This was such a great read that I immediately looked for more from this author to purchase. This is such an intriguing story and I really enjoyed the characters, I was drawn into their storylines and fully engrossed. Job wonderfully done to this Author who I hope will have more to share in the future. My heart broke for Jess Abbot who has lost so much and you feel her pain through the story. I enjoyed Lucy and her friend and how the small town works embraces her and how their lives weave together. And truth be told it would have been enough w/just Jess and Lucy but intertwining Star and the authenticity of her character was really wonderful.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and offer feedback on this book, I thoroughly enjoyed and will be looking for more from Melissa Payne in the future.

This book is part mystery, part horror, part fantasy and part thriller.
But it is such an usual read which I loved from the beginning. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all
What an original read

Loved it!!! The book was simply beautiful. Magical!!! I loved everything about it- the story, characters and writing style. Everything eventually all fits in place and you finally see the big picture and how everyone is connected to each other. I did get misty eyed a few times (OK I admit a tear might have slipped out.) All the little notes popping up and that calendar, there was definitely magic in that house and a ghost. Loved the banter between Jess and Star. Star's remarks definitely made me smile. The book deals with grief, love, forgiveness, friendship and a slight crazy lady (believed to be a witch) who has a thing for loose ends. Lucy's really not crazy. She's a wonderful woman whose there to help people when they need it the most. Everyone seems to be hiding a few secrets, but they don't stay hidden for long. Lucy's crossword puzzle has a way revealing them one word at a time.

Definitely recommend the book and I look forward to reading more books by the author. I loved the cover.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Secrets of Lost Stones was such a great read, but it's one that I'm finding difficult to review. It's a little difficult to explain without giving away important parts of the story.

Jess, one of the main characters, stops in this strangely deserted looking town wanting to fill her tank before it's empty. Nothing seems to be open except a general store that should really be in a ghost town. She meets Lucy who is clairvoyant, but in an odd sort of way. Lucy gets clues in her daily crossword puzzles and the answers to the clues turn out to be important to what needs to be solved.

Lucy is such a great character! Rather than making her a "normal" clairvoyant, Melissa Payne really changed her up and gave her interesting, quirky ways of solving problems. Star joins the cast also and is a teen that's really been through the system and seen all the ugly. Great characters and a plot that kept me reading made for a wonderful weekend with this book.

Do yourself a favor and check out Melissa Payne's first book. I think, like me, you'll watch for her in future.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own and happily given because I really loved this story.

This is a book that took me into a story that was intriguing, emotional and mysterious. The characters have a common thread but that thread has all kinds of loose ends that need to be tied together. I felt compelled to read the pages and to discover the reason and how those ends would be tied. How, what seemed like coincidental meetings, were really meant to happen and why.

What kind of secrets can a stone hold? Or is it the secrets that are held in a person's mind and heart that the stones help to reveal? The character of Lucy, the "witch of Pine Lake", holds the secrets to the answers. "I'm Lucy", she said, winking, "and I know things." She's a little, old lady who owns an old house in Pine Lake where the characters find themselves. "It was hard not to like the old woman, even if she was an odd mix of fairy godmother and witch." Her home feels like the place where the characters of Jess and Star belong and it holds them there by some mysterious force.

Jess and Star are two characters whose lives are broken. Each for different reasons. Lucy knew something. Each chapter in the book is told from the POV of Jess and Star. The threads start to connect as each of the character's pasts start to be revealed. There's a cast of characters that blend into the present to help Jess and Star begin to discover what has torn their lives apart for so many years. How are they connected? It's Lucy's mission, through crossword puzzles and questions, to tie it all together. "Lucy knew something; otherwise, Star and Jess and Chance wouldn't all be here together, and it was only a matter of time before it would all come out."

I enjoyed this book and the unusual ways the author intertwined the characters together. It's a tragic and emotional story. My heart ached for Jess and Star. How would they help to heal each other when there was so much pain carried within each one? I bonded with Lucy and her mysteriousness. Her heart for the people's loose ends that need tied together makes me love her so much.

