Summary
Ashlynn has finished her junior year at boarding school – punishment for some trouble she got in the year before. But she’s followed the rules, and her grades have been top notch. Now she’s ready to go home for the summer and to convince her father to let her stay home for her senior year.
But in typical fashion, Ashlynn’s father has his own plan in place. He’s being arrested for tax evasion. He’s going to prison, and Ashlynn’s mom is going into treatment for depression. Ashlynn has to stay with her aunt and uncle and work at a retreat center for the summer. And in the fall, her dad tells her, she will be going back to boarding school. He leaves no room for discussion. And Ashlynn accepts her fate as she always does.
So Ashlynn heads to Sweetwater Overlook Retreat Center with a cousin she barely knows. She only hears from her parents through letters, approved phone calls from the prison or the treatment center, and occasional trips to see her father in person. She’s working for a careless, disorganized boss who is only too happy to dump tasks on Ashlynn who never speaks up for herself. But maybe a summer at Sweetwater is just what Ashlynn needs for this season in her life.
Review
This was terrific! The author does an amazing job with the descriptions of Ashlynn’s life under her father’s thumb – his ultra critical voice in her ear, his high expectations, and his crippling demands. But the summer away – free in a way she hasn’t experienced even with a year of boarding school – really lets Ashlynn examine her life and her choices in a new way. This thread was my favorite part of the book!
The retreat center pieces and the relationships Ashlynn experiences there are a great context for all of the personal work Ashlynn is doing. I expected the conflict with her boss would be bigger and uglier, but this isn’t that sort of story. This is a look at Ashlynn’s personal journey. The rest is setting and context and support. And it really works well!
I loved the quotes Ashlynn uses for her own comfort, growth and encouragement. It’s a fun angle to the story. It’s a nice contrast for Ashlynn’s quest to find – and use – her own words and her own voice. Fantastic!! Don’t miss this one!