Insightful and reflective, The Road to Enchantment by Kaya McLaren is a story of loss, healing and new beginnings.

Willow never quite forgave her mom for upending her life after discovering her husband was cheating on her. Starting over near an Apache reservation in a very isolated location in New Mexico, life was a struggle as they barely eked out a living on a goat farm and fledgling vineyard. Willow's friendship with Darrel and his grandparents made life bearable growing up but as soon as she graduated from high school, she moved to Los Angeles to fulfill her dream of becoming a musician. Her relationship with her mom remains contentious and after a particularly unpleasant visit three years earlier, Willow has not returned to visit. This makes her mother's unexpected death even more painful since she was never quite able to repair the rift between them. Returning to the DeVine Winery and Goat Ranch to settle her mom's affairs, Willow tries to make peace with her past while at the same time attempting to figure out what comes next after she discovers she is pregnant.

Willow is quite introspective upon her return to the childhood she has yet to come to terms with. All these years later, she remains resentful of her mother's decision to start over in a new place. She cannot forgive her dad for "replacing" their family with a new wife and child. She is disdainful of her mom's dreams which left them scrambling to make ends meet. Willow hates everything the DeVine Winery and Goat Ranch represents yet as she sorts through her mother's belongings, she begins to understand her a little better. Even more surprising is her altered perspective of her childhood home and the effect this has on her desire to continue pursuing her own dream in the midst of all of the changes that lie ahead of her as she makes a decision about her unplanned pregnancy.

While Willow is a likable and sympathetic character, she is also quite frustrating as she tries to decide her future. The answer is staring her right in the face all along, yet she continues to agonize over making the best choice for herself and her unborn child. She is a little self-absorbed and unforgiving initially but as she sorts through the detritus of her mom's life and her own past, she finally begins to see things from her mom's viewpoint. Willow stubbornly clings to the idea of returning to Los Angeles even as she acknowledges the problems she is facing if she follows through with her plans. Thankfully she finally begins to open her heart and mind to the possibility that resisting change might not be in her best interests. However, whether Willow can completely resolve her issues with her past in order to find happiness remains far from certain.

Although a little slow-paced, The Road to Enchantment is an emotionally compelling journey of self-discovery. This character-driven story is set against the harsh but beautiful New Mexico landscape and Kaya McLaren beautifully incorporates intriguing aspects of Apache heritage into the storyline. An absolutely breathtaking story of coming to terms with a painful past and forging a new path when life takes an unexpected turn that I absolutely loved and highly recommend to fans of the genre. ( )

I loved this book. This book was beautifully written and is a great story about the bonds between a mother and a daughter. I absolutely loved the part of the book where the mom was telling Willow why romance books are garbage and not ever going to happen in real life. ( )

"It will be ok... you don't even know yet what is possible." Willow's story is told with flashbacks of who she was, and she's becoming now, with details and layers of life in between. The mother-daughter dynamic is huge, as Willow fights against what she wishes wasn't between them, and how she finally finds peace. This is a story of finding balance, forgiveness, and allowing the best version of yourself shine through.
Interesting pieces throughout- the Apache traditions, beliefs and family Willow finds is touching. Being a cloud 'whisperer' is a fun touch, and the unique cast of characters that all make up the layers of Willow's life make this a wonderful read.
*I received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review ( )

Although this book got better as it went along, I'm afraid that, in my opinion, that's not saying a whole lot.

I had high expectations for this book, but the truth is that the blurb on the back makes it sound quite a bit more entertaining and magical than it actually is. From the beginning, I just had a hard time engaging with it. I'd expected a somewhat predictable plot based on what I'd read, but the hints of magic and eccentricities I'd read in the blurb made it sound like it would be something different, and at the very least, something rich and enjoyable. Instead, I found that there wasn't much more to the book than what was predicted on the back cover, and that the main character was really hard to like. From beginning to end, she came across as selfish, and as constantly whining. I never could bring myself to actually care about her, even at the end of the book when I'd spent 342 pages with her.

There was a point towards the middle of the book where the plot picked up for a while, and where some of that magic that had been hinted at seemed destined to arrive... but then it arrived full force. Instead of the little bits of magic that can make a book wonder-full and enchanting, the magic here was all coincidence and unbelievable plot points that, unbelievable as they were, were predictable. After all, the character's life needed to turn around, so it had to, right? Right...

By the time I got to the last fifty pages of the book, which were filled with everything going over-the-moon perfectly, all loose ends being tied up with sparkly bows and our woe-is-me protagonist still not getting over herself or her anxiety, I was just ready to be done.

The writing was lovely, but the story and the characters were far less than anything I'd want to recommend. ( )