5 Star
When Emma fled her home at Foxglove Farm, she’d let down and hurt those who cared for her most. But now, two years later, she’s ready to face up to her past; she’s ready to go back.
But Emma’s unannounced return causes more problems than she could have foreseen. The people she knew and loved aren’t ready to forget, let alone forgive. And the one person she wants to reconnect with the most, her mother, can’t remember who she is.
Just as Emma starts to rebuild trust, an uncovered family secret and a shocking past crime threaten her newly forged future...
Sometimes simply saying sorry isn’t enough.
Kathryn - 5 Star
I was impressed with this novel by Samantha Tonge for tackling a difficult topic and yet still keeping the novel easy to read with a lightness and ease of characters.
The story line covered a family in crisis as daughter Emma has been estranged from her family for a couple of years. She created a somewhat self imposed exile when her life spun out of control and alcohol took over her existence. In the present she is in recovery and trying to make amends, to regain contact with her mother, sister and friends. She has left behind though a lot of ill will from her past behaviour and they are not seeming likely to accept she's that changed.
Her sister is furious, frustrated and unwilling to accept her sister's return. Mostly because their mother has been more and more forgetful, her dementia has taken hold since Emma left and she has been left caring for their mother while trying to keep the family farm afloat.
The family ties that had bound them seemed almost entirely broken and I liked that the author didn't make it easy for Emma to get back in. We are also taken through Emma's past two years on the streets, her past behaviour and her thought process throughout and I found the progression natural.
The novel touched a few nerves and though it never made light of any situation I felt that it was easily to read. The people that Emma meets during her absence will also do a lot to create more empathy for those who find themselves homeless and trying to come back up to the surface again. Can't wait to read another Samantha Tonge novel!
Thank you to Canelo for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
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