"It takes time for all the loose ends to be in one place, but once they are, things tend to move quickly."

This is a very good debut novel for Melissa Payne. I enjoyed it very much. Her writing is very descriptive and I was taken to my home state of Colorado. I also experienced the paranormal events with a quickening heart, the suspenseful scenes with anxiousness, and the tragedies with heart wrenching sadness. There were things that happened I never expected. I loved the emotions that were pulled out of me by this story. This is a good read and I'm looking forward to reading the next book by Ms. Payne.

I want to thank Netgalley, Lake Union and Melissa Payne for the opportunity to read this book!

Overall: 4/5 Stars
Characters: 4/5 Stars
Believability: 3.5/5 Stars
Personal Opinion: 4/5 Stars

This is a book with a lot of real life issues and emotions, but it is also threaded through with this sense of paranormal. I really enjoyed that balance between the two. At one point, I was a little worried that this was going to have a much darker ending than I prefer, but I was pleasantly surprised it didn’t go that direction.

I was surprised that I liked the majority of the characters in this book, because that is kind of rare for me. They were all really well written and well balanced with the layers they were supposed to have. I loved Lucy’s character and I would have loved to have gotten more of her history because she is so interesting.

This is just a really good, solid story all the way through. Because of the ghostly paranormal vibe, this would be a great book for a fall/Halloween read without being over the top scary.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions stated are honest and my own.

I LOVED this book and put it down several times so I’d savor the writing and not hurry to the end. The plot was unique and had me captivated from first page to last and the characters were written beautifully so I was invested in their lives.
Jess Abbot, a very sad and grieving woman because of the death of her son, runs out of gas in a deserted town where she meets a strange older woman, Lucy. Lucy seems to have been waiting for her and soon Jess is living with Lucy as her caregiver in her home. Lucy insists they travel back to the city where they meet Star, a homeless teen who's been living on the street. Star comes to live with them also as Lucy insists it’s all for a reason and she is helping them tie loose ends together. At this time it becomes apparent Lucy has a gift for seeing and knowing things others can’t, and as their days continue together the loose ends and coincidences are slowly becoming clearer.
A beautiful read from start to finish, I highly recommend The Secrets of Lost Stones.

The Secrets of Lost Stones was emotional and intriguing women’s fiction with mystery, drama and spirits that revolved around Jess and Star, two loose ends tied up in picturesque setting of Pine Lake. It was about getting over loss, grief and haunted memories, giving life a second chance, friendship and bonding with new people and place, hope, justice, and redemption.

“World is not just round, it’s small too.” That fits so right here.

Characters-

Jess, in early 30s, was broken wondering soul until she found Lucy and worked as her caregiver. She was fragile, deeply suffering from loss of her son. I had mixed feeling about her reaction towards Star, initially. I understood it was tough for her to care for another child who was of her son’s age but she insisting Star should not live at Lucy’s house little ticked me off. Her intentions were right and I could hear her point but at some time I felt she was being unfair. But overall, I liked her. She was not perfect, just hurt. She was realistic and amazing character in the book.

Star was 15yr old teenage foster kid who ran away from her foster home and was living on streets until Lucy found her, invited her with a curious letter. She was tough, strong, smart-ass, and clever girl. She was real fast at understanding signs, opposite of Jess who took eternity to understand what was going on. I liked her reaction towards Lucy, her big home and niceness of people at Pine Lake, her feeling of hope, the way her shell melted during her stay at Lucy’s place. She was mature for her age, helped Jess and Lucy, bonded nicely with all characters, and appreciated Lucy’s help. I understood her fear and emotions. She turned out such beautiful character in the book who deserved all the love.

Lucy– Here comes my favorite character. She was around 80yr old, peculiar, gifted, and unbelievably strong and tough witch of the Pine Lake who made me smile every time I read about her and her conversation with characters. I loved her sticky notes, and crossword puzzles, and calendar.

