What a stunning debut!

The protagonist in this story is the child of an Italian father and African American mother. It didn’t take long for me to become aware of her challenges growing up during the Jim Crow era in Charleston, South Carolina. This fascinating story follows two antique buttons through three timelines and I was eager to find out whose hands these heirlooms passed through and if they’d ever be reunited with the rightful owner!

Why I loved this book:

✔️Strong women (who endure prejudice)
✔️Mothers protecting children and putting them first
✔️Overcoming heartache and loss
✔️balanced by plenty of love and courage
✔️interesting/unique characters (freight-hoppers)
✔️antique lace/buttons/embroidery/vintage dresses
✔️characters who work hard to realize their dreams
✔️characters who stumble in the process and dust themselves off and try again
✔️relate to characters who question their decisions
✔️relate to characters who question God’s timing
✔️clean read
✔️inspirational and subtle faith elements
✔️uncovering secrets
✔️multiple timelines

This was a hug in a book. It was exactly what I needed to start the new year. I want to contemplate the message that sometimes what we want isn’t always what we need.

I have so many wonderful quotes highlighted in this story that will give me lots to think about in the days ahead.

I can’t wait to start book two in the Heirloom Secrets trilogy, Paint and Nectar!

This is the first of a duology centering around two heroines, alternating between various timelines and southern locales.

Millie is a biracial nonagenarian with a lifelong struggle to remain true to herself and her proud history(ies) and to reconcile the choices she’s had to make along the way and the dream she’s had to sideline. Harper is a young modern woman searching for her true vocation in life after her dream is also sidelined.

Although I found this a bit of a slow starter, I connected with both the heart rending poignancy and the unflinching truth of how Millie lived with the intolerance of others yet stayed proud of her dual cultural inheritance and clung to her faith, especially during some of the most dangerous periods for racial diversity in our history.

And while there were reaches of believability in coincidences (this IS a fictional novel), it was a solid, enlightening story, especially as a debut.

Much thanks to both #NetGalley and #BethanyHouse for providing me the ARC. The opinions are wholly my own.

I really enjoyed this book! Both the timelines were fascinating, and I just loved Millie's story, from start to finish. She had to endure such difficult things, and just thinking about the choice she had to make hurt my heart. I can't imagine having to be in that situation.

I also appreciated the theme in this book of not giving up when things get hard. It gave me a new perspective seeing Millie in both timelines have a dream, and not giving up on it in even in the last years of her life. It was so beautiful, and I liked the choice the author made to not make Harper's story the typical plot of having a dream, being devastated, but finding it in the end. Of course, in a way she does, but only through her determination to make someone else's dream come true.

The romances in this book are both based on friendships. They were both substantive and meaningful (and I really appreciated not having two page descriptions of first kisses). While they were both integral to the story and character development, they took a back-burner to Millie's overall story.

This story was intricate, detailed, complex, and all the themes and story lines merged together so beautifully. What a wonderful debut from Ashley Clark! I'm looking forward to reading her next book.

This is my first read by Ashley Clark and I am newer to historical fiction reads. Harper, at present time, hard at work in a school for fashion design, with a desire to open her own dress shop. Millie, 1964, story begins with a force to leave her mom for a chance at a future. Harper's dream comes to a screeching halt when the result of her last dress is titled undesirable by her instructor. Harper lost on her next move travels home in which she reconnects with her mentor. Millie and Harper find themselves traveling to Alabama to begin the endeavor of making their dreams come true. The storyline was great for the chance to go after what it is that you want. I liked the dynamic of secrets unfolding for both Harper and Millie. A little bit of a slow read for me.

I am not sure why I have not heard more about this book, as it is truly a hidden gem. I found myself going between the characters, wondering wishing and hoping to see as the story unfolded.
Sometimes stories with racial divisions from the past, open a new world to us that we wish we had not seen. I loved the hints and quotes from Gilmore Girls, the fashion design quality and the boarding house history enclosed in this book, as well as shades of Jane Austen slipped in. With heartbreaking moments, you will find yourself thinking about this one after you finish.

This book is so fantastic! Awash in history and bringing in components of the last 150 years I'd not thought about or have been practically lost to memory. Thoughtful, powerful, and engaging. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

This book is incredible. It very delicately touches on racial issues and decisions you could not possibly imagine having to make. At the very beginning I was a little lost with the introduction of characters, but after the third chapter when all the main characters in the family line were introduced, it was much easier to keep them all straight. The author effortlessly takes the story line between two time periods, only to weave an incredibly beautiful story of hope and ultimately redemption. There are a lot of deep emotions in this book, heartache, loss, but also an amazing hope. The way the author weaves Harper and Millie's stories together will keep you turning the pages until the very end. I found myself reading slower toward the end because I did not want this book to end. This did not feel like a fiction book, but more of a true story. It will make you feel all kinds of things. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a very well-written, engaging fiction. I think whether you are a historical fiction fan or not that you will enjoy this story. This is one that I will remember for a long time. Thank you to Bethany House Publishing and Net Galley for making it possible to read this book. All opinions are entirely my own.