Up At Butternut Lake- Mary McNear

Up At Butternut Lake is a delightfully heartwarming book ideal for light summer reading. 

Recently widowed mother, Allie Beckett, and her five year old, Wyatt, are in need of a fresh start. Years of grief and constant reminders of her husband, lost in combat in Afghanistan, propel the move to Allie’s family’s summer lake house up in Butternut Lake.  She is greeted by some kind, familiar faces from her youth and is quickly embraced into this charming town. Something Allie hadn’t been expecting, however, was an even more charming new neighbor, Walker Ford. There are immediate, undeniable sparks between the two but Allie has vowed to do anything to protect her son and there was no way she would subject Wyatt to that potential pain. 

However, you can only avoid a person for so long in a small town like Butternut and it isn’t long before Allie finds herself faced with the question of whether she can allow herself to feel true joy again. 

The stories of Allie’s dear friends, Caroline,  a recent empty-nester, and Jax, a soon-to-be mother of five are woven into this novel. Both have their own challenging pasts to face and are equally as tangled and endearing. Up at Butternut Lake explores the many complexities of life humans must endure and the sometimes equally as complex and turbulent road to healing. 

I found McNear’s poignant writing incredibly endearing. Although there are some very heavy subjects in this story, I never once felt that it wasn’t laced with hope. I’m very excited that this is a series and look forward to my next visit to Butternut Lake.