All characters were developed, sensible, lovable, and realistic. Okay, not all! Villain was such deceiving and heartless but I liked the way character was presented.

What I liked-

First of all loved writing style. It was flawless, descriptive, beautiful, and also emotive. I loved the small town setting. Pine Lake, people of the town, their stories and their love for Lucy was great in this book. What I wouldn’t give to have house like Lucy’s. Lucy’s big, old Victorian house and the ghost town gave the haunting feel to the book.

Story was told in dual perspective. Star and Jess both had intense voice that drew me right into their world of grief, loss and ocean of memories. They both told their story, their thought about other characters brilliantly.

It started with Jess arriving Pine Lake, broke, jobless and homeless without any aim, who stumbled upon Lucy’s shop where she found a job and opportunity to start over. Star, a teenage foster kid, living on streets also found an opportunity to live better life when she accidently met Lucy and Jess. Accidents don’t just happen when Lucy is mediator. She called these two ‘loose ends’ who needed to be at one place, destined to tie up, but why? What was connecting these loose ends, and how Lucy knew about it, what she was seeing and how she was helping them by bringing them together? And then there was other mysteries, how Star lost her best friend, how Jess lost her son and what he was doing outside of their apartment on the road? It made me intrigued and story so interesting and gripping.

When Jess and Star gathered at one place, things started to take shape. Like Lucy’s cross-word puzzle, one by one gates of their memory and secrets opened, their connection started to make sense. At around 60% I figured out who was the cause of their loss. Sounds predictable, huh? But no, here is what impressed me most. Even though I made the story sound simple, it was not, it was complex and dramatic. Author opened the cards of mystery one at a time, revealing the right card at right time keeping enough suspense that made me read story till the end.

Emotions ruled the characters’ life and story. Their grief, anger, loneliness, hopelessness, fear were deep, I could feel what they were going through and I could easily put myself in their situation. I bet most of the readers will feel connected to them. Jess thought she couldn’t be mother again but oh, how wrong she was. Her motherly nature, her care for Star was just right and enough to make Star feel wanted, to remind her of her own mother. Bond between these ladies from three different generation was mesmerizing.

The mix of realistic and supernatural elements was seamless and well presented. I liked the theme of the book- justice and redemption, second chance to life, letting go of past, and freeing the taught pent up emotions and energy.

Climax was most interesting. I was waiting for this moment so long. Even though I saw it coming, I couldn’t figure ‘how’ until I read it. The events between climax and end were tight and tense. That supernatural part in the end gave the story perfect end.

Overall, I just loved everything about this book. Great plot and setting, emotions and drama, perfect blend of realistic and supernatural world, wonderful characterization, and intriguing mystery. It was wow.

Jess Abbott has nothing left in her life, so she packs her few belongings into her beat up car and heads for somewhere else, any big town. When she runs out of gas in the small mountain town of Pine Lake, she wanders into the market, and ends up with a job as a caregiver to the elderly owner. Lucy sees loose ends and was expecting Jess, but she isn’t the only one. When teen runaway, Star comes into the picture, unexpected connections are made and the loose ends start to tangle.
I have always loved books with a touch of magical realism, and this one falls into this category. The characters are interesting, and both Jess and Star could use a break and some happiness, and it’s interesting to watch the ends get tugged and see how Lucy’s “gift” affects not only those around her, but Lucy herself.
This debut kept me reading and brought me to tears more than once. This one will wrench your heart but leave you with a glow of contentment.
#melissapayne #thesecretsofloststones #lakeunionpublishing

Jess is running low on gas and takes the exit to pine lake.the town of pine lake is deserted early in the afternoon.she is thirty two and left to travel after an eviction notice. I didn't feel an connection to the characters.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a ARC for a honest review.

