We Live and Breathe Books: Five Star Friday

Five Star Friday is my version of the monthly wrap-up. On the first Friday of each month, I will share my five-star reads from the previous month. Fingers crossed, I have lots of books to tell you about.

This month, I was able to read 27 books, and I had 2 five-star reads.

Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Published by Gallery Books on April 20, 2021
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Rating: five-stars

Goodreads

Recently separated Amelia Saxton, a dedicated journalist, never expected that uncovering the biggest story of her career would become deeply personal. But when she discovers that a cluster of embryos belonging to her childhood friend Parker and his late wife Greer have been deemed “abandoned,” she’s put in the unenviable position of telling Parker—and dredging up old wounds in the process.

Parker has been unable to move forward since the loss of his beloved wife three years ago. He has all but forgotten about the frozen embryos, but once Amelia reveals her discovery, he knows that if he ever wants to get a part of Greer back, he’ll need to accept his fate as a single father and find a surrogate.

Each dealing with their own private griefs, Parker and Amelia slowly begin to find solace in one another as they navigate an uncertain future against the backdrop of the pristine waters of their childhood home, Cape Carolina. The journey of self-discovery leads them to an unforgettable and life-changing lesson: Family—the one you’re born into and the one you choose—is always closer than you think.

I am a steadfast fan of this author's work, and this was a wonderful example of why. She wound quite a path for Parker and Amelia, and I loved being with them every step of the way. I loved their shared history and how circumstances brought them back into each other's lives. Their bond was something special, and I had a clear picture in my mind of how I wanted this story to go, and Woodson blew my expectations out of the water.

Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
Published by ECCO on May 13, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Rating: five-stars

Goodreads

An unexpected road trip across America brings a family together, in this raucous and moving new novel from the bestselling author of Nothing to See Here.

Ever since her dad left them twenty years ago, it’s just been Madeline Hill and her mom on their farm in Coalfield, Tennessee. While she sometimes admits it’s a bit lonely and a less exciting life than she imagined for herself, it’s mostly OK. Mostly.

Then one day Reuben Hill pulls up in a PT Cruiser and informs Madeline that he believes she’s his half sister. Reuben—left behind by their dad thirty years ago—has hired a detective to track down their father and a string of other half siblings. And he wants Mad to leave her home and join him for the craziest kind of road trip imaginable to find them all.

As Mad and Rube—and eventually the others—share stories of their father, who behaved so differently in each life he created, they begin to question what he was looking for with each new incarnation. Who are they to one another? What kind of man will they find? And how will these new relationships change Mad’s previously solitary life on the farm?

Infused with deadpan wit, zany hijinks, and enormous heart, Run for the Hills is a sibling story like no other—a novel about a family forged under the most unlikely circumstances and united by hope in an unknown future.

Wilson's books are always outlandishly funny, but this also had a ton of heart. It was wonderful seeing these siblings bond as they searched for their father. It was journey that helped them gain clarity while also pulling them closer together. It was about family and forgiveness, and I really loved it.

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