Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really tried to get into this story but I couldn't. I've put the book down and picked it back up numerous times but the writing style was boring and hard to follow for me. I don't think I'm the right reader for this book.

The writing reminds me of Where the Crawdads Sing- another book I couldn't get into based on writing style. I think it's safe to say this is the last time I'm putting this book down.

Fifteen years ago, feeling betrayed by her family and abandoned by Marcus, the man she was supposed to marry, Nona “Peaches”Davenport, left her home in Natchez, Mississippi and moved to Chicago, never to return. But when her estranged sister, Julia, calls with news their father died and Nona returns home, the two sisters are forced to unpack secrets and face hard truths about themselves and their family’s past.

Thanks so much to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

If you love a small town family saga with lots of conflict, secrets and misunderstandings, then this book is definitely for you. This one was told from the perspectives of both Nona and Julia, and I felt it perfectly showcased the point that there are two sides to every story 😉 There are also a number of supporting characters, many of whom have secrets woven in with those of Nona and Julia, who I really enjoyed.

This is a debut novel, that although a bit choppy at times, is a beautiful story. I’ve seen some mixed reviews on this one, but I found it super enjoyable and think it could make for an interesting book club choice as there are lots of topics for discussion.

I really loved this story. It was simple in a way, yet there are so many layers and complexities within the story. You get to know the characters and there is a deep history there. A lot of the times in books, some characters are filler, but not in this book. The way the story is told makes you want to get to know the characters so you feel that much more connected to them.

the american civil war is not a topic i know a lot about as im not American but if i did it wouldve helped with the context around this story i think it seems a lot of the problems of the characters couldve been solved earlier if theyd talked to each other but they never did i enjoyed the main character but a lot the characters were not very likable and the plot was a bit chaotic to follow but it was quite intersting the cover is very nice

This book had me from the start. A beautiful story of family. I’m usually not a fan of the miscommunication trope but this author pulled me in and I wanted to know more about this family. I truly felt a connection to the characters. I’ll definitely be recommending to my Audience.

I had a bit of a struggle with Where Wild Peaches Grow by Cade Bentley. There were so many misunderstandings between the characters, that it seemed exasperating. Like, how do so many people not communicate and get to this point?

Because of this, the plot seemed somewhat chaotic. Little pieces of the past being revealed, bit by bit and out of sequence. The conflict between the sisters was two steps forward, one step back throughout (yes, I know it is supposed to be the other way around, but it wasn't quite that bad).

Despite the chaos, the analogy (allegory?) between Nona and Julia's misinformed history and revisionist history based on the myth of the Lost Cause felt really clever. It's a shame that it wasn't as clearly woven into the plot until the last few chapters, but redeemed the book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the title and the synopsis but I’ve had to read chapter one at least 6 times.

The story is just not engaging me and I still can’t tell you what takes place in chapter 1. I am choosing to unfortunately not finish this one.

Where Wild Peaches Grow is set in Natchez, Mississippi and depicts the dissolution and resolution of the Davenport family, primarily through the eyes of Nona. Thinking she has been betrayed by her family, she leaves them and heads to Chicago. There, she becomes a professor of African American studies and has a boyfriend, Eli. She’s forged a promising future in Chicago as a professor of African American Studies. Nona even finds her once-closed heart persuaded by a new love. She never returns to Natchez—until she’s notified of the death of her father. On her return, she must confront all the people she left and learns that the assumptions she made, those that made her abandon her family, may not have been true.

The characters, (Nona; her sister, Julia; their parents; new and old boyfriends; childhood friends; and neighbors), are often deeply flawed but very human. They are well developed and seen from multiple points of view. When secrets, miscommunication, and misunderstanding are revealed, and the characters must rethink their lives, their choices, their inner selves, and their relationships with each other. The miscommunications are not a mere plot device but depict a complicated reality. The characters withhold information and tell outright lies for multiple reasons.

Bentley handles racial issues with grace, not focusing on them, but working them into her story at an oblique angle. In particular, the character, Sanganette, is a white teacher who wants children to learn the white-washed version of the Civil War to the point of teaching that slavery wasn’t so bad and most Negroes were content with their lot. Overall, this is a compelling story blending familial relationships, family history, southern history, and African American cultural heritage.

