By: Jen Craven
Many thanks to Bookouture for the gifted copy of this book and the stop on the book tour!
ABOUT THE BOOK
When my best friend’s teenage daughter comes to see me, I know something is wrong. With tear-filled eyes, she says she’s pregnant and begs me not to tell her mother. I know I’m betraying my best friend but as I look at Chloe’s terrified expression, I don’t know how I will find the strength to say no…
No matter what life throws at me, I have always been able to depend on my best friend Rachel. In nineteen years of friendship, we’ve never argued or fallen out. So, I’m wracked by guilt over my decision to keep her daughter Chloe’s pregnancy a secret. I don’t want to break Chloe’s trust but, if I don’t say anything, it could destroy my relationship with Rachel.
I hoped Chloe would find the confidence to tell her mom, but days have passed, and the guilt is eating me alive. As much as I want to support Chloe, I don’t know how much longer l can lie to my best friend. I spend every day completely gripped by a panic that sends my heart racing.
The pressure only worsens when I discover that Chloe has one more thing that she’s been hiding. Something that could destroy the perfect life I’ve worked so hard to build—the family I love so much and the career I’m so passionate about.
And then I realize that Chloe isn’t the only one with secrets. Rachel has been lying to us all…
The three of us are more entwined than ever but when the truth comes out, what will be left of our friendship and our families?
MY REVIEW
This is a beautiful book about friendship and motherhood and the strength of the bonds behind each relationship. It also delves into how secrets can harm these relationships. Beyond that, this book also explores difficult times, unhappiness in life and in jobs, over the course of a year and it also shows the growth that can happen.
I appreciated Monica’s role in Chloe’s life. It’s not easy always talking to your own mom, but to have someone like that to talk to is priceless. However, if a friend of mine knew a secret like that about my child and never told me, I would be really mad.
I also really enjoyed how drastically different Monica and Rachel were. Rachel works at a daycare and is around for all of her children’s activities. Monica works a lot and misses a lot of her children’s activities. I relate to Monica in that regard. My older son thinks all I do is work. I do try my best to be at everything, every school event, every game, but it’s not always easy. I try to live by the philosophy that my children aren’t always going to want me to be class mom or chaperone field trips, so I’m going to do it now while they still want me to.
This book can easily pull at your heartstrings. There is also some shocking reveals that I loved reading about. I did have a minor suspicion about a reveal and I was right, but I did second guess myself.
Overall, a great read!
If you’re interested in this book, you can find it here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jen Craven is the author of emotional and suspenseful women’s fiction, stories where one decision changes everything. A former college instructor, she loves dark campus novels, which led to her contemporary debut, Best Years of Your Life, published in August 2022. Her writing style blends poignancy with drama to create what-would-you-do narratives of the human experience.
Aside from fiction, Jen has personal essay bylines in national outlets, including The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Today’s Parent, Scary Mommy and many more.
She writes from northwestern Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and three children. When not working on her books, she can be found thrift shopping, taking long walks, and beating her kids in backgammon.
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