I found this story intriguing. A story of a family that is so focused on the material side of life that they exist in their home but don’t connect. The mother who tried to keep everything balanced. Then she finds a sixteen year old girl who has lived in the woods and has no idea how to live in the “real” world. They all learn from each other and the lessons are not easy but important. Suzanne is the mother and a wonderful character.
The only downside of the book is the bad language of Suzanne and Whit’s teenagers. ( )

I was looking for some "pass timing" reading, and selected this book as I was interested in the setting. I almost quit in the middle but was curious about what was going to happen to the characters, so I stayed with it. I'm glad I did.
And the outdoors person and botanist in you will especially appreciate it. ( )

This was a slow-build at first but quickly turne d into one of those books you just can’t put down. Suzanne, a wealthy mother of two is driving when she discovers a barely conscious girl who’s been living out in the woods. As the chapters slowly unfold, we’re taken through the disconnected lives of Suzanne, her real estate developer husband who’s focused on financial gain, her parents and their dysfunctional marriage, and her children, who have their own set of troubles. Iris, the girl who has no one else in the world is such a fascinating juxtaposition to all the excess of Suzanne’s life, to her own spoiled daughter, and as jealousy and tensions slowly spiraled out of control, I couldn’t stop turning pages.

This was a lovely story of various character journeys that took me on beautiful walks through the mountains of Virginia and through a fractured family who may have hope of finding each other again. A great read.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
( )

Set in Charlottesville and the Blue Ridge Parkway vicinity, a rather implausible story of a girl and a woman who have to find the place that feels true to themselves. ( )

I thoroughly enjoy the way that Sonja Yoerg writes. I really couldn't stand a couple of the characters---was there hope for one of them in the end? My only problem was that the "root" of the problem was...money...and in the end....(spoiler alert!!!!)....it was also, the solution. I really wanted another alternative because this was sort of ....too easy. As a story, it was intriguing and the author is free to present it the way she wishes. Iris is...perhaps an almost impossible creation...but again, straight from the author's imagination is fine. ( )

I received an ARC of this book, opinion is mine alone. 4.5 stars.

I read the first chapter at least twice, not wanting to miss a word of the beautifully and heartfelt emotions of the outdoors and the situation evolving.

Iris, a waif is left on her own, for some time. Suzanne, is an affluent wife and mother, escaping a day of demands, by going on a long drive...very out of character. She sees something in the side of the road and finds Iris, alone and very ill. This starts a story that will change so many lives. Iris is put into foster care with Suzanne, much to the dismay of Whit, the Husband; Brynn, the spoiled brat; and Reid, the son who follows his beat. Suzanne is caught up in the rat race of being a mom and doing for everyone else, until she meets this waif, who opens her eyes in a way no one could have expected, especially her family.

This book is so well titled, and the cover art is perfect. The character development is excellent, you get a true look into each and every character, as you watch them all search for their True Place. ( )

Suzanne Blakemore drives along the Blue Ridge Parkway, away from her busy and list-filled life. She has the perfect home, perfect husband, two children, but yet, she feel overwhelmed. As she is driving, a girl emerges from the woods- starved, ill, and alone. Suzanne and the girl, Iris, develop a connection that questions everything Suzanne has known.

Iris grew up in the woods. With the sun as her clock and blanket, and the birds as her music. When she joins "civilization", she is amazed at how "these people" seem to be controlled by time and their phones. The story is told in the third person, but from different POV's. It focuses on materialism and superficiality. The Blakemores think Iris is the "weirdo", while Iris can't wrap her head around how the Blakemores live with so much abundance.

This is the first book I've read by Sonja Yoerg, but it will not be my last. ( )

