Her Kind

 I am convinced that women need close female friends to be whole.  Both through family and community.  We can exist alone, but there are always pieces of our world missing until we find special karmic souls to connect with through our life's journey.  If I had to choose mine, I would say mine are Denise, Lisa, Beth, MaryLou and Amber.  Perfection would be to have them all together with me in my home, coexisting together.  

I am certain I connected so strongly with Sophia Lefens's debut novel, Her KInd, simply because I have been blessed with strong relationships with dear women who make my life more abundant through their presence. 

The main character, Ada, has lived a troubled life.  Abandoned by her mother throughout her childhood, Ada sees her Aunt Leigh as the one stable adult she can rely on. When her husband also walks away from their marriage and infant son, she turns to the only refuge she has, her aunt Leigh. Ada, and her now three year old son Lenny build a life at her aged aunt's lake home, where time together in nature and the lure of the water become balm to their souls. In such a calm serene setting, Ada is jolted by fear when she begins to have reoccurring premonitions or dreams that she will soon die, leaving her son Lenny alone in the world as she has often been left.  Her only balm for her troubled mind is to gather her friends to her there, and decide whom she would leave Lenny  with if she dies. Sage, Agnes, and Joanna are each going going through their own life's difficulties, and each also find a home with Leigh at the lake house.   Death does indeed come to Ada and her friends, but they learn and grow from their time together. 

Lefens 's novel is well written, with strong, real characters. She imparts a soul into each of her characters which makes them relatable. I think anyone who has experienced the gift of true and honest friendship can identify with Lefens's book.

I feel that I connected strongly with Lefens's book for several reasons.  I have shared special relationships with friends and family so dear that they are the ones I run to when I am frightened or in grief.  I also have lost loved ones that left gaping voids in my life. Finally, the poignant serendipity of her aunt Leigh's memory fading touched my heart.  My husband and I are experiencing that now with a shared family member and seeing her decline slowly is a sad but real event.  

Her Kind is set to publish on October 13, 2026 and would be a fine read for a book club. It would be interesting to see which character(s) each person relates with most strongly and who each one would choose in their own lives to be with if faced with challenges like  Lefens's character Ada is.

Thank you to the publisher Harper Collins and NetGalley for the Advance Reader's Proof in exchange for an honest review.

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