The Gallery

"When I first picked up this book, I was very excited! Historical fiction and mystery are my two favorite genres. However, I was disappointed. The mystery didn't seem very high stakes, and I had a hard time figuring out why solving the mystery mattered to the main character. While the book has a gorgeous cover, it didn't live up to my expectations."

"The gallery is a mix of new adult and women's fiction. It's a collection of two novels following young widow, Jenna Rhodes. After the death of her well-known artist husband, Jenna is left alone with a baby and an aching to express and process her grief through art. As she comes to open her life up a little bit more, she finds herself attracted to another artist, Trevor Dade. Not sure if another relationship is what she wants, Jenna initially resists Trevor's attention, but she soon finds herself too pulled to his vibrant young spirit. As the relationship forms and grows, their differing views of the future threaten their close bond.<br/><br/>When I started the first book, I wasn't sure that I'd be able to connect much with the story. The idea of being a mother and taking care of a baby is so far away from my life, and so, certain things like continual mentions of breast-feeding stood out and became a little off-putting. But even though her experiences and life were so different from mine, I found it easy to connect with Jenna. I cared a lot about her and what she was going through. Which occasionally made reading hard, because the stress and emotions were so real. I feel the novels deal strongly with depression and the reality of normal life. This can tend to feel more bleak to me than a story with a focus on extreme drama. But even during the rough times, The gallery always maintains a sense of hope. The love of her children and the therapy of artistic creation.<br/><br/>LK consistently writes strong prose, but some of my favorite bits are when she dips into a poetic moment: "Her other favorite fall activity was watching the leaves turn to reds and yellows and oranges and shades of brown, then tumble lightly to the ground. She especially liked to be out in the wind as leaves tossed around her feet, singing their own melody." These moments bring the story more vibrantly to life, much like a great visual piece of art.<br/><br/>"All art is personal. All life is art." And The gallery feels like a real and personal expression of art. There were sections that didn't resonate with me, but that can be part of creating something that is uniquely your own. And I think The gallery does a great job of that."

"I love the mystery and all of the different subjets the author incorporated :)"