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I didn’t start this book with very high expectations, after reading the many reviews about the book boring them. I found myself back and forth on whether or not I was enjoying it. The writing style was more “telling” than “showing” which, on the one hand, makes it an easier, faster read if that is what you’re looking for, however, on the other hand, I found made it hard for me to really immerse myself into the story.

Although most of the story was pretty predictable, I am impressed and can say there were a couple of plot twists that caught me off guard.

Weyward is the story of three women across centuries, all connected by their blood and their gift of nature. We begin in 1619 with Altha Weyward who is on trial for the murder of a local farmer. Violet Ayres (1942), daughter of Elizabeth Weyward, has been locked up at Orton Hall by her father after the death of her mother, never knowing the world beyond the grounds she grew up. Kate Ayres (2019), great-niece of Violet Ayres, escapes her abusive ex-boyfriend, Simon, taking shelter in the cottage left to her by her aunt where she hides her pregnancy and befriends an old friend of Violet’s. All three women go through similar trials of life.

Honestly, this has been sitting in my TBR for quite some time and I wasn’t sure if I was actually going to read it. Normally I’m not a fan of the constant shift of the point-of-view. And, while at times I did get bored or annoyed at the switch, I did find it engaging, keeping you on your toes until her next chapter. With short chapters, it’s easy to skim through if there is a less engaging plot. Throughout the years, details from one story show up in the next, truly showing how connected they are with each other even if they never knew one another. Altha’s POV is in first person while Violet and Kate’s are in third which did throw me off for a moment but it is later revealed why Altha is in first person. During this revelation, more theories of what was to come next popped into my head. Some were right, others couldn’t have been further. I did enjoy coming up with my own theories, while other books tend to have me sitting with no idea how it could turn out, Weyward brought in real-life situations giving you a chance to think about what you may have done in their place.