The Hope Chest by Carolyn Brown is a story of family. The good and the bad. Three cousins come back to Blossom, Texas to claim their inheritance. But it's not that easy. Certain conditions are involved. Such an emotional story of forgiveness and moving forward. Seeing what family if really made of. A must read!

Nessa, Flynn and April are cousins that spent time during childhood summers together at their grandmother’s house. But as they all got older, they moved apart, and the visits ended. Now their grandmother has died and left the three her house – along with a Hope Chest that contains their ‘legacy’. There’s only one catch: the women must finish a quilt that was started BEFORE they get to open the chest.

At first, the three are ‘mostly’ happy to see one another but time and unfamiliarity with one another’s lives, along with ‘expectations and beliefs’ of how those lives are progressing seem to hamper their joy. As they spend time together and come to discover themselves in a new light – both individually and as a collective, the task set forth by their grandmother becomes almost more important than opening the chest.

Told with Brown’s (as I’ve come to find) stellar characterization – this story is driven by the women themselves: we learn of each’s challenges, changes, secrets and hopes, and see how they manage to share their burdens while uplifting one another onto more growth. While shelved in the romance section, the story truly is women's relationship fiction – as we are working through family connections, issues, questions, dreams lost and found and some history in each woman’s life that wasn’t quite what they bargained for. There is romance, albeit a bit secondary (for me) to the story of growth and connection that is reestablished with the cousins, all orchestrated by a grandmother who loved them all dearly and equally, and wanted them to rediscover the connections that, in the end, would matter the most.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aVR /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Heart warming and beautiful. Come along with three sisters as they try to honor their grandmother’s last wish and overcome their own issues. This author always writes great books with memorable stories that stay with you long after you finish the book.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

I have found that the death of a family member either brings families together or completely splits them permanently apart. It was a beautiful thing to see the three cousins come together to bring their grandmother's hope into being. I laughed and I cried seeing the cousins learn from each other -- and from a quilt that Nanny Lucy left for them to finish.

This is a beautiful story that will grab the reader's heartstrings and never let go! Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

EXCERPT: 'You haven't changed a bit.' Flynn slapped her hand away. 'I think they mixed us all up as babies. I should have been born the preacher's son, and you should have been the daughter of the greatest smart-ass in Texas.'

'That's pretty much what my daddy told me this very morning. You wouldn't have lasted overnight in the house I grew up in.' Nessa went back to the stove and browned some more toast in the big cast-iron skillet.

'As bossy as you are Nessa, and as smug as you are Flynn, y'all would have wilted and died if you'd grown up here,' April said. 'Nanny Lucy was a wonderful lady, but she could put a guilt trip on a person that went all the way to the bottom of the soul, and believe me when I tell you that she knew very well how to wield a switch. Ten licks was the minimum.'

'Are you serious?' Nessa was stunned.

'Y'all knew her as a sweet nanny for two weeks. Somehow you being here was when she had good days,' April answered. 'But I was the bastard offspring of the daughter who had disappointed her and then died four days after I was born. At least once a day, and more in the days after y'all left and went back home, she reminded me that I had my mother's genes, and I knew that was a bad thing by her tone. It didn't seem to matter if she was having a good or a bad day. I was always a thorn in her side.'

Nessa could well understand what April was saying. Looking back, she'd always felt like one of those thorns for her father. 'I guess that's where my daddy got his ability to make me feel guilty about even the air I breathe.' Nessa talked as she cooked breakfast. 'He could put a guilt trip on Jesus, and he practiced on me almost daily.'

Both women glanced over at Flynn.

'Hey, my dad was always too busy either chasing women, marrying them then chasing women, or getting divorced because his wife caught him chasing women to ever even talk to me.' Flynn shrugged. 'I was just a bratty kid that he didn't want to raise but had to when my mama died. I did pretty much what I wanted from the time I went to live with him - no questions asked except on payday, when he held out his hand for half of what I made to pay for my room and board in his house.'

'We should call that childhood the O'Reilly curse.'

