The Clover Girls: A Novel by Viola Shipman

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book:

As comforting and familiar as a favorite sweater, Viola Shipman's novels never fail to deliver a heartfelt story of friendship and familty, encapsulating summer memories in every page. Fans of Dorthea Benton Frank and Nancy Thayer will love this new story about three childhood friends approaching middle age, determined to rediscover the dreams that made them special as campers in 1985.

Elizabeth, Veronica, Rachel and Emily met at Camp Birchwood as girls in 1985, where they called themselves The Clover Girls (after their cabin name). The years following that magical summer pulled them in very different directions and, now approaching middle age, the women are facing new challenges: the inevitable physical changes that come with aging, feeling invisible to society, disinterested husbands, surley teens, and losing their sense of self.

Then, Elizabeth, Veronica and Rachel each receive a letter from Emily – she has cancer and, knowing it’s terminal, reaches out to the girls who were her best friends once upon a time and implores them to reunite at Camp Birchwood to scatter her ashes. When the three meet at the property for the first time in what feels like a lifetime, another letter from Emily awaits, explaining that she has purchased the abandoned camp, and now it belongs to them – at Emily’s urging, they must spend a week together remembering the dreams they’d put aside, and find a way to become the women they always swore they’d grow up to be. Through flashbacks to their youthful summer, we see the four friends then and now, rebuilding their lives, flipping a middle finger to society's disdain for aging women, and with a renewed purpose to find themselves again.

my thoughts:

Wow! What a wonderful story! The Clover Girls by Viola Shipman was fantastic! I loved it to bits and would happily recommend it to anyone and everyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book so hard. 

Elizabeth, Veronica, Rachel, and Emily meet at summer camp in 1985.  They become best friends and don themselves The Clover Girls. They unanimously agree that 1985 is the BEST summer ever. Fast forward several decades and they are now middle-aged women dealing with all the trappings that come with being middle-aged - think, family drama, the process of aging itself, and adulthood in general.  Life is definitely not carefree like it was in 1985.  One day, Elizabeth, Veronica, and Rachel, find themselves on the receiving end of a letter from Emily.  She tells them that she has terminal cancer and would like for the three of them to reunite at camp to scatter her ashes. They agree and find themselves meeting up for the first time in ages. They also find out via another letter from Emily, that she has bought the camp and left it to them.  She wants them to stay at camp for a week and reconnect, not only with each other, but also within themselves.  Talk about a tearjerker. I couldn't help but cry at the friendships, their memories of camp, Emily's last wish, and just everything. I also couldn't help but LOVE the flashbacks to life in 1985, and these four women and their friendship.  The Clover Girls gave me all the feels and I enjoyed every second of it.  Such a great book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!