Guest Book Review: Pack Up the Moon

By Karen Waskewich

I was thrilled to get an advance copy of Pack Up the Moon and I hope everyone goes out and picks up a copy, as it was published earlier this month. This book will take you on an emotional roller coaster from the first page until the last, with characters that will touch your heart and stay with you well after you’ve finished the book.

A poignant novel about loss, lies, and the unbreakable bonds of family.

Three years after a horrible tragedy took her son and tore her family apart, artist Kate Monroe is beginning to pick up the pieces of her life and move on. At a gala showcasing her triumphant return to the art world, Kate’s world is rocked again when the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty-two years ago introduces herself.

Pree is the child Kate never knew and never forgot. But Pree has questions that Kate isn’t sure she’s ready to answer. For one thing, she never told Pree’s father, her high school sweetheart and ex-husband, Nolan, that they had a daughter. For another, Kate hasn’t spoken to Nolan for three years, not since the accident which took their nine-year-old son from them. But to keep Pree from leaving forever, Kate will have to confront the secrets that have haunted her since her son died and discover if the love of her family is strong enough to survive even the most heartbreaking of betrayals…(Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

The story centers around Kate, a well-known artist who is trying to pull her life back together after a tragic accident, which left her son Robin dead and her ex-husband Nolan in jail. At her return gala, she meets Pree, her 22 year-old daughter who she gave up for adoption the day she was born and the two begin this journey of getting to know each other and where they came from, sharing stories and heartaches along the way.

The characters in this story will edge their way into your heart and make it hard for you to let go. The way Herron writes will make you laugh and cry at the same time and I’m sending you a warning now: be sure to have a box of tissues ready. The relationships between the different characters are captured so well and Herron strips down each individual so you see who they really are and what they are feeling; the author isn’t afraid to leave anything out.

Pack Up the Moon raises some very difficult questions including "how far would you go to end your child’s suffering?" "What would you do if you were pregnant in high school, with no one to support you?" Herron paints a powerfully emotional picture of a family in turmoil with secrets that have shaped their lives forever. This book has it all: love, family, suspense and excitement…I couldn’t put this one down until I reached the last page! Great job Rachael – I can’t wait to see what you come out with next.

Thanks to Penguin for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Karen Waskewich is a fiancee to a wonderful man and a mom to a beautiful brindled boxer in Rockville, MD. When she's not working as an IT consultant, she opens up a good book (or turns on her Kindle) or makes her way into the kitchen to cook for her family and friends. Find her at her blog. You can also learn more about her from our very first reader spotlight post!

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