**Book Review** True Places
by Sonja Yoerg
Pub Date: 01 Jan 2019
True Places is a thought provoking novel. Suzanne is living a privileged life with house, husband. children. It's perfect on the outside. One day, she finds a teen girl, Iris, on the side of the road. Suzanne takes Iris to the hospital then home with her to foster. Iris has been living off the grid her entire life and completely alone for a couple of years. The story focuses less on Iris and more on Suzanne and her realization that her life is not fulfilling. Imagine the American dream through Iris. Too much house, too much stuff, so much waste, money and more money, giant vehicle, and on and on. Iris is pure. She has not been corrupted by money. She has not been told her whole life everyday that she needs to have everything. It's refreshing to have someone question this idiocy. Suzanne begins to understand that she has become something she never intended. She is driven by materialism and the wants of her kids and husband. Her kids are disrespectful and disconnected from real life. Her husband is willfully ignorant. Iris shows Suzanne the truth about her lifestyle. Suzanne knows she must change. Her husband and kids must change. I like this story a lot because it's true. I can identify with so much of this. Most of us probably can. It's a buy everything wasteful bigger is better world. It's an eye opening story. The author does an excellent job. It's so well written and Suzanne is realistic and relatable. I recommend for anyone who suspects the American dream is maybe a nightmare. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I enjoyed this family drama by Sonja Yoerg. It is the story of a busy suburban mom who finds a teenage girl, Iris, in the road. Iris has been living off the grid her whole life and since her mother died she has been on her own. Suzanne decides to foster her while they try to find her family which doesn't go over well with her own teenage children. As Iris learns about the world, Suzanne also begins to realize her own unhappiness in her life. This book was very well written. The characters and their reactions and emotions are realistic although a little stereotypical. It will make a great book club selection. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. ( )

The story opens with a young girl named Iris who has been living in the woods with her mother. Tiny and starving, she is out hunting when she hears her mother cry out. She finds that her mother has falled down into a deep hole. Iris is too small and weak to get her mother out and her mother sucumbs to her injuries.

Iris stumbles out of the woods and a woman, Suzanne, driving by sees her collapse on the side of the road. Suzanne takes Iris to the hospital to get checked out and recover, and the police question Iris about where she came from. Iris claims to remember very little, but does report that both of her parents have died.

Suzanne offers to take Iris to her house and foster her until Iris' family can be located. Suzanne's husband, Whit, and her two children Ried and Brynn, are less than thrilled at the appearance of 16 year old Iris. Ignoring her family's existing problems, Suzanne committs to "fixing" Iris and teaching her the ways of the world. But Iris isn't ready for everything she has ever known to be turned upside down.

Soon Suzanne and her family realize that the appearance of Iris has taught them more about themselves than they were ready to learn.

This book was terrible. I really didn't like it at all. All the characteres were awful, the writing was subpar, and the story went no where. We never found out WHY Iris' family was living in the woods. Suzanne's children were ridiculous and hateful. Her husband silly. All the characters were full of themselves, shallow, and without depth. Just bad writing.

I should have quit the book. I have to be better about it. It wa snothing but a waste of time. ( )

True Places

A remarkably descriptive novel that will lose you in its emotionally gripping pages.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Suzanne Blakemore is hurrying through her busy day, when she spots a figure lying on the road. She stops and discovers a young malnourished girl in need of medical attention. She transports 16 year old, Iris to the hospital and learns that she has been living on her own in the woods for many years. Her mother had passed away in the woods three years ago and her father had disappeared three years before that. Iris was frightened and overwhelmed being in the hospital and wanted to go back to the woods. Suzanne feels a strong connection to Iris’s feelings, and is compelled to help her adjust to life in the normal world. Although Suzanne’s life with two teenage children at home is anything but normal. But the encounter with Iris has changed Suzanne and made her take another look at her own life.

“No one gives in without giving something up, and nothing is given up without cost.”
REVIEW
The first thing you notice about TRUE PLACES is it’s reverence to nature. Author Sonja Yoerg’s writing is mesmerizingly descriptive. With a PhD in Biological Phychology that’s not surprising. From the first pages you will feel the beauty of the dense and thick woods surrounding Iris’s cabin. And you, like Iris, will yearn to get back there, or perhaps even find your own true place. TRUE PLACES will appeal to women who are juggling with the sometimes overwhelming demands of being both wife, and mother while perhaps losing your sense of self. My favorite part of the book was the expertly drawn character development of Suzanne’s family.

You know you are reading a remarkable book when you are captivated by the book’s language and it’s real life relevance. I found myself highlighting quite a few thought-provoking paragraphs. This is a must read book for 2019!

“That was, in fact, what time was: a narrow container for a relentless succession of task. The container could not be expanded, but the tasks could multiply exponentially. In fact, tasks were guaranteed to multiply.”

“Without the space and the quiet for contemplating, she could not know her own mind, trust her own perceptions, and she was lost.”

“Sometimes it takes a stranger to show you what should be obvious, how far you’ve drifted from who you want to be, from what’s right for you, your true place.”
Publisher Lake Union
Published January 1, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com ( )

I love the lessons in this book.

