Eden's mourned her husband and raised their daughter Lila with the help of his family but sometime the family is just too much. And now, she's reconnected with Rafe, her childhood friend. He's lost his wife and he's also raising a child alone. These two bond and romance starts to bloom against all odds and without the support of their in laws. But, true love will win out (not a spoiler, really). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I’m relatively new to the Sheila O’Flanagan fan club, and I thought this was an enjoyable addition to her collection of women’s fiction books. Thanks for letting me read it!

This book touched a few of my sore spots so I really did not enjoy it as much as I would have liked, This was truly all me and not the book or author. Sorry. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC for an exhange for an honest review.

Highly recommend it this book, I could not put it down.

Loved it. I felt like I was right there with Eden as she coped with Andy's death, raised her daughter, dealt with her meddling in-laws and reconnected with an old friend. Andy was dead longer than Eden was actually with him. Sycamore Grove sounded like a lovely place to live, the neighbors all looked after each other (maybe a little too much.) Would they women have treated a single mom the same way as they did Rafe? Elizabeth was the sweetest, she actually gave Eden the best advice. I loved the relationship between the two ladies and the conversations that they had. Then there was Rafe. He was perfect for Eden, even if both their families objected to their relationship. Shouldn't they be happy that Rafe and Eden found happiness again??? My least favorite part was the relationship Eden had with Andy's family. From the start it was easy to see how much Eden's in-laws manipulated her. Valerie and Michelle wanted Eden to stay as Andy's wife and couldn't see her as anything else. They also made it seem like she shouldn't be working. Why does Eden have to tell them if she is dating? I wanted Eden to grow a backbone and tell them she appreciated everything they did for her, but that she can make her own choices. The Farellys (mainly Valerie) always had an agenda and constantly used "what Andy would want" as a way to control Eden. I hated the relationship Eden had with Andy's family. Yes, they did a lot for Eden and Lila, but was it out of love? Valerie and Michelle wanted Eden all to themselves and didn't even want her to visit her sick aunt.

Definitely recommend the book. I loved the characters, writing style and story. I was sad to see it end. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Hachette Book Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

It took me a while to get to this book and then it took me a while to get through this book. That may be more about my interest in these characters and their story than about anything the author did or didn't do. The story centers around Eden, who lost her firefighter husband, and takes you through her journey with loss and survival. Many will enjoy this story but it just wasn't for me this time.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars for me

Suffering through the lose of her husband before the birth of her daughter she is finding herself reliant on her in laws. Yet when she reconnects with someone from her past who shows her how she used to be and her free spirit and love of life she is facing challenges from her in laws. They threaten to break up her family that she has left. What decisions will she make to keep her family .

A long novel that stalls out several times in the storyline. There is so much aggravating family intrusion and manipulation that is bothersome.
As the story goes, friends until age ten when Eden was uprooted from her home in Galway, she and Mac (Rafe) reconnect twenty years later. Both are widowed with small daughters. They develop a new relationship based on mutual attraction. His family and her in-laws butt in at every chance. Her mother-in-law is especially manipulative and always inserting what Eden’s deceased husband would want. All you want is for Eden to stand up to her and tell her to back off.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s strange to say that a book with widow/widower single parents moving on to find love together was a feel good read, but it was! I enjoyed all the side characters as well, even the scheming suburban women. I felt badly for Eden when the family of her deceased husband stopped being so supportive but it was a milestone on the road towards her building her own life on her own terms. This is my first time reading a book by Sheila O’Flanaghan and I’ll definitely have to check out her other titles!
*Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review

Families and their dynamics are often complex, and Eden has experienced them first hand. After her parents passed away suddenly while Eden was very young, her aunt and uncle took her in. They had no idea how to raise a child, but tried their best. Eden was taken away from Galway, the home she knew, the best friend she made and brought up in quite a difference atmosphere.

When Eden and Andy married, his large, boisterous family with matriarch Valerie at the helm took her in as one of their own, and she welcomed it. When Andy died, his family supported her and her daughter Lila. Now, 5 years later, Eden is struggling to find herself again, and while she doesn't want to hurt Andy's family, she must break away from them in order to grow into a life of her own choosing.

While this isn't a coming of age novel, there are aspects that are on the same line. To be independent, a person must learn to fly on their own, and their family has to be able to accept it, while remaining a soft place to fall if needed. Hold on too tightly and the bonds will inevitably break. The author captured the struggle perfectly.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Eden has had a lot of tragedy during her life. She’s a single mom to a young daughter. Her in-laws are supportive and quite smothering. Through her friendships she finds love, laughter, and good advise. She finds herself and how to stand up for herself. I really enjoyed this book, I didn’t want to put it down.

This is my first exposure to this author and I found the storyline interesting and emotionally engaging.

Eden Hall is a professional nurse turned care giver and calligraphy artist. Her career took a dramatic turn when Andy, her firefighter husband, was killed when a building collapsed. Her biggest regret was she never told him she had just discovered she was pregnant with their first child. Now five years later, she is still mourning his death and is raising Lila, her daughter, with the support of Andy’s family.

As the story unfolds, Eden becomes increasingly aware that her in-laws are using her as a way to stay connected to their son/brother, who has now reached heroic proportions in everyone’s eyes. The stakes become higher when Eden reconnects with Rafe, her best friend from childhood, and Andy’s domineering and emotionally manipulative mother attempts to control Eden’s life choices.

The novel explores a variety of significant issues – love, loss, grief, family dynamics, dysfunctional relationships, healing, and reclaiming independence. I found the characters of Eden and Rafe both believable and likable. The mother-in-law’s behavior, while understandable, was outrageous in her selfishness and her willingness to use her granddaughter to emotionally blackmail Eden. Eden’s indecisiveness did get a bit tiring after a while, but I enjoyed her awakening to the limitless nature of love. The heavy story content is balanced with a bit of humor and, overall, this is a feel good, inspiring novel.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads and Amazon account.