NEW REVIEW: Karen C. Brown - If The Tree Could Talk

Karen C. Brown -
If The Tree Could Talk -
Available Now! -
3.5 out of 5 books -


On summer days and summer nights, you can find families, friends and loved ones sitting comfortably under a tree sharing stories, secrets and kisses. For the Greenson family, they have a tree in their front yard that the author compares to the biblical tree of life and knowledge. Some life-changing conversations and events were shared under the “family tree.”

The protagonist and sometimes narrator of If The Tree Could Talk is Callie Greenson, a.k.a. Sweetie Pie. She’s sassy and filled with wisdom that surpasses her twelve years. One day, as Sweetie Pie struggles to get out of bed to start her day, she gets a feeling that something is going to happen that will spin her life out of control. While sitting under their tree, she hears her mom and dad doing what she calls "code talking." It’s not long before Callie, her family and her friends find themselves caught in a spider web of deception, manipulation and betrayal.

I enjoyed getting to know Callie and the host of adults who were touched by one woman’s desperation and lies. Ms. Brown did a wonderful job with the background story and secondary characters after the lie was known. I felt their pain and anguish over what Ms. Dasie revealed to her friends.

The first thing that attracted me to a book (if not a recommendation) is the cover. The cover and the title of this book brought the focus of the “tree” to the forefront; but as I continued to read the book, I kept waiting for the theme of the tree to have more of a presence in the story. Even the cover portrays a huge tree taking over, but that was not the case inside the jackets. I believe the lie should’ve been revealed under the tree along with the rekindled love story we witnessed from several places in and out of town.

My favorite quote is nestled on page 92 when the lie is revealed and the characters hear it for the first time and are shocked. One of them responds in this way: “You have done the unthinkable, and I want you to know that you have ripped your drawers and there is not a needle in the world that can fix them” (too funny) If The Tree Could Talk was a pretty good read and a very promising start for this new author.

Reviewed by Missy for Urban Reviews

Order your copy of If The Tree Could Talk today!

.