 | An invitation to join The Fifth Avenue Story Society gives five New York strangers a chance to rewrite their own stories. Executive assistant Lexa is eager for a much-deserved promotion, but her boss is determined to keep her underemployed. Literature professor Jett is dealing with a broken heart, as well as a nagging suspicion his literary idol, Gordon Phipps Roth, might be a fraud. Uber driver Chuck just wants a second chance with his kids. Aging widower Ed is eager to write the true story of his incredible marriage. Coral, queen of the cosmetics industry, has broken her engagement and is on the verge of losing her great grandmother’s multimillion-dollar empire. |
When all five New Yorkers receive an anonymous, mysterious invitation to the Fifth Avenue Story Society, they suspect they’re victims of a practical joke. No one knows who sent the invitations or why. No one has heard of the literary society. And no one is prepared to bear their deepest secrets to a roomful of strangers.
Yet curiosity and loneliness bring them back week after week to the old library. And it’s there they discover the stories of their hearts, and the kind of friendship and love that heals their souls.
Yet curiosity and loneliness bring them back week after week to the old library. And it’s there they discover the stories of their hearts, and the kind of friendship and love that heals their souls.
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Women’s Fiction
Release Date: February 4, 2020
Release Date: February 4, 2020
Get your copy of the book here.
Read an Excerpt
Read an excerpt here.
My Review
5 people brought together to tell their stories...
If there's one thing I've learned over 25 or so years of reading fiction, it's that everyone has a story to tell. Some are a little more, or even a lot more, exciting than others but they are all real, living, breathing stories and each is important in its own way. I like to think that might have been what author Rachel Hauck was getting at when she penned The Fifth Avenue Story Society and introduced her five mismatched characters to the world. Like every real person they have made mistakes both big and small, they have secrets buried in their hearts, baggage from the past that is hard to let go, and fear. Fear of the future with all of its possibility for triumph and tragedy because of the pain of the past.
I've not read a lot of Rachel Hauck's stories but The Fifth Avenue Story Society seemed a little different, I think partly in style, than her other books. It's not a bad different, more of an interesting different. There's a little romance, quite a bit of personal drama, and even a little touch of mystery. Some of the things that I really liked about the story would be: the wide age range of the Story Society members, late 20s to 70s, the different economic situations of the characters, from an Uber driver to the owner of a multi-million dollar company, the careful layering of the characters' intersecting lives as the story progresses, and the requisite true HEA ending.
One thing I have to mention is that if alcohol consumption bothers you, there is quite a bit of it in this book with more social drinking than in the average Christian novel. There are 5 main characters, though, all living in New York City, so... This book is aimed more at adults as sex is referred to several times, the marriage problems themes, etc., so, not a book I would give to a tween or young teen.
Anyway, The Fifth Avenue Story Society was an interesting read, I enjoyed the premise of people sharing their stories in order to heal from the past and look forward to the future. Rachel Hauck has a cast of characters that are different, fun, and will leave you thinking about them even after you've finished the book. The question is, will we get to visit the Fifth Avenue Literary Society Library again....?
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck a 4 Bark rating.
If there's one thing I've learned over 25 or so years of reading fiction, it's that everyone has a story to tell. Some are a little more, or even a lot more, exciting than others but they are all real, living, breathing stories and each is important in its own way. I like to think that might have been what author Rachel Hauck was getting at when she penned The Fifth Avenue Story Society and introduced her five mismatched characters to the world. Like every real person they have made mistakes both big and small, they have secrets buried in their hearts, baggage from the past that is hard to let go, and fear. Fear of the future with all of its possibility for triumph and tragedy because of the pain of the past.
I've not read a lot of Rachel Hauck's stories but The Fifth Avenue Story Society seemed a little different, I think partly in style, than her other books. It's not a bad different, more of an interesting different. There's a little romance, quite a bit of personal drama, and even a little touch of mystery. Some of the things that I really liked about the story would be: the wide age range of the Story Society members, late 20s to 70s, the different economic situations of the characters, from an Uber driver to the owner of a multi-million dollar company, the careful layering of the characters' intersecting lives as the story progresses, and the requisite true HEA ending.
One thing I have to mention is that if alcohol consumption bothers you, there is quite a bit of it in this book with more social drinking than in the average Christian novel. There are 5 main characters, though, all living in New York City, so... This book is aimed more at adults as sex is referred to several times, the marriage problems themes, etc., so, not a book I would give to a tween or young teen.
Anyway, The Fifth Avenue Story Society was an interesting read, I enjoyed the premise of people sharing their stories in order to heal from the past and look forward to the future. Rachel Hauck has a cast of characters that are different, fun, and will leave you thinking about them even after you've finished the book. The question is, will we get to visit the Fifth Avenue Literary Society Library again....?
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck a 4 Bark rating.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
 Rachel Hauck | Rachel Hauck is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wedding Dress, which was also named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times and was a RITA finalist. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and pet and writes from her ivory tower. Visit her online at RachelHauck.com Facebook: RachelHauck Twitter: @RachelHauck Instagram: @rachelhauck |
