I promise not to go over the top on The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Clubbut it’s going to be difficult. I totally enjoyed this book and had trouble putting it down.

The main character, Jo, is going through a major life change due to her husband being killed in a car accident. This accident happens right after he tells her that he wants a divorce. She feels like she is alone due to this unusual circumstance. She becomes a widow, a single parent, a home seller and new home owner, a knitting store owner and much more.

Although this is an emotional book, it is not overdone. I “got” the feelings, but I didn’t have to read through descriptions of each and every sad moment. The author, Gil McNeil, was able to present them through the character’s discussions and choices. Even though there were many characters, I was able to get to know them all. I wasn’t confused about who was who because each one was written as a real person.

The book takes place in England and there are many phrases that I didn’t understand, but I liked learning more about them. There is a bit of everything in this book. Some of the lessons I learned were: the need for family and close friends even when you are not going through difficult times, how to accept change in a positive way, that being a perfect mother isn’t important, but being a loving mother is and most important of all, that life goes on even when horrible things happen.

Note: This book includes some adult language, in fact a lot of it.

Review courtesy of Parent Reviewers.