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The life Olivia Harper always dreamed of isn’t so dreamy these days. The 16-hour work days are unfulfilling and so are things with her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when she hears that her estranged mother, Juliet, has been seriously injured in a car accident, Liv has no choice but to pack up her life and head home to beautiful Cape Sanctuary on the Northern California coast.It’s just for a few months—that’s what Liv keeps telling herself. But the closer she gets to Cape Sanctuary, the painful memories start flooding back: Natalie, her vibrant, passionate older sister who downward-spiraled into addiction. The fights with her mother who enabled her sister at every turn. The overdose that took Natalie, leaving her now-teenaged daughter, Caitlin, an orphan.As Liv tries to balance her own needs with those of her injured mother and an obstinate, resentful fifteen-year-old, it becomes clear that all three Harper women have been keeping heartbreaking secrets from one another. And as those secrets are revealed, Liv, Juliet, and Caitlin will see that it’s never too late—or too early—to heal family wounds and find forgiveness.
Publication Year: 2020
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4.5 stars
What a beautiful story. In the beginning I couldn’t help but notice the similarity with some other recent stories I read, but that’s just the bones. By the time I got to know the characters I was no longer thinking of the other stories I read. Each author puts their own spin on things. I can’t think of what they name of this trope would be, but I have been noticing more and more books with whatever this one happens to be.
There is so much chemistry bouncing around in this book. Not just between the different romantic interests, but also friendships and familial relationships. I could easily feel all of the connections, the author did a brilliant job with that.
I’m a huge fan of warm-fuzzies. If your story gives me warm-fuzzies I will enjoy the book. I swear, for the last 25% of this book I was on a roller coaster with my emotions. Trust me, even if there are spots here and there that you don’t agree with along the way in this one, the ending is worth it all.
Every family has secrets; in real life and in fiction. Sometimes they are kept out of spite or ill intent. In the case of the Harper family these secrets are kept out of love. Unfortunately, as secrets tend to do, things festered and things were made worse instead of better. While the secrets Caitlin and Juliet keep are resolved by the end, I felt as though Olivia still had some work to do. Cooper recognizes and learns Olivia’s woes, but it’s still something she’s trying to sweep under the rug. This, in my mind, is the only problem with this story. I’d love to have seen Olivia to get some help.
Although I classify this story as a contemporary romance, it’s also a very family centered tale. It’s about strong women feeling the pressure to be perfect. It’s about caring women wanting to do it all for their loved ones. What I’m saying is that this book is deep and beautiful and inspiring.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
You can find more of my reviews at All In Good Time.
0I really love RaeAnne Thayne's books. They just leave you with a really good feeling at the end.
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