Tangled in Ivy by Ashley Farley ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

"I've devoted the last three months to taking care of my father.  How do I move on from here?... Do I return to my job at the art gallery?  Move back into my studio apartment above said gallery? (loc 93)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

June 2020; Leisure Time Books; 978-1734629422
ebook, print (274 pages); romance

I love Southern fiction and I love books about sisters.  The new novel Tangled in Ivy meets these two criteria and even more. There are secrets, dysfunction, a house that has been in the family for decades, and a perfect setting in Charleston. I have read all of Ashley Farley's novels and this is my new favorite.

This book is told in two timelines. The first begins in 1984 when Graham meets Ivy and they fall in love and get married.  The second timeline begins in 2019 when Graham dies and it is told by his daughter Lillian. 

1984:  Graham's story: Graham has just been hired as an English professor at the College of Charleston.  At the President's beginning of the year reception, he meets Edward Stoney, an alum and soon to be mentor, and his daughter, Ivy.  Graham is immediately interested in Ivy, a high spirited and spontaneous woman who lives with her father in their beautiful mansion on the Battery.  After they get married, they have twin daughters Lillian and Layla who never got along with each other.  

2019:  Graham has just died and Lillian has given up her life for 3 months to stay with him.  When Layla arrives from Atlanta with her husband, their age-old fights begin again after they find out that all of the family money is gone and all that's left is their home.  Layla wants to sell the home and Lillian feels that it needs to stay in the family.

Tangled in Ivy centers around Ivy's death.  Lillian has long repressed her memories of the day her mother died and no one will tell her the truth of what happened that day.  Layla thinks that her sister really does remember and is using the amnesia to get attention.  As the two sisters struggle to decide what to do about the house, Lillian is searching the house to find information about what really happened to their mother.  Her search leads her to some startling truths about her parents and about her and her twin sister.

This is a fantastic book that kept me reading long past my bedtime. There are twists and turns and several truths uncovered that were shocking and I never saw coming.  It's a book about family, love, secrets, and sisters.  This is a southern fiction novel that you don't want to miss.  Ashley Farley cements her credentials as a first-rate author in this genre.

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Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter. 

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