Looking for Your Next Book Club Pick? Consider This One for Deeply Satisfying Discussions
I am the reason my sister is dead.
Jolie-Mae Buckley doesn’t think her heart can ever heal. Two years ago, she graduated from college summa cum laude and was on track for medical school. Drowning in guilt after a disastrous mistake turned deadly, she’s unable to move forward.
When she answers an ad for a live-in nanny four hours away in Western North Carolina, on Elizabeth’s Mountain, Jolie knows this is her opportunity to start her life anew. As details of Jolie’s misfortune emerge, her new employers, Jesse and Amanda Taylor, detect a nefarious undercurrent in her story. Jesse’s protégé, Brody, gently persuades Jolie to revisit that awful day when a perfect storm of events destroyed her world. In the meantime, Hurricane Helene is barreling toward Asheville, where survival becomes paramount, exposing the fragile line between hope and terror. In the aftermath of Mother Nature’s chaos, and with Jolie’s heart hanging in the balance, the truth about that fateful night breaks free like the floodwaters no one predicted.
From my Goodreads review:
Smoky Blue Sunrise is an emotionally raw, deeply satisfying novel that proves healing may only begin when life leaves us the most broken. I have not read the first book in the series, Elizabeth’s Mountain, but this sequel definitely stands perfectly well on its own. Thrown into a merciless storm of an unimaginable personal crisis, the main character, Jolie-May’s eventual reconciliation to self-awareness, hope, and the courage to move forward make her relatable, someone you want to pull close in an embrace and hold on to until she can breathe again.
Beyond the excellent character development, Guarino’s vivid sense of place breathes life into the Smoky Mountains themselves. Although my first drive along the Skyline Highway was absolutely terrifying, her words made me want to try again, even with its narrow roads, deep drop-offs, and thin guardrails, just to experience those breathtaking mountain vistas. Highly recommend for anyone needing to find hope that life can go on after suffering or just a story of hope.
Further Praise for SMOKY BLUE SUNRISE
- 2026 Readers’ Favorite Gold Award Winner in Realistic Fiction
- 2026 Firebird winner in both the Contemporary & Women’s Fiction
- 2026 Literary Titan Gold Book Award
- Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews Top 10 Books
“The depiction of Jolie’s grief process will tug at the reader’s heartstrings, but the warmth of her found family and the scenic setting provide welcome comfort. This is a well-observed meditation on grief, love, family, and home.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Readers who enjoy character-driven contemporary fiction, especially stories about grief, healing, and second chances in close-knit communities, and also to anyone who already knows Elizabeth’s Mountain and wants to see that world deepen, this one will be for you.” – Thomas Anderson, Literary Titan
“Guarino is a masterful storyteller who turns setting into character, approaches intense turmoil with compassion and honesty, and embraces found family, small towns, and transformative journeys.” – E.D. Hackett, author of Mending Broken Threads
Set out an array of “blue” snacks and refreshments. Anything with blueberries, to blue cheese dip, to blue corn chips to croissants stuffed with Maryland blue crab meat. Here’s my favorite recipe for blueberry lemon bread. Maybe mix up a batch of Dark and Stormy drinks for the hurricane feeling.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try a venison stew. During the hurricane, one of the meals a friendly neighbor prepared was venison stew, which is a highly nutritious, deeply rooted Appalachian staple. Recipe from Modern Farmhouse Eats. And good news – you don’t need to plan a hunting trip, many specialty stores and organic grocers carry frozen venison.
The sun dipped below the western mountains, painting their peaks in shades of pink. It was usually a heart-stopping sight, but the all-too-fleeting alpenglow left me feeling melancholy, for it meant another day would soon be over. Capture the vibes of a Smoky Mountain sunrise by including a fun painting activity. This paint by numbers set has four canvases and all the paint, brushes, and easels.
Book Club Discussion Starters
- In Smoky Blue Sunrise one night of wrong decisions changed everything forever for protagonist Jolie. Have you ever needed to forgive yourself to move forward?
- Jolie tries to justify her choice to leave her grieving parents by telling herself that she is pursuing a new life, not running from her old one. Did she make the best choice for herself? Was it the best choice for her parents?
- Do you believe Brody’s engagement in Jolie’s history stemmed merely from concern or perhaps a bit of curiosity? How did you feel about his looking into it without Jolie’s consent?
SMOKY BLUE SUNRISE Available on Amazon: Paperback, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, Audible
Meet the Author: Lucille Guarino
An Amazon bestselling and multi award-winning author, Lucille’s novels have garnered reviews such as “compelling,” “captivating,” and “effortlessly transporting.” Among her accolades, Elizabeth’s Mountain was the winner of the 2024 Book Viral Millennium Award and the 2025 Independent Press Award. An avid reader of most genres, Lucille admits to loving emotion-heavy stories with strong female characters that are as realistic as they are inspiring.
Real women. Real lives.
Coming off the success of Elizabeth’s Mountain, her novel, Lunch Tales: Suellen launched in February 2025 and was a Grand Prize winner in A Woman’s Write’s 2023 novel competition, and won first place in the Firebird Books Awards Q1 2025 for relationships & friendships and second place for a contemporary novel. Also, the Silver Award for women’s fiction from Readers’ Favorite. Lunch Tales: Suellen is personal for her as she went through a similar medical crisis at the same age and knows firsthand all the feelings and emotions Suellen had to go through. This book is for all the extraordinary and resilient women out there who have faced similar fears.
Check out all of Lucille’s award-winning books, including her Lunch Tales series.
Follow Lucille on Substack for more updates on her books and writing.
