Strawberry Lane by Jodi Thomas
Someday Valley #1

Love this author and adored this story. Once I started reading I had to find out what would happen and hated saying goodbye to the characters.

What I liked.
* Rusty O’Sullivan: handyman, builder, mechanic, difficult childhood, alone and perhaps lonely, a good man, strong, quiet, cares deeply, protective, really like him
* Jackson: lawyer, lost his parents and his big city dreams, caring, kind, good at what he does, eager to read his book and see if he gets the girl I think he will
* Starri: kind, caring, orphaned as an infant, sees more than most, charming, raises strawberries, deserves to find the perfect guy and may have one in mind
* Amber: physician, intern, has big dreams, drawn to someone she meets in this book, really hope that she and Rusty can make it work though so very different
* Zach: Rusty’s half-brother, young, afraid, abused, seeking a safe place to land, really felt for him and liked him
* Emma & Heath: older romantic couple that also get a chance at a happily ever after – loved reading their story
* The small-town setting with so many there to watch out for others: Firemen, Sheriff (from a previous series…great catching up with Pecos), the HS students, etc
* Duck the dog – mighty though small
* The plot, pace, setting, and writing
* Wondering about the other two siblings of Zach and Rusty
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like – especially Vern
* Thinking about how difficult Zach and Rusty’s lives were

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington – Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review

5 Stars ( )

A heartwarming story of family, love, and friendship. Jackson is a newly minted lawyer who has returned to Honey Creek to take over his father's practice after his parents were killed in an accident. One of his first cases involves a dying man who wants to leave his worldly goods to his four children - children he's neither met nor acknowledged. All he can give Jackson are names, approximate ages, and where he thinks they live.

Rusty O'Sullivan is the first and oldest of those children, he lives near Honey Creek. Rusty had a hard childhood, basically raising himself. He's a loner, keeping to himself when he's not working, though he's well-liked by the people who know him and work with him. We first see Rusty as he's driving to his isolated home on a rainy night, and his car goes off the road. Starri and her aunt Ona-May live nearby, witness the wreck and rush to rescue him. Rusty is badly injured, and they call for an ambulance. Because of washed-out roads, it will be an hour, so the local doctor, Ryan, and his friend Jackson rush to the site on horseback. It's a tense scene, but they stabilize him until the ambulance arrives. Rusty wakes up in the hospital with Jackson waiting to tell him of his inheritance. While Rusty has no interest in his father's land or money, he's intrigued to discover that he has three siblings - a family he never realized he wanted. He's determined to find these brothers from other mothers.

Rusty is a very independent and self-sufficient man who is also a flirt. His interactions with the intern, Dr. Adams, were amusing. He flirts, and she shuts him down, but he doesn't give up. As the book goes on, Rusty and Amber develop a deep connection despite their differences. I loved Rusty's innate sensitivity as he's there for Amber whenever she needs him. The progress of this relationship is sweet but also has a hint of uncertainty, and I hope to see more of it in the next book.

I had fun watching Jackson settle into his life in Honey Creek. It wasn't the career he'd planned for himself, but he felt compelled to follow in his father's footsteps. At first, he feels out of step, like he's wearing a suit that doesn't quite fit. His commentary on some of his cases shows the variety found in the life of a small-town lawyer. He's taken with Starri from the moment they met, but he tries to resist his feelings because she's much younger than him. Starri is mature for her age, and it isn't long before she wriggles her way into his heart. Those feelings emerge when Starri is injured, but he's still hung up on her age.

Young Zach just about broke my heart. A fourteen-year-old runaway, he appears in Honey Creek looking for his father. He has no name to go on, just that he has the same color eyes. Zach gets taken up by the sheriff for shoplifting, but Jackson takes one look at him and knows he's another one of the missing brothers. I loved how he tossed Zach and Rusty together until Rusty tumbled to the truth. Next thing you know, loner Rusty has taken custody of Zach and brought him home with him. I loved Zach's joy at having a real family and getting away from the abusive situation he had been in. I loved watching him and Rusty bond over junk food and Rusty's unique house. But things aren't all easy, as Zach's sort of stepfather wasn't happy to lose his free labor and punching bag. His arrival in Honey Creek was met with resistance, and I loved watching Zach's fellow students rally around him. The final confrontation with Vern was intense and hopefully will be the last we see of him.

Finally, there was an interesting relationship between a nurse, Emma, and Heath, a patient in a coma. Heath has been in a coma for a while, and Emma has habitually stopped in his room each night to talk to him. Heath is a wealthy benefactor to the hospital and went to school with Emma. She spends her time each evening telling him about her day and encouraging him to wake up. She gets excited when Heath begins to emerge from the coma and is stunned when he starts asking for her. As he recovers, it becomes evident that he's heard everything she talked about and has fallen in love with her. I liked seeing Heath get past her insecurities and seeing one couple from this book have a happy ending.

I'm looking forward to the next book and seeing which sibling shows up next. I also hope to see progress in the other relationships from this book.

#netgalley ( )