🌕🍓🏞️ “On Moonberry Lake” (Moonberry Lake Series #1) (2023) 🏞️🍓🌕 – Book Review

MY REVIEW 

 

 

Series: Moonberry Lake Series (Book #1)
Paperback: 336 Pages
Publisher: Revell Books (September 26, 2023)
Language: English
ISBN 10: 0800744977
ISBN-13: 978-0800744977
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information 

 

“Cora Matthews's life is a mess. A broken engagement and the unexpected death of her mother have left her wondering if things will ever return to normal. Whatever "normal" is.

 

It certainly isn't what she finds at Moonberry Lake. After she receives her family's dilapidated lakefront lodge as an inheritance--with a surprising condition attached--Cora finds her life overrun by a parade of eccentric neighbors who all have something to say and something to teach her.

 

As Cora works to put her life back together, she must decide if she is willing to let go of the past, open her heart to love, and embrace the craziest version of family and home she could ever have imagined.” 

 

Thank you in advance to the publisher, Revell Books (a division of Baker Books), for providing a complimentary review copy through their Revell Reads program. A positive review was not required, and all words are my own. 

This is Varni’s debut with Revell Books. It is also her adult fiction debut. After hearing so much about this book, I HAD to get a copy of it. I didn’t know it was the first book in a planned series though. This is shared on her website, as well as in a preview for the second (unnamed) book at the end of this one. 

 

I’ve read all kinds of fiction – historical (a new favorite), suspense (my most favorite), dual-time (this is a hard one for me at times), time-slip (multiple timelines), Southern (this is along the lines of T.I Lowe, and Eva Marie Everson). Back in the day, I even read some steamy romances. 

 

So, unless you’re into “bathroom” humor – I’d pass on this one. It isn’t gross or explicit, but it needs to be an acquired “taste” and appreciated as it is – some examples will be given later on in the review. 

 

There are also more serious themes such as agoraphobia, germaphobia, and even a destructive tornado. Having gone through the latter, only on a smaller scale, even reading about them can bring back some traumatic memories. And, yes – the author gets it right – it does sound like a train coming through the house. Also, prior to the events in the book, a character suffered three (3) miscarriages, even losing a child before the age of 5. 

 

Getting that out of the way …

 

First things first – the cover. It actually reminds me of a painting – calm, tranquil, serene; something one might find as a pre-done piece in Hobby Lobby or similar store for home décor. Most people state not to judge a book by the cover. That’s definitely true here. 

 

Varni sets up the cast of quirky characters pretty much right off –

 

👗 Cora

👨🏻‍🦳 Sam (friend of Cora’s mother)

🧰 Widgy (cranky handy-woman)

🍪 Kitty (cares for the headstones in cemetery)

🍅 Joseph (has a garden, strong resemblance to Jesus)

🎨 Arielle (artist and vegetarian)

📚 Sofia (has 100’s of books – I can relate to this, though more like 300-500)

☕ Mimi (one of the tea ladies)

🦠 Mr. Wells (agoraphobic, former scientist) [prefers to go by his last name]

🦷 Ben (local dentist; handsome; ends up rescuing Cora)

👵🏻 Grace (hard of hearing receptionist for Ben)

🏡 Rolf (neighbor who disputes the property lines)

👨🏻 Kyle (Cora’s ex-fiancé)

🐈 Patchwork (cat who seems to like Cora; name given by Cora)

🥪 Ruth-Ann (works the “deli” at the grocery store; makes HUGE subs)

🛒 Alma (opinionated grocery store clerk) 

 

Despite the numerous characters, the story is only told in third person from Cora’s POV. Though, I honestly wanted Sam, Kitty, and Ben’s POV as well. 

 

If you’ve seen Steel Magnolias (1989), Widgy reminded me of Ouiser (Shirley MacClaine). That’s the ONLY way to describe this woman. And, just like Ouiser, Widgy has her own misbehaving mutt. She learned her “trades” through her five deceased husbands. This earned her the nickname “marry ‘em and bury ‘em” Widgy. Yet, she’s respected and trusted by the town. 

