Seeking Ayita Review

 Seeking Ayita is author Lin Stepp's latest book in her Mountain Home series. I've blogged about the three others in this stand-alone series: Happy Valley, Downsizing, and Eight at the Lake.

Like the others in the series, Seeking Ayita is strong on family values and a sense of place—and it involves a woman returning to her roots and finding herself. 

The novel begins when Yoni—a full-blooded Cherokee married to a Welshman and living in Hawaii—is dying from complications following a stroke, she makes her daughter Annalise promise to to take her ashes for burial in Cherokee, NC,  and also for Annalise to stay a few months and reconnect with her grandmother and her heritage. (Annaliese's middle name is Ayita, a Cherokee name.) Annalise, a widow with a young daughter, doesn't want to go. She's visited Cherokee a few times when she was younger, but Hawaii is her home. Plus she thinks her father will need her after he returns from his visit Wales. But she made a promise. . . . 

From the back of the book:

Of course, there are complications and obstacles to be overcome as well as decisions to be made. And therein lies an interesting tale. (FYI—I was so caught up in the story that I finished the book in two days.)

Like Stepp does in her other Mountain Home books, she includes a map in Seeking Ayita  and has her main characters visit places and hike the trails in the area. Having the map added to my enjoyment of the book.

I particularly enjoyed the book's themes—besides the strong sense of place and the importance of family, there was a lot of emphasis on the importance of heritage, particularly Cherokee heritage. I learned a lot about Cherokee customs from reading Seeking Ayita.

Seeking Ayita would be a good selection for a book club to study and discuss, and Stepp includes a study guide.

I thoroughly enjoyed Seeking Ayita, and I think the cats—who keep me company while I read it—enjoyed it too.

CHARLOTTE: I liked that there was a cat named Stella in the book.

ARLO: I liked that Stella didn't want to be petted by strangers.

OTIS: I got scared when Stella went missing.

RUFUS: I was happy when Stella got rescued.

OTIS: I was too, Rufus! It was a purrfect rescue—and a good book.

If you're seeking a good read with interesting characters, some twists and turns, and a satisfying resolution, you'll likely enjoy Seeking Ayita.

Seeking Ayita will release on April 1, 2023, but it's available to pre-order from Amazon now: https://www.amazon.com/Seeking-Ayita-Lin-Stepp/dp/B0BTRYN721/      

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