The Oysterville Sewing Circle

June 17, 2019
This moving novel from Wiggs (Between You & Me) is about a group of women who find the will to move forward together after a trauma. Caroline Shelby returns to Oysterville, Wash., from New York City after toiling as an aspiring clothing designer for 10 years. On the brink of her big break, her designs are stolen by her boss. Things get worse when her friend Angelique, a successful model, dies of a drug overdose. With no way to prove that her designs were ripped off, and after agreeing to take custody of Angelique’s two young children, Flick and Addie, Caroline moves them all home to her family’s house in Oysterville. Once there, she enrolls the children in school, starts her own sewing business, and rekindles her friendship with Lindy, owner of Lindy’s Fabric and Notions, where Caroline worked years earlier. Caroline suspects that Angelique was a victim of domestic abuse and learns that Lindy was also a victim. Adding to her parenting and entrepreneurial roles, Caroline starts the Oysterville Sewing Circle, a domestic violence support group, in Angelique’s honor. Wiggs’s characters are believable not only because of their complexity, but because of their ability to deal with their faults. This story about discovering strength from friends and within is a winner.

June 15, 2019
After facing tragedy and betrayal in New York, an aspiring fashion designer escapes to her idyllic Pacific coast hometown to raise her best friend's two young children and finds inspiration, redemption, and love in the unexpected journey. Caroline Shelby always dreamed of leaving tiny Oysterville, Washington, and becoming a couturier. After years of toil, she finally has a big break only to discover a famous designer has stolen her launch line. When she accuses him, he blackballs her, so she's already struggling when her best friend, Angelique, a renowned model from Haiti whose work visa has expired, shows up on her doorstep with her two biracial children, running from an abusive partner she won't identify. When Angelique dies of a drug overdose, Caroline takes custody of the kids and flees back to her hometown. She reconnects with her sprawling family and with Will and Sierra Jensen, who were once her best friends, though their relationships have grown more complicated since Will and Sierra married. Caroline feels guilty that she didn't realize Angelique was abused and tries to make a difference when she discovers that people she knows in Oysterville are also victims of domestic violence. She creates a support group that becomes a welcome source of professional assistance when some designs she works on for the kids garner local interest that grows regional, then national. Meanwhile, restless Sierra pursues her own dreams, leading to Will and Caroline's exploring some unresolved feelings. Wiggs' latest is part revenge fantasy and part romantic fairy tale, and while some details feel too smooth--how fortunate that every person in the circle has some helpful occupation that benefits Caroline's business--Caroline has a challenging road, and she rises to it with compassion and resilience. Timelines alternating among the present and past, both recent and long ago, add tension and depth to a complex narrative that touches on the abuse of power toward women and the extra-high stakes when the women involved are undocumented. Finally, Wiggs writes about the children's race and immigration status with a soft touch that feels natural and easygoing but that might seem unrealistic to some readers. A lovely read--entertaining, poignant, and meaningful.

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Starred review from August 1, 2019

Caroline Shelby couldn't wait to leave her tiny hamlet of Oysterville, WA, and pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer in Manhattan. A betrayal by her mentor and the death of Angelique, her supermodel best friend, change her plans. Caroline is made guardian of Angelique's two children, and that sends her running back to her hometown, where she's surprised to find that reconnecting with old friends, reinventing herself, and assuming a new role as a mom provide fresh inspirations for her designs and a shift in her priorities. The latest from best seller Wiggs (The Apple Orchard) is a great mix of contemporary women's fiction, an old-fashioned friends-to-lovers story, and a big dose of #metoo reading in one fantastic package. The dialog flows smoothly, the past and present time lines effortlessly tell the tale, and the raw beauty of the Pacific Northwest is the perfect setting. The characters are unforgettable, especially Caroline and her two adorable charges. They, along with the author's focus on domestic abuse, are the standouts. VERDICT Fans of real-life, real-emotion, sophisticated stories, such as those by Sarah Morgan, Robyn Carr, and Barbara Delinsky, will love this novel. [See Prepub Alert, 2/18/19.]--Debbie Haupt, St. Charles City-Cty. Lib. Dist., St Peters, MO

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Gravelly voiced Khristine Hvam brings passion and love to this story of tenacity, perseverance, and hope. Creative clothing designer Caroline Shelby returns home to Oysterville, Washington, after two tragedies in her life: first, the theft of her designs and then, the sudden death of her best friend and model, Angelique Baptiste. With Angelique's two children, Addie and Flick, now her responsibility, Caroline finds refuge in the town, especially the protective arms of friends and family. Hvam's smoky tones weave in and out of descriptions of spousal, sexual, and emotional abuse during the Oysterville Sewing Circle support meetings. Using lighter tones for Addie and Flick, Hvam echoes the children's joy. Most importantly, she captures Caroline's passion for fashion design and her love for the children and her friends. M.B.K. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Starred review from July 1, 2019
Caroline Shelby left tiny Oysterville for college in New York City. Always passionate about designing clothes, Caroline is determined to make it big. When the designer she is working for steals her designs and passes them off as his own, Caroline is devastated. Even more devastating is the death of her best friend, Angelique. Caroline had previously agreed to be guardian to Angelique's children, never imagining that anything would come of it. With two small children and no career, Caroline has no choice but to return home to Oysterville. The first person she runs into is Will Jensen, the man who broke her heart and married her best friend. Determined to provide for her children and to help other women who suffered from domestic violence like Angelique did, Caroline starts the Oysterville Sewing Circle. What starts as a support group becomes so much more as Caroline finds her spark once again. Wiggs (Map of the Heart, 2017) writes with thoughtfulness, gentleness, and realism as she tells the stories of women affected by domestic violence. The gentle romance between two friends reconnecting never distracts from these survivor stories. A topical and excellent book for every library.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)