Recommended for fans of I’m Glad My Mom Died and The Words We Keep. Perfect for the broken hearted who wish for a better mother-daughter relationship.
Shelly wants to build the ideal family. Do better than her parents. Except right when she starts, her life shatters.
Her husband tries to help, but there’s a part of her past Shelly won’t tell anyone, including him. So, she continues to seek help from her hypercritical mother. As the tension in the relationship with her mom increases, Shelly flies cross country to see her. If this trip goes well, maybe she can leave the past behind. Maybe she can fix her relationship with her mom.
Or, at the very least, maybe she won’t become like her: alone.
A Book Club Women’s Fiction Novel
(That’s a mouth full)
So many of us want the families we never had. So many of us don’t know where to start.
When you’re in your 20s, there are a lot of challenges you encounter. You’re dealing with financial pressures, you’re trying to make it through your schooling, and you’re likely suffering from poor mental health. At least, if you’re like the main character, Shelly, that’s the case.
As someone who has felt similar pressures, and felt those pressures maxed out by the location of where I live, I decided to base this book in Utah. I know plenty of adults in their 20s struggling to find their way, with the added pressure of having a family and trying to get everything just right. It doesn’t help that in Utah, there seem to be many people in their 20s having families and succeeding at life, all at a very young age.
And of course, like many out there, Shelly has to deal with all of this while receiving ongoing criticism from her mother.
It’s a lot, but it’s not unique. I know many who have suffered and felt alone in these situations. I’m hoping this book helps many feel seen—mothers and daughters alike. A strained mother-daughter relationship isn’t easy. Being in your 20s isn’t easy. But surely, it will get better.
Read MRC 