Story for the Week
I have a pretty special mother/daughter bond with Corinne…at least, I like to think so. She does too from what she tells me.
She and I have always gravitated toward doing things together. It started primarily because her extremely over-protective father insisted that I chaperone every school field trip. But I also enjoyed being a room mom and attending school events. Rather than sitting back and letting the kids do their thing, I participated. I played the games. I didn’t hesitate to be a little goofy but not so much that Corinne would be embarrassed.
When Corinne started grade school, I stood in line with her while we waited for the morning bell. One day in 4th grade, I shook hands with a couple of the kids that stood with her and said, “Good morning.” The next day, I greeted a few more kids. Eventually, everyone in her class expected a good morning handshake and even some of the kids from other classes. It was just me being silly.
I realized what an impact it made one morning when Corinne was home sick but I still drove one of the neighbor kids to school. As I stood with him in his line, some of the kids from Corinne’s class walked down for their morning handshake. Apparently the handshakes were a hit, and the kids enjoyed having me around. I was sad to see them go when she moved up to middle school.
As Corinne has gotten older, she admits that she likes spending time with me, and I know how lucky I am to have a kid who enjoys my company AND admits it. 😉 Sometimes we make plans to go out, sometimes we go for random drives, and sometimes we just stay home and binge watch television. No matter what we’re doing, we talk about what’s going on in her life, and we usually end up laughing about something. Occasionally, she posts random video clips or photos on her Mumsy Nancy Snapchat story for select friends to see. 🤦🏻♀️
There have been plenty of very open conversations on topics that make me uncomfortable, but I would rather she have those conversations with me than with someone else (or not at all). She knows that she can ask me anything. I may not enjoy answering, but I made a deal with her a long time ago that I will always answer. I don’t want her to ever feel like she can’t come to me. When the time comes, she will know how to foster the same type of relationship with her own kids…because I learned from my relationship with my mom.
We have a lot of great mother/daughter moments. As much as I love to see her go out with her friends, it’s nice when they invite me along. Sometimes I go, and sometimes I pass because I know she needs time away from me to just be a teenager. But the best activities we share always start with the two of us and branch out from there.
In the book I reviewed below, the main character’s mom regularly invites her daughter out with her and her new boyfriend. The daughter asks at one point, “Is it sad when your mom keeps inviting you to third-wheel?” For Corinne and me, it starts with us, and everyone else third-wheels, but I feel like that’s actually a bonus.
Book Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
4 Stars for The One That Got Away With Murder by Trish Lundy
384 pages
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: April 16, 2024
I received an advance copy of this title from NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Henry Holt and Co. in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher’s Description
Be careful who you fall for…
Robbie and Trevor Crestmont have a body count―the killer kind. Handsome and privileged, the Crestmont brothers have enough wealth to ensure they’ll never be found guilty of any wrongdoing, even if all of Happy Valley believes they’re behind the deaths of their ex-girlfriends. First there was soccer star Victoria Moreno, Robbie’s ex, who mysteriously drowned at the family lake house. Then, a year later, Trevor’s girlfriend died of a suspicious overdose.
But the Crestmonts aren’t the only ones with secrets. Lauren O’Brian might be the new girl at school, but she’s never been a good girl. With a dark past of her own, she’s desperate for a fresh start. Except when she starts a no-strings-attached relationship with Robbie, her chance is put in jeopardy. During what’s meant to be their last weekend together, Lauren stumbles across shocking evidence that just might implicate Robbie.
With danger closing in, Lauren doesn’t know who to trust. And after a third death rocks the town, she must decide whether to end things with Robbie or risk becoming another cautionary tale.
************
Main Characters:
- Lauren O’Brian – high school senior and soccer player, recently moved from California to Pennsylvania with her mom to be closer to her mom’s new boyfriend and to escape a scandal from her old high school
- Robbie Crestmont – high school senior from an extremely wealthy family, volunteers at the hospice center his family funded and where Lauren’s mom works, his previous girlfriend Victoria drowned at their family lake house, many of the residents of Happy Valley believe Robbie had something to do with it
- Trevor Crestmont – Robbie’s younger brother, his previous girlfriend Jess died from a drug overdose at their family lake house, many of the residents of Happy Valley believe that Trevor had something to do with her death as well
- Kat O’Brian – Lauren’s mom, recently started dating Mark long-distance and moved to Pennsylvania to be closer to him, works as a nurse at the hospice center
- Coach Hollinger – coach of Lauren’s high school soccer team, his family owns and runs the general store at the lake
- Mark Anderson – Kat’s boyfriend, single dad to Ainsley
- Ainsley Anderson – Mark’s daughter, high school senior, Victoria had been her best friend before she drowned
- John – Robbie’s best friend, they’re in a band together, spends most of his free time with the Crestmonts
I typically gravitate to young adult novels as palette cleansers. They tend to be lighter, more upbeat, some fun romance. If that’s what you’re looking for, do not look here. If you want a great young adult thriller that will keep you guessing, you’re in the right place with this one.
Nearly everyone is a suspect in this story, and that is not an exaggeration. I made at least three notes while I was reading thinking it was definitely this character, it was absolutely that character, and that other character reacted a certain way because it was him! Maybe I guessed it, maybe I didn’t. I’m definitely not telling you. 😉
The story unfolds from Lauren’s point of view. While she seems to have a good relationship with her mom, as Kat and Mark’s romance develops, Lauren takes more of a back seat. Kat is distracted, she wants Mark and Ainsley to spend time with her and Lauren, and Lauren wants none of it. Even though she is happy to have escaped her past in California, Lauren’s plan is to graduate high school and go to college anywhere but Pennsylvania.
What she hasn’t counted on is her fellow students, and especially her soccer teammates, finding out about her past, which she has tried very hard to keep secret. In fact, the author keeps the reader in the dark for the majority of the book as well. We know there was a fire, the fire was Lauren’s fault, her boyfriend was badly burned, and Lauren’s classmates think she set the fire on purpose and accuse her of attempted murder. She was clearly not convicted, but she was happy to leave town before her senior year.
Enter the Crestmonts with their own pasts. Lauren meets Robbie at the hospice center where her mother works and starts hooking up with him, not knowing about his and Trevor’s former girlfriends and their suspicious deaths. Her plan to break things off with Robbie before the school year starts goes sideways, and she finds herself stuck between the Crestmonts and her teammates.
And when someone else ends up dead, Lauren is desperate to find out who the killer (or killers) is before she becomes the next victim. All while her mom is ridiculously distracted with her new relationship.
This story is twisty and unexpected and I stayed up way too late to get to the end. I certainly won’t spoil it here. 🤐 This one is definitely worth picking up.
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