Published April 7, 2015 by NAL
Sydney Bishop hasn’t returned to Haven Lake, her idyllic
childhood home, since a pair of shocking, tragic deaths shattered her family
when she was only sixteen. Now a child psychologist engaged to marry a
successful surgeon, Sydney has worked hard to build a relationship with Dylan,
her fiancé’s teenage son, so she feels nothing but empathy when he runs
away—until she discovers that his hitchhiking journey has led him to Haven Lake
and her mother Hannah’s sheep farm.
Sydney returns to Haven Lake for the first time in twenty years to coax the boy home. Against her daughter’s wishes, Hannah offers to take Dylan in until he’s ready to reveal his own troubling secrets. Now, for Dylan’s sake as well as their own, Sydney and Hannah must confront the devastating events that tore them apart and answer the questions that still haunt their family—and the suspicious surrounding community—about what really caused two people to die on their farm those many years ago.
Sydney returns to Haven Lake for the first time in twenty years to coax the boy home. Against her daughter’s wishes, Hannah offers to take Dylan in until he’s ready to reveal his own troubling secrets. Now, for Dylan’s sake as well as their own, Sydney and Hannah must confront the devastating events that tore them apart and answer the questions that still haunt their family—and the suspicious surrounding community—about what really caused two people to die on their farm those many years ago.
My Thoughts….
How difficult is it to forgive and move past your
history? The idea that Sydney stayed
away from Haven Lake for twenty years just to avoid dealing with everything
that happen there was shattering. The
life she grew up with was different from the “normal”, but it was her life and
she loved it. The memories she had
before that horrible series of events were perfect and she loved them. When things went bad, they went really
bad. Sydney is a strong character. She was able to escape her past and make
herself successful in the real world.
Yet, she has to deal with her past.
Gary, Sydney’s fiancé, is not a likable character. He is very selfish and standoffish. I understand that he also has some past
that he is trying to deal with. Yet, he
does nothing to help his fiancé, other than criticize her every move, or his
son, Dylan. I struggled with
everything that Gary said and wanted Sydney to just get out of that
relationship. By the end of the story, I
felt that he was coming around, but still had a long way to go.
Dylan is by far my favorite character. He was dealt a horribly blow when his mother
was killed in an accident. He strikes
out against those who love him and are trying to keep him safe. Yet, he manages to stand on his own two feet
and be himself. He finds what he loves
and proves to himself and everyone else that he is not a lost cause. As a teenager, he gets his life together and
I have no doubt he will become successful.
This is a long book.
But every page is wonderful. I
started it and could not put it down.
When I did put it down I continued to think about the story and the
characters. The story was realistic,
the characters were believable. This is
a perfect read. I recommend it.
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Hi Charlotte,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking the time to read Haven Lake--and for this wonderful review, wow! I really appreciate it. I hope your spring is going well and that we'll meet some day!
Hi Charlotte,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking the time to read Haven Lake--and for this wonderful review, wow! I really appreciate it. I hope your spring is going well and that we'll meet some day!