This is a dual timeline novel, but the stories are only 26 years apart (1994 and current day) and focus on the same group of characters. They are so completely formed I feel as though I know them. Through the course of the novel, five individuals who are completely unrelated by blood become a very strong and beautiful family.

If you've ever felt you don't belong in your family/school/workplace/church/friend group, this novel will touch your heart. It's rich with emotional writing that made me laugh, cry, sigh, and sit in the edge of my chair.

This debut tackles many traumatic experiences but does so in a very organic and realistic manner. TW: Infertility, emotional and physical abuse, trafficking, foster care, homelessness, PTSD.

Amanda Cox just became an "auto read" author for me. Thank you for sharing this powerful story with the world!

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I am sure Amanda Cox is going to be put on my favorite authors list! I had trouble finding a point to stop reading when I needed to put the book down. I liked the uniqueness of her storyline. It was riveting with many surprises along the way. I was hooked after the first paragraph!
The story interchanges between the present and the past. It begins with a hurting 30 year old homeless man finding an abandoned baby on the side of the highway. Finding himself damaged from being in the foster care system that left him feeling rejected and unloved, he vows to care for this newborn girl and protect her from his fate. With nothing to offer but his love, he ventures to provide for her needs. God works through unexpected circumstances to place the exact people he needs into his and baby Ivy's life. All of them crushed by difficult issues in their lives. None of them dreaming they will ever know peace and happiness again. Yet God brings them all together, totally unaware each one holds the other needs.
The present day is 24 year old Ivy coming home for her grandmother's funeral, and seeking the truth about the secret circumstances of her birth.
With so many things I liked about this book, there are two that stand out for me. One is that no matter what wounds life has put upon your heart, God can heal them. There is always hope, but we have to be willing to see His Hand and work with Him. Second, families are not just flesh and blood relatives. Love, commitment and compassion create âfamilyâ ties among the most unlikely people and in incredible ways. This bond is as strong as any we are related to by birth sometimes even greater. An incredible book! At the end she had the first pages of her next book. I am already looking forward to it and will HAVE to read it!
I received this book from Revell Publishers in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated are my own.

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