 

Mr. Wells reminded me of Monk (TV series starring Tony Shalhoub). He adores Cora and after learning she only earned a “C” in algebra, he LIVES to teach her and help her understand. 

 

As far as “normal” characters, as Sam says “normal is overrated”. 

 

Varni starts readers off with a brief glance at Cora’s mom (Lydia). The lady was born with a gift of knowing things, and was never wrong. 

 

Readers are then taken to the funeral, or rather after the funeral, with Cora. Due to the lack of emotion, an older couple (Marth & Henry) think Cora is in shock and needs to be shaken out of it. She struggles not to laugh. And, it’s clear that despite these people being friends of her deceased grandparents, they don’t know what has gone on.

 

All Cora knows is that when she was seven (7), her mother left the town, and didn’t return until near the end of her life. Cora was also misled about her grandparents’ death. 

 

She meets up with Sam and learns that she’s inherited her grandparents’ lodge and that she MUST live there for an entire year to see the inheritance her mother has left her. The lodge needs some serious work, and Sam knows someone – Widgy. She has a strange request as part of her – she drinks five (5) Dr. Peppers a day.

 

Cora is also introduced to Joseph. A silent type of man who is a great listener (reader will soon learn why). He happens to bare a strong resemblance to the depiction of Jesus that Cora has seen. He also has a wonderful vegetable garden. 

 

Cora then meets Kitty who introduces her to Arielle, Sofia, and Mimi. The four ladies become a close-knit tea group. She also makes friends with Ruth-Ann, someone who works at the grocery store, and is trying to enlarge her vocabulary with Reader’s Digest. The store clerk? She’s got some strong opinions about what goods to buy and doesn’t mind forcing them on poor Cora.

 

Then, there is poor Mr. Wells, who Cora ends up working for – housekeeping, cooking, and running errands. 

 

But, not everyone is happy Cora is there. Another older man, Rolf, wants her gone. As it turns out, there’s a dispute about the property line. The others know about it, but claim was “settled”. He doesn’t care, he wants her gone. And, he doesn’t care how low he stoops to harass her. 

 

Cora wonders about Sam finding her two bizarre miracles. One of them doesn’t mind taking care of her peculiar mutt, but doesn’t want Cora taking care of a friendly stray cat. 

 

During a trip out on the lake, Cora has an accident and is “saved” by a handsome young man. It is when her molar breaks she learns he’s the dentist. Of course, there starts a romance. A slow one, but one that is more rooted in Ben caring for Cora. However, like any story with a romance – there will be ups and downs; highs and lows, and misunderstandings. 

 

Cora comes to learn what family is all about when they come together for another character after a health crisis; and when they help Cora after a devastating tragedy. And, it is a tragedy that will draw Cora closer to God to help her heal and find peace. A healing and peace she’ll need when she finally uncovers the truth about why her mother left. 

 

This is one of those – laugh, cry, reflect – types of reads. You’re not sure what’s coming with each chapter, and you could be doing all three in the same chapter. It is truly character-driven, the emphasis being more on the characters and how they react to what happens to them. 

 

I was grabbed right off and drawn in. I managed to read it in inside 16 hours. There were times it did lag though. However, it was a “I didn’t mind reading it, enjoyed it, would very likely read it again” type of book for me. Varni’s vivid descriptions of Moonberry Lake had me feeling like I was right there. I definitely wanted to find a beautiful place like that to settle in. 

 

At the beginning when Cora is reflecting at the funeral, she’s going over her mother’s “arrangements”. Her mother pre-arranged her funeral, which is something my grandmother did, and was quite proud of. I had to laugh at Lydia’s fire engine red casket. My grandmother had expressed her wishes to have one, though I don’t know if she ever got it. 

 

When Varni was describing Cora’s family, I almost dropped the book. It was like she KNEW my family. Some of our relationships are more civil than familial. Cora felt orphaned by her family – I ABSOLUTELY related to that. There’s nothing quite like a death and funeral to see where the family stands.

