WHERE THE GRASS GROWS BLUE

A woman’s reluctant return to her hometown leads to unexpected romance in Gibbs’ debut novel.

When Penny Crenshaw discovers her husband, Teddy, is cheating on her with a much younger woman, she thinks her life is going to fall apart. Having grown up in a broken home, with only her grandparents as her emotional anchors, Penny thought she had cultivated the perfect life and marriage in Atlanta, Georgia, miles away from Camden, Kentucky, the hometown she ran away from. Soon, the gossip about her marriage becomes too much to bear, and, after Teddy whisks their three children away to Africa for the summer, Penny decides to go back to Camden to sort out the estate of her grandmother, Ruby Ray. The narrative introduces flashbacks to Penny’s childhood to illustrate why she left Camden (and why she took to heart the lesson, “You don’t go poking the bear. You might not be so lucky next time”). When she runs into Bradley Hitchens, her high school sweetheart, the situation grows more complicated. The author crafts a complex will-they, won’t-they romantic dynamic that delves into the importance of confronting personal demons and the irony of finding yourself in the place you tried to leave behind. Though the constant interference by various well- and ill-meaning characters in Camden can grow a little frustrating at times (and read as an overemphasis on the politics of small-town gossip mills), Gibbs’ thoughtful handling of Penny’s setting herself free by returning to her past is so engrossing that it seldom matters. Although primarily a romance narrative, the multifaceted plot is refreshing in that the hero, a mother entering middle age, is allowed the room to find and understand herself in addition to becoming embroiled in a romance plot.

A sweet tale of finding love and redemption that fans of strong female leads will particularly enjoy.