Even better than expected!

Synopsis

Two men. Three decades. One decision.

Pregnant at nineteen from an affair with a married man, Leila goes against her parents’ wishes. Alone in an unfamiliar city, a fresh start is terrifying. 

Leila struggles to navigate between being a single working mum, new friendships, and her bad choices in men. The heartache of past mistakes haunts her. Disillusioned, lonely, and with a fractured mother-daughter relationship, she swaps the vices of city life for the peace of the country. Yet new-found happiness is short-lived and old habits return. 

Can Leila let go of her past and find true love?

My review

Wow, just wow…
This story was so not what I expected, it was even better!

Switching through flashbacks, we get to know Leila. At nineteen, she has an affair with a married man and ends up pregnant.
Not wanting to give up her baby like instructed by her parents, she moves out and wants to build a life for herself and her child together.
But life isn’t easy for a young , single mother. She struggles getting her life back on track, but manages to build a few strong friendships. But her heartbreak so many years ago is still the cause for many bad decisions.
Last decision she makes is moving from the city to the country hoping she will finally find her peace and make amends with her daughter.

I can keep telling you what else is happening in the story, but I won’t do that.
Like I said earlier, this is not the story I expected.

Leila is a strong woman, always saying what’s on her mind. And yes, this is a positive thing, but there are sometimes occasions where it’s better to think before you speak. And unfortunately Leila doesn’t always think, causing a few feuds.
she is also a woman holding onto the past, and as her daughter teaches her, sometimes it’s time to put the past behind and allow yourself to live again.

There are several serious topics, affairs with married men, trying to survive with the little you have, secrets coming out, the past resurfacing when you’ve finally put it behind you.
But Kate manages to write everything with such realism but also so nicely, that you get the meaning of it, feeling the emotions, but it won’t drag you in a downward spiral.

Despite everything you keep hoping that in the end, Leila will find the peace she searches, needs and also deserves!