Five Miles South of Peculiar: A Novel by Angela Elwell Hunt

"If these three sisters don't change direction, they'll end up where they're going. "Darlene Caldwell has spent a lifetime tending Sycamores, an estate located five miles south of a small town called Peculiar. She raised a family in the spacious home that was her grandfather's legacy, and she enjoys being a pillar of the community. Sycamores is the kingdom where she reigns as queen . . . until her limelight-stealing twin sister unexpectedly returns.

Carlene Caldwell, veteran of the Broadway stage, is devastated when she realizes that an unsuccessful throat surgery has spelled the end of her musical career. Searching for a new purpose in life, she retreats to Sycamores, her childhood home. She may not be able to sing, but she hopes to use her knowledge and experience to fashion a new life in Peculiar, the little town she left behind.

Haunted by a tragic romance, Magnolia Caldwell is the youngest of the Caldwell girls. Nolie has never wanted to live anywhere but Sycamores. She spends her days caring for her dogs and the magnificent gardens she's created on the estate, but when she meets a man haunted by his own tragedy, she must find the courage to either deny her heart or cut the apron strings that tie her to a dear and familiar place.

Can these sisters discover who they are meant to be when life takes an unforeseen detour? In a season of destiny, three unique women reunite and take unexpected journeys of the heart.

Goodreads Summary

Hunt wrote a great Christian fiction novel with a small town feel that is unique to the South. Five Miles South of Peculiar tells the story of the three Caldwell sisters who all end up living at Sycamores estate that they grew up at. Darlene is afraid of living in her Broadway star sister, Carlene’s shadow. Carlene has lost her singing voice after an operation fails and Magnolia had her heartbroken and cannot move on. Reading about the family dynamics and learning about each sister’s past was so interesting. I liked all the characters and was cheering for them from page one. Much of the story was about the sisters opening up to each other and sharing their heartache.
Angela Hunt did a great job endearing the characters to the reader. She also did a spectacular job with detail and description. I felt as if I could see the story taking place. This novel teaches the importance of family and openness. Sisters would love this book and could relate to the situations described. I give this book five out of five stars.

5 Stars

*Reviewed by Kristin*

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This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

Tiger Lily By:Jodi Lynn Anderson

15 year old Tiger Lily, proud and fierce, wild and misunderstood, doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland, and immediately falls under his spell. Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, big-hearted but hard to reach, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything - her family, her future - to be with the haunted, hunted, courageous boy who loves her. When - as a punishment for her rebellious ways - she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter. With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of PEACHES comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

Goodreads Summary


As a kid who loved the “Peter Pan” story, I think my favorite characters were Tinker Bell, Wendy, and of course, Tiger Lily. For Halloween, I was Tiger Lily. Our dolls were sometimes named Tiger Lily.  She was brave, strong, and beautiful.

Telling the story from Tiger Lily’s perspective is very imaginative.  The friendship and then love that grows between Peter and Tiger Lily captures the energy and restlessness of Peter’s personality.  Tiger Lily’s character is close to how I imagined her, but the meanness, harshness, and weaknesses of some people in her village surprised me.   
Anderson’s writing is enchanting.  She describes afaerie’s heart as “small and hard, like tiny grains of sand.”  Tiger Lily “stalked” rather than “walked”.  She still had the“invincibility of a child”. 

Probably because of my love for the original story, this version seemed rather dark and glum.  Even a lesser character like Smee has a scary, twisted mind.  Mermaids, rather than being catty and jealous, are dangerous. This really well-written, creative story intrigued me, but also disturbed me.  Teens and young adults may enjoy reading about these troubled characters, but childhood fans like me may cringe at the presence of cruel realities (other than Hook) in Neverland.

