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The Brink of Something Beautiful
Bobbi French
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
HarperCollins Canada | HarperAvenue
304 Pages
Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop.org
Genre: General Fiction | Women’s Fiction
This was a very emotional read for me. It’s set in 1990s St. John’s, Newfoundland, during the winter, and it’s about Ruby, who has recently become a widow. Ruby is feeling the grief of losing a loved one, and she feels a lot of guilt too. Ruby also has a secret; she also feels relieved that Joe is no longer in her life. She never really wanted to be married to him in the first place.
Then Ruby meets Maxine. Maxine is a pregnant teenager, and her situation reminds Ruby of her own past. Ruby feels protective of Maxine for this reason. What I took from the story was that Ruby finally understood that she can’t help Maxine until she learns to help and forgive herself. I liked that the book wasn’t melodramatic. Yes, there were emotional parts, but it didn’t go over the top. Ruby finds her inner strength and is very empathetic. And the plot of found family felt real and was very moving.
I loved the setting of 1990s St. John’s. I have travelled the west of Canada, but never the East Coast, and this book put me there. I could feel the wind and smell the salty air. The author also uses Newfoundland dialect and culture. I have family that lives in Newfoundland, and it was very realistic. The book did a great job balancing heavy topics with a sense of hope. Ruby doesn’t spend her time having a pity party, and the author didn’t get too sappy with the joyful parts either. It’s a story about women helping women. We all have difficult times to get through in life, so it’s nice to know you have friends who aren’t there just for the fair-weather days. This was an excellent character-driven story with lots of emotional baggage and little flicks of hopefulness. I can’t recommend it enough. All. The. Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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