I love a story about sisters having to face up to past events, and Where Wild Peaches Grow was a great example of how to do that trope well. I particularly liked how the ending, whilst not necessarily happy, had good closure to it.

I love books that take place in the south, I always feel like I've been on vacation when I finish reading them. This one is a family drama and I was invested right away. I loved getting to know these sisters, their family, and their history (or should I say herstory?). Miscommunication and misunderstanding abound in this novel, isn't that always the way?

I loved the sense of community and family as each of the characters are connected to each other in some way. They were all fully fleshed out and felt real and true to life. I felt like I knew them. That is why I enjoy stories from different points of view. What I took away from reading this book is that secrets always reveal themselves eventually and that talking things out, instead of holding grudges, is always the best course of action. This was such a compelling story of the different relationships within a family and I loved that.

This book had some depth to it. I loved how the author described Natchez and the people who lived there. Nona is returning to her hometown, the one she left so many years ago, and it is going to be complicated. Nona hasn't spoken to anyone from her past for years except her grandma. She has a whole new life, so to come back to her past is hard. She would have probably stayed away even longer, but she needed to say her goodbyes since her father had passed away. As our story unfolds, we get a bit of the history of the Devil's Punchbowl. Nona will have to encounter her past, and it will take her time to heal, especially when the truth comes out about certain things. Julia Nona's sister still holds resentment for her sister just up and leaving. There is a past between them that, as we continue with the story, we get it. We see the troubled side of how the sisters handled things
between them. These two will have to talk but will it do them any good? Will they be able to forgive each other and be family again?
Marcus is/was Nona's love from twenty years ago. Some things are going on there that you have to read to get more on that backstory.
The many issues I did have with the story is if Marcus is still pining over Nona, why didn't he indeed attempt to go to her, find her. The worst she could have done was let him know she was not interested. Nona is someone big in her city. Or at least I believe her to be.
I sometimes had to stop and reread the back and forth between the past and present to make sure I knew what I was reading. But I liked having past information to make it all click.
Sanganetta, I was not too fond of her character. However, the way she came across as a person, I am surprised that Julia is her best friend. That is all I can say.
Overall a good story.

Wonderful novel about finding yourself, forgiving yourself, and working through the past. Excellent characters and story by a gifted writer. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Oh, how I wanted to love this book. Not once did I contemplate tossing this book aside. Because at the heart of it, lies and secrets can keep families torn apart, which were totally plausible. And people can sometimes see only what they want to see in others.
But, the disjointed transitions, made it difficult to follow the storyline at times. I found myself having to reread sentences. There also times when pieces of the story seemed like they were missing. I'll spare you the details of the flawed characters. Just know there are several that made the story inauthentic.

Thank you to NetGalley the author for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 3.5 stars.

When heartbreak and familial betrayal send Nona “Peaches” Davenport running from her home of Natchez, Mississippi all alone as a teenager, neither she nor the family she left behind knew it would be for good. But, nearly twenty years later, Nona is a tenured professor of African American Studies, involved in a romantic relationship, and is leading a fulfilling life in Chicago.

“Storytelling is how history was created.”

Nona has even conducted thorough research on the local history of her town and has found the facts about what happened to newly freed slaves who ventured there, debunking inaccurate falsehoods told to her by the people she trusted back home. Yes, she has finally found herself–or so she thinks. But with one call from her estranged sister, Julia, Nona learns of her father’s sudden death and the painful memories of her past come flooding back.

When Nona returns home to Natchez to bury her father, much more than mourning and funeral preparation lie ahead of her. The family and friends she’s left behind for nearly twenty years are demanding answers for her abrupt departure and Nona has no choice but to face the unresolved trauma, hurt, and pain that is still awaiting her. The question is, is she ready to face it all head-on in the midst of sorting out her grief and guilt for turning her back on her late father?

Bentley does a good job of portraying the rich and colorful history of Natchez and the shocking secrets that keep families apart for years and years. In this homecoming story, readers are reminded that life takes on a series of paths, but there’s no way to escape who you are.

And no matter how far you are from home, if you don’t know where you come from, you will never know where you’re going.

Sisters torn apart by life and the misunderstandings that come with it are forced to face each other by the death of their father. Nona had run off fifteen years prior and tried to become the person she wanted to be. Julia stayed and felt forced to become the person she is. Truths come out and tears are shed. This story was touching and held me at bay to find out what next drama wiuld unfold. Great read!

