Goodbye Again by Mariah Stewart

Name of Book: Goodbye Again

Author: Mariah Stewart

ISBN: 978-1542033084

Publisher: Montlake 

Part of a Series: An Invincible Summer prequel 

Type of book: contemporary, small town, modern times,healing, work, bookstore, second chances, questions, art, Massachusetts, beach, summer to fall, repair, fixing, vision, slow, tender, relationships, secrets 

Year it was published: 2022

Summary:

A woman strives to move beyond her devastating past in an uplifting novel filled with hope and second chances by New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart.

In the wake of her daughter’s unexplained suicide and her husband Jim’s sudden abandonment, Liddy Bryant is determined to move on and make some positive changes in her life. In her hometown of Wyndham Beach, the neglected and shuttered bookstore is also in need of renewal, and Liddy recognizes an opportunity to get herself and the bookshop back on track. With a little help from her friends, she’s well on her way.

Local contractor Tuck Shelby has been a friend of Liddy’s forever. He’s made himself indispensable in the rehab of her shop—and in her life—but now he wants out of the friend zone. Then Jim returns with a long-overdue apology, hoping for forgiveness and a chance to start over, and Liddy has a life-changing choice to make.

Into a year when Liddy’s faced changes and the shocking truth of a well-kept secret comes not only a second chance at love, but a second chance at life

Characters:

Main character includes Liddy Bryant, a fifty something year old woman whose only daughter has recently committed suicide, and also whose husband has made a choice to abandon her. Wanting to do something with her life, she buys a bookstore that's coming apart at the seams and with the help of her friends as well as a local contractor, she brings it back to life, never imagining the possibilities that will arrive with such decision. Supporting characters would include Tuck Shelby, a contractor who helps Liddy with the work and who also has a job of helping raise his three grandchildren. Grace, Maggie's daughter also has a big role in the book and she is trying to make some tough decisions as well, whether to put in roots or leave the place she is finally happy in.  

 
Theme:

Don't rush through life 

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative from Liddys point of view, although few times Grace, Maggie's oldest daughter ( Maggie is protagonist of previous book, AN INVINCIBLE SUMMER) also joined in. Mariah Stewart's novels are not fast paced, but instead are best described as a meandering river through the woodland glade without waterfalls. the novels also focus heavily on community, family and friendships, although there are romances, the goal is more like healing. Having said that, GOODBYE AGAIN accomplishes such objectives beautifully, with Liddy Bryant attempting to heal her heart due to some personal tragedies in her life. The novel focuses a lot on the bookstore she owns as well as slowly developing confidence in herself and her abilities. I look forward to the third novel.    

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

Mariah Stewart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of forty-one novels and three novellas and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. She is a RITA finalist in romantic suspense and the recipient of the Award of Excellence for contemporary romance, a RIO Award for excellence in women's fiction, and a Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times Magazine. A three-time winner of the Golden Leaf Award presented by the New Jersey Romance Writers, Stewart was recently awarded their Lifetime Achievement Award (which placed her in their Hall of Fame along with former recipients Nora Roberts and Mary Jo Putney — very excellent company, indeed!)

After having written seven contemporary romance novels, Stewart found true happiness writing murder and mayhem. She considers herself one lucky son of a gun to have landed the best job in the world: getting paid for making up stories. At home. In sweats and J. Crew flip flops. Could life be sweeter?

Opinion:

Truly, GOODBYE AGAIN is a classic Mariah Stewart novel because it contained a lot of my favorite elements on what makes Mariah Stewart an amazing writer: the healing of main character as she tries to move past her daughter's suicide, the small and charming town where residents are big hearted, the details of daily life, the treasures of small moments in daily life as well as major focus on community and friendship and family with romance taking a quiet backseat. Every year when I have a chance to read a Mariah Stewart novel, it's like the coming of holidays as I dive into the novel afresh, looking forward to the slow crawl of life and just letting the novel awash me. An equivalent of calmly swimming in the most beautiful and serene place in the world.  

This was given for review 

5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)