Driftwood Dreams

April 13, 2020
Lowe continues her Carolina Coast series (after Beach Haven) with this touching romance centered on high school friends who reconnect later in life. After Josie Slater’s mother died, Josie decided to stay in Sunset Cove to help her father run the family diner. A few years later, artist August Bradford, Josie’s former best friend, returns from a tour of Europe to help his uncle with an art camp and also reconnect with Josie. August wants Josie, who has long wanted to go to graduate school for painting, to partner with him as a co-teacher, and he asks her to help in getting the art camp started. Josie agrees to help part-time; engaging her creative passion quickly transforms her from stuttering and shy to someone confident and comfortable in her own skin. As secondary characters and family members nudge Josie and August toward each other, the art projects push Josie to reconnect with her passion for painting. While obligations to her father keep Josie from enthusiastically accepting the co-teacher position full-time, all it takes is August losing his patience with her indecision for Josie to truly embrace the opportunity. Throughout are subtle reminders to not only trust God, but to also share one’s God-given gifts with the world. This slow-burning romance will appeal to fans of Irene Hannon.

May 15, 2020
South Carolina novelist follows her best-selling Lulu's Cafe (2014) with a Carolina Coast series installment featuring Josie Slater, who was a teen when she lost her mom. Josie had a passion for art and painting while in high school, which she shared with her friend, August Bradford, whom she had a crush on. August was adopted after being orphaned with two younger brothers in childhood. He attends art school and has some success. Josie decides to stay in Sunset Cove and help her dad run the Driftwood Diner. When August returns, Josie's memories and insecurities sweep back. He says that she's hiding her light under a bushel, because he believes in her talent. Josie is afraid that he'll leave again. But August stays, trying to encourage Josie while starting a summer camp to enable young artists to use what he sees as their God-given talents. Does God's plan for Josie include August and her creating art? Lowe provides enjoyably quirky characters and Carolina charm in this inspirational summer read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)