"How odd, I thought, that she could
feel so much pride for one child
and so much spite for another.

Birddog Harlin grew up in a mining town with two older brothers, Caul and Denny. Her father, a miner, worked long hard days. Her mother was cruel to her and loving to her boys. Denny, being her favorite.
This was a sad read of a dysfunctional family after a tragedy within their home.

“The harder your heart, the harder
those bars are to break .”

Such a great novel. Sad and heartbreaking at how the words you speak can break a person's spirit and their self-worth.

Thank you to Publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Impactful and strong are word that comes to mind when reading Sherry Parnell's novel. It's a short and quick read, but there's still a lot happening in the story and the main character (nicknamed Birddog) is both believable and interesting. She goes through a lot throughout the story never really fitting in anywhere. She does not come from a really stable home, there's death in the family, she is being called useless and being bullied. These are themes I think many people can connect to in some extent, or at least relate to. The story wins you over, so to speak, and I very much enjoyed reading it.