September 1, 2022
New York Times best-selling author Mitchard (Two if by Sea) is back with a novel that questions whether redemption is possible. Stefan was 17 when he was sent to prison for the murder of his girlfriend. It's a crime he has no recollection of because he was flying high, but he still takes full responsibility for it; he was the only other person in the apartment that night. Unless he wasn't. Now he is out of prison and trying to rebuild his life and make amends, but the victim's mother won't let him forget the murder and she's ensured no one else will either. Narrator Vivienne Leheny tells the tale from Stefan's mother's point of view, and she runs the gamut of emotions from horror, fear, love, and pride, to anger and determination, all the while remaining certain that there is more to that fateful night than she or Stefan knows. Leheny has a set of core characters to embody, and she uses accents and cadence to distinguish them. She builds tension well and imbues only the emotions that the author intended. VERDICT Though the plot doesn't completely hold together, libraries will want to purchase because of author popularity.--Jodi L. Israel
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