Tag Archives: Amy Hatvany

It Happens All the Time

By Amy Hatvany

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I was privileged to receive the ebook version of “It Happens All the Time” from NetGalley. The author, Amy Hatvany, lives in Seattle and most of the book is set in Bellingham giving this novel two reasons to merit a blog post here on Discover Washington State. 

In the story Amber and Tyler have been best friends since they were teenagers, but recently started spending more time together than ever before. Amber is engaged to Daniel who is currently living in Seattle so they don’t spend much time together during the period when the novel takes place.

Amber has always considered hers and Tyler’s relationship platonic. But Tyler admits he has deeper, more romantic feelings for her. About the same time Amber begins questioning whether or not she’s ready to get married, the two of them attend a party. The alcohol flows freely and sexual tensions heat up between Amber and Tyler,

Told in alternating points of view, Amber questions whether or not she caused the terrible problem the night of the party by her actions and the way she dressed, while Tyler mostly doesn’t remember what happened. I want you to read the book, so I’m not giving anything else away.

Hatvany bravely pulled the topic highlighted in this book from an incident she experienced in her past. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to write, but it is a subject matter women wrestle with all the time so the story needs to be told.

I found the message captivating and the characters colorful. It was also fun to have actual places and street names in the Bellingham area used in the novel as I lived there for four years. It made me reminisce about my own college days.

With each new novel, Hatvany’s writing grows and flows. I look forward to her next with anticipation.

Expected publication date:  March 27, 2017

 

Somewhere Out There, by Amy Hatvany

Somewhere Out There

By Amy Hatvany

DSCF1861Not only does Hatvany hail from Seattle, but she set her latest novel, “Somewhere Out There” in the Emerald City. Kirkus Reviews dubbed it “uplifting and heartwarming” and they’re a hard nut to crack. A positive blurb from them is the gold standard for any author.

Personally, I loved the story, the characters, the plot line and of course, the scenery. The story follows the lives of two girls, given up by their mother because of her dire circumstances. One is quickly adopted, while the other jumps from one foster home to another until the people in charge finally give up on placing her. Each grows up under very different circumstances but distance-wise they’re quite close.

Hatvany peppers her plot with phrases and place names like “a gray and drizzly late September afternoon,”  “Capitol Hill,” “Hiawatha Park,” “Pioneer Square,” and “Georgetown, an industrial area in South Seattle” to orient you. You’ll find other familiar settings amidst some made-up ones.

Once the sisters find each other, the thoughts of why their mother gave them up haunts them both. Until finally, they go visit. I’m not giving away the plot, but the book puts forth some endearing messages. It’s about family in all its forms, even dysfunctional.

If you’ve not read a novel by Hatvany before, I highly recommend this one as a good start. You’ll quickly lose yourself in the story, because her words flow naturally, and she keeps you guessing.