Sloth Goes Places - Vermont

 

Sloth Goes Places is a feature where I share books I have tracked from previous Literary Escapes reading challenge hosted by Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book.

Today we are looking at books set in ....

Vermont

Last week, I read several books set in Vermont, so it seemed to point towards me highlighting that state for this feature. Since Vermont is on the east coast, I have actually visited. I went many years ago on a ski trip, but really saw the sights in 2022 when I went on my New England vacation. Vermont is a beautiful state and all the things you have heard about their syrup are true. 

When I think of books set in Vermont, I always think of Sarina Bowen. She should really get some sort of kickbacks from the state for the wonderful way she depicts it in her books. I was sold after reading Bittersweet. But, this is not a tough state to check off for me. I always seem to find fantastic books to fulfill this part of my reading challenge. 

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Four Weddings and a Puppy by Lizzie Shane
Published by Forever on November 21, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

When two childhood friends return home after their sports careers don't go as planned, a puppy just may give them a second chance at happiness together. She’s always been the girl with the plan . . . until the plan crashed big time

Kendall Walsh has exactly one second to save a fancy, five-tiered wedding cake and any possibility of being a wedding planner—not to mention her family’s struggling ski resort. All because of one very cute, very furry, golden menace of a retriever who has a serious thing for butter chiffon icing. Which is exactly when Olympic skier Brody James shows up and saves the day . . . and the cake.

Brody makes Kendall feel about a million indecipherable things. He’s her brother’s bestie. Her first crush. And a ridiculously popular Olympic hero, which only reminds her of her own failed Olympic dreams. What Brody isn’t telling her is that he’s walked away from it all. The fame. The sponsorships. The celebrity girlfriend. Now he and Kendall are both lost somewhere between their past and a future they can’t yet see. But four weddings, one mischievous puppy, and a few steamy kisses later, these two might just realize that they are both exactly where they need to be…with each other.

This was set in a ski resort, but really, I was here for the dogs. Seriously though, both Brody and Kendall were at a cross roads in their lives. Kendall was still working though the loss of her Olympic dream, while Brody was struggle with wanting to be more than Brody-the-skiier. He wanted to be more and have more in his life, so he came home to figure things out. I am not sure if he expected to fall in love, but I was happy about that part. Even better was the way both Brody and Kendall figured things out together. This was another book that left me warm and fuzzy. 

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The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan
Published by Canary Stree Press on September 19, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

This Christmas, USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan returns with another heartfelt exploration of change, the power of books to heal, and the enduring strength of female friendship. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Jennifer Weiner.

With its historic charm and picture-perfect library, the Maple Sugar Inn is considered the winter destination. As the holidays approach, the inn is fully booked with guests looking for their dream vacation. But widowed far too young, and exhausted from juggling the hotel with being a dedicated single mom, Hattie Coleman dreams only of making it through the festive season.

But when Erica, Claudia and Anna—lifelong friends who seem to have it all—check in for a girlfriends’ book club holiday, it changes everything. Their close friendship and shared love of books have carried them through life's ups and downs. But Hattie can see they're also packing some major emotional baggage, and nothing prepares her for how deeply her own story is about to become entwined in theirs. In the span of a week over the most enchanting time of the year, can these four women come together to improve each other’s lives and make this the start of a whole new chapter?

What a warm and cozy setting. I fell in love with the Maple Sugar Inn and really enjoyed my winter in Vermont. I could see all its beauty in my head, and really would have loved to have sampled some of those foods. But, the heart of this story were the four women, their personal trials, and the way they supported each other. Super heartwarming! 

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Family Tree by Susan Wiggs
Published by William Marrow on August 9, 2016
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a powerful, emotionally complex story of love, loss, the pain of the past—and the promise of the future.

Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell, joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes. Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Los Angeles home they share. And now, she’s pregnant with their first child. But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a yearlong coma, she discovers that time isn’t the only thing she’s lost.

Grieving and wounded, Annie retreats to her old family home in Switchback, Vermont, a maple farm generations old. There, surrounded by her free-spirited brother, their divorced mother, and four young nieces and nephews, Annie slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago: the town where she grew up, the people she knew before, the high-school boyfriend turned judge. And with the discovery of a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.

Family Tree is the story of one woman’s triumph over betrayal, and how she eventually comes to terms with her past. It is the story of joys unrealized and opportunities regained. Complex, clear-eyed and big-hearted, funny, sad, and wise, it is a novel to cherish and to remember.

This was a really touching story, and I liked the way VT was featured. The family farm and all the ways the crops were used to create amazing food was something I loved in this book. Aside from that, it was a heartwarming comeback story. Annie had to recover from a huge injury and a professional and personal setback. She was a fighter, for sure, and I adored her story. 

[review]

Have you read any books set in Vermont?
Let us know in the comments!