I loved this book! Very heart touching with a touch of mystery thrown in. I cried, I smile, I gasped...covers such a range of emotions!
The story grabbed me from the beginning and kept me engaged throughout the whole story at times had me on the edge of my seat!
The writing flows well and the characters are likeable and so interesting and mysterious!!
I give this 41/2 stars so will round it up to 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5 rounded up.

The Secrets of Lost Stones by Melissa Payne is such a jarring and emotional book, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to read it.

What it's about: Jess is only 32 but she has lost everything: her job, her home, and most importantly, her son. She packs up the few things she owns and heads from Denver into the mountains where her car dies in the small town of Pine Lake. She takes a job as a caregiver for a woman named Lucy, who may be old but is said to be the 'Witch of Pine Lake'. She has premonitions and constantly talks to Jess about her 'loose ends' that need to be tied up. Enter Star, a young runaway off the streets of Denver that has been invited to stay in Lucy's home, much to Jess' worry that someone is missing her. But Jess and Star have a connection, and it might be the thing that can heal them both.

I think it is going to be hard for me to put into words quite just how I felt about The Secrets of Lost Stones. It is such an emotional book, and even though I eventually figured out what was going on before it was revealed, that didn't make a bit of difference to change how I felt about the book as a whole. It was a page-turner, and I was so engaged that I had a hard time putting it down. I would try to read another book but kept coming back to it because I just had to know how it would end.

I loved so many characters in this book. Lucy, Star and Jess were all wonderful, and so was Lucy's friend Phoebe plus other supporting characters. Bad things happen and it is heartbreaking, but there were also moments that made me smile and laugh out loud. I think Payne managed to create the perfect blend of sadness and happiness in The Secrets of Lost Stones. The viewpoints switch between Lucy and Star, and while I would have been interested in a bit of Lucy's POV, I still loved the way these two viewpoints came together in the book.

There is a hint of the supernatural in The Secrets of Lost Stones, so for those of you that don't like that in a book this might not be the right read. For me though, it was chilling but wonderful, and actually gave me goosebumps more than once. I am really interested in Lucy as a character and would love to see her come back in another novel as maybe a prequel?! She was such an interesting person, and her 'gift' is something I would love explored in another book.

Song/s the book brought to mind: Beware of Darkness as covered by Sheryl Crow.

Final Thought: The Secrets of Lost Stones is a definite tear-jerker so if you find yourself crying during books like me, you should probably keep some tissues handy! Payne's writing is simply gorgeous, and I really couldn't tell this was a debut novel. This book will keep you up late wanting closure, and I cannot wait to see what comes out of this woman's mind next! Plus, with a gorgeous cover this is definitely a book you want on your shelf. ;)

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with advance review copies of this book, all opinions are my own.

Loose Threads Come Together Quickly. And Explosively. The front half of this book is very much setup for the back half, but it is intriguing in a very mysterious way in its own right. But then at around the halfway point, Payne inserts a "Holy Hell!!!" moment that explosively changes everything and sets in motion the back half of the book - with some explosive revelations of its own, up to almost literally the last page of the tale. Truly excellent book, and I'll very much be looking for future books from this new author. Very much recommended.

I found this to be a very unique story unlike anything I typically read. I especially enjoyed the eccentric "witch", Lucy, who is determined to finish her crossword puzzles and tie up the loose ends. As the book progressed I was impressed at how the author brought the characters together (especially Jess and Star). I thought the author also did a great job with Star's character - I really had a sense of how she felt as well as a vivid picture of her life on the streets. I enjoyed this book so much that when I saw it listed as an Amazon First Read I recommended it to my mother.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review

This sounded like a beautiful tale, and I was intrigued to read it. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me.


The writing isn't bad. Payne is very detailed, her language is very tangible, and the grammar is good. However, it just isn't my type of writing. I didn't like it. Blame it completely on personal preference, but I never fell in love with the words (this could also be because of some cheesy and cliche sections).

