Review: Reading the Sweet Oak by Jan Stites

Reading the Sweet Oak

by Jan Stites

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 375

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Along the banks of the Sweet Oak River, deep in the heart of the Ozarks, a romance novel book club takes five women on stunning journeys of self-discovery.

After losing first her husband, then her daughter, seventy-eight-year-old grandmother Ruby wants to teach her risk-averse granddaughter, Tulsa, that some leaps are worth taking, no matter how high the potential fall. Tulsa loves her grandmother dearly, but she has a business to run and no time for romance—not even the paperback version. But when Ruby ropes her into a book club, Tulsa can’t bring herself to disappoint the woman who raised her.

Together with Ruby’s best friend, Pearl, as well as family friends BJ and Jen, the women embark on an exploration of modern-day love guided by written tales of romance. What they discover is a beautiful story that examines the bonds of friendship and the highs and lows of love in all its forms. 


Kritters Thoughts:  Told from a few points of view, but there are two main women who take the forefront of this book - Ruby a grandmother who took her grand daughter in years ago to help raise her when her daughter passes away and the grand daughter Tulsa who because of a less than stellar childhood is wary of relationships with men and trust isn't something that comes easily to her.

I loved Tulsa and how honest of a character she was - life isn't easy and sometimes it messes you up for the future.  She is surrounded now by a great band of people, but your childhood really makes an impression on the adult you become and I enjoyed hearing that honesty from Tulsa.  

I also loved the other characters that made up the book club.  I appreciated that they all had something going on with them, but nothing was overly dramatic - overall this book felt real and truthful and those qualities made me like it even more.

I loved the combination of story and book club.  Most readers love a book with books in it!  
This is my first Jan Stites book and I definitely don't think it is my last!

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.