Book Review – Lies and Other Acts of Love

I’m not going to lie I felt like I’d been given a golden ticket to the cool book nerds club (as much as that sounds like an oxymoron) when I was offered an advanced readers copy of Kristy Woodson Harvey’s newest book, Lies and Other Acts of Love.

(chair, cushion, pillow)

For those that don’t know what an advanced reader’s copy, an ARC, is, it’s a copy of a book before it’s released to the public.  Lies and Other Acts of Love, the second book from Kristy Woodson Harvey, was released last month.  I received my copy in March but had a few other books on my tbr (to be read), not to mention house projects cramming up my time.  When I finally had a chance to sit down with this one, I was finished reading in a few days and actually stayed up ’til 2 am one night unable to close my eyes until I’d reached the end.  This was one of those stories that once it got rolling you just couldn’t step away.  I love that kind of story, don’t you?!

The real, pretty cover of this book looks like this; and if you’re looking for a great summer read, this is one you’ll definitely want to toss in your travel, pool, beach bag.

Lies and Other Acts of Love is a story about love and relationships………and the lies, both big and small,  that hold a family together.  Set in the South, the story follows the lives of two women, a grandmother, Lynn or “Lovey” and her granddaughter Annabelle.  Annabelle is your typical Lilly-Pulitzer-Jack-Rogers wearing Southern girl who always does the right thing……until she gets swept away by a musician she meets in a bar and dumps her straight laced hedge fund manager fiance.  She shocks her entire family, and really even herself, when she marries her love at first sight musician after only knowing him for three days.  While us experienced in love and marriage readers are shaking our doubtful heads along with her wise mother and grandmother, Annabelle doesn’t discover what true love is really made of until her world starts to crumble all around her…..and she discovers that her own grandparents’ picture perfect love story, the one she has admired her whole life, wasn’t exactly “perfect” after all.

I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would.  I knew I’d like it just based on the quick summary I read on the back of the book, but I never expected to come away from reading feeling more than just entertained.  This story is thought provoking, and that aspect sort of caught me by surprise.  The last sentence of the book has really stuck with me, and it’s one I’ll probably remember for many years……The lies that matter most are the ones we tell ourselves.  It’s hauntingly true.  I just love it when an author tells a love story and doesn’t sugar coat it……….because there is beauty in real, imperfect, doing your best, making mistakes, forgiving, grace-giving, you before me, I’m sorry, I messed up, I’ll do better, love.  And those kinds of love stories are one million times better, more inspiring and heartwarming than a fairytale love story, at least in my humble opinion.

Kristy Woodson Harvey is no doubt a name you’ll be seeing more of in the future.  I for one will be picking up a copy of her first book, Dear Carolina, very soon!  Thanks for the advance copy Kristy!  I’ll treasure my very first ARC for years to come!