The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling

Review by Amy I was so excited to read The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling. I have been a Golden State girl my whole life and enjoy reading about regions that I am familiar with. The premise of the story was drawing, as I’m sure everyone at some time or another has envisioned running away from daily stresses and hiding out for a while. That is exactly what Daphne does when she leaves bustling San Francisco to lay low in Altavista, California in her grandparent’s mobile home. She runs into some who remember her family, and others who are just passing through, building relationships along the way and struggling to figure out her next step. I enjoyed the broad concept of this story, and there were parts of the book I thoroughly appreciated. The writing style was a bit wandering at times and tended to move a bit slow for my preference. Kiesling’s descriptions were in depth and well expressed. I felt as though I was with her on the journey. There was a lack of connection with Daphne for me, even though I felt I could totally relate to her circumstances, for some reason I cannot place I just did not build a deep affinity for her personality or character. Overall a well written literary fiction read that took a deep look at small town California and the pressures of taking on a single mom role in this day and age. **ARC provided for honest review**

Release Date: September 4, 2018

Add to Goodreads TBR: https://bit.ly/2OhKI7s

Preorder on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Kxdu1r