After my review of another book, What I Left Behind, the author reached out with this one as well as another that I’ve already reviewed, A Change of Seasons. I’m happy to say that I was pleased with a great read a third time around!

The Premise

After single-handedly raising her son Eliot after a painful heartbreak with his father, Maggie is thrilled that he is now an adult at twenty-one and on the cusp of entering medical school. Her plans change in a heartbeat when she realises that one of the patients at the hospital she works is Eliot’s ex-girlfriend Liza — who has just had Eliot’s baby, whom she wants to give up for adoption.

Breaking the law and risking the career, Maggie tells him about the child. Eliot feels that he cannot abandon his son, and decided to raise him without Liza. Eliot’s decision, based on his own experience growing up fatherless, raises the past secrets Maggie tried to bury when she decided to raise him alone. Is it time to finally tell him the truth, or will it ruin their relationship forever?

The Pros

This was a heartfelt story of the repercussions of big life decisions years later. The characters’ motivations were clear, even when I did not agree with them, and I felt like these characters were all fully fleshed out and real. Maggie’s overprotectiveness is frustrating even while we admire all she’s done to raise this young man; meanwhile Eliot’s oblivious youthfulness flies off the page, and we want to hit him on the head at the same time that we completely understand that he is simply overwhelmed with the sharp deviation his life suddenly took.

I loved how the past was interwoven with the present, and we get to see the creation of our female protagonist to morph into the woman she became today. Maggie’s family history was rich and multi-faceted with so many layers and histories of hurt, pain and triumph. This counterbalanced well with the humorous moments in her interactions with Eliot’s uncle. I absolutely loved the scene when they first met and he instantly won some points, and readers’ hearts everywhere! 🙂 I also enjoyed the inclusion of her friends and Eliot’s wider family, and they rounded out the cast nicely to bring both high and low points to the plot of amusement, sorrow and drama.

The Cons

While I enjoyed reading the parts with Maggie’s family background, sometimes I wish there was a bit less of them, because it felt like a separate story at times. I would have also loved to see more of the development of the romantic relationship, because that chemistry felt so amazing that I could see an entire book focusing on them alone! Nevertheless these are really small quibbles in a truly amazing novel.

Conclusion

As my third novel by this author, I knew what to expect and I am thrilled not to be disappointed! This was actually my favourite of them all so far. I love the way characters are developed, and given the kind of depth and flaws that make them come alive to the reader. In this case, we can all feel the mother’s senseless jealousy and debilitating sorrow that her son is making his own way in life after everything she sacrificed to build a life for him in her vision. It is an amazing story that shows more than it tells, of how it is never too late for love, and how regret has no place in our hearts if we really want to make changes for the better. I would highly recommend to anyone, but believe mature female readers will enjoy it most. I can’t wait for more by this author.

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