by Sara Zarr
First published 2012
Jill MacSweeny pulls away from everyone after her father dies. Her boyfriend calls. Her best friends try to reach out. She shuts them all down. Then her mother announces plans to adopt a baby, and Jill feels like her mom wants to replace what the family lost with someone new. Mandy Kalinowski grew up with a mother who never wanted her. Now Mandy faces her own unplanned pregnancy. She knows she wants something better for her child than what she had. But she struggles to believe she deserves care herself. She decides to place her baby for adoption. Their paths cross when Mandy chooses Jill's family. Both girls must navigate loss and hope as their lives intertwine. Jill learns that opening her heart doesn't betray her father's memory. Mandy discovers that giving up her child takes more strength than keeping him would. They find that some endings create space for new beginnings.
Genres: fiction, contemporary, adoption, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
341 pages · Paperback · Perfection Learning
Content warnings: pregnancy-loss