Book Summary: 

For fans of Elin Hilderbrand, a riveting exploration of family, sisterhood, and the transformative power of literature. When two sisters, one a free spirit at the helm of a rebellious book club, the other a conventional woman locked in the clutches of an unhappy marriage are forced into a reluctant reunion by their mother’s illness, they must confront past ghosts that rock the entire community.

Gia Rossi was considered a bit of a rebel in her small hometown of Wakefield, Iowa ever since she challenged the gaggle of well-meaning but misguided women from the PTA who’d insisted the high school English department, drop a number of “controversial” titles from the reading list. Gia had expected her favorite teacher to stand up for the books she loved by explaining why they were so important. Instead, just to avoid a fight, he’d caved in immediately, which was what had incited her to start The Banned Books Club.

That was the first time Mr. Hart had let her down, but it wouldn’t be the last. Because of him she left her hometown when she turned eighteen and graduated. But now, with her sister begging her to return home due to their mother’s failing health, Gia will come face to face with the beloved teacher who was fired after she reported him for sexual misconduct. Gia’s return has the town divided between those who believe her and those who believe she ruined Mr. Hart’s life. Even members of her beloved book club–who’ve continued to meet virtually over the years–aren’t sure who to believe.

Gia’s homecoming dredges up a lot of pain from her past. Her relationship with her sister has always been strained but there’s no denying that Margot has taken on the burden of caring for their mother and now it’s Gia’s turn to help. She’s grateful to have the time with her mother and to come to terms with what happened to her in high school. What she doesn’t expect is for her sister to use Gia’s arrival as the opportunity to pack up her kids and leave town to escape her emotionally abusive husband. With the support of an unlikely ally, Gia is able to prove that Mr. Hart really was to blame for his own downfall, supports her mother and her sister when they need her most and finds love and a future in the town she thought rejected her.

Review

I did expect more about books in this one because of the title. So, don’t let the title fool you.

This story follows Gia. Gia left home at 18 because of her high school teacher. He did something totally unforgivable and unexpected. It has divided the town. Now Gia is back. Her mother is dying of cancer and she has come home. But, things have not changed and Gia must be tough!

This tale has more than one story line going at once and Brenda Novak handles it masterfully. Not only is there a story surrounding Gia, there is also one surrounding her sister, Margot.

Margot has decided to leave her verbally abusive husband. She needs Gia to make this occur. And I don’t want to give anything away…so, y’all need to read this to find out!

I enjoyed this tale. The characters, the drama and the little bit of romance thrown in, is a great mix!

Need a book that is more than a romance…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review

Author Bio:

Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels. She is a five-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Bookbuyer’s Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised $2.5 million. For more about Brenda, please visit http://www.brendanovak.com.

Social Links:

Author website: https://brendanovak.com/ 

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Buy Links:

HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-banned-books-club-brenda-novak 

BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-banned-books-club-original-brenda-novak/20991020

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-banned-books-club-brenda-novak/1144493947?ean=2940190812299 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Banned-Books-Club-Novel/dp/0778387321