Genre: Contemporary fiction, drama, LGBT romance

Stars: 4

Links: Amazon UK and Amazon US

 

The Blurb:

Like her mother before her, Jules Calhoon couldn’t wait to escape her small Ohio town. Unlike her mother, though, Jules couldn’t disappear forever. When she’s called back for her grandfather’s funeral, the visit unleashes a flood of memories and starts her on a lonely-and familiar-path. Her partner, Kelli, feels Jules slipping away but can’t figure out how to pull her back. In desperation, she turns to Jules’s oldest friend-and her ex-Donna. The problem is, Donna never could figure out why her relationship with Jules ended so long ago, and she never stopped loving Jules. When a lonely, confused teenager reaches out to Jules for help, the past and present are set on a collision course, igniting a chain of events that will leave none of them unscathed.

 

My Review:

Hard-hitting coming-of-age with sprinklings of romance, this is drama with gritty yet hopeful message.

When Jules’s grandfather dies and she returns home, the memories of the events that led to her leaving come flooding back and threaten her relationship with her partner, Kelli. When a young girl, Ronnie, asks Jules for help getting out of town and Kelli reaches out to Jules’ ex, Donna, past and present build to an unexpected conclusion.

The two story threads (past and present) intertwined wonderfully, with tension slicing through both. The characters were strong and realistically flawed, and the depiction of the issues faced by multiple generations (including Jules’ grandmother) made for a harrowing read. But a very worthwhile one. Recommended.

*I received a free copy from the author, via Rosie’s Book Review Team, in exchange for my honest review.