Strong women. Supportive men. And a bevy of mysteries and intrigue along the way. This is the story of love, redemption, and self worth, all wrapped up nicely in the third installment of Mariah Stewart’s, The Hudson Sisters trilogy.
The Goodbye Cafe is the third installment in The Hudson Sisters. The Hudson Sisters – Allie, Des, and Cara are three estranged sisters, thrown together by a strange will left by their endearing but elusive father. Each of the three books in the series are told by the various sisters, with The Goodbye Cafe written from the POV of Allie, the eldest sibling. Allie is perhaps my most favorite sister out of the three because she is so relatable and heartbreaking and so very interesting. Her character is one of strength and innocence but she doesn’t realize her self worth until the ending of the story. Allie’s story is one of struggle and redemption and finding out that a family’s love is the one true love she never thought she had.
In the Goodbye Cafe, the old town’s theater, The Sugarhouse Theater is finally fully renovated and ready to be opened. The sisters all agreed at the start of the project that they would do their parts, take the inheritance, and then go back to their old lives. As with each book in the series, each sister starts to realize that their stay in the Pocono Mountains and working on The Sugarhouse Theater brought them more joy and meaning than their previous lives ever did. And as with each sister’s POV in the different titles, Allie starts to realize that she too, can have a choice. A choice that makes her happy for once, and to not live through her daughter or her personal transgressions.
I really enjoyed reading The Goodbye Cafe because it wraps everything up nicely. I’m also bittersweet because I don’t want this wonderful series to end! I adored the characters, the setting, the supporting characters, and the little nuances that speaks to the readers along the way. As I noted before, Allie was my favorite character because she resonated so much to my heart.
If you’re ever stuck wondering what new book series to pick up, then don’t hesitate for one second in getting The Hudson Sisters Series. The entire series is filled with laughter, intrigue, mystery, and love that you never quite thought you needed or wanted.
I was honored to have been able to interview Ms. Mariah Stewart for The Goodbye Cafe. Please read on for her interview:
The Goodbye Cafe (A Hudson Sisters Series)
Q- The Hudson Sisters series is a wonderful installment of finding love and self-worth. What inspired you to write about these three lovely ladies?
A- The inspiration for the story came from my mother’s discovering she had half-siblings when she was in her forties or fifties. My grandfather had a family in MA when he changed his name and moved to PA where he met and married my grandmother. The idea was too good not to use! Once it wormed its way into that portion of my brain where stories grow, I had to write it. The sisters just sort of presented themselves the way you read them.
Q- Do you incorporate real life experiences into your novels?
A- Other than thinking about my grandfather’s checkered life and his numerous offspring, not so much! Though the setting was personal, since my mother’s brother (the legitimate one!) lived in Clarks Summit, and I lived visiting my cousins. They lived half-way up the West Mountain, and there was always something fun to do there. I guess those memories were really stuck in my brain, waiting for the right time to show themselves!
Q- When did you find out you had a passion for writing?
A- I was very ill when I was seven and had to spend the entire summer in my room, most of the time in my bed. My brother brought me library books several times every week, but after awhile, I’d read all the books our small-town library had. So I started writing my own. It was just something I always wanted to do.
Q- How long do you envision writing novels?
A- Until I keel over and pass on into the next dimension – and I’ll probably be at my computer!
Q- Any plans on making your novels into movies or TV series?
A- That’s not something I have control over. I wish! But that’s something someone else would decide. Though I could totally see any of my series as a TV series – especially Mercy Street, the Chesapeake Diaries, and the Hudson Sisters.
Q- I have to ask: Who is your favorite character in The Hudson Sisters stories?
A- Barney, for sure, and Nikki, definitely! I love all three sisters, but if I had to choose, I’d say Allie, because she was the most complex and the most sharp edges.
Q- The ending of The Goodbye Cafe seems to elude to a possible sequel? Or perhaps a spin-off series?
A- I haven’t planned on doing that. I thought the ending worked either way, whether I did or didn’t write another book. But I admit it’s tough not to think about!
Q- How did you determine the various characteristics of the three sisters?
A- Because they are all quite different from each other, personality wise. Characters more or less announce themselves. They are who they are. My job is just to translate them into the story I’m telling. When I started thinking about writing this story, Cara, Des, and Allie were just there and I knew who they were and how they were going to interact with each other.
Q- Do you have any sisters of your own?
A- No, but I have two daughters, so I’m quite familiar with the interactions and the occasional drama, especially when they are younger.
Q- What are you working on right now?
A- Right now, I’m working on a book that’s very different from the ones I’ve done before, so I don’t want to say much about it! It’s a standalone – probably – so it’s not a new series. We’ll see how and where it goes!
THE GOODBYE CAFÉ
The Hudson Sisters series, Book 3
On sale March 26, 2019
Trade Paperback • Price: $16.00 • ISBN: 9781501145124
eBook • Price: $7.99 • ISBN: 9781501145162
California girl Allie Hudson Monroe can’t wait for the day when the renovations on the Sugarhouse Theater are complete so she can finally collect the inheritance from her father and leave Pennsylvania.
After all, her life and her fourteen-year-old daughter are in Los Angeles.
But Allie’s divorce left her tottering on the edge of bankruptcy, so to keep up on payments for her house and her daughter’s private school tuition, Allie packed up and flew out east. But fate has a curve-ball or two to toss in Allie’s direction—she just doesn’t know it yet.
She hadn’t anticipated how her life would change after reuniting with her estranged sister, Des, or meeting her previously unknown half-sister, Cara. And she’d certainly never expected to find small-town living charming. But the biggest surprise was that her long-forgotten artistry would save the day when the theater’s renovation fund dried up.
With opening day upon the sisters, Allie’s free to go. But for the first time in her life, she feels like the woman she was always meant to be. Will she return to the West Coast and resume her previous life, or will the love of “this amazing, endearing family of women” (Robyn Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author) be enough to draw her back to the place where the Hudson roots grow so deep?
You can purchase The Goodbye Cafe and all of Mariah’s Stewart’s titles on Amazon: The Goodbye Cafe
***Thank you to Mariah and Simon & Schuster Gallery Books for the paperback preview and the book tour!
Disclaimer: The product(s)were sent to the author for review by the manufacturer/PR. All reviews on “Happymomblogger” remain unbiased and unpaid and are the sole decision of the author. The opinions of these product(s) were not influenced in any way, shape, or form. As always, please read the ingredients carefully when trying new products.
Please read the labels and ingredients carefully and follow all manufacturer’s instructions (if any). The products selected for the giveaway were generously donated by the companies/PR to help readers learn more about their products. The winner’s choice in using/consuming these products are entirely up to the winner and will not hold the author and her family liable nor the companies/PR liable. These products are made with non-toxic ingredients but always be safe with what you use and consume.
Happymomblogger 