Disclaimer #1: If you already know about this book and don’t like spoilers then stop here and come back. If you have not read this book and do not like spoilers then stop right here and come back. All spoilers will be given closer to the end of the blog.
Thanks,
Management 🙂
It’s been almost a year since I’ve written a blog, and it wasn’t on purpose as always. I find it difficult to juggle life, self-care, and creativity. Although self-care is my top priority, I can only focus on one thing at a time. Crocheting, coloring, bullet journaling, and reading books occupy my creative life. Unfortunately, writing fell by the wayside. The good thing is that one of my good friends didn’t allow that to happen. We’ll get to that soon.
If there’s one thing that I’m honored to say that I have it’s this: God did His big one when He gave me my village. SERIOUSLY! I have been blessed with close friends who are entrepreneurs, hairdressers, gym enthusiasts, poets, artists, writers, law experts, DJs, coaches… I mean COME ON! In this blog, I want to highlight one of them.
One of my good friends (and older sister in Christ), Tanela Writes, has added a third book to her repertoire called “Cherrywood Inn: a Legacy.” I had the privilege of having a backseat in her journey of finishing and publishing the book. Going from getting a sneak peek in our book club to seeing the book cover options to seeing the book in my hands has made me even more proud to say that I know her. Although it was officially published on June 21, 2024, I took my time while reading it. It was partly due to waiting closer to our book club to finish it (because I tend to forget things before our monthly book club gatherings).
My Book Summary
If you didn’t know, “Cherrywood Inn: a Legacy” is about a woman named Natera who returns to her hometown of Cherry, North Carolina after her grandmother died. She gained a great inheritance from her grandmother, but lost a lot more than imaginable: family, heart, and drive. One of her inheritances was her grandmother’s inn, Cherrywood Inn. Determined to carry on her grandmother’s legacy, the book focuses on her journey from building back up Cherrywood Inn. Of course, she faces challenges along the way, such as pivots, family drama, town initiations, and secrets coming to light. She has had disdain for reopening the inn from a couple of family members. She has also faced racism from Cherry natives. Nevertheless, Natera was determined to carry on her grandmother’s legacy alone. However, not everything was bad. She found friends in Cherry, lived with one of her uncles and aunts, and met people who dearly loved her grandmother. The most important one was finding love in a hopeless place from Caleb.
Caleb is another vital character in the book. His story begins in Cherry after abruptly leaving Chicago, Illinois. He returns home as a surprise to himself and his uncle because his parents didn’t leave a pleasant impression. Nevertheless, he was there to escape from relationship toxicity and suffocation in city life and finds a hard time adjusting to being home. He successfully runs and owns his uncle’s hardware store, but it isn’t until Natera comes home that he considers adjusting more to Cherry life. After working with each other at Cherrywood Inn, Caleb and Natera began connecting more and developing a relationship. Even though past relationships and family trauma come out, nothing prevents them from staying away from each other.
My Thoughts
Disclaimer #2: Although this is my good friend, my review will be honest and unbiased. I’m also giving you another fair warning. I’m going to put spoilers. Mmkay? Mmkay.
What first stood out to me about the book was the 43 short chapters. I get exhausted from reading excessively long chapters, so for the book to have smaller chapters it was easy to digest. I also noticed a pattern. The chapters in the first part of the book was shorter and it wasn’t until I got farther into the book that the chapters got a little longer. It made me wonder if there was a reason for it or if that’s how she wanted it to be. Either way, I was drawn in after reading Chapter 3 and Chapters 1 and 2 were there for me to understand what’s going on.
Natera was inspiring to read about because she never gave up even when there were so many detours along the way. She didn’t let anyone stop her from fulfilling her grandmother’s wishes, not even family nor racism. I’m glad to see that Caleb got it together when it comes to his fear of speaking out… but I’m not gonna lie. That was IRRITATING! Better yet, both Natera and Caleb were IRRITATING ME AT SOME POINT. Caleb wouldn’t push through his fear fast enough for me and speak up, while Natera was way too stubborn to talk to Caleb when she knows she was extending the silent treatment for way too long. Nevertheless, the development of Natera and Caleb was well done and I don’t think I was lacking in understanding any of the characters in the book. The author didn’t front load me with character information, nor did she chop up the information. It was as if I was watching a movie, but reading it. I also enjoyed the development of the supporting characters.
The book reminds me of a spicy Hallmark movie, not thrilling enough to be considered a Lifetime movie. If I’m talking to my book like watching a television show, then just know that I’m enjoying it. I mean, who doesn’t love a good book that brings you through an emotional rollercoaster? I was going through many different emotions while reading the book! Y’all, I was mad, irritated, happy… all the things!
I think this book is also a good discussion starter on family legacy and generational trauma. Natera wasn’t given any information about her family’s past (I think) due to her family being afraid to relive the past. I also think it was because, like many black families, any new adult from ages 25+ is still considered a “baby” and the older adults don’t think the younger adults can handle the recent family dynamic. Unfortunately, Natera had to figure out why one of her uncles didn’t want her to have it and how her grandmother got the house in the first place from a third party that no one expected.
Although it wasn’t too many details, one of my favorite characters (besides Natera and Caleb) was Uncle Stephen. He reminded me of Forrest Gump. It was said that he was in a War and that PTSD was involved, yet I was curious about what other things led to him going crazy. I may have missed that part. Either way, I’m glad that the author was able to show that Uncle Stephen was still able to do things despite his condition.
If you are interested in a spicy hallmark movie-type novel, then this is the book for you. Overall, this was a 5-star read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you are interested in how to get the book, then here are some ways you can get it. Also, she would love for you to leave a review! 
If you’ve gotten this far, thank you so much for reading! I promise that I won’t wait this long to write a blog again 🙂
~Live, Laugh, Love~