29 Jan Kirkus Charmed by The Charm Bracelet

The Charm Bracelet received a stellar first review from Kirkus, which is notorious for being—ummm—a tad prickly with their critiques, especially of mainstream books that wear their hearts on their pages. Doing my Snoopy dance!

“Three generations of women share the tradition of wearing charm bracelets to honor the big moments of their lives. Debut novelist Shipman—a pen name chosen by memoirist Wade Rouse (It’s All Relative, 2011, etc.) in homage to his grandmother—pulls out all the emotional bells and whistles here; his book reads like a fictionalized guide to living the good life (“Live! Love! Laugh!”) and checks all the boxes—family, friends, God, love, and simple living—designed to warm the heart and fill the tear ducts. Smooth writing, unabashed sentimentality.” —Kirkus Reviews