Author: Melissa Tagg
Published: 2021
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary Romance, Christian Fiction

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Abandoned as a toddler, Sydney Rose has spent years wondering who she really is, homesick for a life she’s never lived. When a private investigator crashes into her world, she finds herself heading to a tiny seaside town in Maine to meet a woman named Maggie, who’s searching for the granddaughter she lost decades ago.

If not for Maggie, Neil MacKean might still be back in Scotland, bereft and alone. Instead, he has a full life in Muir Harbor with an adopted family he loves and a blueberry farm to run. But the farm is struggling and strange occurrences have him concerned. Worse, Maggie’s once again caught up in the past, convinced she’s finally found her long-lost granddaughter.

Worried for Maggie, Neil is suspicious of the city girl who shows up at the farm. But there’s something about Sydney that tugs on him, drawing out secrets he never meant to share. While Neil grapples with the future of the farm, Sydney wrestles with a past that’s messier than ever. Together, they’re pulled into a mystery complete with a centuries-old legend, unexpected danger . . . and a love as deep and wild as the sea.

My Take:

“Sometimes a feeling is just a feeling. Other times, it’s truth wrapped in undeniable knowing.” Maggie says that rather early on in this book, and it is a sense that can be applied to almost every character in the story as they each search for answers to questions about the past, the truth about the present, and a way forward for their futures. After reading the synopsis, you know that Sydney was abandoned and has no idea who she really is or where she came from. But you soon discover that she is not the only complex character in this story. Almost every character is struggling with something, even if what it is isn’t explained in the book but only hinted at. And that is where the beauty of this story comes through: we all are broken. We all struggle. But we are to be there for each other, to love and support one another, as the characters try to do throughout this book. As it says in one chapter, “That’s what love does. It keeps hoping even when the answers don’t come easily. It invites strangers in. It doesn’t give up. Love keeps searching.” 

I was expecting a clean, romantic mystery. And while that is true about this book, woven throughout the questions and clues and romantic elements were these little gems of truth, pointing to the bedrock of the best life: God. As Sydney says later on in the book, “Maybe she was here because God had led her here. Laid a path for her feet and whispered for her to walk. Maybe He hadn’t forgotten her, after all.” This book had surprising depth, making me reflect on the different pathways my life has taken. And the blessings and struggles along the way.

Sydney and Neil’s story sucked me in from the beginning, and I was quickly invested in the characters. I wanted answers to the questions NOW, and even though I still had a couple of lingering questions at the end, I was satisfied, for the most part, with the resolution. But I will warn you: not all questions are answered; not everything is wrapped up in a neat bow. Partly because this is the first book in a series and maybe partly because the messiness of life isn’t always wrapped up nicely. But to know if that is the case in this instance, I will need to read the rest of the series. Want to join me?