Darcy has gotten good at running from the past. So much so that she moves to a new job, in a new city, every year on the anniversary of her father and sister’s death. Darcy has only made one friend in all those years, a young man by the name of Samson, and she sees him as a younger brother, but even that isn’t enough to keep her from moving. Even worse, she doesn’t even know her sister’s son, Emerson, which is a shame because in the 8 years she’s been running, he’s grown into a fine and respectable boy. But when he disappears, Darcy must fight her instincts to stay away from her overbearing mother and head back to help in the search.
This one had so many feels. Darcy’s mother, Rosalind, is a piece of work. She uses the fact that she was hurt in the past to shut everyone out, and while she sees that some of the people have good reason to be on the receiving end of her anger, Darcy certainly doesn’t deserve it. It’s Emerson who is the key to unlocking the relationship between the two, and perhaps a bit of Samson, whose kind and gentle ways can win anyone over. There was a bit of everything going on in this book, pain and healing, adultery, second chance love, and forgiveness. It ticked a lot of feel-good boxes. The only downside for me was how rushed the ending felt. There was so much fantastic groundwork laid out, and then it felt a bit rushed, but I still felt pretty great finishing it, and for that, it gets 5 stars.
This review is also on Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub.
The Road She Left Behind is available for purchase on Amazon for $1.99
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