Nice to meet Addie Woolridge...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Natasha Beale 2020

Today we're excited to have Addie Woolridge visiting us to talk about her latest novel, Anatomy of a Meet Cute. We really enjoyed her enthusiastic answers to our questions and we know you will too. Thanks to Blankenship PR, we have TWO copies to give away!

Born and raised just outside Seattle, Washington, Addie Woolridge has spent her life cultivating the experiences that make her characters so richly developed, relatable, and real. Though her love for knowledge, diversity, and different cultures has honed her writing, Woolridge is also a classically trained opera singer with a degree in music from the University of Southern California, and she holds a master’s degree in public administration from Indiana University. When she isn’t writing or singing, Woolridge can be found in her Northern California home, baking, training for her sixth race in the Seven Continents Marathon Challenge, or taking advantage of the region’s signature beverage—a good glass of wine. 

Visit Addie online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:
The last thing Samantha Holbrook expects from herself is to insult a colleague before she even starts her new job. But, after a mix-up on a plane leads her to mistake a handsome fellow doctor, Grant Gao, for a tacky nightclub promotor on a bad drug trip, Sam is on thin ice. Oh well. Sam is determined to make it on her own anyway. No matter how aloof he’s been since her terrible first impression, Sam won’t let Grant spoil her fresh start.

Instead, she keeps herself (maybe too) busy with her roommates, her work, and her passion: starting a new program to improve pregnancy care in the community. When getting the hospital bigwigs on board with her idea proves to be more difficult than Sam anticipated, she is forced to swallow her pride and ask Grant for help.

Working with Grant, Sam starts to think that maybe beneath his hard candy shell, there might be a softer inside. As the two of them undeniably grow closer, Sam begins to realize that taking on more than she can handle doesn’t have to be so bad—as long as you let someone else help you carry the load.

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
Anytime someone tells me that my book got them through a hard/long day that is the best compliment! In terms of a specific compliment, I had someone tell me that they didn’t think romance was for them until they read my book and that just made me grin! Romance hasn’t always felt like a welcoming place for all people, so anytime I hear that I did something to bring new readers in and let them know that, “yes romance is for you!” is massively flattering to me.

How is Samantha similar to or different from you?
Oh gosh! We both love ice cream and A Goofy Movie. Both of us live in the Bay Area and we just might share the same hair washing routine. Ha! Unlike Sam, I grew up pretty well loved and understood. I often joke that any mistakes my parents made were mistakes of enthusiasm not neglect. My dad once drove by our high school track, saw me running the mile in gym class and fully pulled over to cheer me and my friends on! All that to say, I didn’t have to work through the same feeling of being on uneven ground that Sam does with her family and I’m deeply grateful for that. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!).

If Anatomy of a Meet Cute were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
This is hard! I’m not one of those writers who puts together Pinterest boards for inspiration. Traits for my characters just sort of wander into my head as I write. Sometimes I don’t even know a character’s eye color until they need to be looked at by another character. I did a bit of celebrity browsing and I think Nesta Cooper would be perfect for Sam and Stephen Oyoung would be a fantastic Grant. My apologies to everyone if I’ve forgotten the perfect celebrity, and come find me on social media and tell me who I missed!

Tell us about a meet cute you've experienced.
All of my meet cute moments make me look like a hot mess. I’ll share this one: I’m left-handed and there are always a limited number of left-handed desks in any classroom. Once in college, I walked into a lecture hall and there were none available, so I picked the first unsuspecting guy and ranted at him about right-handed people taking all the left-handed desks because they were on those desks were on the aisle and they wanted to get out of class fast. I let him know in no uncertain terms that my elbow would be falling off the desk while I was trying to take notes for the next two hours and I did not want that experience. The guy shrugged and moved a few seats down. Feeling satisfied with my righteous victory, I stuck my nose in the air, dropped into the chair and took all kinds of smug left-handed notes. Halfway through the lecture, I looked over and froze…the guy was left-handed, too. Flooded with humiliation, I leaned over and asked him why he didn’t tell me that he also needed a left-handed desk. He just smiled and said that it seemed like I really needed that desk today then asked for my notes since his were a mess due to the whole "elbow falling off the edge of the desk while writing" issue. One thing led to another, and we dated for a while after that! 

