A heart warming story of a family making a big change...where they live and where they will be attending school, plus a new job for the mom.The move was to New Port, Rhode Island. They found it hard to fit in at first. In time the teens were popular.

Maura Shaw's husband drowns. His death unleashes enormous changes in Maura and her children's lives. Her eldest daughter, Carrie runs away and no-one can find her. Her younger daughter, Beck suffers serious emotional damage and starts to steal things. Her son Travis struggles to be the man of the house.Maura accepts a job offer as the English teacher for a prestigious private school in Newport, Rhode Island, where she grew up. Ghosts from her past resurface and she has to face them, while Beck a...

This book was okay- however the love story within was just too hokey for me to be real. The youngest daughter's problems were interesting and she was a little character but everyone else in the book seemed flat. I realize most women rave about these types of novels, I just felt the book could have been a bit darker, more true to life and trauma rather than the unrealistic quick fixes and happy endings. In reality those who suffer trauma don't just snap out of it as if everything is fabulous. May...

I hated this book. I found it to be illogical, dull and treacly. I was horrified that it is apparently the first book in a series. I cannot imagine that anyone would want to endure another 300 pages of these boring, fake people.

This book follows one family as they try to adjust to a different life following a tragic boating accident.Beck's father died in the accident, her older sister disappeared from the hospital, and then her mother, Maura, accepts a teaching position at a private academy in New England which means a painful upheaval for Beck and her older brother Travis. Beck buries herself in Mathematics while Travis tries to adjust to life in a new place away from his first love.Maura is harboring a long kept secr...

This was an amazing book about familie ties. When Beck's family is torn apart by an accident, it is a journey to see how strong the relationships are. Her father dies at sea during a storm. Her sister, Carrie, runs away after she is rescued to try and find her roots. Beck and her brother Travis are left to deal with the fallout with their mother. As the story begins, the family is moving from Ohio to Newport, Rhode Island for a teaching postion so that Maura (the mother) can support her family.

I hate saying bad things about books because I know first hand the amount of work that goes into writing, editing and publishing the damn things.Luanne Rice is one of my favorite authors when it comes to an easy, uncomplicated read. The problem is I think she tried to get a little too complex in exploring the dynamics between sisters. The math metaphor fell flat for me.My sister and I always had a decent although not necessarily super close relationship. She passed away rather quickly from lung

This was really the last Luanne Rice book I will read.Too sappy for me .

I really enjoyed this book - nice story and interesting characters. Loved the setting - Newport and Providence RI. I’m familiar with the streets and landmarks in the story and that was cool. If you are looking for a good book for a summer or beach read, pick this one up!

First off, this took me about 70-80 pages to really get into, but once I did, I enjoyed it. Beck loses her father & her sister in the same day. Beck was extremely close to her sister and she tries to find some peace in doing Math. It sounds strange & I didn't "get" the math aspect of it real well, but I can understand losing yourself in something to take your mind off things. Also, while Beck is mourning her sister's running away, Beck's Mom is also dealing with her own sister issues. And then t...

Oh it's Luanne Rice. If you like her, do any of her novels suck? The one issue that I did have with this family was feeling the disconnect. I didn't feel the great love that they shared before the accident, and I didn't feel the disconnect they were feeling throughout the novel. And maybe that's because the story was told from multiple points of view - and each point was very focused on them. Not so much any family ties. The Mom thought of her long love affair (and missing her daughter). Travis

I'm a little torn on the rating for this one. The main focus was the importance of the relationship between sisters, and what happens when that relationship is strained. But, I was bothered by the use of the "f" word a couple of times (seriously unnecessary), and what happened between JD and Maura at the pool (again-unnecessary).Overall, it was a likable story that tugged at the heartstrings, and could have been much better without those things mentioned above.

Luanne Rice is a master at surprise twists and turns in her plots. This book explores secrets and emotions hidden for years! A good beach read

A family pulls up stakes following a tragic accident that left a husband dead and a daughter missing. Suddenly the family home in Ohio seemingly holds too much pain and too many bad memories.Remaining family members are limping along, like injured parties, broken and crippled by the pain. But Maura Shaw is determined to return to her roots in Rhode Island – a place where her own sister Katherine still lives. Katherine, from whom she has been estranged for many years. A secret betrayal divides th...

I was very disappointed in this book. I quit reading it with only about 30 pages to go. One sentence stopped me and I couldn't get past it. When Maura thinks "I always wanted a love like Ana Karenina or Madam Bovary" I thought, "does she know they are adulteress?". This statement unraveled my perception of the mother. The husband Andy is portrayed in a very flattering light until you find out he is a very unforgiving person. He can't forgive Maura for lying about Carrie's paternity? He was prett...

I really loved this story. The plot and the dynamic. The grief and the loss. The love and warmth. This was the first book I have read by Luanne Rice. I know for certain it will not be my last.This is a book about the past and the present. A family struggling through grief and loss. A story of new beginnings and righting old wrongs. A heartfelt tear jerker. You will love the family and their friends. Everyone's point of view is shown. This was a must read for me. It didn't disappoint.

Great story!Many emotions in this story. You can hear the waves and feel the sea breeze! Makes me want to read the next in the series!

This is my second time reading Luanne Rice. The first encounter I had with this author was listening to The Edge of Winter on CD. And to be perfectly honest, I wasn't that thrilled with it. The story was fine, but the narrator irritated me to death. But I'm not going to hold that against Luanne and when I saw the blurb about her newest book, it sounded interesting so I requested it from my library. I'm glad that I decided to 'read' the book this time instead of listening to it. I enjoyed her wri...

FamilyTo have a sister is to have a lifetime Best Friend. There are times that sisters can grow apart for one reason or another but when there is a crisis they can put old wounds aside to help one another.

This hand-me-down paperback sat on my nightstand for at least a year. I finally decided to pick it up again during a long weekend, figuring that I should be at least somewhat interested since it takes place in Newport, RI, near my hometown.Although I read the novel quickly and even enjoyed the description of Newport, I wasn't super engaged with the plot. The characters felt incredibly superficial, even though the author was careful to try and build multi-dimensional, flawed characters. I also fo...