This book is a familiar formula for Ms. Brown. Three relatives inherit grandma's house and must perform a task to unlock a secret. The unique flavor of this book is in dealing with mental illness and the impact on families. I found it interesting that it explores this issue from a young adult's point of view in trying to understand why their families turned out the way they did. Very different experiences of the three grand kids depending on who raised them. Would recommend the book just to get a look at how untreated mental illness can have a multi-generational impact on families.

I’ve read many books by Carolyn Brown, and they all are just so comforting. The Hope Chest is an easy, light read that is like a hug from a friend, warm and comforting, but not too complicated.

Vanessa (Nessa), April, and Flynn are cousins and grandchildren of Granny Lucy, are brought together six months after Granny Lucy’s funeral. A lawyer tells them that their Grandmother has given them her house, and everything in it with the stipulation that they finish a quilt together while staying in the house. Also, once the quilt is completed, they can open a locked hope chest, and view the contents.

The three cousins are the offspring of three of Granny Lucy’s children, and they all have had very different upbringings and all have had different interactions with their grandmother. They all bring their baggage to the house and they learn together how to forgive and learn to live better lives.

This book is easy and light reading. If you’re a fan of Carolyn Brown, then you’re going to love this one too. The book got off to a good start but did drag a bit in the middle. I thought the characters probably talked too much about their problems and it seemed to drag on a bit more than necessary.

However, I did enjoy the small-town life, and I liked that these characters are everyday folks, and not millionaires, movie stars, or singers. The writing is folksy and full of homespun adages.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet, wholesome small-town read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

About the Author: Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist with more than one hundred published books to her name. They include women's fiction and historical, contemporary, cowboy, and country music romances. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows everyone else, including what they are doing and when--and they read the local newspaper on Wednesdays to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren and great-grandchildren to keep them young. For more information, visit www.carolynbrownbooks.com.

I wasn't too sure I was going to stick with this book in the begining. There wasn't much to draw me to three protags, but Carolyn Brown worked her usual magic, and the characters grew on m e as they found what they needed.

First of all I have to thank NetGalley for this chance to read this book.
The Pros :
- The Cover is exquisite and I just needed to read this book, because of this cover..

the cons:
I have never read a Carolyn Brown book and I probably won't again, Not that this book wasn't well written but I just didn't find it terribly fascinating..
I read a little about Carolyn and this is what it said about her on her own website; Her books include romantic women’s fiction, historical, contemporary, and cowboys and country music mass-market paperbacks. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and when―and they read the local newspaper on Wednesdays to see who got caught. She sounds like a sweetheart but not someone I would be friends with or ever read again..

This is my first book by Carolyn Brown.

Nessa, Flynn, and April are all cousins that are brought back together after their grandmother Lucy passes away. The cousins have inherited Lucy's cabin in Texas. This cabin contains a special hope chest with strict instructions to be opened only after a task is completed. The task is to finish a partially completed hand made quilt that Lucy left behind.

This was a nice story about the cousins. They find some comfort in each other as often happens when a death brings family back together.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Never one to disappoint, Author Carolyn Brown has successfully written another novel that will have you on hooked from the first page through the last! The three O'Riley cousins always looked forward to spending their Summer with Nanny Lucy in Blossom, Texas where they felt life was perfect. Unbeknownst to them, Nanny Lucy was far from perfect and was good at hiding her own insecurities. Returning to Blossom to learn the terms of Nanny Lucy's will, Nessa, April, and Flynn discover they are to finish a quilt and place it in the hope chest that Nanny Lucy cherished before they are allowed to leave, if they choose to. Carrying a great deal of baggage from their own lives, they each want to make a change to better themselves. Questioning their nanny's motives behind the strange request, they soon discover that their nanny had a lot of skeleton's hidden in her closet. Will the cousins learn why their lives have been so dysfunctional? What kind of secrets will be discovered in the O'Riley family? I cannot praise this novel enough! I wish I could give more than five stars because this is such an inspiring read! Author Carolyn Brown has such a gift for writing such powerful and inspirational novels! As always, I am looking for to seeing what this amazing author writes next!