Good morning people! These past couple of days have been very book-centric (just the way I like it). Julie from PB Fingers did another blogger book club, and she linked up to my review of “Gone Girl”. So exciting!

And then a few days ago, my dear friend Steph and I embarked on a really cool new adventure – synchro-reading! After Anne from Modern Mrs. Darcy Tweeted about her own synchro-reading adventures, we knew that we had to try it. ASAP.

You know those friends who have so many interests in common with you, that it sometimes seems scary? Steph is that for me. We both love Jesus, working out, reading, Vanderbilt and chocolate – and we both write blogs.

Hence, between the love of books and the blogs, we thought that synchro-reading sounded perfect for us! Basically, synchro-reading is like a virtual book club. We decided on a book to read, both started it, and then emailed each other our thoughts halfway through and once we had finished it.

I loved reading this book with Steph! She pointed out things that I never would have noticed – imagery, aspects of character development, possible directions for the plot. It was a treat to read a book with her, since we usually enjoy the same types of books but can’t always talk about them now that we live far apart. (*sniff*). We both enjoyed it, and tore through it must faster than we expected to. And we both decided to review it on our blogs this morning.

Make sure to check out Steph’s review on Be Embraced, her fabulous lifestyle blog!

So without further ado…here is my review of “The Violets of March” by Sarah Jio! It is the story of Emily, a woman struggling to overcome a broken heart by visiting her beloved aunt at her favorite childhood vacation spot. Right away, Steph and I were reminded of “Sarah’s Key”, another book that we loved – the similarities in terms of family secrets were apparent from the opening pages!

Jio struggles a bit with character development at first, but as we moved forward with Emily’s story, I had a better sense of who she was as a person – and a better sense of the people who surround Emily as well. Mystery swirls around Emily and her great-aunt Bee, a longtime resident of Bainbridge Island in the beautiful Pacific northwest.

Steph and I both loved the imagery Jio used to describe Bainbridge, and the idea that a place can be restorative and rejuvenating. She made me want to visit Washington just to see it! And while I didn’t love Emily’s choices always, I was rooting for her and for her great-aunt Bee. I wanted them to get to the bottom of this mystery!

Overall, this is a great summer read (or a great fall read). I only wished that I had been reading it at the beach! It was a page-turner, and kept me engaged from the very beginning. Steph agreed that it was hard to put down! If you are looking for a great, fun read, check out “The Violets of March”.

And if you are looking for an even better bonding experience with a great friend? Synchro-reading is where its at. Thanks for the suggestion Steph!

Do you have any experience with book clubs or with synchro-reading? Do you have any interest in it?