Summary
Maeve discovered she was adopted when she was 6 years old, and a hateful cousin told her in a fit of temper. Maeve’s adopted parents were awesome. They told her about her mother, Annabelle, still a girl herself when Maeve was born. And when she was 16, Maeve tried reaching out to Annabelle. But all the letters were returned to her unopened. Hurt, Maeve decided if her birth mother couldn’t be bothered, she didn’t need her in her life.
After a string of bad luck – lost her job, boyfriend caught on video cheating on her, mugged – all in one day, Maeve moves back home with her parents to regroup. That’s where she is when she gets the call that Annabelle has died.
At first, Maeve wants no part of her birth mother’s life, including her funeral. But she decides to go, and discovers Annabelle left everything to Maeve – a house, a car, and a cat! But Timber Creek is as good a place as any to try to find herself and restart her life. And maybe, after time with her birth mother’s friends and in her house, Maeve will better understand the woman who didn’t want her.
Review
This was so good! I love that we got chapters from Annabelle’s perspective that filled in some of the story behind her decision to place Maeve for adoption. Even though Maeve was hurt and had lots of questions, the reader knows Annabelle loved her.
Timber Creek was a fascinating community. Annabelle’s friends and neighbors added interesting pieces to the story, as did the animals Maeve encounters. Maeve’s adoptive family was fantastic, too. Truly, all of the characters in this are terrific.
I was captivated by the whole story. I had to know what Maeve would do with the fresh start she had been given. Annabelle’s story was compelling, too. This was a start-to-finish read for me. I couldn’t put it down without knowing what happened with everyone.
This is a fantastic character-driven story with a bit of romance and suspense thrown in. I highly recommend this one! (Language, TW: Domestic violence)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*
*♥♥♥♥½=I loved it! Would re-read.