We meet Emily on the precipice of life-altering change after the final straw in her marriage leads her to separate herself and her two children from her husband, whose short fuse has become a fifth family member Emily and her children walk on eggshells to avoid. As her husband’s attempts to bring her back home oscillate between apologetic pleas and vengeful cruelty, Emily reconnects with her first love, but they are both guarded and unsure whether they can overcome the hurt that haunts their shared history. Across the full length of this tender, compelling novel, Emily has to learn for herself if second chances are truly possible and what it takes to become worthy of one. If you enjoy deeply emotional contemporary fiction that unravels the threads of fear, regret, resentment, guilt, joy, and forgiveness that tangle together to make a life, you must read this book. Make sure you have a box of tissues nearby, though.