 

The bathroom humor comes courtesy of Widgy. One moment is when she compares the size of Cora’s biscuits to mouse turds; another is in reference to snaking a toilet. Widgy is using it as her personal one due to gas station burritos 🤢 (read that at your own risk). Of course, I had to laugh when she was telling Cora about what one of her husbands said about toilets being the most important appliance in the house – “if it ain’t workin’ neither is no one else” 🤣 I’m lucky to have three (3) toilets in my townhome. Though, when the downstairs one has issues, that climb upstairs is a nail-biter. 

 

Another “toilet humor” moment is when Widgy tells Cora (upon finding her phone with missed calls and texts) to check it while sitting on the toilet like she did. I have to confess – I do that as well. I also check social media too 🤭 so, don’t feel bad about it if you do. I won’t tell, and you’ll make Widgy proud. 

 

Grace’s hearing issue was a “cute, but annoying” plot-line. From mis-understanding Cora’s name to not understanding what Cora was trying to say, it all happened. This can be frustrating if you’ve EVER been in that situation. I have; when picking up a mobile (phone) order at the drive-thru; had to repeat my name upwards to 5x for a person who heard quite well. That was in addition to telling them “MOBILE ORDER” 3x. I’ve also had my first name mispronounced as well – Maria, Mariah, Mary, Maire (May-air), and “My-Ree” 🤦🏻‍♀️ it’s a challenge at times. 

 

I absolutely LOVED the Sightings & Satire section of the paper. There are two sections in the book. One of my favorites was about the fire department and the hydrants being tested. Folks were invited to come out and wash dogs, kids, cars – “Note that nudity is prohibited. Although all creation is to be celebrated, some is better left covered”. I really wanted to see this expanded on. How many times did this happen that there HAD to be a disclaimer about it?

 

Overall, the story is as quirky as the characters in Moonberry Lake. I’m definitely going to want to check out book #2 if only to check in on this quirky group to see how they’re doing. And, I also want to see if there are some resolutions to open plots. One of the characters featured in book #2 will get introduced in this book. 

 

With regard to the Christian content of the book – there are some strong opinions about this book. 

 

There are some readers who don’t feel as if there were enough opportunities in it to spread “the word”. They tended to express the opinion this was more “new age” ideals than Christian; and that some of the characters were wrong influences; there was also a lack of depiction of the gospel. 

 

Other readers found it subtle as opposed to overt; with it being uplifting and inspiring. 

 

My take? There are scant references to overtly Christian themes and slight references to God’s plans. There is a character who references a bible quote directly (Psalm 91:11), and one mentions another by saying there is “a time to be born, a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2). As someone who’s read both types of Christian fiction – overt and subtle, I had no issues with the “lack” of faith elements. I enjoyed the story. It was a clean read with very little band language, nothing more than a few hugs or kisses, and the only inappropriate content could be the toilet humor. The new-age ideas were not that troubling to me as they didn’t overshadow the Christian elements, nor did they take anything away from the story. That is just my take on it. It will depend on the reader if this is a book for them.

 

Those who enjoy quirky, light-hearted, and reflective reads might want to check this one out. 

 

 

 

RATING:  

 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads  

  

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub  

 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html; update: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2022/07/what-goes-into-my-reviews-2022-edition.html) 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

 

              

HOLLY VARNI is native Minnesotan of strong Norwegian descent, who was raised in the Lutheran Church that Garrison Keillor made a career depicting. Between the lutefisk, grumpy grandparents, and crazy neighbors who mowed their lawn wearing pajamas, the seed to becoming a storyteller was planted. Though she, her husband, and their three sons live along the Central Coast of California, her beloved Midwest roots continue to haunt everything she writes. She hosts the Moments from Moonberry Lake podcast where more stories of her beloved characters from this sweet small town are shared. Learn more at www.hollyvarni.com. 

 

 

She can be found on the following social media accounts: 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hollyvarniwriter 

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyvarni/ 

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hollyvarni 

 

 

 

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