A Cup of Silver Linings

By: Karen Hawkins

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert, Nancy Linari, Angel Pean, Amanda Ronconi

In this cozy magical realism novel set in a charming Southern town, a gifted tea maker, a grieving grandmother, and a searching teenager discover healing, family, and second chances—perfect for fans of Sarah Addison Allen and Practical Magic.

Discover the “sometimes whimsical, often insightful, always absorbing” (Shelf Awareness) Dove Pond series from New York Times bestselling author Karen Hawkins.

Ava Dove—the sixth of the seven Dove sisters and owner of Ava Dove’s Landscaping and Specialty Teas—is on the verge of realizing her dream: opening her own tearoom. But just as the doors are about to open, her enchanted teas begin behaving unpredictably. Sleep teas trigger vivid dreams, romance blends reveal hidden truths, and calming brews leave customers mesmerized by their own reflections. As Ava searches for answers, she’s forced to confront a long-buried secret that could change everything.

Meanwhile, Ellen Foster arrives in Dove Pond to bury her estranged daughter and settle her affairs, determined to bring her teenage granddaughter, Kristen, back to a more stable life. But Kristen is determined to stay—and sets out to find the father she’s never known.

As their paths intertwine, Ava, Ellen, and Kristen form an unexpected bond, uncovering long-hidden truths and discovering the power of forgiveness, community, and a little bit of magic.

A warm, big-hearted novel about family, friendship, and finding your way home, this enchanting story blends romance, grief, and hope in a richly imagined small-town setting.

SWEET Story of Family, Forgiveness, Acceptance and Love

I absolutely LOVED this story — every bit as much as I enjoyed the first Dove Pond novel! It was just as full of love, friendship, learning that family and friends aren’t perfect but are still worth loving, and that sometimes, even if one doesn’t want it, one has to accept that everyone needs help once in a while. Some things are just too big to be handled alone.

I have two major complaints about this book:

1. As a teaser to the next book, there is a short section about another Dove sister, Ella, who is living in Paris in an apartment above the bakery she owns. The wind kicks up wildly and a newspaper page of lands at her feet. Ella sees a picture of a man and she says aloud, “Ella Dove is going home to Dove Pond.”

YAY, another Dove family book!!! Except there isn’t another one (unless it’s not on Audible, but available on Amazon just in read-only form)?

So WHERE IS IT Ms. Hawkins??? COUGH IT UP! Sooner rather than later please! There are five other Dove sisters besides Sarah and Ava. That should provide lots and lots of ideas for more books!

My other complaint about this book is the narration. Tavia Gilbert is one of my FAVORITE narrators! I have no complaints about her in particular (there are four narrators for this book).

Aunt Jo’s voice is so screechy that I could barely get through listening to her parts. Others character voices sound almost identical; for example, the sheriff, Dylan and Kristen’s young male friend. Sometimes Ellen and Kristen sound the same. The southern accents of Kristen and her two young friends (especially Misty) are so overdone. Grace, from the first Dove book didn’t even sound like she did in the first book. And one scene that seemed especially odd to me, when the sheriff was in the library kissing Sarah, he sounded more like Ellen than a male! Hopefully this can be improved in coming books (especially Aunt Jo)!

Despite some of the narration, I LOVED this story and can’t wait for the next one in the Dove Pond series!

Delightful!

What a charming and delightful story! It was nice to have different narrators for different characters, as well. They did a wonderful job. I am definitely looking forward to the next, and I will go back to read the book that came before this one, The Book Charmer!

Her books are always a little corny

This is the 3rd or 4th book I've read of hers. Not this one but a couple of the ones I read before were hilarious.

Always love a silver lining!

I really like stories about the Dove sisters! Well written and feel good stories! Highly recommend!

Potpourri of magic, mysteries & wondrous teas

This was a lively listen. All the characters grew throughout the story, with a steady flow of self awareness, while inhabiting the Stars Hollowlike town of Dove Pond, home of the intriguing Dove sisters, each with a miraculous talent. Not your run of the mill power to fly or be invisible, but abilities to hear books name the person who should next read them, make teas that can heal in a myriad of ways including having dreams of deceased relatives return to offer sage counsel, understand the sounds of wild life and much more for the seven sisters, who are the soul and lucky charm for Dove Pond.

Several stories told, each slightly intertwined with the other. Not confusing, but very entertaining, educational and oh so human. Was so hard to come to the end. Made me seek out every other book Karen Hawkins wrote about Dove Pond. And a fun group of reads they were.