Out of the Rain (The Umbrella Lady #2) by VC Andrews (Adult Contemporary Drama Book Review)

 I won a copy of this book from the publisher via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Out of the Rain
(Umbrella #2)
by 'VC Andrews'
Published by Gallery Books
on October 5, 2021
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Drama
Length: 304 pages

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Synopsis:
Following the events of The Umbrella Lady, young Saffron Faith Anders searches for family and love in this spine-tingling gothic fairy tale. 

After escaping the trauma of the Umbrella Lady's home, thirteen-year-old Saffron Faith Anders is determined to find the father who abandoned her all those years ago. But when she finds him in a nearby town, Saffron is shocked to discover that he has married a woman he clearly had been involved with before her mother's death. Worse, her father insists Saffron pretend to be his niece so he can continue to con his new wife's family. 
Desperate for her father's love, she goes along with the farce, but it soon becomes clear that perhaps it is better to face the world alone than be trapped in a toxic and potentially dangerous family. 


My Thoughts:

In the first book, The Umbrella Lady, Saffron Faith Anders is abandoned by her father at a train station where an old woman carrying an umbrella coaxes her home. Raised and homeschooled by the Umbrella Lady, Saffron has to come to terms with the fact that her father is not going to return for her. But unforeseen events leave Saffron alone in the world again at the age of thirteen and armed with her father's new home address, she shows up on his doorstep only to find that he plans to pass her off as his niece to his newer wife and in-laws. The in-laws just happen to be one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the area.

Stuck in a whirlwind of secrets, Saffron attempts to maneuver her father's world in the hopes that she can be with him again, but the pressure of pretending to be something she isn't for someone who abandoned her has her scrambling for the truth of her past, her mother, and the reasons behind her father's ambitious connections. Will Saffron be able to apply the education the Umbrella Lady gave her to overcome the pressures of her new world? Or will she end up just as alone as ever? 

I grew up reading V.C. Andrews' original series with their dark and twisted familial themes but have been aware that they've been ghostwritten for years now so I haven't kept up with them. My interest was piqued again when I heard about the newer biography (also from the ghostwriter) and thought I'd give one of the newer series a chance.
I was surprised by how very similar the themes are to the originals and found these to be slightly nostalgic in a way because of the similarities. 
There's the young girl with a sordid family secret that lands the girl in the care of strangers or almost strangers, which of course means mistreatment and overall trauma, and then the girl escapes only to find themselves trapped in an even stickier web of familial lies and deceit. 

I enjoyed this series so far. Saffron is a very mature character that has been through the 'wringer' but still has a good heart despite everything. These books are perfect for those that enjoy a bit of drama and suspense mixed with their life lessons and cautionary tales. 

The Umbrella Lady

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The Umbrella Lady (Umbrella #1) by "V.C. Andrews" (YA Contemporary Mystery Book Review)

The Umbrella Lady
(Umbrella #1)
by VC Andrews
Published by Gallery Books
on February 2, 2021
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Drama
Length: 304 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
A young girl who has lost her father finds herself at the mercy of a mysterious woman who is not quite what she seems.

Left on a train platform in an unfamiliar village, little Saffron Faith Anders is certain her father will return shortly, just like he promised. She holds out hope even as the hours pass and the station grows dark. When a strange old woman with a large umbrella approaches and inquires about her situation, Saffron doesn't immediately trust the imposing do-gooder, but with the chances of her father returning growing ever slimmer, she agrees to rest at the old woman's house. 

Her stay was supposed to be for a few minutes, hours at most, but soon, Saffron realizes she has been confined to a house of dark secrets and is now at the mercy of the enigmatic Umbrella Lady. One minute grandmotherly and the next wickedly cruel, she shears Saffron's hair and burns her clothes. When strange letters arrive from Saffron's father, claiming that he will send for her shortly, hope returns to her young heart. But Saffron soon discovers that those who claim to love you will often hurt you the most...


My Thoughts:

Saffron Faith Anders is abandoned by her father at a small-town train station shortly after her mother dies in a house fire. The Umbrella Lady finds her and coaxes Saffron home with her, promising that her father will know where to find her, but as the days pass Saffron must come to terms with the fact that her father will not return.
The Umbrella Lady, or Mazy, homeschools Saffron, intent on raising her and protecting her from the outside world. But Saffron is determined and intelligent enough to make it on her own and dreams of the day she will have the chance. 

I read a lot of VC Andrews' original series in my youth and even though I am aware that her books are now ghostwritten, this book had everything I would expect of a VC Andrews novel.
It's a coming-of-age story about an abandoned girl who must rely on adults who may or may not have her best interests at heart and learns to maneuver her new life of confinement and secrecy.

As always, VC Andrews' books tend to lean towards tough subjects and sometimes triggering content, such as abandonment, child abuse, neglect, and more. 


The sequel, Out of the Rain, is out now! 

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