How can you know you are doing a good job as a parent?

Synopsis

Mia is telling me a story. It’s about a princess, who lives in a castle, on a street that bears a remarkable resemblance to ours. About a kind old lady who’s the queen. I’m distracted for a moment by her little hand softly slipping into mine. My daughter. My angel.

But then she says something that pulls me from my reverie. She says that the queen doesn’t treat the princess well. She punishes her and doesn’t let her eat anything…

Helen, my neighbour, has been so good to me. And more importantly, she’s so good with the children. Surely this is just another story of Mia’s, just make believe.

Because if it’s not, maybe my dad was right all along: I was never good enough to be a mother, and I’ve let my precious children down in the worst way possible.

A heartbreaking and uplifting story about the choices a mother makes for the sake of her children, perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Emma Robinson and Kate Hewitt.

My review

Jess is struggling as a single mother. It’s not easy looking after Mia on her own, and at the same time being afraid of her ex appearing out of nowhere.
So it’s obvious that Jess is happy when her neighbours Helen and Robert are more than happy to look after Mia while Jess is at work.
But then Mia starts to tell stories about how she as a princess is being punished. Is this a case of a little girl having too much imagination? Or is there more to Helena and Robert? But with Jess being on her own, and having no one else to rely on, can she believe Mia?

There are sometimes characters are truly sad characters, despite their best efforts.  And somehow, Jess was exactly that in my eyes. Of course she is doing her utterly best to raise Mia the best she can on her own. I can only try to imagine the hardship on not having anyone to rely on, as even her own father is practically out of the picture.

So yes, I was happy when her new neighbours Helen and Robert quickly bond with little Mia, and offer to help her when she is struggling to find the balance between being there for Mia and doing her job.
Mia is an adorable girl, with a wide range of imagination, making it easy to be rather doubtful if anything of her stories would be actually true.

But I liked it how Jess didn’t just dismiss Mia, but also taking it with a grain of salt, and doesn’t hesitate to double – check the facts with Helen and Robert. Helen and Robert that the more into the story, the more are behaving in a strange way.
Even in a way that I personally wouldn’t trust anymore and wouldn’t let my own child stay there. Especially as they both seem to ignore your own wishes and just do as they please.

In that matter, I found Jess a bit silly if I can say it like that. Why would you let your child with someone you are suspicious over? And their behaviour and their ‘truths’ become more and more suspicious…
Yes, I comprehend that things aren’t easy for Jess, but isn’t there really another way?

So for especially that reason, I was happy to see Jess and her father making amends, as that could be another option for Jess to rely on in time of need.
And of course it was lovely to see her father taking up the role of grandpa splendidly!

This story has a few surprises, not all that pleasant. And I have to say, I kind of felt it in my gut what would happen. Although not completely, as I was a bit flabbergasted by reading how manipulative people could be, to others who have the right intentions, in contrary to the manipulator.

Yet is also shows the strength and determination of a mother. Even if Jess is having moments of doubts over her motherhood, the fact that she is invested, is ready to fight for her girl, shows us that in fact that she *is* a good enough mother. And yes, she makes some mistakes, but doesn’t every parent? 
Parenthood is a journey filled with trail and error, there isn’t a guide book telling you what the right thing to do is with your child. Each child is different and needs different things, but what it needs the most is being loved and being protected.
And that is exactly what sparks from the pages, as Jess is willing to do anything to protect Mia, from everything and everyone.

This was a book that made me think about the dangers of being a child and also a parent. But is also made me appreciate once again the love and dedication my own parents gave and still give me. Because just like Jess, there are mistakes made, but in the bigger scheme, those mistakes don’t matter, as it is their love that will always stand by me.