MY THOUGHTS
I'm a huge fan of Melissa Payne's books. They always draw me in and tear at my heart. The Night of Many Endings was one that kept me turning the pages. This one is the same. Pulled me in and held me captive until the very ending.
Favorite line:
ALL THESE YEARS HELPING OTHERS, AND WHEN IT CAME DOWN TO IT, SHE HADN'T LEARNED HOW TO HELP HERSELF.
This book has a few things going on but is very easy to follow. It's told from two different time periods and two different people. Back in 1995 by Donna who is a runaway. Her dad has been abusing her horribly and she can't take it anymore. Then we jump ahead to 2021 and meet Vega who has left an abusive relationship. She has a two month old baby boy and is on the run from her boyfriend.
Vega and her mother traveled around all over the place helping women escape abusive relationships. Renee, Vega's mom, didn't have much faith in most men. They meant trouble and were usually abusive. At least that was what she had learned in life. She taught her daughter to help others. To not take things off of men. Pretty much to be strong. But Vega was not strong alone. After her mom died she didn't know what to do. She had always been with her and they had always traveled everywhere helping others. To be alone was a bit scary for her so when she met Zach she did not see the warning signs. When things went south though she heard her mom saying for her to RUN!!! Run she did. All the way to Crystal, Ohio. She had found the name of this town on a picture of her mom when she was just a kid. A young teen.
Vega hopes to learn something about her mom here in Chrystal but no one seems to know her at all. The people in this town are pretty good though. Eve owns a coffee house and rents Vega an apartment. Heff is the local part time cop and yard artist and somewhat of a realtor. Mostly it seems he helps others. Eve has a farm and is a trans. Some people in this town hate her. Others accept her as she is. She is from Crystal but was gone for many years. Vega and Crystal become fast friends.
A lot happens in this story and you will meet a lot of not so nice people. There is a bit of animal abuse. Just once but still. It was not nice to read but I understand why the author added it. There is homophobia and sexual abuse too. There are some people you will love to hate and some that will make your heart feel full. A couple will grow on you. Parts of this story brought some big tears to my eyes. How a town came together to help touched my heart. How you find out who some of these people are related made me shed some tears. There are also a couple of parts that made me laugh out loud. Not a lot though. The cat fight was funny in its own way. No cats involved. You'll have to read it!
This is a beautifully written story. It will capture your heart and hold on to it throughout. Some parts will make you gasp. Some will make you feel the person's pain. It will have you scratching your head trying to figure out how people can have so much hatred in their hearts while others have so much love. So much to give. So much kindness even in the face of hate. I adored Vega even though she did get on my nerves a few times. Eve I loved. She was awesome. Heff was just good looking and kind. Betty and Carl were the perfect couple. Even Jane came around finally. Each of these people will leave a mark on your heart. If you let them.
This world needs more love and understanding. Less judgement and hate. This book made me see things that I don't usually see. Understand some things that I just never thought much about. Maybe I should. Maybe we all should. We definitely need to learn to love each other without name calling and labels. Life's just too short for it.
Thank you #NetGalley, #MelissaPayne, #LakeUnionPublishing for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.
5 huge stars. A very high recommendation. Read it. Shed a few tears. Understand that we all can't be the same.
SYNOPSIS
From Melissa Payne, bestselling author of The Night of Many Endings, comes an emotional and suspenseful novel about the weight of secrets and the healing power of friends and family.
Vega Jones escapes an abusive relationship with nothing but her two-month-old baby and the van she grew up in. Her destination is a small Ohio town her late vagabond mother left years ago. It’s one full of nobodies, her mother warned. That makes it the ideal refuge for Vega to lie low, feel safe, and maybe learn more about a past her mother never spoke of.
Vega warms to the town and to new acquaintances like Heff, the young deputy and artist who prefers his yard art to actual policing, and empathetic Eve, a local farmer whose near-death experience gave her more than just her life back. But even in this welcoming community, there’s an undercurrent of something unsettled, talk of a tragedy that unfolded in the woods years ago, and a mystery connected to Vega in ways she couldn’t have anticipated.
As a mother on the run and following a path of mounting risks and illuminating secrets, Vega discovers that even during the darkest of times, there’s light in unexpected places.
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