ABOUT 'THE HOPE CHEST': An inheritance has reunited three estranged cousins. Their grandmother Lucy left Nessa, Flynn, and April her home nestled in the woods near Blossom, Texas, as well as a hope chest to be unlocked after they complete a special task. Together, they must hand-stitch a cherished quilt Lucy left unfinished. It meant everything to her. And now, to three people struggling with their own patchwork pasts…

To Nessa, the house has always been an escape from her strict parents—a home away from home. Flynn has followed a profligate path into adulthood, never guessing it would lead him here. And the town of Blossom only stirs up a lifetime of disappointments for April. Lost and with nowhere to go, her last chance is helping fulfill Nanny Lucy’s final wish.

Thread by healing thread, Nessa, Flynn, and April bond over the quilt and all it represents. As they discover the family they’ve been looking for in one another, they share more than memories. They share the hope of new beginnings.

MY THOUGHTS: The Hope Chest is a warm and comforting read. Carolyn Brown writes wonderful characters, interesting characters that have the reader firmly in their camp, rooting for the best possible outcome for them.

Nessa, Flynn, and April have all had terrible childhoods and have each reacted in different ways, but ways that have brought them no happiness. Flung together by fate in the form of Nanny Lucy's last will and testament, they are initially resentful and wary of one another. The Hope Chest charts their journey through repairing both their childhood relationships with one another, and their damaged self image.

Although described as a romance, The Hope Chest is so much more. There is mystery surrounding Nanny Lucy's past, and a heartwarming thread involving the rebuilding of family relationships, and forgiveness. Brown also touches on mental illness in the forms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and the damage caused when it goes undiagnosed.

I have loved everything I have read by this author, and The Hope Chest is no exception.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.2

#TheHopeChest #NetGalley

I: @carolynbrownbooks #montlake

T: @thecarolynbrown #Montlake

#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #mentalhealth #mystery #romance

THE AUTHOR: Hi! I'm twenty five years old and movie star gorgeous. The camera added thirty plus years and a few wrinkles. Can't trust those cameras or mirrors either. Along with bathroom scales they are notorious liars! Honestly, I am the mother of three fantastic grown children who've made me laugh and given me more story ideas than I could ever write. My husband, Charles, is my strongest supporter and my best friend. He's even willing to eat fast food and help with the laundry while I finish one more chapter! Life is good and I am blessed!

Reading has been a passion since I was five years old and figured out those were words on book pages. As soon as my chubby little fingers found they could put words on a Big Chief tablet with a fat pencil, I was on my way. Writing joined reading in my list of passions. I will read anything from the back of the Cheerio's box to Faulkner and love every bit of it. In addition to reading I enjoy cooking, my family and the ocean. I love the Florida beaches. Listening to the ocean waves puts my writing brain into high gear.

I love writing romance because it's about emotions and relationships. Human nature hasn't changed a bit since Eve coveted the fruit in the Garden of Eden. Settings change. Plots change. Names change. Times change. But love is love and men and women have been falling in and out of it forever. Romance is about emotions: love, hate, anger, laughter... all of it. If I can make you laugh until your sides ache or grab a tissue then I've touched your emotions and accomplished what every writer sets out to do.

I got serious about writing when my third child was born and had her days and nights mixed up. I had to stay up all night anyway and it was very quiet so I invested in a spiral back notebook and sharpened a few pencils. The story that emerged has never sold but it's brought in enough rejection slips to put the Redwood Forest on the endangered list.

Folks ask me where I get my ideas. Three kids, fifteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren. Note: I was a very young grandmother! Life is a zoo around here when they all come home. In one Sunday afternoon there's enough ideas to keep me writing for years and years. Seriously, ideas pop up at the craziest times. When one sinks its roots into my mind, I have no choice but to write the story. And while I'm writing the characters peek over my shoulder and make sure I'm telling it right and not exaggerating too much. Pesky little devils, they are!

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Montlake via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Hope Chest by Carolyn Brown for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

The Hope Chest by Carolyn Brown is the journey of three cousins to fulfill the terms of their grandmother's will and work on fixing how dysfunctional each was in his or her own way. Flynn, Nessa, and April have discovered they now own Nana Lucy's house, and there is a $1000 check for each of them. There are terms, though, and one is that they finish off the quilt she has set up for them in the quilting shed, together. They then have instructions to go to her/their next door neighbor open the hope chest she has left there, and put the quilt inside it, the whole thing as a gift for the first one to marry. It starts off pretty rocky, but soon the cousins are opening up to one another, sharing their issues, and starting on new lives. After Flynn has gone of to his new job as a furniture builder, and Aril to hers as a veterinary assistant, Tessa decides to clean the hall closet. When she opens the door, things come tumbling out, mostly quilt tops and fabric, which Nessa organizes and stores, until she comes to an old suitcase. Later when the cousins open the suitcase they discover a history they had never known about, their own and Nana Lucy's. It sure answered a lot of questions about her and about themselves and their parents. It pushed them down the road to discovery.

