I really loved this story. The plot and the dynamic. The grief and the loss. The love and warmth. This was the first book I have read by Luanne Rice. I know for certain it will not be my last.

This is a book about the past and the present. A family struggling through grief and loss. A story of new beginnings and righting old wrongs. A heartfelt tear jerker.

You will love the family and their friends. Everyone's point of view is shown. This was a must read for me. It didn't disappoint. ( )

There was never a sentence in the book longer than 4-5 words. The story line was old and predictable. I think this should be labeled a YA romance. ( )

4.5 stars
Every time I choose a book from the Little Free Library, I worry. Will it be horrible? Will I be sorry I even started it?
Well the first chapter had me. The voice of the 14-year-old girl was perfect pitch. And she had problems beyond the usual teenage angst. Her father had just died in a boating accident, and her sister had run away immediately afterwards.
The author switched away from first person in the next chapter, but the voice of Beck still returned from time to time as the story unfolded. I was not completely happy about all the premarital sex and the lies that went with it. There were hints of magical effects - they stayed just hints - but I worried that the book would go there and I don't care for magical solutions to real problems.
The story kept my interest, and the ending was certainly satisfying. The author resisted the temptation of suddenly tying up a couple of loose ends. And romantic love was triumphant. So was family feeling. And the 14-year old was not just OK, she was "good."
( )

This book held my attention. I especially liked the math obsessed daughter Beck. Not a great work of art, but it was diverting. ( )

Maura Shaw is a young widow with a missing daughter and two grieving remaining children. To try and give them a new beginning, Maura accepts a teaching job back home in Rhode Island and moves the family there. They all miss the older daughter Carrie and Travis and Beck struggle to feel at home in their new school. All characters are richly fleshed out in this absorbing novel, another Luanne Rice success. ( )