Review: Scars & Silver Linings by Kelsey Kingsley

Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Wordsmith Publicity.

Him. 

My heart tripled in size at the thought of being a mother to a little baby boy, and if I hadn't been in love with him already, I certainly was now. 

I couldn't wait to call my parents and make plans to see them. I couldn't wait to buy clothes and furniture. And I couldn't wait to see Goose and tell him that he had been right.

Of all of Kelsey Kingsley's books that I've read, this one felt more personal. If you've followed Kingsley on social media, she's made mention of what she and her husband went through with their baby, and while Scars & Silver Linings is fiction, a significant part of it was inspired by the author's experiences. I knew I was going to need tissues, and I knew this was going to hit me in the feels, but I wasn't quite as prepared as I thought I already was once I started turning the pages. This is a standalone, but the hero was a supporting character in the author's release in December of 2020, Where We Went Wrong.

Scars & Silver Linings is the story of Kendall Wright, an independently published romance novelist whose life is about to be turned upside down at the age of thirty-five. That's what happens when she finds herself staring at two pink lines on a stick. Having an on-again, off-again boyfriend who can't make up his mind as to whether he wants to part of the whole kit and caboodle that are pregnancy and parenting certainly doesn't help. But maybe a bartender named Goose, aka Eric Nevard, will be Kenny's silver lining.

My attention was hooked from the first page onwards, and my heart, well, it was completely enraptured by the story Kelsey Kingsley weaved. I couldn't help but cheer Kenny on as she handled her pregnancy, struggled with her baby being in the NICU, and realizing that she was far more capable and resilient than even she thought possible. And Goose was the most amazing pillar of support that Kenny could have asked for. I loved that their story wasn't what I was expecting, but then when it comes to this author, the one that doesn't take me by surprise is just how enchanting her writing is. I cannot recommend Scars & Silver Linings enough! It's a 2021 favorite and snags five-plus stars.

Date Read: 04 March 2021

Learn more about Kelsey Kingsley.

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