What an emotional novel this was. Each of this people had such baggage, mostly caused by their parents and their grandmother. Their parents were blind to it but Nana Lucy had seen what was happening but was powerless to stop it, until her friends forced to her confront her own mental illness. She took the reins then but her grandchildren were already adults, already on their own paths. She did what she could to correct their paths with a well-thought-out bequest in her will, which apparently at least helped. April and her love for animals changed her life. For Flynn, it was getting out of an office and working with his hands, and Nessa, finding a true calling, away from teaching. These things and so much more changed their lives in this gripping novel of hope and love. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Hope Chest by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #thehopechest

This was such an enchanting read. At first I wasn't sure what to expect: three cousins brought together by the demise of their gnarly grandmother. Each one of them has reasons not to want to return to their grandmother's home in Blossom, Texas. But if they are to inherit the property they must work together on finishing a quilt she has left for them...and their work will be judged by gran's quilting club. Fragile April bore the brunt of growing up with her grandmother, Nessa would escape to her grandmother's each summer to spend time away from her overly religious parents while Flynn lost his mother to a car accident while on a summer visit. April is orphaned, both Nessa and estranged from their fathers - who are brothers and worlds apart in their views. Over the summer the three rediscover their childhoods - and the reason why their grandmother blew so hot and cold with them and their parents - through working on the quilt and slowly but surely begin to rebuild their adult lives...with the help of a certain hunky next door neighbour. This is a beautiful crafted book, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters and their worlds.

The one consistent thing about reading Carolyn Brown's novels is that I always want to move to wherever she sets it, and that proved to be true of The Hope Chest, set in Blossom, Texas, but what surprised me was that it took me almost half of this slow-moving novel to warm up to the main characters, 2 cousins (Nessa and Flynn) who used to spend 2 weeks every summer at Nanny Lucy's house in Blossom, and always loved being there, and the third cousin, April, whose mother, Nanny Lucy's daughter, Rachel, died when April was a toddler, and it was April who remained with and was raised by Nanny Lucy, and then left home as soon as she was able and never planned to return. These three cousins were each the offspring of Nanny Lucy's two sons and one daughter. I'm mentioning that up front because it did take me quite a while to understand the familial relationships. The slow start is the reason I'm giving this novel 4 rather than 5 stars.

Nessa, became a school teacher, Flynn, became a lawyer and serial womanizer, and April, who, when notified that Nanny Lucy had died, was flat broke and living in her car, all have to return to Blossom for the reading of her will. Nessa thought her grandmother was perfect, Flynn was told he was just as big a womanizer as his father (who's about to get married for the 6th time), and April, who was both mentally and physically abused by Nanny Lucy, and was told by her that she was a lost soul and would never amount to anything.

When I first encountered these three cousins, all born within 4 months of each other, I didn't like any of them--they were rude, snarky, and contentious with one another, but once the will was read they were in for quite a shock. Nanny Lucy left her 3 grandchildren her house and property and some money to get by on. She tasked them with hand-stitching and completing a quilt she had started, and, if it passed inspection by some of her quilter friends, they could then open the locked hope chest, kept safe and secure at Jackson's house, whose property was adjacent to hers. The first of the three to marry would gain possession of the hope chest and the quilt. No one had opened it or had any idea what they would find inside.

All the aforementioned are just the set-up, and what follows is a truly heartwarming, at at times surprising journey for the three cousins--a journey to understand why they are unhappy with the way they are and the lives they're leading, why they they made poor decisions, poor choices, and a journey of discovery and personal growth as they try to fulfill Nanny Lucy's stipulations, and as they slowly discover not only who they are and want to be, but also discover who their grandmother was and how she got that way, and learn to understand why they were all treated differently by her.

