I definitely wasn’t expecting a story with such a serious undercurrent of reality when I picked this book at the library. I thought it was just another one of those light fiction books but it turned out to be something else.
Kendra Tamale moves back to England after a 2 hour stay in Australia and befriends Kyle Gadsborough and his kids, Summer and Jaxon (twins aged around 5). Almost unwittingly she becomes an important part of their family while trying to help the children deal with the absence of their mother Ashlyn, an alcoholic who abandons them out of the blue. From then on the story takes on a serious note, as the children become increasingly attached to Kendra, so does Kyle. The only thing stopping Kendra from opening up to the children or the landlord or her employer/friend Gabrielle is her dark past….she was a victim of rape as well as her rather confusing relationship with a married guy, Will who seems to struggle between his wife and Kendra.
As the story progresses, the past of each character is revealed either through a conversation or through a flashback memory. The end is kind of unexpected in the sense that although Kyle and Kendra become closer, Kendra still hopes for a chance to renew her relationship with Will but forgoes the relationship and decides to stay in England for the sake of Summer and Jaxon. The author doesn’t indicate if Kendra and Kyle get together again though.
The story moves at a very slow pace with the past being woven into the present. Every character in this book including Kendra has a story to tell, and it’s definitely not a happy story either. As the seasons go by, the characters seem to be healing and moving on in life. New bonds are forged and characters acquire a new perspective but then that’s about it. None of the relationships get a conclusive end and are left hanging.
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