Where Wild Peaches Grow kept my attention, reading late in the night. The family dynamics, mostly between two estranged sisters, twist and turn with misunderstandings and stubborness. It's not a fairy tale ending but thankfully some clarity. And love.

This is a very generous 3, as there were so many things that did NOT work for this book.

Let's start with what did work. The setting was great! The description of Natchez made me feel like I could really envision it. The hook was good. As much as I found fault with a lot of the book, I kept reading and didn't contemplate not finishing. The writing was strong. While I had to re-read quite a few sentences because they were worded differently than I am used to, the writing was well done.

Now what didn't work for me. The entire book was choppy, disjointed, and didn't flow well. I think the revisionist story about the Devil's Punchbowl should have been a prologue and a stepping stone to show Nona's reasoning for her career in the first place. When the book moves between time periods, there's no clear understanding why that bit is told in the past, but the other bits that took place in the past aren't such as the night that Nona actually left or the time when Julia was in a bad relationship and what happened with Marcus. The characters - pretty much all of them. They are not well fleshed out and are almost caricatures and clichés. The characters of Ruben and Sanganette could have been gotten rid of entirely. Sanganette was horrible, but Julia's best friend? She really preached revisionist slave/confederacy history to a BLACK women in the south and everyone is ok with this? It's just her? WTF? Ruben is a one dimensional, whiney, needy, flaw. He adds nothing to the story except a ride. Nona didn't talk to anyone but her grandmother for two decades? And Mawmaw just never told her anything about her family because....reasons? Not plausible. And Nona cut everyone out of her life, including the man she claimed to love, because of something she perceived? As a 17yo child and she never looked back on that to take some culpability? Jasper....oh, god. All these people coming for a wake of a philandering, manipulating, lying asshole? He gambles his family's money away, is on the run from the law, impregnates another woman and has a child with her that he abandons, threatens his estranged wife to keep her from her children, manipulates said wife into contact with one child at the cost of the other. and refuses to divorce his wife, but does not support her in any way, either. Pretty much a POS. But everyone is ok with this. Now Julia. Good lord. If she's that upset about her sister, reach out. There is nothing in this plot that keeps these people from talking to each other for 20 years. And don't sweep under the rug what a bastard your dad was. Cat? Seriously. She left her children with her MIL in probably the early 90's and let her husband threaten her into staying away for 30 years? Nah. Not plausible. Marcus. Seriously? Pining for one woman for 20 years and never going after her or contacting her? She's a published historian. Google is super easy. I won't even go into the train wreck that is Bisset or Eli. The reason for Nona to have left and stayed away needed to be something MORE than a childish tantrum thrown by a 17yo. Cat should have stayed a mother who disappeared with no more relevance to the story. Ruben and Sanganette should be cut altogether. Too many characters to try to do this story justice. And the bits about the history? I wish it would have been woven into the story instead of randomly being plopped here and there without any real thread connecting it to the rest of the book.

For all of the above faults, I still would recommend the book. It was an interesting ride with many faults, but one I didn't give up on.

I really love reading novels that take place in the South. I really loved the storyline here it reminded me a little of Sweet Home Alabama... only just a little. I definitely will look for a physical copy of these book, because I was dying to mark up the pages with my thoughts and feelings as I read.

This book was good, I’m glad I got to read it early and can’t wait to tell others about it .
I think they are gonna enjoy it just as much
Thank you

I have to admit, I did not expect this book to almost be a five-star read for me. The author has a way of writing that kept my eyes glued to the page (...or screen in my case) and I loved every minute of it.

The author must be good at edging since she gave us enough information that made us crave more and these characters felt so real to me. Everyone made their own assumptions about how particular events played out, and they lost their way in their assumptions. LOVED IT!

And the dad, the dad is a piece of work. He was no saint and most of the misgivings in his family's life were his fault yet people thought of him as the good guy. And it really speaks of our community as women that people couldn't believe why their mother did what she did. And poor Julia (You'll understand once you read the book)

I loved this book, the only thing that made it lose its five-star rating was there was a part in the book where the author ping-pong through different people's views at once and it was hard to follow.