Which TV series are you currently binge watching?
I’m in the middle of two shows right now. The first is everyone’s favorite, Ted Lasso! Yes, I know I’m behind, but I wouldn’t let myself start watching until after I turned in my most recent manuscript (a Young Adult rom com called The Homecoming War). 

The second is the PBS/Masterpiece show, Grantchester, which I discovered while I was revising Anatomy of a Meet Cute in Ireland. (I did a bad job timing my revisions, so I ended up editing the book on vacation.) The premise is basically a roving cast of extremely good-looking vicars with soothing accents who solve murders in the 1950s. It has big cozy mystery vibes and I’m here for it, plus there are about a zillion seasons of it!

What is your favorite springtime activity? 
It's a three-way tie. I’ve always loved hiking and spring is the best time for that! The feel of the sun on my face and with the slight bite in the air is unbeatable. Also, during the pandemic, my friends and I started doing more sitting-in-the-front-yard-with-a-glass-of-wine and I won’t lie, I still love doing that even though we can go other places. There is just something so nice about relaxing on someone’s front steps and killing time without the hustle and bustle. Spring is also the outdoor music festival season and I love those as well!

Thanks to Addie for chatting with us and to Blankenship PR for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends March 14th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: The Summer House

By Sara Steven

Mead House was once our childhood home.

Despite my fears, I always knew we would have to return to face the demons of our past.

Back to the place where it happened, to where, as carefree teenagers, we lost our elder sister in the most brutal of circumstances.

As executors of our grandmother’s will, my twin brother, Ollie, and I needed to empty the house for resale.

What I didn’t expect to discover was my sister’s secret journal that contained her most private thoughts and shocking dark secrets.

Now I am questioning everything that I saw that night. Did I get it wrong, who I saw?

Did my evidence send an innocent man, my then boyfriend's brother, to jail for the last 17 years?

I know I have no choice. If I want to find answers, I will have to go back to that fateful night my sister died. When she made her last visit to the summer house. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

I made the mistake of reading The Summer House at night the other day, before bed. Particularly the last half of the book. I say it was a mistake, because after I’d finished reading it, I couldn’t get a lot of what plays out within the story out of my head. It made for a tough night. The entire premise is haunting enough–a young woman, Camille, is found dead, and within her family’s summer house, no less. Her closest relatives and friends are convinced of who the murderer had been, secure in the knowledge that he’s locked away and has no way of harming anyone else, ever again. But what if the wrong person is behind bars?

That is the continual thought I had while reading The Summer House, and why I had such a hard time letting go of what I’d read. Camille’s sister Lana is fairly certain what she can recall from that horrific night had really happened, but when strange and bizarre events are brought against her, with obvious ploys in potentially harming her, it would make anyone question the truth. One minute, I was certain it was one character, but then something would happen that would lead me to point fingers elsewhere. And I kept wondering if the person accused of the crime had really done it, after all. It was a big-time brain teaser!

Xav, Lana’s former teen boyfriend and the brother of the man behind bars for Camille’s death, has never truly believed that his brother would have ever been capable of such a thing. When his brother was sent to prison, it severed the ties between Xav and Lana, ties that had once seemed unbreakable. It was interesting to see them navigate such a complicated situation, and it wasn’t hard to find the way they feel about each other believable. What would happen if someone you once loved was related to someone you hated? That sentiment extended past Lana, involving her brother Ollie, too. Ollie and Xav had once been best friends, so there are a lot of relationship dynamics at play, blending into the scary mysterious scenery of “Who is trying to get at Lana,” with no one, the reader included, ever really knowing for sure until the end.

It was cleverly written and full of suspense. Having read another one of Beevis’s books, The Sleepover, I’m not at all surprised. She has a gift for creating the type of thrillers that stick with you–and could potentially leave you sleepless in the middle of the night. I recommend reading this one way before bed. It was a definite five-star experience for me!

