Growing up, Cassie Carter and her sisters, Karen and Nichole, were incredibly close—until one fateful event drove them apart. After high school, Cassie ran away from home to marry the wrong man, throwing away a college scholarship and breaking her parents’ hearts. To make matters worse, Cassie had always been their father’s favorite—a sentiment that weighed heavily on her sisters and made Cassie’s actions even harder to bear.
Now thirty-one, Cassie is back in Washington, living in Seattle with her daughter and hoping to leave her past behind. Her difficult marriage is over, she is back on her own two feet, and the pieces of her life are slowly but surely coming together. Yet despite the strides Cassie’s made, she hasn’t been able to make peace with her sisters. Karen, the oldest, is a busy wife and mother, balancing her career with raising her two children. And Nichole, the youngest, is a stay-at-home mom whose husband indulges her every whim. Then one day, Cassie receives a letter from Karen, offering what Cassie thinks may be a chance to reconcile. And as Cassie opens herself up to new possibilities—making amends with her sisters, finding love once more—she realizes the power of compassion, and the promise of a fresh start.
My thoughts:This was a very emotional read for me as I've been in the same position as Cassie. Despite her struggles with a bad marriage and financial difficulties, she was able to provide for her daughter and worked hard to overcome obstacles with no help.
(Spoiler alert) I wanted this to have a different outcome though. I saw the sisters as being conniving and selfish. The inheritance left by their parents would have made a huge difference in Cassie's life, had she received any of it, and improved the living conditions for her and her daughter. Yet the two sisters, who already seemed well off, split the money between themselves and then squandered it. They gave Cassie the left over furniture neither of them wanted, and Nichole finally gave Cassie the cameo that had been promised to Cassie as a child. It seemed giving Cassie a few items eased their conscience somewhat. I didn't see either of them acting out of love. What I would have liked to have seen was the sisters finding a way to give Cassie her share of the inheritance. Even after reconciling with her sisters, I'm sure that once Cassie found out she had been cut out of her mother's will and inheritance (apparently her mother wasn't in sound mind when she made the will and I wonder if the sisters might have influenced her), Cassie would be hurt all over again.
