhat a sequel to Garden Spells. I really enjoyed Garden Spells and re-read it before reading First Frost. I didn't enjoy First Frost as much as I enjoyed Garden Spells but it was still a good book. ...more

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