Is nine years enough to heal an impossible pain?

Synopsis

Emily is back in Ireland after nine long years away from home, when she sees him. Her ex-husband, Rob, holding hands with a five-year-old girl. A girl that should be hers.

Over a decade before, Emily and Rob were exhausted but ecstatic new parents, delighting in the arrival of their longed-for baby daughter, Alannah. But tragedy was just a few weeks away, and in their unfathomable grief, Emily and Rob’s marriage fell apart.

Emily moved to New Zealand to get away – but returning to Dublin nearly a decade later for her mother’s funeral, she finds herself face-to-face with her past. The man she loved has a new daughter, beautiful little Molly, and Emily’s heart breaks yet again for everything that could have – should have – been.

But Rob and Molly’s lives aren’t without their own misfortunes.

Could a second chance at family heal all their broken hearts?

Caroline Finnerty’s tender and poignant new novel is perfect for fans of Amanda Prowse, Emma Robinson and Alison Ragsdale.

My review

Nine years ago, Emily’s world fell completely apart. Just the moment that things were just perfect, tragedy struck, making Emily run away to New – Zealand, away from her husband Rob, her family and friends.Now Emily has returned to Dublin, for her mother’s funeral. And not only does she has to face her past, but also Rob. Rob, who now has a little daughter, Molly. A daughter that makes Emily’s pain only come back with a vengeance, as Rob now apparently has the future they thought would be having  together. However, being back home, Emily learns that Rob and Molly haven’t had an easy time at all. And the more their lives get entwined again, the more Emily’s heart gets attached to Molly, and even Rob? But with so many broken hearts on the line, what will the future look like?

There are stories that just get you, even if you haven’t experienced the same as the main characters. And this story for sure just had me!

Of course even if the book starts in the present, with Emily returning home to Dublin, as a reader you already sort of know what kind of tragedy struck to make her leave. But that didn’t take away I wanted to get to know Emily and her story.

It cannot be easy to come back home after nine years, with so many unfinished business and still a heart that is in pain.

It’s clear that while it may seem that it did Emily good to get away from the place that held so much heartbreak, in fact she still hasn’t completely gotten over it.

Through flashbacks, we get to learn more about Emily, not only as a person, but also what has brought her to run away.

And even if I knew about the tragedy that would be waiting for her, I truly liked Emily. She is a person with a vision, determination and imagination.

And her relationship with Rob is the kind of getting envious over. Because while they may have their differences, they are just perfect. They are each other’s yin to their yang…

I thought that I was mentally ready for tragedy to strike, but oh boy, I was so wrong… what Emily and Rob went through is something no one should ever go through. And there is no right way to grieve over such a pain… Whatever direction that grief takes you, it will never be the direction that other people will follow, as grief is something so personal. Everyone has to find their own way to grieve. Some will find solace in numbers, some will need the solitude. Some will need to be close, others need distance…

In Emily we see that while she initially thought that she needed the distance, we in fact see that only once back home, she is seeing that she has only been running away, and not facing what happened nine years ago.

I could understand her shock in seeing Rob and Molly, as it would appear that Rob has moved on and has forgotten their past.

But Molly is a force of nature, that even manages to shake Emily’s world. Despite what his little girl already has been through at her young age, it’s her innocence but mainly her strength and her outspokenness that makes her so lovable. So lovable that even Emily cannot resist her. The way she sees the world, at her young age, so innocent, yet so spot – on… everyone needs a Molly in their world!

Knowing what Emily has been through, and Rob and Molly, it was just so sweet to see how Emily and Rob are finding that comfort and solace they once had, again. Finally they are able to grieve together over what once was.

But also finding each other again, was so (bitter)sweet…

I didn’t expect to devour this book, because it’s a heartbreaking story to read. But I found myself turning page after page. It was almost physically painful to read this story, as it talks about a difficult subject. But it was so heartwarming at the same time to see how pain and loss will never leave you, but will have the right place in your heart and mind.

In this book we see that while getting away from everything may be the perfect solution, at the moment. But that perhaps the comfort of home is what is needed to be able to look ahead of a bright future again, yet never forgetting what it took to get there…