I probably wouldn’t have picked up *Rainwater* on my own.

I’d never read Sandra Brown, barely knew what the book was about, and wasn’t looking for a Depression-era historical romance. But a friend sent it to me as part of an annotated book exchange, and suddenly the reading experience became about more than the story.

*Rainwater* took me into a Texas I hadn’t encountered much in fiction, where drought, poverty, prejudice, and desperation shape everyday life. It’s a quiet story with a memorable cast, an unexpected twist, and a few things that didn’t quite work for me.

But the best part? Reading a book covered in someone else’s notes felt surprisingly intimate, like getting to experience the story alongside my friend even though we live in different states.

Read my review of *Rainwater* and find out why this was a book I wouldn’t have chosen for myself, but was glad to read.