Three and a Half Stars

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The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors

Emmeline Thistle has always had a mysterious bond with cows, beginning on the night of her birth, when the local bovines saved the infant cast aside to die in the forest. But Emmeline was unaware that this bond has also given her a magical ability to transform milk into chocolate, a very valuable gift in a kingdom where chocolate is more rare and more precious than gold or jewels. Then one day Owen Oak, a dairyman’s son, teaches Emmeline to churn milk into butter—and instead she creates a delicious chocolate confection that immediately makes her a target for every greedy, power-hungry person in the kingdom of Anglund. Only Owen loves Emmeline for who she truly is, not her magical skill. But is his love enough to save her from the danger all around her?
In a departure from her contemporary teen romances, Suzanne Selfors crafts an irresistible re-imagined fairy tale that will tempt readers with a delicious story of love that is sweeter than the richest chocolate.

Goodreads Summary

    This book taught me a value of the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.”  When reading the back of the book, I thought the book seemed silly and too young for teen readers.  After reading The Sweetest Spell, I quickly realized that I was wrong.  Selfors wrote a fun book, with a good plot, strong characters, and good lessons.  The plot of the book is about a collapsing kingdom with two defined groups of citizens.  The lesser citizens, the Flatlanders, are blamed for the loss of a delicacy, chocolate and are persecuted because of it.  One Flatlander girl is seen as completely undesirable.  Emmeline Thistle was born with a curled foot and was left in the forest to die, but did not.  She survived because of four local cows that kept her warm and fed until Emmeline was returned to her family.  The event caused Emmeline’s community to think of her as unlucky and strange.  Emmeline now must face another hardship.  Her village has been washed away by a raging river and she is one of the only survivors.  This is where the second main character comes into the story.  Owen Oaks found Emmeline in the river, alive, but near death and saves her.  He does not care that she is a Flatlander.  As they spend time together, he helps her discover that she possesses a rare and highly desirable talent that could save the kingdom. 
    Selfors has a great talent.  She is able to tell a memorable story.  The Sweetest Spell would most likely be enjoyed by female readers, but female readers of any age.  I don’t think we ever out grow a good story with good messages.  Love whoever you want and be the most you can be.  This book earns five out of five stars.   

5 Stars

*Reviewed by Kristin*

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Nerd Girls (A Catastrophe of Nerdish Proportions) by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

The Nerd Girls are back. And though they seek to leave behind all the drama with the popular girls, the ThreePees feel they have a score to settle with the Nerds and will stop at nothing to do so. Fed up with the perpetual infighting, the school principal insists that if the two groups want to continue to “compete” with one another, they will do so in a productive manner and thus forces all six girls, Nerd Girls and ThreePees, to participate in the Academic Septhalon. But Maureen has family troubles. And issues of self-esteem. And a desire to bury her head in the sand and pretend that all of the very real issues she’s facing as a kid who is now growing up are not really happening to her. Are cupcakes, a sarcastic sense of humor and a hope that it will all “just go away” on its own enough to get Maureen through eighth grade? Will Beanpole wake up and smell the coffee? Will Alice really be able to cure herself of the allergies that plague her? It’s the Return of the Nerd Herd, a fast-paced, funny, foray back into the lives of the three nerds we got to know and love in Nerd Girls Book I: The Rise of the Dorkasaurus

Goodreads Summary

 The nerd girls are back and funnier than ever.  The reader will meet Beanpole, Alice, and Maureen once again and in amusing circumstances.  Will Alice poison herself through scientific experiment?  Will Maureen step up and be a leader?  Will Beanpole learn to stick up for herself?  These questions are mostly answered in this next book in the series.

The nerd girls worst nightmare has come true, they must work together with the ThreePees in an Academic Septatholon.  There is scoffing on both sides; the nerd girls believe the ThreePees will hinder their chances at winning and the ThreePees hate being seen with the nerd girls.  Can the two groups ever reconcile?  They don't have any help from their supposed supervisor the vice president, can they pull this off?

Overall, anyone who enjoyed the first book in the series will love this book.  The characters are likable and easy to relate to.  They all have different traits that make them stick out.  It is often hard to enjoy a book with so many main characters, but the author does a great job.  The scenes flow, no awkward transitions or unexplained events.  The ending could have been a little more of a surprise, but it was a worthwhile read.

4 Stars

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