Digital Reads Reviews

Many thanks to publisher Bookouture for my spot on this Blog Tour.

Quite a different story. Years ago when Daisy was a teen she saw a girl dying in a fire, but nobody in her town believed her, including her parents. She was sent away, her best friend and budding love betrayed her. Alone, she survived. Now she was back home for the best friend’s wedding. And the secrets were back with her.

With such a premise, the book could have been a thriller. This was more of a family drama along with insecurities and small town misgivings. My second book by author Kelly Heard, I followed the main character Daisy’s life keenly. I could feel her pain and frustration when nobody believed her. At one point, she was really alone. I was really sad and angry, especially with her boyfriend.

Courage was found within the words and inside Daisy. I liked how she stood up for what she had seen, and things got sorted out as they tend to in books. The whole plot had a lot of nuances and weird characters, quite apt for a small town. The author depicted the scenes authentically. But something felt missing, the logic and plot arcs felt incomplete or maybe I just didn’t understand Daisy’s ways. It could be more about me as life outside was too stressed.

Forgiveness was the underlying theme which was weaved in well, but I didn’t think I would be quite as unforgiving as Daisy. The mystery of the dying girl, reality or hallucination, was well played. I kept trying to guess what it could be. Luckily one of my weird, off the wall guesses came to be true, the other was absolutely shocking.

Overall, a fun read.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!! STRICTLY HONEST AND UNBIASED.

All my reviews can be read here

Daisy grew up around secrets she knew by heart but were never spoken. She had no idea just how much damage secrets could do, but she would soon learn.

It’s a warm, cloudless morning on the day the envelope arrives for Daisy. Soft sunlight streams into the apartment she shares with her partner, Anderson, who is sleeping peacefully. Daisy’s fought hard for this happiness, worked her way up from being a vulnerable teenage runaway to a woman with a stable job and a loving boyfriend.

But when Daisy discovers the handwritten wedding invitation from her childhood best friend, Stella, her bright morning turns suddenly dark. The wedding is back amongst the misty woods and rolling hills of Daisy’s North Carolina hometown. The same town where her heartbroken mother never spoke about her miscarriages, and her distant father drank away what little money they had. The same town where she is still known as ‘the crazy one’ for telling people about the dead girl she saw that summer’s day in the woods. A girl who looked just like her, and whose body was never found.

Daisy hasn’t been back home since her parents sent her away and now, the thought of returning fills her with dread. She doesn’t know if she can forgive Stella, the girl she once called ‘blood sister’, for turning her back on her when everyone else did. And why is Stella reaching out now, after fifteen years?

There’s only one thing Daisy is sure of—if she wants to build a happy future, she’s going to have to finally confront the mysteries of her dark past.