Sandy M’s review of Family Tree by Susan Wiggs
Contemporary Romance published by William Morrow 9 Aug 16

This is one of those stories that truly makes you think about how life has turned out after decisions, mistakes, incidents, and accidents. A what-if scenario, a second chance to change the way things were and make them – better? Easier? Maybe. It’s definitely a story that is emotional as well as delightful. And it makes you think.

We’re introduced to Annie and Fletcher when they’re young and falling for one another. Annie has always had dreams, and when her mother becomes concerned about the “bad boy” in Annie’s life, she encourages Annie to stay focused, go to college, reach for those dreams. So she does, and Annie and Fletcher succumb to life and fate and eventually go their separate ways.

Years later Annie is now part of a very successful TV cooking show in which her husband stars with another woman. She wanted to be the star along with Martin, but the powers that be said she wasn’t right for the part, so she’s worked tirelessly in the background to bring her dream to fruition. Now, however, when things should still be looking up in her life, Annie gets news, good and bad. Before she can do anything about either, though, a bizarre accident puts her in a coma and suddenly a year has gone by.

When Annie awakens, her whole reality has changed. She’s now back in Swtichback, Vermont, with her family. She can’t remember much and she has to re-learn most of the basics of everyday things we take for granted to regain some semblance of living. You can tell immediately this is a new Annie, one she has to get used to, but one I liked immediately. I enjoyed her non-filter conversation and laughed on several occasions when her bluntness hit home. As she slowly recalls her life, especially the events just before her accident, Annie has begun to create a new dream, but this time it’s going to be her way.

Amid all that there’s Fletcher. The bad boy, a tag he never deserved, has become a judge and he has a son he loves to distraction. He helps Annie’s family in getting her situated at home, free of certain strings. I like how their relationship begins like new again. In a way it has to because Annie is not the Annie he knew when they were younger. I really enjoyed their getting acquainted again, especially in the of middle of her recuperation and his responsibilities. Life still has a way of throwing them curve balls, though. Ms. Wiggs keeps the story real, not giving an inch to make it easy for them, just life is never really easy for anyone.

There’s a lot of lessons in this story to go with the fun, the disappointment, the romance, and the love. Not just for Annie and Fletcher, but even Annie’s parents, whose history is wound up in Annie’s recovery. “What happens if” is something everyone goes through, and Annie lives it the best way possible, getting a look at how life comes full circle, ending exactly where it’s supposed to after experiencing the best and the worst amid human decisions and actions. Don’t miss reading this book. It’s one that gives you that happy, warm, and contented feeling as you read the last page.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell, joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes.

Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Los Angeles home they share. And now, she’s pregnant with their first child. But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a yearlong coma, she discovers that time isn’t the only thing she’s lost.

Grieving and wounded, Annie retreats to her old family home in Switchback, Vermont, a maple farm generations old. There, surrounded by her free-spirited brother, their divorced mother, and four young nieces and nephews, Annie slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago: the town where she grew up, the people she knew before, the high-school boyfriend turned judge. And with the discovery of a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.

Family Tree is the story of one woman’s triumph over betrayal, and how she eventually comes to terms with her past. It is the story of joys unrealized and opportunities regained. Complex, clear-eyed and big-hearted, funny, sad, and wise, it is a novel to cherish and to remember.

No excerpt available.