Kate Hewitt has written another emotionally draining and heart wrenching story. A tale drenched in grief, guilt, and blame. How does a family survive when the person who held it all together is no longer around? How do you live another day, take another breath, when the worst possible thing has happened? This is the story of Nathan and his three daughters and how they try to pick up the pieces and learn to live again after Laura their wife/mother has been murdered. It was heartbreaking watching Nathan struggle to keep it together while his three daughters all at different ages dealt with their grief in very different ways. In an attempt to come to terms with what had happened to his wife Nathan visits the place where she was volunteering and the people that new of her secret longings. This leads to him meeting Maria. Maria is all too familiar with guilt and grief having gone through her own tragedy. She soon becomes a major source of support for the family and ultimately is hired as the children’s nanny, but Maria has some secrets that could possibly change everything.

This story really tugged at my heartstrings, especially the grief of the daughters. Alexa was so angry, Ella was so timid, and Ruby was just so young. And then there was Nathan, he was just so lost. Not only had he lost his wife, but he didn’t really know his daughters quite as well as he should have. I thought the subject of grief was handled very lovingly and realistically in the story. Maria was a great character and I’d love a story about her that delved more into her life leading up to the events of this book. There is a bit of a mystery in the story, who killed Laura and why? But if I’m being honest it really was so unimportant to the story that I am not even certain it was necessary. An emotional read that should come with a box of Kleenex.

This book in three emojis: