A skillfully written novel about romance, mystery, and family secrets. Author Karen McQuestion weaves together a story about the secrets a family keeps and the length they will go to keep those secrets hidden.

When Joe is rescued from a mental hospital by the grandmother he’s never met and thought was dead, he is both confused and intrigued. She takes him to her family home and asks him to pack up her house as she is too old to deal with it. Plagued by disturbing dreams he is unable to understand, Joe takes on the job as an opportunity to get to know his grandmother and to clear his mind. What he doesn’t realize is the past will rear its ugly head and place him right in the middle of a family drama.

I really enjoyed this story that takes the reader between two time periods as the family mystery unfolds. The perfect story for those who love duel-timeline historical fiction with a touch of romance and suspense.

There's a lot to enjoy about this story even though the themes are familiar and the pace is a bit slow. The overall effect if the story is endearing.

4 stars
Such a sweet and heartwarming story about innocent love, tragedy, fatal mistakes and forgiveness.
in the year 1916, Pearl was a young woman, who lived with her 6 other sisters and her father. She was wishing to become an actress and travel the world. Unlike her sister, Alice had a completely different vision on life: After their mother's death, she took over herself to take care of everything in their home, from the household chores to her younger siblings' learning. Pearl has always believed that she was the prettiest in the family, until her father hires, John Lawrence, and he starts showing interest in her elder sister.
In 1984, Joe is tormented by a recurrent set of dreams that worries his family, and send him to be an inpatient in a mental institution. Then out of nowhere, he gets a visit from an elderly woman named Pearl, who claimed to be his estranged grandmother and helps get him out. What really happened to Pearl all these previous years? and why is she reaching to her grandson now?

I felt that the whole romance in this novel had a "miracle" touch, and sort of destiny-bound.
It takes a lot of talent to make a tapestry of two stories and two timelines while keeping them coherent. I had a lot of mixed feelings about the characters, especially Pearl, I didn't know If I should hate or pity her.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishers for my review copy. I really enjoyed it

This was a wonderful story. It is love across the ages, family, friends, and some romantic love as well. I found this to be an easy to read page turner, I would highly recommend this book.
I loved Pearls story and how it interconnected with her son and grandson in the future and past.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

There is just so much to love about this multi-layered tale of love, loss, betrayal and family secrets. Dual timelines or time slip (whichever you prefer) are the structure used very effectively by the author as the backbone of Dovetail.
In 1916, young Pearl and her sister, Alice, are facing problems encountered by all young women. Something goes awry and Alice dies tragically.
Flash forward to 1983 and we are reunited with Pearl, who is elderly now. Joe discovers that Pearl is his grandma whom he had no relationship with. Pearl persuades him to help her get her home in Wisconsin fixed up and organized.
While there, Joe experiences dreams of a different life, a different time and odd events. He also meets a woman, Kathleen, who becomes a very important part of his life.
It's precisely storylines like this that take so many genres and writing techniques; crumples them into a beautiful ball and produces a stunning novel. This combines dual timelines, magical realism, historical fiction and suspense extremely well. You could say this is a banquet for readers!
Karen McQuestion, I applaud you and hope that you realize that you have written a timeless classic. This is a book that I'll be reading again!
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own. @karenmcquestion @lakeunionpublishing @amazonpublishing #bookstagram #bookcommunity #Dovetail

A generation story switching between 1916 and 1983 with Pearl as the common link.
Two separate tales set in each year are laid out for the reader, the link between them is hinted at in the beginning and slowly expands, drawing the reader in.
The title - "Dovetail" - fits perfectly with the theme of the story - the joining of two stories.
I love how the author uses the 1983 story to fill in the gaps of the 1916 story.
A beautifully written book. Although I had sort of figured out where the story was going I found myself reading slower towards the ending so that I could stretch the story for longer. The ending although expected, was beautiful.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

“DOVETAIL” is a beautiful story told in two timelines, one in 1916 with Pearl as a young woman and in 1983 when Pearl is in a home dying from cancer. Pearl’s estranged grandson Joe Arneson has been having troubling dreams that have affected him so much he needed help and treatment. Pearl offers Joe a chance to reconnect by offering a job of clearing out her home and a place to stay. There in Wisconsin, Joe connects with Kathleen who runs the antique store, Secondhand Heaven, in town. In 1916, Pearl’s story as a young girl and older sister Alice is revealed. Between Joe and Kathleen, the piece together the past, uncovering secrets that have been haunting Pearl’s life many years ago.

I enjoyed the dual time lines and the element of mystery as to what happened in the past and how it connects to the present day. The alternating timelines added to how the story moved forward and had me turning those pages. The story was easy to read and had characters I enjoyed reading about.

Intriguing Exploration of Ancestral Memory
Dovetail joints fit together to create strong bonds in carpentry. In McQuestion’s poignant, multi-generational tale, one man’s nightmares provide insight and healing to unresolved family secrets and shame. As the tale unfolds, the reader is left to ponder the concepts of re-incarnation and ancestral memory. Is damage irrevocable? Can those who are se in their ways receive insight from another’s point of view? Is forgiveness possible?

Dovetail provides a compelling story that immediately draws the reader in to the small-town world were present day actions continue to be heavily influenced by the past. The author combines the characters’ points of view from 1916 & 1983, woven together to create an intriguing and enjoyable tale.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book for my enjoyment.

This is a romantic novel for the most part. I centres around Pear who is sick and dying, in her eighties and Pearl as a young woman, Her grandson Joe, from whom she is estranged has recurring dreams, the content of which he fails to comprehend. In an effort to uncover their meaning he returns to Wisconsin, to the home of his grandmother and learns about her past. As she recounts tales of old, tales about which she still feels responsible, Joe draws parallels between his memories and her past. Their relationship draws closer but her past also becomes a reality. This is a lovely easy read, one I'd highly recommend. 4 stars from me!!!

Several years back I read The Long Way Home by Karen McQuestion. I enjoyed the heartwarming novel and was excited at the prospect of reading the egalley of her new book Dovetail. And it certainly did not disappoint! This is a story of fate, forgiveness, redemption, history, new beginnings, and healing. The term dovetail aptly describes the dynamics of the relationships in the 2 alternating timelines. The timelines are laid out well with the story and easy to follow. I highlighted many poignant life musings that I know I’ll refer back to many times.

Told in two story lines the one is of Pearl both as a young woman and now someone who lives in a retirement home, sick with cancer and just months to live. That story formed the bulwark of the book - as it was the reason why her grandson appeared in the next story line in the novel.

Pearl was estranged from her only son - the grandson whom she befriended and brought to her home. She meant to make amends of some kind and reparation for what she had done as a youngster but was muddled about it. She had directly and indirectly caused the death of a sister years ago, and then in the same manner caused her husband to commit suicide. The two deaths I think weighed on her conscience. Estranged from her only son is one thing, but she was one of several siblings and I could not understand why she did not reach out to any of the others who were still living.

Women's fiction and romance on the one hand is part of the genre but there is an element of the supernatural as the other and this was a fine line which the writer had to deal with - not making it totally unbelievable and at the same time making it something that could probably be believed however hard it was for this particular reader. It was done well here.

Joe Arneson’s ordinary life is upended by troubling dreams of himself as a different man in another place and time. It isn’t until he visits his estranged grandmother, Pearl, in her Pullman, Wisconsin hometown that a startling connection emerges. With the help of Kathleen, a local woman Joe’s fallen for, the puzzles of the past start falling into place. As uncovered truths bring Joe and Kathleen closer together, they also reveal a new danger. For Joe’s dreams may be a warning—from one star-crossed couple to another.
Karen McQuestion delivers another touching novel in "Dovetail." Two timelines connect in perfect fashion through her storytelling.
The plot is a bit more paranormal than I prefer, but it's fairly clean. I also like the insight into rural life in 1916.
"Dovetail" is a love story, but it's not mushy. It's filled with adventure, excitement and mystery. I recommend it for readers who like a happy ending and a bit of thrill along the way.

I give this a 3.5.

It is 1983, and Joe Arneson, is a 23-year-old living a "normal" life until he starts having vivid dreams that seem to be in someone else's head. It gets so bad, his family sends him away to a psychiatric hospital. After several months, Pearl, a woman who introduces herself as Joe's long-lost grandmother and tells him she's dying of lung cancer, shows up to rescue him and offer him the job of cleaning out her house. While he's living in town, he meets Kathleen, a young woman who runs the local antique store in town and has her own skeletons.

