An Invincible Summer

by Betta Ferrendelli

Jaime Monroe is a young prosecutor who has a bright future with the Denver District Attorney’s office. Jaime, however, is tormented by demons from her past. But when she learns that Leigh Roberts, a local reporter for a Denver daily newspaper, intends to have her mentally challenged daughter, Ashleigh, forcibly sterilized, something within Jaime stirs. Whether it is anger, pity, or simply the need to do what’s right, Jaime decides to turn her back on her promising career with the DA’s office to represent Ashleigh Roberts. With the odds stacked against them, Jaime and Ashleigh take their case to the courts in a battle that will ultimately resolve one woman’s past and one woman’s future.

Genres: Fiction, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Amazon

415 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2015

About the author

I have been an award-winning journalist since 1989, having worked at newspapers and magazines in Denver, Seattle and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
I am the author of the award-winning and Amazon best-selling Samantha Church Mystery Series, featuring The Friday Edition (named one of the best books of 2013 by Kirkus and a Readers' Favorite gold medal winner), Revenge is Sweet, Dead Wrong, Cold Case No. 99-5219 (a Readers' Favorite gold medal winner), On the Border, The Long Way Home and Point of Origin. Dusk, the eighth book in the mystery series, will publish in late 2026.
I have also written two award-winning books in contemporary women's fiction: Last Things and An Invincible Summer.
Be sure to follow me on BookBub for the latest on all my books and to download a free copy of The Friday Edition: https://bit.ly/3JztNtx

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best "for free" reads I have received. Addresses the topic of forced sterilization for the mentally challenged which is backed in the courtroom. The conflict is between a mother and daughter, with the mother wanting the sterilization for her daughter. Bette Ferrendelli handles the conflict well and leads the reader to a satisfying ending.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed

[skketch · Rating 2 out of 5]

📚👩‍⚖️NOVEL THOUGHTS👩‍⚖️📚

The concept of this book was very provocative and it had my attention to want to read it. The divorced mother of a young woman with intellectual disabilities and also has functional hypoglycemia (a form of diabetes) wants to have her daughter sterilized after the daughter leaves the care of a group home and is living and working more independently. The mother fears that she is too innocent and wouldn't know how to fend off advances from men who might take advantage of her which could potentially leave her pregnant. A pregnancy in her case could be a difficult one because of her diabetes but also, the mother isn't sure her daughter would be able to raise a child on her own with her limitations. In the state of Colorado, the daughter has the right of refusal of such an procedure unless a court decides against her in favor of her guardian. The lawyer who will represent the young woman leaves her job at the DA's office to work with this girl after a close friend who's a judge asks her to help. By coincidence, the lawyer befriends the girl's mother only to discover she is the one the lawyer will be up against in court. The lawyer is also dealing with some very personal things herself which plague her dreams nightly and she and her husband are getting divorced.
While the concept of the story was interesting, the writing was not. It was choppy and vague and bounced all over the place. One of my pet peeves is that the author spent way too much time describing clothing, physical appearances, food and minutiae which was so unnecessary to the story. There were way too many threads and some appeared out of nowhere at the end. There were too many characters to keep up with as well with too much about their backstory that had nothing to do with the story. Also, I did a little research of my own about a birth control method that can be used with this character's form of diabetes and found that in fact, there are BC pills she could have taken. I think the author took too much liberty in the opposing counsel's argument which was not accurate at all. Also, I would have liked to have seen the lawyer's parent reconcile with her at the end because instead of losing one daughter (not by choice) they lost two (by choice.)

[Cheryl Shearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story to touch the heart

I have read this book with tears in my eyes and tumultuous thoughts in my mind as I read the subject matter and then with great happiness and peace of mind as the story unfolded. Made me think about what I have previously thought of such things and what I would do if faced with the same facts and emotions - a really thought provoking book that I have found a privilege to read.

[Wanda B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued with the questions on the mentally challenged. Makes one wonder what they would do if they had a family member in this situation. Are these decisions made from a place of love? When you think of family, love and care come to the forefront of your mind, but family is not always about love. In Jaime's case I found this to be true because her parents put blame on her, not love and caring. Unfortunately this is what happens in all too many families.

[Janci · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling read, without a doubt. But I was increasingly aggravated with how to author chose to move the story forward. These acquaintances behave as if they have decades-long bestie friendships. First, Jaime and Leigh, then Drew comes along and it's even worse. I know it is fiction but I expect some realistic behaviour from the characters. By the end of the book, I saw Jaime as an intrusive know-it-all.

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamie is young, prosecuting attorney of the violence unit. Her first major case, and she needed the energy and love she had for boxing. With demons from her past. When she heard about a reporters daughter, and the procedure she wants done on her. Risking it all, she found a cause she wants to get involved in. A deep subject and well done

[teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking

Most definitely literature worth your time. This novel captures one's attention on several levels . It brings up emotional and political views of the mentally challenged. While comprehending all the factors of this you find yourself indulged in grief of Sarah and how it affected her family.

[Beverly Vespico]

An Invincible Summer

Overall the story was very interesting. The legalities of the suit, the dilemma of defining mental disabilities, the rejection of parental love , betrayal of friendship , etc. Very consuming. I found the descriptive details of clothing, people and places to be boring however. I could easily recommend this book to others.

[judy mitchel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be an excellent read, and it was a freebie........the characters end up intertwined with a friendship perhaps on the line. It was an eye opener so far as dealing with the mentally handicapped is concerned....I loved it....