Iris has lived a truly sheltered life. She never has ridden in a car, had running water, been around people other than her family, kills what she eats, and is very much alone. Suzanne finds her sick on the side of a road and instantly I could feel both their lives change. Iris has to adjust to other people, a hospital, and a society where things move fast, people are everywhere, and technology is the norm. Suzanne finds that she wants more from her life and Iris is just the way to help her accomplish it, although that is now what the thought was from her first meeting of Iris.

Suzanne has lived a privileged life, from her parents raising her without her needing for any material things to her husband who worships and loves her completely. When Iris comes in she realizes that she has just been a caregiver for her unappreciative kids and her selfish husband. She needs more to life and her eyes are opened to what is important. It is a struggle to change your ways without losing those you care about and Suzanne has to figure out how to be strong and stand up for herself.

I was intrigued by Iris. There was a big need to know more about her. How can she have no family? How can she possibly have been so far off the grid? Can she learn how to live in today's world? The relationship between Suzanne and Iris was just the start of what she was going to have to adjust to after being forced to come literally out of the woods into the real world. Maybe she accepts things told to her too easily, especially when Brynn was involved, but I felt that Sonja Yoerg did an amazing job taking it slow and easy with Iris, letting her way turn into a way to still be.

I walked away from this book looking at my life. Seeing how some of the busy work I do isn’t necessary, that letting my family take some responsibility for themselves isn’t a bad thing, and that if I don’t take time for myself it would be easy to lose who I want to be. ( )

Suzanne Blakemore lives an organized, busy life, with a devoted, successful husband, and two bright teenagers, a son and a daughter. She also has a round of volunteer activities that keep her far too busy to think about anything that may be lacking in her life, and only rarely leaves her alone long enough for a panic attack.

Then one day, feeling the demands of her life closing in, she drives off down a largely deserted highway, exactly the sort of thing she should avoid, and sees a young girl crouched by the side of the road. Suzanne stops, and speaks to her--and then coaxes the seriously ailing, underweight Iris into her car and takes her to the hospital.

Pretty much no one is happy with her about this, especially when she does not immediately lose interest in Iris after dropping her at the hospital. Her daughter, Brinn, thinks Iris is an excuse to ignore her. Son Reid also thinks Iris is a Project taken on to avoid other things, though he has a slightly better sense that it may be herself Suzanne is trying to ignore. Suzanne's mother Tinsley is appalled she's involving herself with a homeless person who can only reflect badly on their social standing. Husband Whit is at least somewhat concerned about what Suzanne wants, but really agrees with everyone else that it would be better to take no further interest. Besides, he's pursuing a big business deal...

Iris is sixteen, and has been on her own since her mother died. Once they were a happy, intact family of four, living in a cabin in the woods, living off the land. Then, her father, and as we slowly come to realize, her brother Ash, vanished from their lives. She believes her father died. He must have, or he would have come back. She doesn't think about what happened to Ash. He lives in her head. Three years later, her mother dies in a fall into a cave. Iris is truly on her own, until Suzanne finds her.

When no family can be found for Iris, and Suzanne persuades Whit that they should become her foster family, a family she only barely keeps on track is poised to go completely off the rails. These are very real people, and allowing for generational differences, I went to high school with kids like Brinn and Reid. When Brinn acts on her resentment of Iris, it's only her established pattern of behavior being made visible enough that her father is finally forced to see it, and Suzanne can no longer avoid confronting behavior she doesn't know how to control. Reid's problems are more subtle, and more in his relationship with his father, who has long seen Brinn as perfect and Reid as a disappointment. Suzanne's own problems are present from the beginning, not at all Whit's doing, but in his genuine love for her he has perhaps not done what she needed.

And Iris, with no experience of the modern world, having been taught that modern society is corrupt and corrupting, nevertheless really can't go back to living alone in the woods. Yet for all her lack of any experience with the modern world, she knows an amazing amount about plants, and not just purely practical survival knowledge of them. There's more going on in her background than we know.

This is a complicated mixing of complicated, flawed people, most of whom are genuinely doing the best they can, trying to find their way in a world that almost intentionally keeps them too busy to think about anything beyond the superficial. As always with Yoerg's books, there's an underlying grounding of decency and love binding people together. It makes the painful parts worth sticking around through. At the same time, there are no simple, pat answers to their complicated problems.

Highly recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the author, and am reviewing it voluntarily. ( )

Look for my Q&A Elevator Ride with Author, Sonja Yoerg coming Jan 1, 2019! An exclusive “behind the scenes” look behind TRUE PLACES and some fun facts about the author and her latest book. Plus learn what is coming next!

