Review: Half Past by Victoria Helen Stone

Half Past

Release date: September 19th

Hannah has always felt like a stranger in her own home. She’s about to find out why.

At forty-five, Hannah Smith is at a crossroads. That’s her spin on it. The reality is she’s divorced, jobless, and moving back to her family home in Iowa to keep an eye on her mother, who’s slipping into dementia.

Her return stirs up the same unnerving sense of disconnect Hannah has felt since childhood—always the odd girl out, the loner outshone by her two older sisters. Hannah knew the feelings of hurt would come back. But she never expected fear. Because when her mother looks into her eyes and whispers, 
“You’re not my daughter,” Hannah is beginning to believe it’s not just the rambling of a confused woman.

It’s the truth.

Now Hannah’s following the trail of a family mystery to the dark coast of Big Sur, where years ago a lie was born—and buried. As frightened as she is to unearth it, Hannah knows this is the last chance she has before her past—and all its terrible secrets—are lost forever.

“Victoria Helen Stone renders the obsessions and weaknesses of her characters with scorching insight.”
–Christopher Rice, New York Times Bestselling Author

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What I thought about Half Past

Hannah has moved home to Iowa from Chicago to take care of her ailing mother and move on from her divorce.  She's dealing with a lot, especially with her mother who has dementia and doesn't recognize her.  Almost by accident Hannah finds some evidence that her family isn't quite what she thought and it opens up a huge can of worms that she feels compelled to investigate.

I don't want to say much more than this, because a big part of the charm of this story is discovering the truth right along with Hannah.  It's a nice little mystery that kept my interest throughout the book. But there's more!  What I adored about the circumstances is that it propels Hannah into some heavy duty soul searching of her own. 

Hannah insecurities play out throughout the book. She's never felt "right" about who she is because she is so different from her sisters. Put that together with her almost-resolved divorce, she's got a lot to think about.  For me, I loved her internal dialogue, how she views her life and self. It never got too maudlin for me, and it was easy to see that Hannah was a strong person -- she just had some work to do for herself.  I loved where she ended up after all is said and done.

I thought the writing in this book was lovely. Everything flowed for me, and the touch of humor and sarcasm spoke to me. I really liked Hannah and applauded her willingness to find herself, no matter what she found out.   I may have had to wipe my eyes a little bit toward the end.  It was all good for me -- a great reading experience. Half Past is definitely on my favorites of 2017 list.

An ARC was provided for review. 

 

  

About the Author

 

Victoria Helen Stone is the nom de plume for USA Today bestselling author Victoria Dahl. After publishing more than twenty-five novels, she has taken a turn toward the darker side of genre fiction. Born and educated in the Midwest, she finished her first manuscript just after college. In 2016, the American Library Association awarded her the prestigious Reading List Award for outstanding genre fiction. Having escaped the plains of her youth, she now resides with her family in a small town high in the Rocky Mountains, where she enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and not skiing (too dangerous).

If you’d like to know more about Victoria Dahl’s romance novels, please visit VictoriaDahl.com.

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