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keen23's review against another edition
3.0
I really wish we could have half stars, because this is really a 3.5 star book. Tess is incredibly prickly and unlikeable, Sadie is very much the same.
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
2.0
I just finished reading Senseless Acts of Beauty by Lisa Verge Higgins. Riley Cross has inherited Camp Kwenbook from her grandparents, Mary and Bud. She left her job and husband to return to Pine Lake and the camp. However, the camp is not doing well and Riley is going to have to make some hard decisions.
One day Riley discovers Sadie Tischler hiding in one of the sheds on the property. Sadie is a young runaway (14) who is trying to find her birth mother. Sadie’s adoptive parents are deceased and she has been living with her grandmother. The grandmother, though, has dementia and is now being put into a home. Sadie’s only option is to go live with her Aunt Violet (and husband who have four kids).
Sadie figured it would not be hard to figure out who her biological mother is in such a small town. Riley who is adopted herself understands Sadie’s need to find out who gave birth to her. Riley gives Sadie a place to stay while Sadie conducts her research.
Tess (Theresa) Hendrick grew up in Pine Lake with an alcoholic mother. Tess’ father left when she was twelve, but Tess decided to stay behind with her mother. Tess dealt with her home situation by getting involved with the wrong crowd, drugs, and stealing. Tess left the area and became a trucker in North Dakota. Tess has come to Pine Lake and the camp to keep an eye on Sadie. All three ladies will go through a journey of discovery.
I give Senseless Acts of Beauty 2.5 out of 5 stars. I did not enjoy this book. There is a lot of anger and teenage angst. I found a lot of paragraphs were just unnecessary. It is a book that leaves you unsettled and unhappy when the story is over. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I ended up just reading it to get through it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One day Riley discovers Sadie Tischler hiding in one of the sheds on the property. Sadie is a young runaway (14) who is trying to find her birth mother. Sadie’s adoptive parents are deceased and she has been living with her grandmother. The grandmother, though, has dementia and is now being put into a home. Sadie’s only option is to go live with her Aunt Violet (and husband who have four kids).
Sadie figured it would not be hard to figure out who her biological mother is in such a small town. Riley who is adopted herself understands Sadie’s need to find out who gave birth to her. Riley gives Sadie a place to stay while Sadie conducts her research.
Tess (Theresa) Hendrick grew up in Pine Lake with an alcoholic mother. Tess’ father left when she was twelve, but Tess decided to stay behind with her mother. Tess dealt with her home situation by getting involved with the wrong crowd, drugs, and stealing. Tess left the area and became a trucker in North Dakota. Tess has come to Pine Lake and the camp to keep an eye on Sadie. All three ladies will go through a journey of discovery.
I give Senseless Acts of Beauty 2.5 out of 5 stars. I did not enjoy this book. There is a lot of anger and teenage angst. I found a lot of paragraphs were just unnecessary. It is a book that leaves you unsettled and unhappy when the story is over. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I ended up just reading it to get through it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
A special thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lisa Verge Higgins returns to the favorite camp at Pine Lake with SENSELESS ACTS OF BEAUTY, a novel of three women – Riley, Sadie, and Tess all longing for permanence in their unsettled lives. A poignant exploration of motherhood-daughter relationships (adoptive and biological), and the bonds of friendship.
Tess – When the books opens Tess is a grown woman, making her way back to a place she swore she would never return. She has been driving an eighteen-wheeler for a living and residing in her cab, since her early days of living on the street. With no example of parenting, an alcoholic mother, and a horrific rape drove a teen away from this town years ago—with emotional and psychological trauma. Now circumstances are forcing her to return across the country, in order to ensure the safety of her daughter, once again. She gave up Sadie years ago, the daughter she loved, to protect her.
Sadie – A teen of age fifteen sets off to find her birth mother. The only thing she has to go on is a towel with a logo from Camp Kwenback, Pine River. Why did her mother give her away? Now her adoptive parents are dead, and her Nana has dementia, and she is determined to find her biological mother. She finds Riley the manager of the Camp, and they connect, after all Riley was also adopted. Sadie feels like she has no options until she is eighteen and she is not crazy about going back to her aunt’s house with a house full of kids.
