Olivia has everything she could possibly want. A great job, a stable and handsome fiancΓ©, and a family who loves her. If that's the case, why is she unhappy and running away at the first chance she gets?
CANCEL THE WEDDING had me giggling and getting choked up at the same time. I was instantly caught up in Olivia's life and the road trip she takes with her niece Logan, to scatter her mother's ashes. One day at dinner Olivia's fiancΓ©, Leo, announces that the venue and the wedding date are all set and it sends Olivia dashing to her car and driving down to Georgia. She is hoping that some space and time away from Leo will help her unravel her feelings for him and their up and coming marriage. She isn't happy and she doesn't know why.
She's ready to go to Georgia, with her mother's ashes, to honor her wishes. What's it matter that Olivia and her older sister, Georgia, have no idea why her mother wants her ashes scattered there? Jane Rutledge Hughes never talked about her past. Once Olivia and Logan arrive in Tillman Georgia they meet quite a cast of characters. I fell in love with all of them and really wanted to be on that road trip with them.
I really enjoyed CANCEL THE WEDDING and love the mystery of Huntley and what happened to Olivia's Mother early on in her life. As they piece together the story from newspaper articles, the local people and exploring the area, she learns so much about who her family is and how the events shaped her Mother. With Emory's help she finds much more then she ever expected.
I still can't believe CANCEL THE WEDDING is a debut novel by Carolyn Dingman. She pulled me right in from the very beginning and never let me go. Even after I was finished reading, I found myself thinking of Georgia and her mom.
CANCEL THE WEDDING is about much more than a runaway bride. It is about a daughter uncovering her mother's past while trying to figure out her own future. CANCEL THE WEDDING deals with death, life, and self- identity. Not only does Olivia come to terms with her mother's history, she confronts who she is and who she wants to be. I was immediately hooked on the mystery that Olivia was trying to solve and had to know why her mom never talked about her past. I can not wait to read more by Carolyn Dingman .
A heartfelt fiction debut that will appeal to fans of
Emily
Giffinβs Southern charm and Jennifer Weinerβs compelling,
emotionally resonant novels about the frustrations of
blood
ties, Cancel the Wedding follows one womanβs journey to
discover the secrets of her motherβs hidden pastβand
confront her own uncertain future.
On the surface, Olivia has it all: a high-powered career,
a
loving family, and a handsome fiancΓ©. She even seems to be
coming to terms with her mother Janeβs premature death
from
cancer. But when Janeβs final wish is revealed, Olivia and
her elder sister Georgia are mystified. Their mother
rarely
spoke of her rural Southern hometown, and never went back
to
visitβso why does she want them to return to Huntley,
Georgia, to scatter her ashes?
Janeβs request offers Olivia a temporary escape from the
reality sheβs long been denying: she hates her βdreamβ
job,
and sheβs not really sure she wants to marry her
groom-to-be. With her 14-year-old niece, Logan, riding
shotgun, she heads South on a summer road trip looking for
answers about her mother.
As Olivia gets to know the townβs inhabitants, she begins
to
peel back the secrets of her motherβs early lifeβtruths
that
force her to finally question her own future. But when
Olivia is confronted with a tragedy and finds an
opportunity
to right a terrible wrong, will it give her the courage to
accept her motherβs pastβand say yes to her own desire to
start over?
No excerpt available.
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