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

Keri Beevis is the internationally bestselling author of Dying To Tell, Deep Dark Secrets, Trust No One, Every Little Breath, and The People Next Door. Dying To Tell reached no. 1 in the Amazon chart in Australia and was a top 25 hit in the UK. She lives in Norfolk, along with her two naughty kitties, Ellie and Lola, and a plentiful supply of red wine (her writing fuel).

Visit Keri online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

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Give a holler for Trish Doller...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Jesi Cason Photography

We're pleased to welcome Trish Doller and celebrate the publication of her latest novel, Off the Map, today. We enjoyed learning more about her and we are sure you will too. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have one copy of Off the Map for a lucky reader!

Trish Doller is a writer, traveler, and dog rescuer, but not necessarily in that order. She is the international bestselling author of Float Plan, The Suite Spot, and Off the Map. She has also written several YA novels, including the critically acclaimed Something Like Normal. When she's not writing, Trish loves sailing, camping, and avoiding housework. She lives in southwest Florida with an opinionated herding dog and an ex-pirate.

Visit Trish at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:
Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been traveling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love - if only they choose it.

Praise for Trish's writing:

"I devoured Float Plan in a day. It’s truly a joy to get lost in such great writing. The island-hopping setting transports you from the hum-drum everyday, the dialogue is sharp and spot-on, the characters feel flawed and authentic and hopeful. It’s the kind of story that takes you away and brings you back grateful for the journey.” 
- Katherine Center, New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire

"Float Plan had my heart from the first page. With lush, vibrant settings and characters I ached and swooned with, this book is both a romantic escape and a balm for the soul. I'm deeply in love with Anna and Keane." 
- Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of The Ex-Talk and Weather Girl

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
I'm never more pleased than when someone tells me that one of my books got them back into reading or turned them from a reluctant reader into a full-blown reader. How amazing is that?!

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing Off the Map?
Eamon was a big challenge for me. In Float Plan, he comes across as cool and pulled together, so I struggled for a long time trying to figure out what was bothering him. The ending of the book was a surprise to me. I hadn't expected it to end how--and where--it did, so that was really rewarding.

If Off the Map was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Either Ben Aldridge or Jonathan Bailey would make a great Eamon, and I don't think she's an actress, but Eliza Cummings looks a lot like the Carla in my head.

What is the last movie you saw that you would recommend?
I haven't seen a movie in a very long time. I'm always excited about Marvel Cinematic Universe films, and one of my favorites--which might be the last one I saw in theaters before COVID--is Peanut Butter Falcon.

What is your favorite thing about springtime?
I live in Florida, where Spring is a little harder to notice. There's no melting of snow or early flowers blooming, but I like when my fruit trees start to flower. It means mangos and avocados are in progress.

If we were to visit you, what are some places you'd take us to see?

If you came to visit, I'd probably take you to Everglades National Park, for a sailboat ride to watch the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico, and off-roading in Picayune Strand. 

Thanks to Trish for chatting with us and to St. Martin's Press for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends March 12th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: At Sea

By Jami Denison

The course of evolution can be traced in the human body. Our ears evolved from gills; hiccups are thought to derive from that ancient path. And humans have always been drawn to the sea. We fought our way out of the ocean, but many long to return.

At Sea, Massachusetts author Emma Fedor’s gorgeous debut novel, is a reminder that the seductive ocean can hide all sorts of dangers beneath its waves. And that love can make one blind to jeopardy. 

At 22, newly minted college graduate Cara is adrift. Still grieving her mother’s death from cancer a few years ago, she feels isolated from her family, as her father moved to Arizona with her younger brother and remarried. She returns for the summer to her great-aunt Moira’s home on Martha’s Vineyard, planning to spend the time painting and getting ready to move to New York City in the fall. Instead, she meets and falls in love with Brendan, a special forces agent who has a dark secret – a classified military experiment gave him the ability to breathe underwater. When he lifts his arms, she can see the slits that act as makeshift gills. He disappears into the sea right in front of her and surfaces long minutes later. 

