Caroline Shelby's life has been turned upside down. First, scandal destroys the promising clothing designer's budding career in New York. Then, Caroline's close friend dies suddenly, leaving her the legal guardian of her friend's two young children, Flick and Addie, a task for which she feels totally unprepared. 

With nothing to keep her in New York, Caroline drives cross-country with her two grieving charges to Oysterville, Washington, the hometown she left years earlier and to which she never envisioned returning. There, she finds her family and town both familiar and changed. She must also face her first love, Will, who married her then-best friend, Sierra. Returning to the fabric shop where she discovered her love of design, Caroline slowly begins to rebuild her life and career and even discovers her mothering skills. She also assuages her guilt in failing to help her late friend by creating the Oysterville Sewing Circle, a group for women who've experienced abuse. 

With The Oysterville Sewing Circle, Susan Wiggs tackles the painful subject of domestic violence in a life-affirming way. While Wiggs doesn't shy away from addressing abuse in its myriad forms through the stories of the women in the sewing circle, a central theme of this novel is the healing power of family and community, and especially women supporting one another. Furthermore, as a resident of one of the Puget Sound islands, Wiggs writes with an intimate knowledge of the area, which makes her fictional town of Oysterville come alive on the page. Readers will long to visit and meet her characters in the local shops. 

Author of over 50 novels, including the Lakeshore Chronicles, Wiggs has written another compelling novel that will grab readers' hearts, hold their attention and leave them with a sense of hope. 

Caroline Shelby couldn't wait to leave her tiny hamlet of Oysterville, WA, and pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer in Manhattan. A betrayal by her mentor and the death of Angelique, her supermodel best friend, change her plans. Caroline is made guardian of Angelique's two children, and that sends her running back to her hometown, where she's surprised to find that reconnecting with old friends, reinventing herself, and assuming a new role as a mom provide fresh inspirations for her designs and a shift in her priorities. The latest from best seller Wiggs (The Apple Orchard) is a great mix of contemporary women's fiction, an old-fashioned friends-to-lovers story, and a big dose of #metoo reading in one fantastic package. The dialog flows smoothly, the past and present time lines effortlessly tell the tale, and the raw beauty of the Pacific Northwest is the perfect setting. The characters are unforgettable, especially Caroline and her two adorable charges. They, along with the author's focus on domestic abuse, are the standouts. VERDICT Fans of real-life, real-emotion, sophisticated stories, such as those by Sarah Morgan, Robyn Carr, and Barbara Delinsky, will love this novel. [See Prepub Alert, 2/18/19.]—Debbie Haupt, St. Charles City-Cty. Lib. Dist., St Peters, MO

This moving novel from Wiggs (Between You & Me) is about a group of women who find the will to move forward together after a trauma. Caroline Shelby returns to Oysterville, Wash., from New York City after toiling as an aspiring clothing designer for 10 years. On the brink of her big break, her designs are stolen by her boss. Things get worse when her friend Angelique, a successful model, dies of a drug overdose. With no way to prove that her designs were ripped off, and after agreeing to take custody of Angelique's two young children, Flick and Addie, Caroline moves them all home to her family's house in Oysterville. Once there, she enrolls the children in school, starts her own sewing business, and rekindles her friendship with Lindy, owner of Lindy's Fabric and Notions, where Caroline worked years earlier. Caroline suspects that Angelique was a victim of domestic abuse and learns that Lindy was also a victim. Adding to her parenting and entrepreneurial roles, Caroline starts the Oysterville Sewing Circle, a domestic violence support group, in Angelique's honor. Wiggs's characters are believable not only because of their complexity, but because of their ability to deal with their faults. This story about discovering strength from friends and within is a winner. (Aug.)