Sonja Yoerg returns following All The Best People (2017) with her best yet! TRUE PLACES is moving, emotionally charged and beautifully written story with lyrical prose and tons of heart and soul—discovering our true place in life.

For every woman who feels overwhelmed, unappreciated, and has lost a little of herself along the way due to marriage, family, motherhood, and career choices. A road to self-discovery. Readers you will adore the unexpected relationship between Suzanne and Iris!

Often it takes a stranger to put us back on the correct path and find our true place.

Set in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains (your stress level drops just looking at the stunning cover). If you have ever been to the Virginia Mountains, it is just as breathtaking.

Readers are introduced to Suzanne and Whit Blackmore, parents of two teens, Brynn and Reid. We also meet Suzanne’s mother Tinsley (self-absorbed and needy). On the outside this looks like a happy family; however, there is much lacking.

Suzanne is a very busy mother and has no time to barely breathe. (we all have been there). She is overwhelmed and needs an escape. One afternoon she takes a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway. She will drive. Clear her head. Escape. She thinks of all the deadlines and things she must do; however, for a moment this will be hers. No cell service, no texts, and no little bar. (Seems like heaven, right)?

Soon she spots a young girl all alone along one of the overlooks, near the wooden railroad tracks, running parallel to the road. The girl looks alone and terrified. All she can say is, “mama.” She only has a backpack with some essential items to survive outdoors. Where is her family?

The young girl looks sick and since Suzanne has no cell phone service, she decides to take the girl to the nearest hospital. The girl goes in and out of consciousness. Suzanne is drawn to this young girl. She makes a life-changing decision.

Of course, no one in her family can understand why she becomes involved with this homeless girl. Everyone is questioning her in her own family. A woman already extended. However, this young girl named Iris may just be what Suzanne need to find her true self and at the same time a guardian angel for her.

Suzanne takes Iris into their home (and her heart) when she leaves the hospital. However, how will this family (one that is so different) be able to handle a young girl who lived in the woods, without all the social interaction?

A simple life and one not filled with materialistic things. The dad and the teen daughter are especially materialist. They will have more problems versus Suzanne and Reid, which are more down to earth.

We also flashback to 1995 when Suzanne and Whit met and her own childhood. How do choices she made years ago get her to the place she is now? She put her own life on hold to care for her husband’s career and her own family.

The conundrum.

“Giving too little, giving too much. Subtracting from here, adding there. Caring for your marriage, your children, your parents, your reputation, your future, and if you could manage it, your younger, more idealistic self. This complex calculus was based on theories of love and motherhood, and equations of duty and self-worth. . . She wanted a balanced life but had only guesses, wishes, and fears when what she needed was answers.”

There is a mystery surrounding Iris. What happened to her family? Her dad (disappearance), mother (recently deceased), and little brother Ash (appears to be a mystery). A police investigation. A social worker. Suzanne begins to do more digging on her own.

In the meantime, there is a war going on in their household with the tension of Iris joining their household. Iris and Suzanne seem to have developed a strong bond. Suzanne is drawn to her and her simple way of life. However, people do not want you to lead a simple life. They think this way is strange. Iris is drawn back to woods.

Suzanne must continue to defend herself and Iris. Can Iris survive in this new environment? Can Suzanne continue to survive, living as she has been or is there something new on the horizon which will change all their lives? Being true to one’s self.

I loved TRUE PLACES!

Yoerg is in her element from the setting (her own backyard) to the complex family dynamics. Thought-provoking, filled with lush scenery, beautiful botanical imagery, themes, strong metaphors, life lessons, and many takeaways. The relation between nature, animals, and humans. Each can be beautiful and dangerous at the same time.

Character-driven, the author does an outstanding job with the teen language and each character’s distinct voice. Many readers will relate and adore the ending. I enjoyed the relationship with plants, healing, and modern medicine. I survive on an organic plant-based diet and use herbal teas and plants for healing, taking no prescription drugs.

On a side note: There is a project in NC, I consulted with several years ago which strongly reminds me of this story. It offers the setting of a simple life. The property managers told me of the history of the project which is fascinating. Located in the mountains of NC (Flat Rock) —with a combination of vacation rentals, condos, old mill, B&B, and small village little town; old farmhouses, tree swings, porches, lake, mill surrounded by farm animals, and organic gardens, with fresh eggs delivered to your door. It allows your children or grandchildren to get the feel of farm simple living. I was there one week and it snowed. It was like a Hallmark movie scene!

