Selected as a GR Reads! by the Grand Rapids Public Library

Selected by Reader’s Digest for their July 2016 Condensed Volume

“Shipman’s charming story of finding peace in oneself, listening to your heart, and remembering all those who came before you will be welcomed by fans of Cecelia Ahern and Debbie Macomber.”

—Library Journal

 “Shipman compellingly depicts the bonds of family, revealing that the moments of trials and tribulations are part of lives filled with hope and faith.”

— Publishers Weekly

“Three generations of women share the tradition of wearing charm bracelets to honor the big moments of their lives. Debut novelist Shipman—a pen name chosen by memoirist Wade Rouse (It’s All Relative, 2011, etc.) in homage to his grandmother—pulls out all the emotional bells and whistles here; his book reads like a fictionalized guide to living the good life (“Live! Love! Laugh!”) and checks all the boxes—family, friends, God, love, and simple living—designed to warm the heart and fill the tear ducts. Smooth writing, unabashed sentimentality.”

— Kirkus Reviews

“Like a rare jewel that will be passed down one generation to the next, and from one book club member to the next until everyone has read this heartfelt story of love and forgiveness.”

—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author

“Rich in character and story, The Charm Bracelet is utterly charming!”

—Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“This tale of three women finding and sharing their paths and their stories is as sweet as three scoops of Dolly’s ice cream. It’s packed with gorgeous scenery, time-honored wisdom and all kinds of charm.”

—Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author

“I honestly cannot remember the last time I fell in love with a book as much as I have with The Charm Bracelet. This book is pure gold.”

—Matt Norcross, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, PW Shortlist Bookseller of the Year

“When you read Viola Shipman’s The Charm Bracelet, you feel as if you are at the hands of a veteran writer with a keen sense of observation and a knack for explaining the ways one generation knowingly and unknowingly informs the next. What might surprise you is that this writer is popular memoirist Wade Rouse, and that he’s both paying homage to and channeling his grandmother Viola in using her name as his own. Prepare to be charmed.”

—Jill Miner, Saturn Booksellers and the Coffee Cabin MI Retailer of the Year, Winner of the Golden Pineapple, Best Bookstore and Best Store Staff Awards

“Sometimes it takes a book to remind us to recall the memories of childhood places, people and objects to our current day lives. The Charm Bracelet is just this book. The Charm Bracelet is a touching story told by the significant events specific to each charm on the bracelet. Each Lindsey woman has a bracelet that holds the memories special to her. For Lolly, as her memory fades, her bracelet is her tool to tell her memories to her daughter and granddaughter. Lolly’s stories also lead her daughter and granddaughter to the realization of those things important in life. The Charm Bracelet is a lovely book with engaging characters that gently reminds the reader of the ingredients to those things that bring joy to life.”

—Suzy Takacs, owner of The Book Cellar, Chicago, and past president of the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association

“A lighter, sweeter tale in the vein of multi-generational stories of women like Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, this book is sure to have readers raiding their memory boxes for all of the treasures connecting them to their loved ones. The Charm Bracelet will especially strike a chord with moms missing their daughters and daughters missing their mothers, whether the separation is due to geography, emotions, or the downside of old age. An absolutely perfect pick for a mother-daughter book club!”

—Danielle Borsch, store manager of Vroman’s Bookstore, Hastings Ranch

“Viola Shipman, a.k.a. the brilliant Wade Rouse, touches our hearts with laughter, goodwill, and inspired kinship via The Charm Bracelet. In fact, this masterful first novel is a charm in and of itself, written in the tradition of such great storytellers as Eudora Welty, Fannie Flagg, Dorothea Benton Frank, Nicholas Sparks and Alexander McCall Smith.”

—Teresa Miller, executive director of the Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers (part of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries), Oklahoma State University-University of Tulsa

“This book looks like it’s going to be a hit! I cannot wait to get this novel into the hands of my library patrons. I know they are going to love it! I always love to put Wade Rouse’s (a.k.a. Viola Shipman’s) books on display because they fly off the shelf! (I’m picturing Ashley Judd somewhere in this movie in my mind.)”

—Jeannie Kays, library director of the Palm Springs Public Library

“Viola Shipman’s The Charm Bracelet sparkles. With sharply drawn characters and a great sense of place, this debut novel will be the beach read of 2016. Moreover, this story of family relationships and the memories that bind us embraces the humor, heart and family ties that one expects from bestselling memoirist Wade Rouse (whose pseudonym pays tribute to his grandmother). Highly recommended for library collections. This debut novel will be a hit with library patrons.”

—Kristen Kruger-Corrado, marketing and communications manager at the Grand Rapids Public Library, MI

“The Charm Bracelet is a beautifully written ode to the moments that become memories, and a graceful reminder to cherish the family elders whose stories made our own possible. The characters stay with you long after the story has ended. Wade Rouse’s Viola Shipman alter-ego will be at the top of our patrons’ Must Read lists!”

—Vickey Bloom, director, and Danis Houser, reference and technical services librarian, Grosse Pointe Public Library, MI