The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Old Depot Grocery has been part of a small Southern town for generations.  This heart-warming story is told by three women -  a grandmother, her daughter, and her granddaughter in two different time periods. 

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

September 2021; Revell; 978-0800740573
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); women's fiction

• Glory Ann in 1965.  She found herself pregnant after her boyfriend was sent to Vietnam,  Her parents were appalled and made plans for her to marry a friend of theirs even though   Glory Ann had never even met him before. Her parents were very worried about saving face in their town. Clarence agrees to raise her baby as his own and appears to understand that she isn't in love with him.  He is the owner of Old Depot Grocery and she and her two daughters - Rosemary and Jessemine.  The entire family spends most of their time at the store.
• Rebecca in 1982. Rebecca makes the decision to stay in town and help out at the store while her sister travels the world.  She always felt that her mother loved her sister best but she was her father's favorite.  Even though she stayed when she grew up, she always resented the town and was not happy with herself for making the decision to stay.
• Sarah - Present Day.  Sarah's husband has just died and she returns home.  Her mother has always pushed her to leave town and do something with her life. She was not happy when Sarah told her that she intended to move back home to help her grandmother with the grocery.

There is a new large grocery right outside of town and their business has gotten very slow.  Rebecca wants to sell the store and Glory Ann and Sarah are fighting to keep it open.  There is a lot of unhappiness between all of them.  Rebecca felt that she was never accepted by her mother even though she stayed and Sarah and Rebecca don't get along because her mother always tried to get her to move away and doesn't understand her desire to move home.

This dual timeline story is about the problems between mothers and daughters and how secrets shape their lives and healing and understanding each other isn't possible until they tell their secrets to each other.  

This book is my first Amanda Cox story and I loved the way she wrote her characters and developed the story.  This is a heart-warming story about mothers and daughters that finally learn the truth about each other's lives.  I will definitely read this author again.

Buy The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery at Amazon

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina with her husband of over 50 years.  She grew up in Michigan but now calls North Carolina home. Since her travel plans had to be canceled for this year, she is starting to make plans for travel in 2021. 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 historical fiction. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook.

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