TRUE PLACES is a mix of Delia Owens Where the Crawdads Sing, Kristin Hannah The Great Alone, works of Jodi Picoult, and Rochelle B. Weinstein’s Somebody’s Daughter combined with Sonja Yoerg’ s own winning signature style.

With the author’s own background to draw from plus her love of nature and gardening, her passion is reflected throughout each page. You will find yourself bookmarking many pages and beautiful phrases.

TRUE PLACES reminds me of a time I was visiting in NC, dealing with my elderly parents— I took off one afternoon and drove to Virginia and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Even though I did not meet a young lady, it clears your mind and fills you with peace, and a renewed spirit. I also have fond memories as a child and roadside picnics along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Highly Recommend!
Top Books of 2019 List
Jan 2019 Must-Read Books

A special thank you to the author, Lake Union, and #NetGalley for an advanced reading copy. (The hardcover is stunning and a "must" for your home library collection)

Read My Reviews (each has been 5 Stars).

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
TRUE PLACES (2019)
JDCMustReadBooks

ALL THE BEST PEOPLE (2017)
THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE (9/2015)
HOUSE BROKEN (1/2015) ( )

Iris is a 16-year old who has been raised outside civilization in the forests of Virginia. Suzanne is a well-to-do mother who spends her days filling the needs of her teenage kids, her husband, and her various committees. On a day Suzanne decides to go off by herself for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, she spies Iris hunched up, starving, sick, and very alone. She rushes her to a hospital and proceeds, over the next few weeks, to become enmeshed in Iris' care and education, becoming more and more dissatisfied with her own life even as Iris, all the while yearning to return to the forest, finds certain aspects of suburban life somewhat appealing. Suzanne's family reacts rather poorly to the situation. This is especially true of her 15-year old daughter, a harpy in the throes of adolescent meltdown, and her husband, who doesn't understand what has happened to his perfect wife, who is letting Iris ruin their lives. Not to mention Suzanne's wealthy, controlling and critical parents.

Who is Iris, anyway? Will the police find her family? Will Suzanne ever be able to return to the life she now finds to be her prison? And will her own family relationships survive?

This was a really entertaining book with one extremely irritating problem: there are whole chapters told from the point of view of the daughter, a spoiled brat if ever there was one. Her texts, her complaints to friends, and her plans to sabotage her mother's relationship with Iris are detailed far too fully for my taste, and at one point I put the book away. But I found I really wanted to know what happened to Iris, so I started reading again, and I'm delighted I did. The ending is beautifully wrapped up and quite satisfying. All-in-all, I really do recommend this, but if you read it, just skim the daughter's sections once you've had enough. ( )

I have a huge stack of books to read but when I received a copy of True Places, it went right to the top. I have read all of Sonja's books and knew that it needed to be read NOW. WOW - what a fantastic book - I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. It will definitely be one of my top books of the year. The writing is so beautiful that I had to stop several times to re-read and became part of the story instead of just the reader.

Suzanne is a wife and mother who has over scheduled her life to take care of her family and lost her own dreams in the harried life that she lives. Not only is she busy taking care of everyone else but her kids are teenagers now - the son kind of a strange quiet boy and the daughter who at 15 takes out all of her problems with life on her mother. She is just nasty to her mother and has no appreciation for her mother as anything but a mother - not as a woman who is trying hard to make life pleasant for her family. Her husband is little to no help - he is too busy making money to get involved in much at home. So here we have a family that looks perfect from the outside but is in the process of imploding. When Suzanne brings a homeless girl who has been living on her own in the mountains into their lives, things take a turn for the worse within the family.

All of the characters were so well written that I felt like I knew them. Suzanne was such a fantastic person, realizing that she had lost herself in her busy life but having no idea how to make changes that would make her the person that she used to be who had dreams and plans for her future. It's only when Iris is brought into the home that Suzanne begins to see her life for what it is -- a hamster wheel where she spends all of her time taking care of other people and no one takes care of her or even acknowledges what she does to make their lives easier. Through Iris, she realizes that she has lost touch with nature and solitude and taking care of herself. Will she be able to step of the whirlwind of her life to find the peace and dreams that she needs to be happy?

Along with the wonderful characters, this novel has the beautiful scenery of the Blue Ridge mountains. Sonja describes the mountains so beautifully that I felt like I was in the woods with peace and quietness around me.

This is an exquisitely written wonderful novel about family and love and following your dreams. It really is a must read for everyone! It's a book that I won't soon forget.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. ( )