When Alice Hale leaves a career to become a writer and follows her husband to the New York suburbs, she is unaccustomed to filling her days alone in a big, empty house. But when she finds a vintage cookbook buried in the basement, she becomes captivated by its previous owner: 1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she realizes that within the pages Nellie left clues about her life.
Soon Alice learns that while a Baked Alaska may seem harmless, Nellie's secrets may have been anything but. When Alice uncovers a more sinister, even dangerous, side to Nellie's marriage, and has become increasingly dissatisfied with her own relationship, she begins to take control of her life and protect herself with a few secrets of her own.
***
[It was late in both day and season for planting, but she had no choice in the matter]***
(@Legend_Press, 4 February 2020, 272 pages, ebook, #ARC from @Legend_Press and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 25 February #legend100)
***
***
Wow, this book turned out to be a bit darker than I expected, even judging from the hints in blurb. The cover lulls you into a false sense of security them BAM! The chapters alternate between Alice in the present struggling to settle into her new life and questioning her recent choices and Nellie in the fifties. I enjoyed Nellie's story the most and would have like more from her. Nellie appears to be the perfect housewife married to the perfect man who adores her living a perfect life. Brown slowly peels back layers of pretty lies revealing the dark, rotten core of their perfect marriage. Alice's story is good as well a she struggles with the choices she made for her husband and starts to question who she is and what she really wants. I found this a compelling read. It's a great book to get lost in.