Riley A high school friend of Tess, she has troubles of her own. Her biological mother wants nothing to do with her. She has no clue of her father, she has a failed marriage, and now the camp has financial problems and she does not have enough money to renovate. She is indecisive and feels like she is stuck with no way to move forward.
We hear from each woman-girl with their heartfelt troubled pasts, choices, and complex situations. Sadie has no clue Tess is her biological mother and Riley guesses. Tess has not had an easy life and her biggest fear is the man who raped her will find out he has a daughter, and Tess has spent her entire life keeping tabs on her daughter, from a distance, and she cannot let Sadie know about her conception.
Tess and Officer Rodriguez have a long and complicated relationship, from back in the day as a teen with her dysfunctional family home. Now, the same officer comes to rescue in order to help catch this man who ruined her life.
As mentioned in the novel, thirty-one states in the US have no current law preventing rapists from claiming parental rights to biological children from those assaults. This is my third book in a row about rapes: Those Girls, Breath of Scandal and now Senseless Acts of Beauty, of innocent teens experiencing rape and chose to have their baby, and a lifelong worry of keeping it a secret, scared their rapist could claim his child. So sad and heartbreaking.
Mother-daughter relationships a common theme with the dysfunction of Tess and her mother, the loving and fraught relationship between Riley and her adoptive mother, and of course the strained relationship between Tess and Sadie. Incredible insights into adoption, and the birth mother’s perspective, as well as the child later on, told with compassion and humor.
Loved the front cover and the choice of lodge, log cabin and the camp setting in the Adirondack Mountains. We all have fond memories of these days with vacationing in a rustic environment, surrounded by nature, new friends, old friends, and of course, there is always the warm personalities such as these grandparents, adding to the charm, drawing you back. I have a few of these much loved lodges in the North Georgia Mountains and the Catskills.
This was my first book by Higgins and was so intrigued, immediately purchased RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS, which I also enjoyed. Those who have read the first book, will enjoy catching up with familiar characters.
Fans of Kristin Hannah, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Luanne Rice, Susan Wiggs, and Emilie Richards will enjoy the author's style, and this beautifully written novel. Look forward to reading more!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
Lisa Verge Higgins returns to the favorite camp at Pine Lake with SENSELESS ACTS OF BEAUTY, a novel of three women – Riley, Sadie, and Tess all longing for permanence in their unsettled lives. A poignant exploration of motherhood-daughter relationships (adoptive and biological), and the bonds of friendship.
Tess – When the books opens Tess is a grown woman, making her way back to a place she swore she would never return. She has been driving an eighteen-wheeler for a living and residing in her cab, since her early days of living on the street. With no example of parenting, an alcoholic mother, and a horrific rape drove a teen away from this town years ago—with emotional and psychological trauma. Now circumstances are forcing her to return across the country, in order to ensure the safety of her daughter, once again. She gave up Sadie years ago, the daughter she loved, to protect her.
Sadie – A teen of age fifteen sets off to find her birth mother. The only thing she has to go on is a towel with a logo from Camp Kwenback, Pine River. Why did her mother give her away? Now her adoptive parents are dead, and her Nana has dementia, and she is determined to find her biological mother. She finds Riley the manager of the Camp, and they connect, after all Riley was also adopted. Sadie feels like she has no options until she is eighteen and she is not crazy about going back to her aunt’s house with a house full of kids.
Riley A high school friend of Tess, she has troubles of her own. Her biological mother wants nothing to do with her. She has no clue of her father, she has a failed marriage, and now the camp has financial problems and she does not have enough money to renovate. She is indecisive and feels like she is stuck with no way to move forward.
We hear from each woman-girl with their heartfelt troubled pasts, choices, and complex situations. Sadie has no clue Tess is her biological mother and Riley guesses. Tess has not had an easy life and her biggest fear is the man who raped her will find out he has a daughter, and Tess has spent her entire life keeping tabs on her daughter, from a distance, and she cannot let Sadie know about her conception.
