Many thanks to SJ, Simon & Schuster and EdPr for the blog tour invite for Milly Johnson’s 20th novel, ‘Together, Again’. It’s an honour to be involved and was a joy to read. Here is a bit about the book before I delve into my review:
Sisters Jolene, Marsha and Annis have convened at their beautiful family home, Fox House, following the death of their mother, the tricky Eleanor Vamplew. Born seven years apart, the women are more strangers than sisters.
Jolene, the eldest, is a successful romantic novelist who writes about beautiful relationships even though her own marriage to the handsome and charming Warren is complicated.
Marsha, the neglected middle child, has put all of her energy into her work, hoping money will plug the gap in her life left by the man who broke her young heart.
Annis is the renegade, who left home aged sixteen and never returned, not even for the death of their beloved father Julian. Until now.
So when the sisters discover that their mother has left everything to Annis in her will, it undermines everything they thought they knew. Can saying their final goodbyes to Eleanor bring them together again?
TWG’s Thoughts.
Jolene, Marsha and Annis have the ‘typical’ sibling relationship; fraught at times, uncertain, yet when the going gets tough they all know what they have to do…especially after the glue that kept the sisters together, their mother, passed away.
Storylines with family dynamics at the core, just like this one, pull me in because I love finding out the reasons as to why there are arguments in the family, the truth behind the hidden secrets, the sordid skeletons in the closet that family members try to keep hidden until their very last breaths. Plus, it also helps that I am rather nosy.
Milly Johnson has been one of my all time favourite authors for many years, and every time I dive into a book that she has written, I also wonder how on earth she is going to top it with each new book….but she does. And my goodness she does it seamlessly.
Despite the uncertainty of the characters livelihoods, the storyline was packed with emotion, power and significance. Johnson approached the subjects that people don’t often want to talk about, with such grace and sensitivity, in my eyes, I felt that by doing that, Johnson added yet another dimension to her already multi-dimensional novel.
It’s safe to say that I loved ‘Together, Again’ and I truly felt the raw emotion which the storyline brought to the surface for me personally. This was a truly remarkable story that just kept on giving, packing a punch with each turn of the page and left me feeling as though I was able to conquer the world because, if the three sisters could go through hell and high water and shine in the way that only they knew how, then why can’t I? Why can’t we?
“Together, Again’ is the story that allows you to wear your heart on your sleeve. Be prepared to surrender to Milly Johnson’s captivating storytelling and dive into a world that might just bring a few of your own pieces together…again.
Buy now from Amazon.
The Writing Garnet 