She doesn’t doubt him for a minute.

Six years later, Cara is stunned to hear tales of a man and a boy swimming together deep in the ocean. It has to be Brendan and their son, Micah. But her husband Graham thinks it’s just another wild goose chase. Will Cara ever be reunited with the son she lost? 

At Sea takes place in two different time periods, telling the story of Cara and Brendan’s love affair in the past, and in the present tense, following an older, sadder Cara’s life without Brendan. While told in close third person, the writing is descriptive enough that the reader can question Brendan’s sanity much sooner than Cara does. 

The novel defies classification. At times, it feels like domestic suspense as Cara desperately hunts for her son. The descriptions feel like literary fiction; Brendan’s abilities sci-fi or fantasy. The relationship drama between Cara, Brendan and Graham feel more like women’s fiction. With deft prose, Fedor keeps the reader engrossed even while the characters sometimes seem unbelievable. Cara seemed more like a 1980s 22-year-old than someone in 2008, quickly giving up on finding Brendan online and never contacting anyone in the military when he disappears. And Moira, who should have been a voice of reason, encourages Cara’s worst impulses, believing in the power of love and breathing underwater than more cynical and logical conclusions. 

Despite these small shortcomings, I loved this book. It reminded me of how I felt as a 22-year-old, newly in love when no one could talk any sense into me. There’s a scene early in the novel when Cara daydreams about life as a successful New York City artist; it’s a seductive fantasy that any kind of creator can recognize. The hole left by her mother’s death is deep; Fedor draws a line for the reader showing how Cara’s feeling of being abandoned by her father and brother led to her relationship with Brendan. These wounds, combined with Cara’s age and lack of direction after graduation, make her impulsive decisions believable. 

There’s nothing like that feeling of first love, but I wouldn’t want to be 22 again under any circumstances. The strangeness of Brendan’s powers aside, Cara’s story could be that of any young woman who ignores her lover’s red flags because she’s so drunk on love. At Sea showcases the best of a writer’s talents: the ability to tell a unique tale that showcases universal emotions. Fedor has a promising career ahead of her, and I look forward to her offerings.  

Thanks to Gallery for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: The Last Beekeeper

By Jami Denison

Flooding. Blizzards. Late-season hurricanes. These are all signs of the coming climate crisis, but the more ominous signs are easier to miss. When was the last time you saw a swarm of bees hovering around a public garbage can? I used to see them all the time at my son’s summer baseball games in the 2000s. In the past several years, though, baseball has been a bee-free event. What will happen if the last of the bees disappear?

In her second novel, The Last Beekeeper, author and journalist Julie Carrick Dalton has given us a glimpse of that world through the eyes of a woman whose father was blamed for killing off the last beehive. Part conspiracy thriller, part literary fiction, part dystopian, Dalton creates the most realistic post-apocalyptic fictional world I’ve ever read. And while her protagonist remains hopeful, sometimes works like this make it hard for readers to be.

Ten years ago, the end of the bees created a domino effect that destroyed agriculture and the economy. The U.S. seems to have returned to the years of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Sasha Severn, daughter of the infamous “last beekeeper,” has spent many of those years in foster care since her testimony helped send her father to jail. Blamed for the death of the last beehive, Lawrence Severn swore he wasn’t hiding any research from the government, and 11-year-old Sasha backed him up, hiding her own shameful secret. Now she’s returned to the family farm, her father still in jail, determined to find his missing research once and for all. But when she gets there, she’s greeted by a rifle and a group of squatters. They’ve claimed the land as theirs, and Sasha needs to go. Now what?

The Last Beekeeper moves between several plots and subplots, and Dalton weaves them together admirably. As Sasha becomes close to the people who’ve moved into her family home, she faces a choice: Confess that she’s the infamous last beekeeper’s daughter, and risk losing her new friends? Or keep quiet and risk them finding out? The drama grows as Sasha spies a honeybee, putting the entire group in jeopardy. Other people have disappeared after reporting sightings, and there’s even a new mental illness specifically about hallucinating bees. If Sasha chases her bees, she could lose everything. But if she doesn’t, the planet could be lost.

