Sloth Goes Places - North Carolina

 

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 ....

North Carolina

North Carolina is somewhere Sloth has been as it's where my daughter did her graduate degree. It's a state with so much to offer. Beaches on one side and mountains on the other. When I think of books set in North Carolina, Sarah Dessen is an author that pops into my head. Not only did she set (almost) all of her books in North Carolina, but she created a whole universe there. This is not a difficult state to check off, and below are three books set in NC that I read this year. 

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Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly by Marie Bostwick
Published by William Morrow on May 30, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction

Goodreads

From the author of The Restoration of Celia Fairchild, comes a novel about the meaning of family and the places we call home. If you love “southern summer” fiction authors like Mary Alice Monroe and Kristy Woodson Harvey you’ll love this delicious novel about family, friendship, and finding your true path in life.

Esme Cahill thinks she has failed spectacularly: fired from her New York City publishing job, divorced from her husband, and possessing little more than a broken-down car and a pile of unfinished manuscripts, she drives home to Asheville at the request of her late grandmother, Adele, who had begged her, just before she died, to return to the place she grew up.

There she discovers the once-charming lakeside retreat run by her family is sliding toward financial ruin, so with the help of her grandfather, George; estranged mother, Robyn; and a travelling chef Dawes (maker of the world’s best grilled cheese sandwich) they set to work. In the attic, Esme unearths a trove of museum-worthy art quilts, sewn by Adele. Piecing together the inspiration behind them, Esme discovers a forgotten chapter in her family history and her grandmother’s untold story, that of a gifted artist who never received her due.

This is an always-emotional, sometimes humorous, very human novel of what it means to be family—the ties that bind us together and the unintentional hurts that can rend us apart. And, along the way, Esme learns that failure can be the first step toward the life you’re meant to find.

When Esme's world falls apart, she returns home to regroup and figure out what was next for her. During her time home, she works to help save her family resort while working through the grief of losing her grandmother. Part of this story is told in a different timeline where you learn about her grandmother's past. It was learning about her grandmother's struggles that bolstered Esme and helped her move forward. This was a heartwarming and feel-good story featuring happy things, sad things, and redemption arcs. 

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Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter
Published by Thomas Nelson on April 1, 2021
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Sophie Lawson should be enjoying her sister’s wedding day. But nothing could have prepared her to see the best man again.

After her mother became bedridden and her father bailed on the family, Sophie found herself serving as a second mother to her twin brother, Seth, and younger sister, Jenna. Sophie supported her siblings through their college years, putting aside her own dream of opening a bookshop in Piper’s Cove—the quaint North Carolina beach town they frequented as children.

Now it’s finally time for Sophie to follow her own pursuits. Seth has a new job, and Jenna is set to marry her college beau in Piper’s Cove. But the destination wedding reunites Sophie with best man Aiden Maddox, her high school sweetheart who left her without a backward glance.

When an advancing hurricane strands Aiden in Piper’s Cove after the wedding, he finds the hotels booked to capacity and has to ask Sophie to put him up until the storm passes. As the two ride out the weather, old feelings rise to the surface. The delay also leaves Sophie with mere days to get her bookshop up and running. Can she trust Aiden to stick around? And will he find the courage to risk his heart?

This was a sweet second chance romance. The couple had been high school sweethearts, but Aiden left her when Sophie needed him most. They kind of get stuck together when a hurricane forces them to stay put. This gave them time to get to know the adult version of each other while also uncovering so many unknown things from their past. A charming story of forgiveness, love, and second chances. 

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The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh
Published by Thomas Nelson on July 2, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

A near-death experience catapults workaholic junior editor Kelsey Worthington into changing her life--one yes at a time. Kelsey Worthington always dreamed of being a writer, but she's settled into a routine of helping other people tell their stories in her job as a junior editor. She doesn't go outside of her comfort zone. Her relationships are safe. Her job is secure. Her existence is stable. And she's great with that.

And then, the accident.

While she's in the hospital overnight, she meets an older woman named Georgina Tate--a glass-ceiling-shattering, wildly successful businesswoman. Georgina sacrificed everything to become the woman she is today, but now, with a pair of failing kidneys and only a handful of months left to live, Georgina is forced to come face-to-face with her regrets. Kelsey is forced to reckon with her own list of "things I'll do someday," and she starts to ask a simple but life-changing What if I said yes to all the things I normally say no to? And The Yes Plan is born.

It takes some convincing, but Georgina finally agrees to go along with Kelsey on her Summer of Yes adventures. The two of them set off to see what might be out there waiting for them if they simply open themselves up to it. Together, they say yes to whatever comes their way--a whole day being tourists in their own New York City, dinner with strangers, a convertible that is far from practical but so much fun. But when Kelsey springs a surprise visit to Georgina's son Hayden and Georgina's ex-husband (who is not so much of an ex), the older woman is less than thrilled. But this is where the true journey begins.

Two stories of love, forgiveness, regret, romance, and finding a way to live a fearless life intertwine as these two women make an indelible impression on each other. And it all starts with a simple "yes."

This was a fun unexpected friendship roadtrip. I always like unlikely friendships and these two were quite a duo. Their roadtrip was to a North Carolina beach town so that Georgina can take care of some of her regrets. It was a great summer of YES that was filled with friendship, family, forgiveness, and saying YES to things that make you happy. 

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