I received a copy of After the Rain by Karen White in exchange for an honest review. I can never turn down a Karen White book, no matter how busy my schedule may be. Her books have a way of drawing me in, to surrendering to the plot and the characters, and I am just drawn to them. I had a fabulous time reading After the Rain, and thought it was quite a charming novel. It starts off with freelance photographer Suzanne Paris on a bus, escaping from something or someone. While at a stop in Walton, Georgia she makes the fateful decision to step off – and everything changes. She is quickly pulled into the small town, its residents, and all the special quirks and characters that fill the town. She is especially drawn to the mayor, Joe Warner, and his six children. But Suzanne is always on the run, she must never settle or get too comfortable. But the town of Walton has different ideas for her.
I was immediately invested in this story, and not just because of Suzanne, though her back-story is quite intriguing. Joe and his children were fascinating to me, and the other characters from Walton filled out the book in all the right places. The only, only part that didn’t make much sense to me and had such a big storyline was Joe’s run for mayor. Walton is described as a small town where everyone looks out for each other, but Joe was so concerned about losing the race to a guy that is seemed no one in the town liked. I couldn’t fully grasp that plot point because the two stories then seemed to contradict each other. But overall, I thought this was such a good read and one I highly recommend. I look forward to more from Karen White!