The other half of the book is set in 1916, and tells the story of Pearl as a young girl and her older sister Alice. They are two of seven girls, and after their mother dies of pregnancy complications, their father hires a young man, John, to help him on their farm. He only has eyes for Alice, which makes Pearl exeedingly jealous, which doesn't turn out well for any of them...

Personally, I didn't really like Pearl... She's a spoiled brat as a child and not much better as an old woman. But, it was interesting to have a book with someone with this type of personality as the main character. What happens when it's one of the "bad guys" telling the story? It did help develop a bit of suspense since she seemed to realize that she hadn't been in the right for most of her life story, even as she wanted to hide the details from her grandson.

It does take the author a bit too long to set this book up for the reader -- and the reader does have to really suspend disbelief with Joe's dreams telling part of the story -- but overall this is an enjoyable read that goes quickly once you get into it. Even though the reader knows what's going to happen fairly quickly, the characters make you want to keep reading to find out who it works out for in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.

Dovetail is the third novel by Karen McQuestion. Joe Arneson has been plagued with vivid dreams and nightmares where he seems to take on the life of another man from another time. His worried father convinces him he needs help, leading Joe to be hospitalized in a psychiatric facility. And the worst part is, Joe isn’t getting any better and now just wants to go home, but that isn’t happening.

Then, Joe receives a very unexpected visitor, the grandmother he thought had died before his birth. Pearl Arneson was on a mission to make amends before her life came to a close. She offered Joe a way out of the hospital, a place to stay, and a summer job. He needed space and time to think so willingly accompanied Pearl back to the small town of Pullman, Wisconsin.

In Pullman, things happen showing connections between Joe’s dreams and the events surrounding the 1916 death of Pearl’s older sister, Alice. As events unfold and certain things happen, the associated dreams disappear. What is the strange connection between the long ago events and the events occurring now? And how does Kathleen, the young owner of Secondhand Heaven antiques and consignment furnishings, fit into the scheme of things?

This is a beautifully crafted generational dual timeline novel with rich characters and a spotlight on how things have changed, especially for women, over the past hundred years. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Special thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing our copy of Dovetail by Karen McQuestion in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Dovetail by Karen McQuestion

I love this dual timeline novel. Family secrets, messages from the past and the thread that connects everything is Joe’s, Grandmother Pearl. Immediately, I want to know more about the family secrets. I know that Karen will connect the past & present. 

If there is a book that is written for me, this is it! I loved Karen’s novel, Good Man, Dalton. Her writing style just speaks to me. The characters suck me in & she really takes readers on a journey. 

THE VERDICT

I am really into this book! Dovetail is for fans of Quantum Leap, Frequency, Me Again. In case you didn't know, those are some of my favorite TV shows & movies. I love stories with time jumps & bridges between the past & present. If you love stories where the past influences the future and vice versa you will love Dovetail by Karen McQuestion.

I’ve read several of Karen McQuestion’s books and have to say that this is my all time favorite by far. It’s so full of emotions of all kinds that you will keep reading and wanting to know what happens with each page, each chapter.

This book is told from two different time periods. In 1916 when Pearl was just a teen and in 1983 when she is an old woman dying from cancer. Her story is one that will break your heart. Make you believe in love. Bring you to your knees. Fill you with hope and make you want more. It’s such a good story and you won’t forget it for a good long while.

This is a tragedy and a love story. It’s the story of two sisters in the early years and a grandmother and grandson in the later years. Joe first meets his grandmother, Pearl, when he is 21 years old. He was always told that she had died. His dad never talked about her and he really had no questions. But once he meets her his life will change drastically. She breaks him out of a psychiatric hospital and takes him to her home. His dad and step mother thought he needed to be in this hospital because of the dreams he was having that disturbed him and scared them. Little did they or anyone know exactly what these dreams would eventually reveal.

Pearl is an old woman who has so many regrets in her life. Things she has done and can’t change. Her fear of dying and her longing to make amends with her son, Bill. They both seem to be rather stubborn in many ways and neither wants to be the one to admit they are wrong.

Kathleen moved to town to escape her abusive ex husband. She needed to get away where he could not find her. She and Joe become friends. She took over her great aunt’s second hand store and moved into her home after her death. It was the answer to her problems so she thought. Kathleen is a sweet young woman that you will love. You’ll root for her to find love and happiness as she certainly deserves it. Even though she vows to never fall in love again. She really just needs to find the right man.

