Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Good book about the complications of family life and relationships told from the viewpoints of three people. I enjoyed the realism of their struggles with their pasts, the effects of those pasts on the present, and the desire to change the future.
Jess and Rachel are sisters whose traumatic childhoods affected them both. As children, they were very close, but the effects of their parents' deaths drove a wedge between them. Though they see each other occasionally, their meetings are always strained. Neither one knows how to fix it.
Jess is independent, self-contained, and very much a loner. Her business, Transitions, involves going to a client's home, helping them clear things out, then moving on to the next job. She doesn't spend enough time with anyone to form a relationship, and that suits her fine. She tells herself she is too busy for a man in her life. In reality, her parents' marriage put her entirely off the idea of love. Her father was a controlling bully, and her mother believed he could do no wrong. Jess misses the close relationship she had with Rachel and hopes she can use this time in Cape Sanctuary to mend fences.
Rachel settled down in Cape Sanctuary, marrying her high school sweetheart, Cody. They have three children, the youngest recently diagnosed with autism. Rachel is very active on social media, where she has a large following, but the perfect life she portrays online isn't so perfect in real life. Her quest for perfection has put a strain on her marriage and driven her close to a nervous breakdown. Rachel wants her old relationship with Jess back but has no confidence that it will actually happen.
Nate is the son of Jess's newest client, Eleanor, and the single father of thirteen-year-old Sophie. He is very protective of his mother, who is still grieving his father's death, and is suspicious of Jess when she arrives. He has his hands full with his construction business and Sophie's newly acquired teenage attitude and has put any romantic relationships on the back burner for the foreseeable future.
I enjoyed seeing the various characters establish or re-establish connections with those they love. There are many past hurts, fears, and desires that need to be faced before our characters can move on to the happiness they each long for. Rachel struck me as the one who is most overwhelmed. The effect of her childhood on her is the need for everything to be perfect. Her highly popular social media account portrays a family far from reality, and she struggles to reconcile the two. In real life, she deals with a husband who works long hours, a two-year-old newly diagnosed as autistic, and a refusal to believe that it is okay to ask for help. That attitude puts a strain on her marriage, and she seems unable to change. Jess's arrival is just one more thing for her to deal with. I admit there were times I wanted to shake her. Her husband was great, but he couldn't do anything right in her eyes. Though tentative in her attempts at first, I liked how Jess saw Rachel's struggles and tried to help. Though things were a little better, it took an explosive confrontation between the two to knock down the walls that kept them apart and finally start the healing process. Admitting she needs help also went a long way toward helping Rachel and Cody reconnect. I loved Jess's suggestion at the end and how Rachel ran with it.
I liked Jess. It is evident from the start that she loves her job and helping people streamline their lives. Though she usually keeps a professional distance between herself and her clients, it's clear that her relationship with Eleanor is different from the start. I loved how Eleanor refused to be business-only and sucked Jess right into the family. Jess was somewhat unnerved by the emotions that working with Eleanor stirred up, as she wasn't accustomed to caring that way for her clients. I loved her kindness and patience as they worked their way through Eleanor's treasures and memories of her husband, Jack. At the end, a crisis with Eleanor makes Jess realize that she's risked more with this family than anyone else in many years.
Then there's Nate. Once he got past his suspicions about Jess, he couldn't deny the effect she had on him. I loved watching them spend time together, discovering how easy it is to talk to each other. Sparks of attraction are there also, but with Jess's stay being temporary, they are reluctant to pursue it. Well, Jess is reluctant. The feelings he stirs in her scare her, as she has visions of turning into her mother. I ached for them both when Jess finishes the job because Nate wants her to stay, and Jess wants to, also, but doesn't trust herself. I loved the advice she got and what she did with it. The epilogue was terrific and showed that anything was possible with love.
#netgalley
Jess and Rachel are sisters whose traumatic childhoods affected them both. As children, they were very close, but the effects of their parents' deaths drove a wedge between them. Though they see each other occasionally, their meetings are always strained. Neither one knows how to fix it.
Jess is independent, self-contained, and very much a loner. Her business, Transitions, involves going to a client's home, helping them clear things out, then moving on to the next job. She doesn't spend enough time with anyone to form a relationship, and that suits her fine. She tells herself she is too busy for a man in her life. In reality, her parents' marriage put her entirely off the idea of love. Her father was a controlling bully, and her mother believed he could do no wrong. Jess misses the close relationship she had with Rachel and hopes she can use this time in Cape Sanctuary to mend fences.
Rachel settled down in Cape Sanctuary, marrying her high school sweetheart, Cody. They have three children, the youngest recently diagnosed with autism. Rachel is very active on social media, where she has a large following, but the perfect life she portrays online isn't so perfect in real life. Her quest for perfection has put a strain on her marriage and driven her close to a nervous breakdown. Rachel wants her old relationship with Jess back but has no confidence that it will actually happen.
Nate is the son of Jess's newest client, Eleanor, and the single father of thirteen-year-old Sophie. He is very protective of his mother, who is still grieving his father's death, and is suspicious of Jess when she arrives. He has his hands full with his construction business and Sophie's newly acquired teenage attitude and has put any romantic relationships on the back burner for the foreseeable future.
I enjoyed seeing the various characters establish or re-establish connections with those they love. There are many past hurts, fears, and desires that need to be faced before our characters can move on to the happiness they each long for. Rachel struck me as the one who is most overwhelmed. The effect of her childhood on her is the need for everything to be perfect. Her highly popular social media account portrays a family far from reality, and she struggles to reconcile the two. In real life, she deals with a husband who works long hours, a two-year-old newly diagnosed as autistic, and a refusal to believe that it is okay to ask for help. That attitude puts a strain on her marriage, and she seems unable to change. Jess's arrival is just one more thing for her to deal with. I admit there were times I wanted to shake her. Her husband was great, but he couldn't do anything right in her eyes. Though tentative in her attempts at first, I liked how Jess saw Rachel's struggles and tried to help. Though things were a little better, it took an explosive confrontation between the two to knock down the walls that kept them apart and finally start the healing process. Admitting she needs help also went a long way toward helping Rachel and Cody reconnect. I loved Jess's suggestion at the end and how Rachel ran with it.
I liked Jess. It is evident from the start that she loves her job and helping people streamline their lives. Though she usually keeps a professional distance between herself and her clients, it's clear that her relationship with Eleanor is different from the start. I loved how Eleanor refused to be business-only and sucked Jess right into the family. Jess was somewhat unnerved by the emotions that working with Eleanor stirred up, as she wasn't accustomed to caring that way for her clients. I loved her kindness and patience as they worked their way through Eleanor's treasures and memories of her husband, Jack. At the end, a crisis with Eleanor makes Jess realize that she's risked more with this family than anyone else in many years.
Then there's Nate. Once he got past his suspicions about Jess, he couldn't deny the effect she had on him. I loved watching them spend time together, discovering how easy it is to talk to each other. Sparks of attraction are there also, but with Jess's stay being temporary, they are reluctant to pursue it. Well, Jess is reluctant. The feelings he stirs in her scare her, as she has visions of turning into her mother. I ached for them both when Jess finishes the job because Nate wants her to stay, and Jess wants to, also, but doesn't trust herself. I loved the advice she got and what she did with it. The epilogue was terrific and showed that anything was possible with love.
#netgalley
