A Mother Like Mine by Kate Hewitt

Abby has returned to the small village she grew up with a child.  She was hoping for marriage with her boyfriend but he was killed in an accident and his parents didn't even tell her.  She left school and tried to leave the pain behind.  Now she's living with her grandmother and helping her run a small cafe.  Life was settling down and so was she.  Then when her grandmother meets her at the door and tells her that her mother's there, her life shatters again...

Berkley sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published so you can grab a copy now.

Her mother left her when she was two.  She ran away from the small village and made her way in the big bad world outside.  Abby could never understand why.  Her mother only came back a few times.  Why would she be back now?

Laura is back because she's become  "too old" for her hostess job at the night club.  They want younger blood.  She also back because she doesn't know her own child and she wants to make amends with her mother.  As they all dance around each other, none of them wanting to be hurt again, another tragedy happens.  Grandma dies.

Now it's just the two of them and Abby is so wary of Laura, it will hard to build trust.  Especially when Laura won't tell her who her father is.

As they work together, they do find some common ground.  Noah, Abby's son, helps bridge the gap.  And eventually the truth comes out.  There's also hope for the future.  Discussing the past honestly and then setting it aside is a smart thing to do.  I see Laura and Abby growing closer in the years ahead.

Now and Then Friends by Kate Hewitt

Can two girls who were best friends in grade school become friends again?  They each think the other one deserted them, so they'll have to clear the air first.  And no one really wants to talk about it.  But circumstances force them closer, so they really have no choice...

NAL sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  This book has been published, so you can grab a copy now.  There are questions at the end for bookclub discussion.

Rachel wasn't really the type of friend that Claire's mother approved of, so she gradually surrounded Claire with new friends and left Rachel off the list when having parties.  Rachel thought Claire was the one that didn't want her.  The resentment is still there years later.  It's true you don't forget old hurts, although you do try to get over them.

Rachel's life came undone when she got to college.  She'd gotten a scholarship and was looking forward to a good job.  Then her father leaves them and her mother breaks her back.  She has to return to raise her youngest sister and keep food on the table.  Now all she does is work and act as the mother in the family.  Her younger sister has had a baby, so now there's a new little one in the household.  She cleans houses for other people but has no time to clean her own.  Her little sister doesn't want to go college.  Her life is spiraling out of control.  

Claire has come back to town because her parents own a home here and she wanted to get away from everyone.  She'd been engaged until she got drunk and acted like she really felt.  Hugh called her parents who stuck her in a rehab unit.  When she got out, she wanted to decide what to do with her life.  Especially since she realized she didn't love Hugh.  She didn't really even like him.

Rachel gets told to stop trying to do everything by herself.  Claire gets told to stand up for herself and develop some backbone.  They both have a hard time trying to change.  They do become friends again.  They even have a love interest by the end of book.

This book rings of the truth.  Relationships are hard work even in your own families.  These young women are strong, interesting characters.  They just need to get their feet back under them and stride forward.  It was a pleasure to see them doing that.