(Although a second in a series, it can be read as a standalone. It may spoil some of the first book but the story remains easy to follow.)

**TW**
child neglect, death of a parent, substance ab*se, ab*se, s*xual ass*ult, miscarriage, stillbirth, mentions of blood, violence, racism, mentions of slavery

I think I loved this book even more than the first one! The characters were mostly familiar to me except for the fact that this time we were following Delilah's story rather than Meg's.

I felt both sympathy and empathy for Delilah. After the death of her mother she took on the responsibility of mothering her younger siblings, making sure they were clothed and fed, as well as looking after Pa. She had hardly any time to herself and put her dreams aside to be there for her family. I admire her character greatly.

Oh and did I adore Abraham. The family friend who had nothing but yet still offered what little he had to keep the Shaws happy. He was so sweet! He made me cry when Delilah admitted to making some of her decisions for him and he just could not believe it. He was so selfless and pure. I just wanted to give him a great hug!

Mr Bradley...yeah we don't talk about him. I despise him more than I despised the matron in book 1. (And that's saying something)

The ending was all I hoped for and more. I was so proud of Delilah and how she'd become so independent and decided to, for once, focus on herself. Without giving much away..I'm glad she met Bridget and Frank.

I now eagerly await the next book. Judy Summers has left an impression on me, and my is it a good one!