Review – Whispering Through Water by Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler @WomenonWriting #WhisperingThroughWater #comingofage #YA #fiction #1990s

StoreyBook Reviews 

 

 

Synopsis

 

The coming-of-age story follows Gwyn Madison, the summer after her high school graduation, as she grapples with her fast-approaching future. She’ll have to face more than she bargained for with her Aunt Delia, the family matriarch, who holds the purse strings and the final word. In the meantime, Gwyn stumbles upon a tightly held family secret. Could a mysterious letter provide Gwyn the leverage she desires? Will it only bring more family division? Or, maybe, the past was never meant to stay buried after all. Whispering Through Water navigates family dynamics, young love, and female autonomy with a little 1990s nostalgia.

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Bookshop

 

 

Review

 

I enjoyed this book and the journey back to the 1990s when we weren’t tied to cell phones or computers.

“I wanted nothing more than for Aunt Delia to understand that my choice to leave was not a rejection of my family. She tried to protect me from acting on the same fierce independence that I admired in her. My aunt, the one person I was terrified to confront, was the one who I most wanted to hear me.”

Gwyn is a senior in high school, living in a small town with her mother, aunt, and uncle. She has not had a carefree childhood, but it wasn’t bad. Then one day, she stumbles across a letter to her aunt that references someone getting married. This piques her interest, and she sets off on a quest to figure out who this person is and why someone is telling her aunt. There are a lot of secrets that will be revealed, and not just ones about her aunt. Turns out several people have not shared their whole story.

I really enjoyed the family dynamic. Not that it was perfect, but you could see the love they had for each other despite her Aunt Delia’s rules. Gwyn is mature for her age, and I appreciated how much she wanted to follow her dream of attending an art school and not abandoning it when the rug is pulled out from under her regarding funding. I also enjoyed watching her fall in love with an unlikely guy, one that she met trying to uncover the mystery of her aunt. His family was so welcoming and treated her like she was part of the family. Maybe they were psychic!

I found this book very engaging, and I had a hard time putting it down. This coming-of-age story might resonate with many readers. It is also a mystery and a love story too. It has a little bit of everything for everyone.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler was raised in West Point, a small town in the Tidewater region of Virginia. From the moment she submitted her first short story to a young author’s contest in second grade, Rebecca knew she wanted to be a writer. Her love of writing led her to earn a BA in English and an MEd in English education. She spent several years as a high school teacher, during which she also developed a passion for mental health advocacy. Rebecca completed an MA in professional counseling and now works in the school-based mental health field and as a college adjunct psychology instructor. Rebecca also teaches yoga for the young and the young at heart, and she likes to infuse yoga and breathwork in her counseling practice wherever she can.

She believes the most valuable use of her time is teaching youth how to love and care for each other and the world around them. Her stories share her focus on positive relationships and a love of nature. Rebecca now lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her husband, two children, and two spoiled Siamese cats.

Whispering Through Water is her first YA novel and second book. Her picture book When Daddy Shows Me the Sky was released November 2021.

 

Website * Instagram

 

 

 

Recommended Posts

Book Release excerpt Historical romance Trailer

New Release & Excerpt – Thistle in the Mistletoe by Margaret Izard

  Synopsis A kiss under the Mistletoe brings good fortune, but can a Christmas wedding stop a deadly feud? The soft beauty beside him at the altar would make the perfect bride. Roderick MacDougall would do anything to stop the feud without more bloodshed. Too bad the gorgeous woman is the daughter of his greatest […]

StoreyBook Reviews 
fiction Giveaway Historical

New Release & Giveaway – The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia by Ettore Farrattini Pojani

  The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia By Ettore Farrattini Pojani Italian Literature / Historical Fiction Publisher: Bayou City Press Pages: 326 Publication Date: October 11, 2024     Synopsis This is the first (and only) English-language version of the award-winning Italian novel, The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia. Nine Lives is a love story […]

StoreyBook Reviews 
Book Release excerpt Psychological Thriller

Excerpt – Schroeder by Neal Cassidy

  Synopsis A gripping new psychological thriller by author Neal Cassidy, SCHROEDER, weaves together elements of the literary thriller/horror genre, stream-of-consciousness narration, and critical social commentary. When an ordinary young man wakes up in his quiet neighborhood on a day seemingly like all the others, the city he’s lived in all his life has no […]

StoreyBook Reviews