How far would you go to find the truth—and what would it cost you to uncover it?
Scout Montgomery has spent two decades helping others escape their pasts while never outrunning her own. Her life revolves around a job that numbs the pain, a silent crush on her co-worker, and a brother who vanished without a trace. When an unexpected trip home to Alabama stirs long-buried memories, Scout sets out to finally learn what happened all those years ago. But some doors, once opened, reveal more than she bargained for.
June Montgomery has built a picture-perfect life—political husband, polished home, carefully guarded secrets. She’s not ready for her daughter’s return, or the questions she brings. Because Scout isn’t just searching for answers. She’s about to uncover the one truth that could unravel everything.
Set in the heart of the Deep South, Scent of Magnolia is a gripping novel of mother-daughter reckonings, old betrayals, and the unshakable pull of home.
Fun Fact About the Novel . . .
Scent of Magnolia is technically my first novel. I learned the craft of writing while working on the originally titled Legend of a Rock Star. (The rock star being the brother who vanishes into the night on Christmas Eve.) I wrote this novel from every point of view and verb tense imaginable. At the time, I lacked the experience to make the many moving plot components work. So I abandoned the project and moved on to write Saving Ben. When these beloved characters recently resurfaced in my imagination, I revisited the project. I searched all my hard drives for the original files but came up empty. Starting over allowed me the fresh perspective the project needed to come to fruition.
Because I already knew these characters so well from previous time spent with them, I was able to dive deeper into their motivations. They led me down different paths, which resulted in plot changes that make the story much stronger. I have poured my heart into the Montgomery family drama. Fasten your seatbelts. You’re in for a wild ride.
I loved this dysfunctional family drama. It was equally heartbreaking and heartwarming to see the characters figure things out for themselves and how to get through this life in their own ways.
Looks can be deceiving behind closed doors. The mother is the glue to her children and neighboring children without moms of their own. When a friend dies, all the children come home for the funeral and the secrets begin to emerge. A lot of players with different lives reuniting in a small home town and the healing that takes place is heart warming.
This novel will take you on an emotional rollercoaster that delves into a dysfunctional family, abandonment, depraved hearts, misplaced love, and alcoholism. Farley is never afraid to dig deep to make readers feel her stories.
I could see, feel, and smell that small town of Langford, AL. The characters are an extraordinary mix and the way the story is told perfection. There are twists and turns I never expected and kept me reading until the book was finished. I fell in love and wanted more even as the story ended.
This is a fantastic, emotional story that I could not stop reading! The Montgomery family have lots of secrets that have been buried for years. However, it is not until three friends reunite in their small southern hometown for their friend’s funeral that the drama begins to unfold! It sure does! This book stirred all my emotions- from tears to anger, from fear to horror at different times!