The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee

Perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber, Kristin Hannah, Beth Hoffman, and Kate Jacobs, this luminous novel from the author of Friendship Bread follows a group of fascinating women who form deep friendships through their love of scrapbooking—as memories are preserved, dreams are shared, and surprising truths are revealed.

Welcome to Avalon, Illinois, Pop. 4,243

At Madeline’s Tea Salon, the cozy hub of the Avalon community, local residents scrapbook their memories and make new ones. But across town, other Avalonians are struggling to free themselves of the past: Isabel Kidd is fixing up her ramshackle house while sorting through the complications of her late husband’s affair. Ava Catalina is mourning the love of her life and helping her young son grow up without his father. Local plumber Yvonne Tate is smart, beautiful, and new to Avalon, but finds that despite a decade of living life on her own terms, the past has a way of catching up—no matter where she goes. And Frances Latham, mother to a boisterous brood of boys, eagerly anticipates the arrival of a little girl from China—unprepared for the emotional roller coaster of foreign adoption.

Enter Bettie Shelton, the irascible founder of the Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society. Under Bettie’s guidance, even the most reluctant of Avalon’s residents come to terms with their past and make bold decisions about their future. But when the group receives unexpected news about their steadfast leader, they must pull together to create something truly memorable.

By turns humorous, wise, and deeply moving, The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society is a luminous reminder that the things we hold most dear will last a lifetime.

About The Author

 Darien Gee lives in upcountry Hawaii with her husband and three children. She is the author of THE AVALON LADIES SCRAPBOOKING SOCIETY and FRIENDSHIP BREAD, which was published in 11 countries and was a 2012 About.com Reader's Choice winner. Darien also writes under the pen name Mia King. To learn more, visit her at www.dariengee.com.











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My Review: 


This book brings us back to Avalon IL, and our friends from Friendship Bread and Madeline's Tea Room. How great to be able to spend time again with these remarkable women. We also meet some of the other residents of this great town.
Bette has done with scrap booking what friendship bread did for the community in the last book. Although, loaves of this amazing starter keep showing up.
Bette is an awesome, sweet, elderly lady, that runs a scrap booking business. She is suffering from a form of dementia, and the sweet soul is actually quite funny. She gives away a lot of her supplies, and makes each and everyone feel special. She has been gifted with a talent to help one find their inner self.
Isabelle is Bette's neighbor, and don't think she ever knew when and where Bette would appear. We find a gruff exterior in Isabelle as the book opens, but I never expected what would happen.
Madeline is still running the tea shop, and Connie still lives with her, now including a goat named Serena...keeping them on their toes!
This story comes at you from a lot of directions, some have lost love ones because of deceit, others from divorce, and others from death. We have couple of stories of adoption, and the heart ache both good and bad that comes with it. We enjoy life with adorable Max, a precocious three year old!
Don't miss this one, would recommend you read the first book, but this can stand alone. We end with an epilogue, which I loved! Also included are some great tips for Scrap Booking, and then some recipes that were used in the book!!

I received this book through Net Galley and Random House Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.