The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane

May 15, 2013
When Janine Brown of Cedar Falls, Iowa, is announced as the winner of a dream home in Maine, two women who share the same name may just be what the other needs for a brand new lease on life. Janey Brown's Great Aunt Midge has entered her name in a Free House Sweepstakes, and when she wins the house in Maine, Janey would like nothing more than to crawl into the safe, warm haven of her kitchen and make it all go away. Speaking to strangers gives her hives and ties her tongue in knots, which she'd just as soon have happen in the comfort of her own familiar hometown. Unfortunately, Janey knows how much the house means to Aunt Midge, and Aunt Midge is smart enough to tempt Janey with the dream kitchen that comes with the home, so before long, they're off to begin new lives on the East Coast. Meanwhile, Nean Brown also heard her name called on the contest announcement, and she, too, is headed to Maine to claim her prize. So when these three women collide on the doorstep of 1516 Shipwreck Lane, confusion and antipathy arise. Aunt Midge is 88, a true character and wise as the day is long in summer. She sees through the wisecracking Nean to the vulnerable girl inside and opens her heart and the house to her, dragging Janey grumbling behind. Along the way, Janey and Nean form a truce, then a bond, with a bit of help from Aunt Midge and a small community of people they meet and, to Janey's shock, befriend. Janey is a professional cook and social recluse whose main interactions for the past few years have been with Aunt Midge and The Food Network. Nean is a wanderer with no education and fewer prospects. Each one must work through her own past, fear and insecurities, then turn to the other as they navigate romantic highs and lows and other life lessons in this charming winner. A perfect recipe of clever, quirky, poignant and fun make this a delightful debut.

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December 1, 2012

When HomeSweetHome network announces that the winner of its latest Free House Sweepstakes is Janine Brown of Cedar Falls, IA, reserved Janey Brown despairs that one of her aunt's nutty schemes has comes to fruition, while Nean Brown delightedly realizes that she has the means to escape a run of dead-end jobs and boyfriends. The two Janine Browns head to Christmas Cove, ME, for some surprising discoveries. Former editor and agent Harms seems to have picked up some tips from the best-selling commercial authors with whom she has worked; there's big in-house enthusiasm for this debut. Great for book clubs.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
The HomeSweetHome network has just announced that Janine Brown of Davenport, Iowa, is the big winner of its Free House Sweepstakes, and the prize is a gorgeous, fully loaded dream home in Maine. The network had no idea , however, that two Janine Browns live in Davenport, and they couldn't be more different. Debilitatingly shy Janey Brown is the polar opposite of outgoing, gregarious Nean Brown, but they're both ecstatic to hear that they've won the life-changing contest. While the logistics surrounding the dual contest winners are resolved, Janey and Nean find that they share so much more than the same name and hometown. Set in small-town Maine, this first novel is a story of rebuilding, recovery, and renewal. Harms has created two incredibly likable heroines, allowing the strengths of one woman to bolster the weaknesses of the other. While the central conflict of the story appears to be resolved fairly early, a succession of plot twists keeps the reader intrigued and invested. In the manner of Mary Kay Andrews and Jennifer Weiner, Harms' novel is emotionally tender, touching, and witty.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)