Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Andrea Uptmor. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!
Newlyweds Emma and Rachel move from Chicago to a conservative Indiana college town when Rachel, a best-selling novelist, gets a job as a tenure-track professor. Emma is struggling in her job as an adjunct professor at the college, desperate for something to call her own. The house they bought cheap when the housing bubble burst and the recession hit, seems to have a new issue daily, and Emma feels a strange presence in the house. Maybe it's because they aren't alone. Charlotte and Dirk lost the house to foreclosure and are secretly living in the attic above the garage. Charlotte is desperate to make the new people leave.
This book was fabulous and it's hard to believe it's a debut. Told from the alternating POV of Emma and Charlotte, it is an emotional read, without ever veering into maudlin or sappy territory. I felt so invested in these characters, and felt especially bad for Charlotte and Dirk. They are representative of so many stories from that time, when greed ruled and individuals didn't matter. It's definitely an exploration of grief and loss, but it's so much more. It's filled with bright spots, humor, empathy for others, and the ending had me crying happy tears. I loved this book and highly recommend it - I'm here anxiously awaiting for more from this author!
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