MORNING GLORY by Sarah Jio

Sarah Jio's signature style of writing never disappoints me. I've read all of her books and she has definitely become a favorite of mine.

2008 - 33 year old Ada Santorini is living in New York. Her career was thriving, but her personal life had withered and died two years earlier when her perfect world changed forever. She is living with sadness in her heart and memories that taunt her. She is grieving for the loss of her husband and beautiful young daughter. Ada decides to leave her job, at a prosperous magazine, and head for Seattle where she rents a houseboat.

The houseboat community, at Lake Union, is occupied by people with a variety of lifestyles. Boat Street has quite a history and a big part of that history is a young woman, Penny Wentworth, who went missing there many years ago.

Ada becomes very interested in the mystery of Penny. No one at Lake Union is talking, even though memories are hovering over them like ghosts. Was foul play involved in Penny's disappearance? Will Seattle be the perfect place for Ada to mend her broken heart and consuming pain? And the story unfolds ---

All of the characters are vibrantly drawn, with many startling revelations revealed throughout. The book is beautifully written and cleverly blends together two different time periods. There are strong themes of tragedy with grief, lies, deceit, and love - a story laced with secrets. I absolutely loved the epilogue which was perfect for a satisfying conclusion - just beautiful!

A brilliant, poignant, and heart-wrenching story that spins a tale of twisting emotions - a story you don't want to miss. This is definitely a 5 star novel!