The Berry Pickers-Full Review

This review is so delayed...but we went camping again (yay!) and I feel like I am going to be spending this next week catching up on laundry, housework, my day job, reading, and reviews.

But we had the BEST time and the lake we went to was absolutely gorgeous! Here are just a few pics of it, and they do not do it justice! We caught a few fish, sat around the fire playing Mad Libs, and picked a ton of huckleberries 💖

Now, for the review...

I’m super late to the game with The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters. It’s been on my TBR list for what feels like forever, and I finally grabbed a copy from Pangobooks for a great deal. Honestly, it’s kind of embarrassing how long it took me to read it, but hey, better late than never, right?

I have this habit of never reading blurbs before diving into a book. I like going in blind, not knowing what to expect. So when I started The Berry Pickers, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. And let me tell you, this book hit me hard. It made me ache inside and, yeah, I even ugly cried a bit. It was the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve finished it.

The story is about Joe and his sister Ruthie, who disappeared when she was just four years old. The plot follows Joe as he tries to make sense of her disappearance and the years of grief that followed. The writing is beautiful and raw, capturing the depth of loss and the way it lingers in families. There’s this quiet tension that builds as Joe’s family holds onto the hope that one day Ruthie would return.

SPOILER AHEAD:

What really stayed with me, though, was the ending. When Joe and his family are finally reunited with Ruthie, it was the most bittersweet moment. In fact, it was horribly sad and tragic. Their brother Charlie had died senselessly, their dad had died a few years ago, and Joe is dying of cancer. It’s like the universe gave them this one last chance to come together, but everything had already been taken away. It left me feeling empty, but also in a way that felt necessary for the story. It’s raw, and there’s no easy closure.

I really wish things had turned out differently for Joe and his family. It felt like they had been through so much already, and yet, life just kept throwing more heartache their way. But I guess that’s the point—the story doesn’t try to make everything okay, and sometimes real life doesn’t work like that either.

So, even though I’m late to the game, I’m glad I finally read this book. It’s definitely one of those reads that makes you think about your own life, the people you love, and how fragile everything really is. If you haven’t read it yet, I’d definitely recommend it. Just be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. And if you have read it, I’d love to hear what you thought about that ending.

Do you have any other recommendations that are similar? Let me know in the comments!

-The Scribbler