Author: Sherryl Woods
Publisher: Mira
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Christi Sheenan at HarperCollins

Goodreads:  Devastating secrets tear two families apart in this acclaimed novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods!

For ten years Emily Dobbs and Marcie Carter have been the closest of friends. They’ve raised their kids together, shared joy and heartache, exchanged neighborhood gossip over tea. But when Marcie’s son, now a college freshman sports star, is arrested for date rape, the bond between the families could be shattered forever.

As the Carters try to deal with the unthinkable, Emily discovers her daughter has been hiding a terrible secret…a secret that threatens the futures of both families. Recently divorced, Emily struggles to keep it all together—to support her terrified daughter, to maintain her friendship with Evan’s mother and to have faith in the detective who could change all of their lives.

When things seem darkest, both she and Marcie discover that sometimes the first step toward a better future is mending fences with the past.

Ope’s Opinion:  Where to start talking about this amazing book –  I don’t think Contemporary Romance is the correct genre.  It is a so much deeper subject and characters then what I think of as a traditional romance novel.  There was some romance in it, but not what I think that most romance readers would expect.

This is hard to talk about without revealing spoilers, so I am going to be vague.  I was into this book from page one and did not want to put it down at all.  Even though it was deep, it was written so that it was easy to read.  The subject was handled very well and realistic.

The only thing that I found a little unrealistic is Emily and Marcie’s friendship goes through a hard time and I feel like after being angry with each other, they just forgave each other without really working through their difficulties.

This book has been made into a Hallmark movie.  I am looking forward to watching it and seeing if it looks like I pictured it while reading.