Thus Allison expected to get a college scholarship, go to law school, and have a stellar career far from Linden Falls. Instead, teenage Allison was arrested for an unthinkable crime and - advised by her lawyer to plead guilty - sentenced to ten years in prison.
Paroled after five years for good behavior, now 21-year-old Allison is released to a Linden Falls halfway facility called Gertrude House, which counsels women and helps them get jobs.
Allison hopes for a welcome from her family, but her parents and sister Brynn....
.....who were shunned and harassed because of Allison's crime, want nothing to do with her.
With assistance from her Gertrude House sponsor, Allison gets a job in a local bookstore owned by Claire Kelby.
Claire and her husband Jonathan are a warm-hearted couple who - unable to conceive - volunteered to be foster parents.
Several years ago the Kelbys took in an infant left at a fire station under the auspices of the 'Safe Haven Law.'
The couple soon adopted the boy, named Joshua, who's now a sweet 5-year-old that loves to hang out at the bookstore with his mom.
Joshua is popular with customers, especially nursing student Charm Tullia, who often drops by to peruse books and say hello.
Charm needs the distraction because her stepfather Gus - who let her stay with him when her cheating mother left - is dying from cancer. Charm helps to look after Gus, and is heartbroken about his imminent passing.
The book is narrated in the rotating voices of Allison, Brynn, Claire and Charm, and we learn the backstories of the characters as well as what's going on in their lives now.
⦿ Allison: Allison mother, who viewed Allison as her golden child, pushed her to excel at everything. This led Allison to experience unbearable anxiety and stress, and almost inevitably led to her troubles.
⦿ Brynn: Allison's sister Brynn, who's one year younger than her sibling, was overlooked as Allison shone. The benign neglect led to Brynn's problems being ignored. This eventually led Brynn to move in with her grandmother, several hours away from Linden Falls.
⦿ Claire: Claire struggled to conceive and felt despair about her childlessness. She and her husband Jonathan were thrilled to be able to adopt Joshua, and are solicitous caring parents.
⦿ Charm: Charm's mother Reanne was a grasping philanderer who used men and tossed them away. Reanne cared about her children, but had no maternal instincts and could not raise them properly. Reanne is still around, and likes to create drama when she gets the chance.
As the four women relate their tales, secrets are revealed, some of which readers may suspect in advance.
In addition to being a suspense novel, the book contrasts good mothers and bad mothers, though real life parents are unlikely to be as extreme as the characters in the book.
Overall this is a poignant, touching novel, one that both teens and adults can relate to.
Rating: 3 stars
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