The Necklace by Claire McMillan

Review:

One of my favorite things about Claire McMillan's The Necklace was how it pulled me in once I started reading it! That's the best feeling right? I picked it up the other night when my other current reads were still downstairs and I didn't want to get up (#pregnant haha) and before I knew it an hour had passed. I couldn't put it down! I've said this before but I love books that include two time lines and usually its the past time line that I enjoy more. But with The Necklace, I found myself easily enjoying both the present and past timelines.

Centered around the death of Aunt Lou Lou, the present day Quincy family is trying to come to terms with what to do with her will and testament, including the fact that a mostly 'outsider' and the black sheep of the family, Nell, has been left executor. And not only that, but it turns out she's been left a pretty famous (and worth a lot of money) necklace as well.

The past timeline follows Ambrose and Ethan, Quincy brothers, and a beautiful girl May whom they both love. Without giving away anything, the necklace comes into play as the characters revolve around each other. May's energy and beauty capture both brothers and their story turns into one of love lost and found with the necklace at the heart of it.

I was able to finish this pretty quickly and enjoyed the story all the way through (even with an ending I didn't see coming!). Nell was my favorite character, even when I was frustrated with her lack of gumption with all of these stuck up Quincy family members. But vindicated in the end, I wanted to go get drinks with her to celebrate! I loved the history woven throughout the story as well, something that always pulls me in when reading a book.

Recommendation:

I would recommend this book to someone looking for an easy love story/mystery, a little bit of drama, one that pulls you in from the beginning without a lot of extra setup and backstory. A quick, believable story that makes you root for Nell and for the love story that surrounds the past Quincy family members. READ IT. Its a good one.

Thank you to Touchstone Books for the copy!

The Necklace by Claire McMillan
320 pages
Published by Touchstone Books