Can lost friendships be found again, for the sake of the greater good?

Synopsis

Four friends, one big secret… and the journey of a lifetime.

It’s nineteen years since they stopped speaking to each other, but now Morgan needs to contact her three best friends from school: Paige, Emily and Tiff.

Her teenage son wants to meet his dad and Morgan can’t ignore his requests any longer. And Paige, Emily and Tiff all knew what actually happened back then. Even if that was what led to their friendship group falling apart, they’re the only people Morgan can think of who might be able help her find the man who disappeared without a trace before she could tell him she was pregnant.

Can Morgan persuade her old friends to go on a road trip to track him down? As adults – with marriages, children and a whole bucket-load of their own problems – will they be able to work together to solve the mystery? And if so – just when forgiveness for the past looks like it might be possible – how will they cope with the biggest shock of all?

A story about love, families and how the people who know you best are the ones you will always need in your life. Totally heartbreaking, brilliant, uplifting fiction for fans of Jill Mansell, Paige Toon and Sheila O’Flanagan.

My review

Nineteen years ago, Morgan, Paige, Emily and Tiff were best friends. Believing that nothing or no one could break their bond, all it took was one prom night for the girls to never talk to each other again.
But with Morgan’s teenage son determined to meet his father, she cannot ignore those requests any longer. And to find his whereabouts, Morgan knows that the only people that can help her, are those that don’t talk to each other.
Just like the old times, Morgan hopes to bring the club together and solve the mystery. But with what happened nineteen years ago, and the problems that adult life brings with it, will the former best friends come together? And is this perhaps a chance to forgive and forget? Or will it be more a case of ‘too much has happened’?

Oh, how much have I enjoyed reading this book! It all felt so real and all felt so possible. Sometimes you read a book and even if you loved it, you can sense that things like that would never truly happen in the real world.
But not with this book!

The focus is on Morgan, as it’s because she needs the help of her former best friends.
My heart went out to her, because the young Morgan had so many dreams, and the Morgan of now has fulfilled none of them.
I see her also as a real Momma – bear, as she loves her son Olly deeply, but she also comes a bit over as too overprotective. Yet I could also understand her, as she had and still has to raise a child on her own.

Perhaps I didn’t agree with her keeping Olly’s father identity a secret, and still refusing to give Olly just some information. But who am I to judge someone’s decision? How can we tell anyone what to do or not to do when we are not in the same situation?

Like I said, this story felt so real. Because haven’t we all have had friendships that we thought would last a lifetime, but for some reason or another all hell brakes loose.
And that is what happened with Morgan, Paige, Emily and Tiff. And all hell brakes loose because of one person, whom nobody thought would be able to break such a strong bond.

Even if things ended badly for the four friends, I liked reading how close they all were, despite them being all so totally different from each other. it only shows that being different can complement us.

Of course Morgan’s cry for help isn’t initially welcomed that warmly. Each woman is in a different stage of their lives, and the last thing they need is to unearth the past. A past that has hurt them and 

scarred them again all differently.

Yet it warmed my heart to see how they all realize that they need to help, for Olly’s sake, even if the revelation of the father’s identity is a shock to them.
And somehow it was funny, yet in a sweet way, to see how these once – friends, despite their determination not to, are getting closer again. They open up, reveal their thoughts they never felt able to talk about to anyone else.
For me, this was proof that real friendship can never truly be broken.

And yes, there were some twists in the story that I didn’t see coming, making me even fearful that the fragile bond would be broken once again. But wisdom comes with the years, and these women show now that they are being more responsible and mature about everything, compared to nineteen years ago. Which is absolutely logical, as we all grow more mature and have come to an age where things can be more relativized.

The author wrote a story about putting your own needs and feelings aside, for a bigger purpose. But at the same time it’s also about finding each other again. It doesn’t always has to be a story with a great romance, but an honest story about real friendship and form that strong bond again, can also be a very fulfilling read.
And perhaps it’s about taking one step at the time, with some trail and errors made, but what about that feeling of belonging to a ‘club’, isn’t it worth it to take those small steps? Because you know that in the end, those people will stand by your side, every (difficult) moment of your life.