A surprisingly sweet and spooky story.
Raising a family in a tiny home in New York has its challenges. An inheritance gives Kelly and Tom a chance to begin a new life with their son TJ in a small midwestern town. Unfortunately, a drunk driver cruelly rips Tom from Kelly and TJ, leaving the widowed mom to put down roots in a new place without her husband. Small town life is an adjustment, but TJ makes a few friends right away and even Kelly begins to see a way out from under her unbearable grief. Things for Kelly and TJ are slowly looking up, until the tiny virtual personal assistant, Alexa, starts talking to TJ in the middle of the night. Only the voice, the tears and the pleading are not the Alexa everybody has come to depend on. The frightened voice is that of a small girl, and Kelly might be the only person that can help.
Under the Willows is an innocent and tender ghost story about a woman reeling from the loss of her husband. Although there is a healthy dose of creepy, the overall arc of the story is one that will leave your heart feeling full. Kelly is a loving mom doing the best she can in a circumstance she never imagined. Add a haunted house to the mix, and you’ll find yourself really rooting for this newly single mom. The small town cast and setting add a familiar feel, right down to the knick-knack shop and the cherry pie at the local diner. With a plot that is more predictable than not, Pamela McCord writes with a casual, comfortable voice, making for a story that feels completely unique and entirely craveable. Largely benign and definitely a blast, Under the Willows is a surprisingly sweet and spooky story that pairs mystery and light romance to make a lovely supernatural book, perfect for an eerie late night read!
