The Tomorrow Tree

By: Carolyn Brown

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

Coming home to small-town Texas means facing the past and embracing the future in this touching novel about the family we choose by New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown.

After thirteen years away, Tina O’Grady returns to her hometown of Benson, Texas, drawn to the old oak tree in the park. She and her childhood friends, Walker and Gracie, called it the Tomorrow Tree and shared their dreams beneath its branches. But Tina, still reeling from past betrayals, has no plans to stay.

Mae and Cleo aren’t about to let her leave. The elderly ladies who practically raised Tina offer her a room in their boardinghouse—where she discovers Walker and Gracie are also staying. Suddenly, this small town feels more like home than ever. Especially when Tina takes a job at Walker’s feedstore, and their friendship rekindles into something deeper than either dared to hope.

Through Mae and Cleo’s fierce maternal love and a second chance with Walker, Tina must confront the wounds that drove her away. Can she finally trust in the family she’s always had—and the love that’s been waiting beneath the Tomorrow Tree?

©2026 by Carolyn Brown. (P)2026 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Tomorrow Tree

Ms. Brown never disappoints. My favorite quote "Social media is like grade school!" Spot on.

A Good Read

This was a pretty good book that I read and listened to on audio. Tina is back in Benson, Texas after being away for 10 years. She goes to see the Tomorrow Tree that was across the road from where she was watched over by Cleo and Mae. She finds out that her childhood best friends Gracie and Walker live there and moves in herself. But things are not as they used to be. Gracie is dating someone her parents would not approve of and Tina is working with Walker and feeling more than friendship. Walker finally tells Tina he wants more than to be friends with her. I loved that some of the Navajo traditions were in this story. This was my first time reading this author. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I also liked the narrator as I also listened to it on audio.

love of lifelong friends

Home is where you are loved and supported. Sometimes it is lifelong friends that love and support you when family can't.

SAPPY and predictable

Really? I really wanted to like this story but it was painfully ordinary and sappy. Ugh!!!

Disappointing

While I have thoroughly enjoyed books by Carolyn Brown in the past, I felt this one fell very flat. The story seemed repetitive of other books, almost formulaic; but this one lack her normal flare for character development and conflict between characters. For me, it was boring to listen to, but if you are new to the author, you may enjoy it as you won’t yet have a body of work to compare it to. I do highly recommend checking out other books by Ms. Brown.