This is a story to make you feel many feelings. From sorrow, heartache, tragedy, true deep emotional love, loss, just plain meanness, forgiveness, starting over. It has all the feels you can get from a book. Laughter even. I did cry quite a few tears reading this one but I also laughed a lot. I cringed and held my breath also. It is one book that will give you many feels.

Great characters that you will love, some maybe hate, but most you will love. The settings are done to perfection and you’ll feel like you are in both time periods. You’ll feel each persons pain and happiness. Love and heartache. It’s a feeling book for sure.

I have to thank #NetGalley, #Lake Union Publishers, #Karen McQuestion for the eARC of the awesome book. This is my own true review.

I gave it 5 stars and believe me it deserves way more. A huge high recommendation to everyone. This book will grab you and won’t let go. It’s done so perfectly. From start to finish everything falls in place and all your questions are answered. It’s one great book.

I picked up this book with a hopeful heart. Unfortunately, I found it to be slow and while I read about 80 pages in, I couldn’t go any further. There are long passages that JSU don’t seem necessary. The mystery that is in the book, is tossed in, and then ignored. The conflict between the grandma and the son, is tossed in and then ignored. I just couldn’t get into this one.

A riveting read!

Dovetail is beautifully written and an absolutely mesmerizing tale about family, secrets and finding love. There was so much intrigue with this one. I could not turn the pages fast enough. This was an absolutely fascinating story.

Karen McQuestion immediately draws you into her world. You are instantly connected with her characters. I mean instantly. I became so attached and felt so many feelings! Karen McQuestion gave these characters so much life. They became real. She painted such a vivid story. I am a huge fan!

This is definitely a book I will pass on.

I received a copy, but guarantee all opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Dovetail is a wonderfully old-fashioned story. The story takes place in dual timelines, 1916 and 1983. I just loved the descriptions of life in 1916. It was such a simpler time, but still full of dark family secrets, and jealousies that threaten to destroy a family. A bit of psychic dreaming in 1983 adds to the other worldly, mysterious feel. Redemption, new and old love interests, this book has it all. A totally satisfying read!

Dovetail by Karen McQuestion is a moving book about a small town in Wisconsin and things that happened back in 1916 and things that are happening currently (1983). The book's most important character is Pearl, the second daughter in a family that lost its mother and whose father is not coping well. The oldest, daughter, Alice, at about 16 takes on the responsibility of home and raising her six younger sisters and is doing an excellent job. Pearl is just not domestic at all and can't wait to leave home and have some sort of exciting life away from the dull, expressionless small town of Pullman, Wisconsin. Peal, who is in her eighties is estranged from her son who left home at 18. Off and on she hires a private investigator to find him and his family and keep her abreast of what is going on. Her most current report informs her that her grandson, Joe, is in a mental hospital being treated for what, she is not sure. She arrives there, birth certificates in hand, accompanied by her lawyer and old friend, Howard, to prove who she is and get him released into her custody. He is not sure her likes it but after he talks to his father, her discovers that they want him to go back and submit to electroshock treatments, which her considers totally out of the question, so he decides to stay in Pullman and accept the very generous offer she has made him to empty and ready her home for sale. She is already out and living in a nursing home. His dreams are still happening. Nothing has changed. He still doesn't know what his dreams mean.

This is a terrific book, although I confess to a feeling of dread closing in for the last third of the book. Joe and his new friend, Kathleen, explore his dreams and being to get answers. Kathleen has her own problems, namely an off-balance and abusive ex-husband, who she believes she has left behind. The two of them develop quite a friendship as they explore the town and its history, especially as it relates to them as both have roots there. As Joe begins to recognize things in his dreams, and discovers the history of his grandmother Pearl, things begin to make sense, in a frightening way. He reconciles with his father, and more importantly, his father reconciles with his own mother, Pearl. It is a frightening story that has no logical explanation, has a bit of the supernatural, yet comes together nicely and solves all kinds of bitterness and animosity. I really enjoyed it. I loved McQuestion's books for children, only to discover that her books for adults are even better. I recommend it.

I received a free copy of Dovetail from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #dovetail