Author(s): Jacquelyn Mitchard

General Fiction

"Shocked by her recently widowed father's behavior and wary of his new wife, a woman is forced to confront her complex feelings toward him, as she tries to determine who is out to take control of their family estate and harm their legacy. Frankie returns home to Cape Code with exciting news -- she's met the love of her life, is getting married, and is newly pregnant -- only to be outshone by her already successful, talented, charismatic father: not only is he getting married to Ariel, Frankie's best friend, but she's pregnant as well and due soon. It's been more than a year since Frankie's mother passed away, but she struggles to accept this news and what it means for her, her brother, and her unborn child. Slow but steady progress is made, until Ariel's estranged mother, Carlotta, returns after a decades-long absence. Carlotta's presence is unsettling for Frankie -- where has she been all these years? Why did she come back now? Ariel may be happy to finally have her family intact, but Frankie can't let go of the nagging feeling that something is amiss. But as she digs deeper into Carlotta's past, she finds more questions than answers, and a troubling history of debt, mysterious illnesses, and a house fire whose cause was never identified. As Frankie works to untangle the threads of Carlotta's past, she must reconcile with what kind of future she wants to have and who she wants in it. 'Only the brilliant Jacquelyn Mitchard could create a novel that's both heartwarming and heartbreaking: the instantly iconic Attleboro family comes to life with its passions, obsessions, pitched battles, and struggles for love and acceptance. From laugh-out-loud clever to pages that you'll read through tears, this thematically gorgeous novel will haunt you long after you close the final page. The story is irresistible -- so just let the beautiful writing wash over you, heal you, and empower you. I loved it.' - Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today Bestselling author of The House Guest"