Talk about high stakes!

Even with the world at stake, character and relationships are the backbone of fiction, and my favorite sections of the novel were the pages about the other characters in the house and how they came together to support each other. One character had epilepsy and needed expensive medication, another was trying to get legal custody of a younger sister. The group took on these problems as their own and pooled their money and their resources to help. Living without electricity, trying to farm toxic lands, hand-pollinating plants and looking for water, the group came together to accomplish all these chores. It felt real and timeless. 

I was less enthralled with Sasha’s musical background (she didn’t have rhythm!), the conspiracy-like details about the bees, and the coincidence of Sasha’s uncle being a bigwig in the Department of Agriculture and a nemesis of her father’s. Dalton puts all these elements together in the book’s climax, leading to sometimes breathless and sometimes unintentionally funny drama. 

Sasha is a unique character in a unique world, but in Dalton’s hands, she feels universal. Torn between wanting to do the right thing versus wanting to be happy and loved, trying to slow down and appreciate the beauty in the world versus doing what it takes to succeed … these dilemmas hit every young adult no matter what their circumstances, giving a strong spine to Dalton’s story. 

While recent news about a vaccine for honeybees may make this doomsday scenario less likely, The Last Beekeeper reminds us that climate change is coming, and it’s more than hurricanes and blizzards. The preppers who stocked their basements with tons of canned food may end up having the last laugh after all. 

Thanks to Booksparks for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Also by Julie Carrick Dalton:

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Book Review and Giveaway: The Sweet Spot

By Melissa Amster

In the heart of Greenwich Village, three women form an accidental sorority when a baby—belonging to exactly none of them—lands on their collective doorstep.

Lauren and her family—lucky bastards—have been granted the use of a spectacular brownstone, teeming with history and dizzyingly unattractive 70s wallpaper. Adding to the home’s bohemian, grungy splendor is the bar occupying the basement, a (mostly) beloved dive called The Sweet Spot. Within days of moving in, Lauren discovers that she has already made an enemy in the neighborhood by inadvertently sparking the divorce of a couple she has never actually met.

Melinda’s husband of thirty years has dumped her for a young celebrity entrepreneur named Felicity, and, to Melinda’s horror, the lovebirds are soon to become parents. In her incandescent rage, Melinda wreaks havoc wherever she can, including in Felicity’s Soho boutique, where she has a fit of epic proportions, which happens to be caught on film.​

Olivia—the industrious twenty-something behind the counter, who has big dreams and bigger debt—gets caught in the crossfire. In an effort to diffuse Melinda’s temper, Olivia has a tantrum of her own and gets unceremoniously canned, thanks to TikTok.

When Melinda’s ex follows his lover across the country, leaving their squalling baby behind, the three women rise to the occasion in order to forgive, to forget, to Ferberize, and to track down the wayward parents. But can their little village find a way toward the happily ever afters they all desire? Welcome to The Sweet Spot. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

If you were following us in 2018, you might remember just how much I loved Limelight (reviewed here). Well, Amy Poeppel's recent release, The Sweet Spot, is on par with Limelight's greatness. I had such a fun time reading it and felt like I was breezing through the story as it was so entertaining. I enjoyed all the different perspectives throughout, especially those of the three main characters: Lauren, Olivia, and Melinda. 

Lauren was the most relatable for me, as we're probably close in age, have two sons and a daughter, and our houses are always in some stage of chaos. (Although I don't have any pets.) I felt like Amy was listening in on conversations I've had with my mother, as the dialogue was that spot-on between Lauren and Evelyn. Melinda grated on me at first, even though I felt bad for her. Taking her situation out on Lauren bothered me though. I did find her revenge tactics amusing and somewhat creative and I wish I could sic her on a certain friend's ex-husband. I liked Olivia a lot and felt like she was easy to connect with, even with the twenty years age difference between us. I hated what happened to her as part of Melinda's revenge plot and I love how she found her place with Lauren's family. 