Tess and Officer Rodriguez have a long and complicated relationship, from back in the day as a teen with her dysfunctional family home. Now, the same officer comes to rescue in order to help catch this man who ruined her life.
As mentioned in the novel, thirty-one states in the US have no current law preventing rapists from claiming parental rights to biological children from those assaults. This is my third book in a row about rapes: Those Girls, Breath of Scandal and now Senseless Acts of Beauty, of innocent teens experiencing rape and chose to have their baby, and a lifelong worry of keeping it a secret, scared their rapist could claim his child. So sad and heartbreaking.
Mother-daughter relationships a common theme with the dysfunction of Tess and her mother, the loving and fraught relationship between Riley and her adoptive mother, and of course the strained relationship between Tess and Sadie. Incredible insights into adoption, and the birth mother’s perspective, as well as the child later on, told with compassion and humor.
Loved the front cover and the choice of lodge, log cabin and the camp setting in the Adirondack Mountains. We all have fond memories of these days with vacationing in a rustic environment, surrounded by nature, new friends, old friends, and of course, there is always the warm personalities such as these grandparents, adding to the charm, drawing you back. I have a few of these much loved lodges in the North Georgia Mountains and the Catskills.
This was my first book by Higgins and was so intrigued, immediately purchased RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS, which I also enjoyed. Those who have read the first book, will enjoy catching up with familiar characters.
“Senseless Acts of Beauty circles around the idea that beauty and reason don’t always coexist, that beauty is inexplicable, often random, always in the eye of the beholder, and that the most heartbreaking, amazing creations can arise out of whimsy as well as serious intent –or even from no intent at all. “
Fans of Kristin Hannah, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Luanne Rice, Susan Wiggs, and Emilie Richards will enjoy the author's style, and this beautifully written novel. Look forward to reading more!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
machadofam8's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this quick read. A little darker than I expected but that was ok.
karak's review against another edition
3.0
I really wish we could have half stars, because this is really a 3.5 star book. Tess is incredibly prickly and unlikeable, Sadie is very much the same.
kirstengrier's review
4.0
**Thank you to Netgalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review**
This book tells the story of 3 women - Riley, Tess, and Sadie. Each woman is going through a personal struggle and I was instantly drawn in and couldn't put the book down. Sadie is a runaway trying to find her adopted mother. When she was given up for adoption she was wrapped in towel from a Camp Kwenback in Pine Lake. The search for her mother brings her to that camp where she meets Riley, the woman who runs the camp. Riley has taken over the camp from her grandparents and is struggling to make ends meet. Shortly thereafter Tess shows up. Tess is dealing with some demons from her past life and is trying to find her place in the world. Tess and Riley are former friends from high school and they start to rekindle their friendship. Sadie started to wonder if Riley could possible be her biological mother. Adoption is covered from 3 perspectives - the person put up for adoption, the person who gave their baby up for adoption, and the person who chose to adopt a baby. I enjoyed everything about it. I loved each and every character and felt a connection to several people in the story.
This book tells the story of 3 women - Riley, Tess, and Sadie. Each woman is going through a personal struggle and I was instantly drawn in and couldn't put the book down. Sadie is a runaway trying to find her adopted mother. When she was given up for adoption she was wrapped in towel from a Camp Kwenback in Pine Lake. The search for her mother brings her to that camp where she meets Riley, the woman who runs the camp. Riley has taken over the camp from her grandparents and is struggling to make ends meet. Shortly thereafter Tess shows up. Tess is dealing with some demons from her past life and is trying to find her place in the world. Tess and Riley are former friends from high school and they start to rekindle their friendship. Sadie started to wonder if Riley could possible be her biological mother. Adoption is covered from 3 perspectives - the person put up for adoption, the person who gave their baby up for adoption, and the person who chose to adopt a baby. I enjoyed everything about it. I loved each and every character and felt a connection to several people in the story.
yojkd's review against another edition
3.0
I would have given it a four stars but I thought it ended really abruptly and the story seemed unresolved
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