The characters never came alive. Jess and Ben were thinly drawn, Star's personality felt inconsistent and cliche, and Lucy was one-dimensional. I didn't love any of the relationships, either. They were bland and boring, and Star and Jess's bond felt predictable and irritating rather than heartwarming.

My main issue with the book is how boring it was. The story and the characters' inner monologues were <i>so</i> repetitive, and there was little to no action. In addition, information got revealed in watered-down incidents which lacked real urgency or excitement. It was tiresome.

One main positive:
- The mystery aspect was clever. I didn't see the twists coming, and they were intelligently and thoughtfully strung together.

I really enjoyed this book. I've never read a book like this and when I think about the storyline it's life. We all have loose ends. The author did an amazing job with the characters. Of course Lucy was my favorite. Her and her cross word puzzles. I want to read more from this author!!

Welcome to Pine Lake!
This book was nothing like I expected and different from my usual read... but I was captured from the first page !

Lucy is the witch of Pine Lake and she knows things past and present before they even happen !
Jess and Star are two people with such hurt in their hearts from losing people in their lives !

Somehow Lucy puts them together so they can help each other !

I laughed and cried and fell in love with the writing and the story !
Thank you to lake union publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review !

"It takes time for all the loose ends to be in one place, but once they are, things tend to move very quickly."
Lucy is known as the "witch of Pine Lake". Her mission, is to tie up "loose ends".
In reality, she is an elderly woman who deeply cares about people and has a sixth sense. Right?
I absolutely loved this wonderful, eccentric person! I thought her clues were spot on and made me think while reading each page.
Lucy knows both the past and present pain of Jess and Star and why they need closure, love and forgiveness in their lives. The solution is to tie up the threads and make the connection.
A little boy will definitely be able to help them see the truth and assist with some "heart" of his own..
This is a magical novel that has so many life lessons to learn or relearn.
It made me feel happy, sad, angry and annoyed.
Well done!
A beautiful debut novel!

Get ready for an emotional roller coaster that is not going to let you off until the very last page.

Jess is still reeling from the loss of her son several years ago. Star is just trying to survive a life on the streets. Lucy is the one that is going to bring them together, into a mismatched family.
As the secrets and memories begin to surface for both, they have to learn to deal with the pain in different ways, but each path that they are on are leading them towards each other, as much as they are trying to resist it.
As the truth is finally revealed, each of them will have to make a decision, and one wrong move could mean death for one or both of them...

This was a fabulous book, and I could not put it down! The heartbreak, the emotion, it was all written perfectly! A perfect book for a rainy weekend!

I didn’t want this book to end.

The Secrets of Lost Stones is a beautifully written, moving story about finding forgiveness and family in the least likely places. Melissa Payne has crafted a compelling story with engaging prose and well-developed characters who you’ll fall in love with.

Lucy is a mysterious woman, known as the witch of Pine Lake, who has surrounded herself with lost souls—most living, and some only partially alive—whose stories still have “loose ends” they need tying up. The problem? Lucy can’t always predict how these loose ends will resolve. It’s up to the people she’s brought together to figure that out for themselves.

The two main characters with “loose ends” are Jess and Star. Jess is a thirty-something woman who is running from the scars of her past tragedies and desperately searching for a new life. Star is a homeless teenager who has been forced to fend for herself. Both characters are fully fleshed out, their stories heartbreaking and their pain so real it jumps off the page. The cast of supporting characters is equally as intriguing, all hiding their own secrets. Even the town of Pine Lake becomes a character, and the reader will feel as though they’ve been welcomed into this tight-knit mountain town for a blueberry muffin and some meddling with their own “loose ends.”

Throughout the book, Payne perfectly blends real life with hints of otherworldliness that leave the characters and the reader guessing—did these unexplainable things happen or not? Most importantly, The Secrets of Lost Stones is about the bonds of family and home—the ones chosen for you and the ones you discover along the way. This book is a must read, and I can’t wait for Payne’s next novel.