I didn't know that I'd want to read Russell's perspective, but it did clear some things up in the story and I enjoyed seeing how things were going for him given what he did to Melinda. I also didn't think I would like Evelyn all that much but she changed throughout the story and became so wonderful. I love how New York City is the backdrop, and how Amy really captures the feel of the city without having to overly describe it. 

My only concern is that I felt the baby situation was introduced so late into the story. It was around the halfway point. I wish there had been more time to work with that situation and really explore it more. I also would have liked another chapter with Felicity's perspective aside from the prologue and epilogue. Having said that, none of these concerns took away from my overall enjoyment.

I've been recommending The Sweet Spot even while just in the early chapters, it's that well-written and engaging. Do yourself a favor and pick up this feel-good read!

Movie casting suggestions:

Lauren: Sarah Wayne Callies
Melinda: Lauren Graham
Olivia: Grace Caroline Currey
Russell: Pierce Brosnan
Felicity: Felicity Jones
Dan: Mark Ruffalo
Leo: Rob Delaney
Phillip: Richard Chamberlain
Evelyn: Susan Sullivan

Thanks to Atria for the book in exchange for an honest review. They have one copy to give away!

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends March 7th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: Such a Pretty Girl

By Sara Steven

Award-winning author T. Greenwood explores the often-flickering line between woman and girl in this vividly lyrical drama alternating between an West Village artists community in 1970s New York and present day, as a former child actress is forced to confront the darkest secrets of her youth when a controversial photo taken of her as a preteen on the night of the 1977 blackout ignites a media firestorm.

Living peacefully in Vermont, Ryan Flannigan is shocked when a text from her oldest friend alerts her to a devastating news item. A controversial photo of her as a pre-teen has been found in the possession of a wealthy investor recently revealed as a pedophile and a sex trafficker—with an inscription to him from Ryan’s mother on the back.

Memories crowd in, providing their own distinctive pictures of her mother Fiona, an aspiring actress, and their move to the West Village in 1976. Amid the city’s gritty kaleidoscope of wealth and poverty, high art, and sleazy strip clubs, Ryan is discovered and thrust into the spotlight as a promising young actress with a woman’s face and a child’s body. Suddenly, the safety and comfort Ryan longs for is replaced by auditions, paparazzi, and the hungry eyes of men of all ages.

Forced to reexamine her childhood, Ryan begins to untangle her young fears and her mother’s ambitions, and the role each played in the fraught blackout summer of 1977. Even with her movie career long behind her, Ryan and Fiona are suddenly the object of uncomfortable speculation—and Fiona demands Ryan’s support. To put the past to rest, Ryan will need to face the painful truth of their relationship, and the night when everything changed. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

Oh, wow. Talk about Mommy issues. Having dealt with my own when it comes to my own mother, I could totally relate to how Ryan felt when she reflects on the life she’d lived with her own mother, Fiona–a woman who had wanted to become a famous actress and model herself, then later imposes her own dreams and aspirations on her daughter, Ryan. While it never got as intense as Mommy Dearest, there were plenty of moments that felt tough to read, due to the constant pushing and prodding by Fiona. What lengths would one go to, in order to secure fame? 

Such A Pretty Girl focuses on a photograph that is found in the possession of a well-known pedophile and child sex trafficker–but it’s more about the steps that led to that eventual revelation. Ryan takes us through her turbulent past and the obvious divide between the hellish events she’d gone through then, versus her harsh need to provide calm and serenity in the present, not only for herself but for her own daughter. I know what that feels like to want to do the best for my own children, so much of that based on the kind of life I’d experienced as a child, never wanting my boys to experience that. Ryan is doing the same thing, so when her past and present collide, it’s nothing short of traumatic and scary. 

There are plenty of controversial topics here: Sex trafficking. Pedophilia. Even the means in which the photo had been taken speaks volumes on what seemed to fly in the 70s, and what would never fly today. I think the author did a great job in showing that difference, which added even more to the stark contrast with how Ryan feels about her mother, and whether their relationship can withstand the past. It was reflective and pushed boundaries, worthy of the five-stars I’ve given it!

Thanks to Booksparks for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by T. Greenwood:

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