In the end, this is a novel about hope, about knowing yourself and what drives you, about about turning your life around, making better decisions, about personal growth, and above all, about love and forgiveness. Like all of Ms. Brown's novels, it was a very good read.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

The Hope Chest was everything I had hoped it would be and more. I am a huge Carolyn Brown fan. I think her books are fill of real life situations and the struggles and triumphs that go with life. In this book three cousins struggle to find a way forward In a life full of struggle. They lean on each other and find love forgiveness and true family. I really enjoyed cheering for each character and I highly reco.mdnd this book.

Good story about family, love, and forgiveness. Nessa, Flynn, and April are cousins born just a few months apart. Though they spent two weeks together every summer at their grandmother Lucy's house as kids, they haven't seen each other in many years. Then an inheritance brings them all back to Blossom, Texas. Nanny Lucy left her home to the three cousins with some unusual conditions. The house can never be sold, to claim their inheritance, they must hand-stitch the quilt that she left for them, and her hope chest will go to the first cousin who marries. All three face decisions about the directions of their lives.

Nessa remembers Nanny Lucy's house and her time there as a place of refuge. Her father is a super-strict preacher, and her mother follows right along. Nessa saw their hypocrisy early in life and continues to rebel. She teaches kindergarten but isn't all that happy in her work. A series of failed relationships make her question her judgment. A summer at Nanny Lucy's provides a chance to consider a change.

Flynn, the only child of divorced parents, remembers summer fun with his cousins until the year he turned fifteen. His mother died in a car crash on the way to pick him up. Though he begged to stay with her, Nanny Lucy sent him to live with his father. Matthew is an unrepentant womanizer who had no interest in being a father to his son, leaving Flynn mostly on his own. Flynn grew up to follow in his father's footsteps but recently decided to change his ways. Spending the summer at Nanny Lucy's is his chance to start anew.

April is the daughter of Lucy's youngest child, Rachel. Rachel died four days after April's birth, leaving April to be raised by Nanny Lucy. April couldn't wait to get away after she graduated, but her life since then has been one disappointment after another. After her latest disastrous relationship, April is broke and homeless, leaving Nanny Lucy's her only option. There she hopes to find a new start.

Nessa, Flynn, and April settle into the house and work out schedules and responsibilities. There's a bit of snark and sarcasm in those first interactions until the memories of the good times they shared started to kick in. As they talk about those summer visits, each one discovers that their memories of Nanny Lucy don't necessarily match those of the others. As they look at those childhood memories through adult eyes, a clearer picture of their grandmother emerges. The things they learn about Lucy also help them understand their parents and themselves. I liked seeing them open up about their own lives and challenges and accept that they are works in progress. Each of the three cousins came to Blossom looking for a new start, and I enjoyed seeing how each of them found their way. Above all, they found the home and family each of them craved.

It wouldn't be a Carolyn Brown book without a little bit of romance. In this case, Nanny Lucy's net door neighbor, Jackson, was charged with keeping the hope chest until they met the will's conditions. Jackson left a successful law career five years earlier and went to work with his uncle making furniture. Having been at the same place as Flynn, April, and Nessa, Jackson is uniquely positioned to help all of them in their quests. I loved watching him become friends with all three cousins, but there was a little something extra in his interactions with Nessa. Smitten early on, Jackson knew what he wanted and had the patience to wait for it. Having been cheated on before, Nessa was in no hurry to start another relationship. I liked seeing their friendship grow into more and Nessa learn to trust Jackson. There was a minor hiccup in their growing relationship, but both acted like adults and talked it out. The epilogue caught up with everyone a year later.

As Nessa, Flynn and April gather at Nanny Lucy's house, they agree to work together to carry out their grandmother's final wishes. That includes completing her final quilt which will then be stored in the hope chest designated to go to the first grandchild to marry. It is the perfect opportunity for the cousins to get reacquainted and compare their differing perceptions of Nanny Lucy. Each one is looking for a new beginning which just might include a future in the small-town setting of Blossom, Texas. This was a very comforting read, and I will definitely be looking to read more books by Carolyn Brown. Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the advance copy to read in exchange for a review.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I requested this book because I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them. This book did not disappoint. I liked it as much as the others that I have read.