[Stan Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well thought out

This is an excellent book. I really appreciate there is no vulgarity and very little violence. Instead there is intelligence and thoughtfulness. I highly recommend it

[Barbara G. Graybill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

An amazing novel of love and loss, pain and the joy of recovery. It inspires us to look deeply inside and show us the value of focusing on all that is good. Kudos to the author for a well written journey of the bad and the greatness of moving forward.

[Betsy Fatzinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story. There were so many facets to it. The author described the characters, their appearance, their personalities…also the seasons in Colorado…the homes…. I really didn’t want rhe book to end.

[Teresa Schwendeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very serious decision

I think the story speaks to our heart. Gives you many things to be thankful for. Compassion is shown and heartbreak turned into a new day.

[Susie Fine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this and recommend to a few friends. I have a grand son who has Angelman syndrome. Similar to asperburgers. So I could relate. Great book!

[Sherrie Gallegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome summer read.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaker but a valid subject matter- interesting when characters are acting adult. Not a Christmas read — just FYI!

[Beth Alling · Rating 2 out of 5]

BORING

I wanted to like it. Kept on reading to 60% and just had to give up. Holy boring. I hope I didn’t give up too soon.

[Gina Landers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, complex storylines. Left some ends unanswered. I enjoyed it.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed through a lot because there was too much medical info during the trial.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 2/24

[Suki Jantzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good one!

Well, this book starts off a little slow, but once it gets going, it's wonderful! Go ahead and take a chance.

[Heather Puckett-wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a one-sitter

I found this to be a thought-provoking, emotional read. You can feel the emotions from everyone: Ashleigh, Leigh, and Jaime. It's a beautiful story of love!

[Jorja Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

legal drama

I really enjoyed this thought provoking drama. I listened to it on my daily commute and virtual voice was decent with everything else except the main character’s name.

[MWBP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between the lines – A review of the novel ‘An Invincible Summer’

“Nothing carries meaning. People carry meaning. We are the porters of importance.” - Jarod Kintz

Author Betta Ferrendelli’s ‘An Invincible Summer’ is a tour de force into the inner workings of the American justice department and about a group of people whose lives are changed forever at the end of a landmark case. Jaime Monroe is a young do-gooder of an attorney working with the Denver DA. Enter Ashleigh Roberts, a young cheerful girl with mental disability who is strained to fight against her own mother, to ascertain her right over her own body and life. Leigh Roberts is the mother trying to do what’s best for her only daughter. Jamie becomes Ashleigh’s attorney and the ensuing trial affects these three women’s lives in a profound manner.

When you pick up a book from a known author, you know there will be a familiar nod to their past writing in their new work as well. And in Ferrendelli’s latest, you get the staple, troubled young woman, an insight into the workings of the law enforcement agencies, flawed but good at heart male characters and so on. But what makes An Invincible Summer stand out is that the issues discussed here have widespread medical, moral and social implications in the real world too. It should generate discussions and talks regarding an issue that usually doesn’t find space in the mainstream media. And this is a mighty big achievement for a fiction book that at its core is an entertaining read about a female attorney’s life.

The author deserves appreciation for getting right the nuances and language right in describing and writing dialogues for a person with metal disability. It isn’t offensive or stereotypical and there’s an air of believability around the character. Of course there are a few diversions here and there but you have to expect that in a fictional read. The strength in research shows while it’s discussing diseases and in the manner attorneys, judges and the courtrooms have been portrayed.

The strength and layers to the relationship the various characters have in this book is worth talking about. In Betta’s books men and women have intense and complicated relationships that are romantic and sometimes platonic in nature. It brings great mystery to these characters and readability to the narrative.

The only negative I felt were the one too many sub-plots involving the secondary characters in the first half; it takes away the focus from the chief protagonists without contributing much.

Jaime is immensely likeable and has a grace about her. Although she is suffering from an intense mental trauma and is constantly trying to make amends for it, she is a brave and courageous woman. She is a fighter, someone who never gives up and is excellent hero material. She has all the trappings of becoming a vital character in future stories centered around her. The book also has a bunch of well etched out characters in Leigh, Ashleigh, Drew, Tia, etc who contribute immensely to make this both a feel-good and an inspirational read.

Mother’s love, independence, letting go of your past & atonement are key themes discussed in this book.

[Debbi]

I really enjoyed this book a lot. The subject was very interesting and really made you think about what you would do if your child was mentally delayed. My husband and I had a heavy discussion about this topic. I loved the character of Jaime and how she had to deal with all her own struggles. The only thing that left me hanging was what she did after finding out her ex husband had to do with her getting beat up. She should have had it out with him, also maybe even it brought up to an ethics committee on how he can be an attorney and pay someone to do this to her. Her friend Frank going off to jail so I am sure he would have testified that Frank paid him a $1000.00 to do this.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author certainly did her research on Diabetes when writing this book since one of the characters has diabetes. This book expands on the consequences of "labeling" people. Reading this book may make you think about how we see others. Do we really know what it going on in their lives and why they make certain choices? Does labeling others influence our choices as it did the characters in this book? Are we willing to admit we were wrong? The characters in the book question their choices and see the effects of their choices. You will find an interesting story in this book.

[Ozetta Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking

I enjoyed this book and and story line very much. The plot was different as was the characters from so many books you read. I had never thought of forced sterilization but was drawn into this subject. It was presented well and got me to think about people with mental problems. It is really an uplifting read.

[Donna Huber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story. It is a great human interest type of story dealing with human rights and mental disabilities. There are also threads of hurt and healing from the past. I loved the characters. They were so real. I wanted to be friends with them. Full review soon.

[Georgia Lambros · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading An Invincable Summer, it touch my heart. A lot of us assume just because some have mental illness, slow, or any other physical issue cannot live in the "normal world". They surprise doctors and families that they can survive.