Book Review - "The Wishing Tree"

"The Wishing Tree," by Marybeth Whalen, is a summery read that will transport you to a warm beach and a time of reflection. 

Book Description from the publisher:

Compelling stand-alone novel with a southern, beach setting sure to appeal to fiction readers.

In The Wishing Tree, Ivy Marshall, a savvy, determined woman, finds out her husband has cheated on her on the same day her sister’s perfect boyfriend proposes on national television. When Ivy’s mother asks her to return to her family’s beach home to plan her sister’s upcoming wedding, she decides to use the excuse to escape from the pain of her circumstances.

When her return to Sunset Beach, North Carolina, brings her face to face with her former fiancé, old feelings rise to the surface and she wonders if there is a future for them. However, her husband has started tweeting his apology to her and doesn’t want to give up on their marriage. As she helps prepare the wishing tree for her sister’s wedding, she must examine her own wishes for the future and decide what love should be.

My Review:
Ivy's life is turned upside down when she loses her job, finds out about her husband's affair and her sister is proposed to.  Ivy returns home to help with her sister's wedding plans and to escape her current life and try to decide where to move on from here.  As Ivy gets drawn back into her family and hometown, she is faced with what she wants to do with her life and whether or not she can forgive her husband, and if she even wants to give him another chance.  This is a story that I was immediately drawn into, I think mainly because of the characters as they are so easy to empathize with.  Also, I love weddings, so I loved all of the wedding details and the idea of the wishing tree.  Overall, this is a well-written story filled with love, betrayal and family relationships. 

*Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers and BookSneeze for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.*