The Hope Chest is a very well written book. I loved the plot and the cast of characters as well as the Texas setting. I highly recommend this book.

#TheHopeChest #NetGalley


A story full of small town charm and family, with a few surprises alog the way to the end.


Cousins are reunited in Blossom, Texas, when their late grandmother leaves them a cabin to share. And a quilt to make. Flynn, Nessa and April all have to work on the quilt together.

The trio spent summers together at Nanny Lucy's as kids and teens. April lived with Lucy but the others lived with their parent or parents.

They grew up and grew apart of course, so coming together at the cabin, and working on the quilt together gave them plenty of time to catch up on their lives, to reconnect.

They learned a lot about themselves and each other while working on the quilt. They healed a lot as well. And they learned about their grandmother also.

I just love the small town cozy feel of this book and the togetherness the cousins shared

I of course loved Waylon too.

This author is an auto buy and auto read for me so I always recommend her books to everyone.

So I rate this book at 4.75 stars


And I thank Netgalley for the arc in advance for an honest review.

Flynn, Nessa, and April (cousins) became great friends to me while reading The Hope Chest. They came together after years apart when their grandmother died. Each came with their own baggage, thinking that everyone else had it better than they did. Isn't that how we all think? The grass is greener on the other side?

While reading The Hope Chest, I not only fell in love with these three cousins but also with Nanny Lucy (grandmother) and Jackson (neighbor). We learn so much about the three cousins and about the life Nanny Lucy lived. The cousins learn how to work through their baggage and come to know more about what made Nanny Lucy who she was.

By the end of the book, I was happy and sad. I didn't want to leave these new friends, but I left them on a happy note. This was a fun, lovable, real-life, quick read. I highly recommend this book to everyone for a great summer read!

Received a copy of this book for review. Overall it is a good read for me. Love the chemistry between the main characters. Love all the characters. What I love is that each of them does make a difference to the story as it developed. Like to read how the characters In the story are interrelated to each other. It make the story more exciting to read. The setting of the story is nice and is fit nicely to the story.Story plot are well penned out, with a slight twist to it in the end

Another great book from Carolyn Brown. Granny Lucy has passed on, and left her home to her three Grandchildren that used to spend 2 weeks in the summer together. But, there are conditions in them inheriting, and each has a reason for wanting to stick around. They have not connected with each other, not their Grandmother in quite awhile. It becomes quickly apparent that they each had troubles in their childhoods, and wished for what the others had; April was raised by Granny Lucy after her mother died young, Flynn was raised by his single (womanizing) father after his mother dies, and Nessa was raised by her mother and father in a very religious household.

As they reconnect, each cousin walks their own healing journey and learns the grass may not have been greener on the other side. This was a great story about the complications of family, and taking the reins in one’s own life journey.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nana Lucy's house in Blossom, Texas was the one place that cousins April, Nessa, and Flynn found normality and peace. Now 32, they're back in Blossom after her death and they're finishing a quilt she started. Completion of the quilt is a precondition for the opening of her hope chest. This seems like a slightly silly premise but it's a lovely novel of healing. Each of these three has had issues in the past and none of them are happy. Sharing Lucy's house and working on the quilt leads to revelations and healing. It's classic Carolyn Brown but I liked this especially for the inclusion of a male character. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It tugs at the heartstrings.

The Hope Chest by Carolyn Brown is all about family, love and forgiveness. Cousins Flynn, Nessa and April are set some stipulations in their grandmother's will. They must work together to finish a quilt to determine who will inherit their grandmother's house, and other parts of the estate. Working on the quilt brings revelations about the past, and serves to bring the cousins closer together.

My Thoughts


As often happens in real life so it happens in this story, death stepped in to reunite family members who have long been parted for one reason or another most of their lives.

Cousins April, Flynn and Nessa were like bookends when young but parents, life and circumstances they could not control came between them early on.

A small Texas town setting, a strange request from the beloved family member each cousin remembers in different ways set the stage for one of this authors trademark stories to unfold.

A story that reaches into ones heart and mind in ways that hurt as well as heal the reader right along with its three central characters.

Reconnecting with family, healing oneself and romance along with long held family secrets revealed and dealt with are the heart of this book.

The meat of it is the journey taken by April, Flynn and Nessa within its pages.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.