Ever since I was a little girl I had wanted to be

Sweet Water by Christine Baker Kline

When a grandfather she never knew bequeaths her a house and 60 acres of land in Sweetwater, Tenn., a restless young artist leaves New York to recover her past and rethink her future. Cassie Simon's mother Ellen died when Cassie was only three; raised in Boston by her grieving father, she never knew her maternal relatives. Unprepared for the thick veil of mystery that surrounds them, Cassie is especially bewildered by her brusque grandmother, whom rumor credits with hiding a terrible secret about Ellen's death. In alternating sections told from their respective points of view, Cassie and her grandmother fight their separate battles to cope with the truth about the tragedy

I had high expectations for Sweet Water based on Christine Baker Kline's other novel, Orphan Train, which I was a fan of. I had hoped that Sweet Water would hold up to the same promise, but sadly, it completely missed the mark for me. The whole premise drew me in, a young artist leaving New York to recover her past in the south, sounds like something I would love, right? But wow, the plot fell short. It was a REAL struggle getting through this one. I couldn't relate or sympathize with any of the characters, and ok, I'm sorry, but what is up with the whole relationship between Cassie and her cousin (adopted or not, REALLY?!!?), can you say redneck stereotype? Very odd, and kind of creepy honestly. I found myself skipping pages and skimming the last few chapters, which can't be a good sign. In the end I was left disappointed. Sweet Water was forgettable to me.