What do you think?
Rate this book
The To-Hell-and-Back Club
Who can you turn to when your life falls apart?
In this moving debut ~ Peyton Brooks, a newly-empty nester with a comatose marriage, loses her three friends in a car crash, and reaches out to women in the To-Hell-And-Back Club, hoping they’ll help resuscitate her life.
Through the “Hell Club”, Peyton learns it’s never too late to begin again. These been-there-felt-that women use their sense of humor, strength, and support to help pull her off the couch and back to living her life.
She rebuilds the life she’d put aside two decades ago. But when Peyton digs up time capsules she and her friends buried years ago, and uncovers secrets about those she loved, she struggles to keep her own life-changing secret buried.
The “Hell Club” women help remind Peyton of the strength within her. She finds a renewed hope in life and love when she faces the mistakes and guilt that have troubled her for years. When Peyton’s secret is discovered, she needs the “Hell Club” women more than ever. The To-Hell-And-Back Club is an inspiring book that reminds us that it’s never too late to start over and that living a life of regrets is no life at all.
In this moving debut ~ Peyton Brooks, a newly-empty nester with a comatose marriage, loses her three friends in a car crash, and reaches out to women in the To-Hell-And-Back Club, hoping they’ll help resuscitate her life.
Through the “Hell Club”, Peyton learns it’s never too late to begin again. These been-there-felt-that women use their sense of humor, strength, and support to help pull her off the couch and back to living her life.
She rebuilds the life she’d put aside two decades ago. But when Peyton digs up time capsules she and her friends buried years ago, and uncovers secrets about those she loved, she struggles to keep her own life-changing secret buried.
The “Hell Club” women help remind Peyton of the strength within her. She finds a renewed hope in life and love when she faces the mistakes and guilt that have troubled her for years. When Peyton’s secret is discovered, she needs the “Hell Club” women more than ever. The To-Hell-And-Back Club is an inspiring book that reminds us that it’s never too late to start over and that living a life of regrets is no life at all.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 16, 2017
138 people are currently reading
1061 people want to read
About the author
Jill Hannah Anderson
5 books370 followersJill writes about women determined to reclaim their lives. Stories of family, friendship, forgiveness, and fortitude. Jill lives on a lake in Minnesota, where she and her husband love having their kids and grandkids come to visit. Jill's latest book, After We Break will be released March 17, 2026. She is also the author of Closer to Home, A Life Unraveled, Crazy Little Town Called Love, and The To Hell and Back Club. Follow her on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jill-... and connect with Jill on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jillhannah.a... and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillh.ander...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
October 16, 2017
4 sentimental stars to The To-Hell-and-Back-Club
Peyton is faced with the significant loss of three of her closest friends, in the midst of recognizing her marriage is falling apart. Jill Hannah Anderson captured with honesty all of the emotions, grief especially, you would expect under these circumstances.
Through her pain, Peyton is connected to a group of grieving, but empowered, women, all with different stories to tell, and all with support to give. No one judges Peyton in her grief, allowing her to heal at her own pace, and through friendship and overcoming immense tragedy and despair, Peyton turns her life around.
Some may think this is a story about grief or tragedy, but at its core, it's a study on friendship. I am looking forward to reading the next books about other club members' stories.
Thank you to Jill Hannah Anderson for the complimentary copy. These thoughts are my own.
Peyton is faced with the significant loss of three of her closest friends, in the midst of recognizing her marriage is falling apart. Jill Hannah Anderson captured with honesty all of the emotions, grief especially, you would expect under these circumstances.
Through her pain, Peyton is connected to a group of grieving, but empowered, women, all with different stories to tell, and all with support to give. No one judges Peyton in her grief, allowing her to heal at her own pace, and through friendship and overcoming immense tragedy and despair, Peyton turns her life around.
Some may think this is a story about grief or tragedy, but at its core, it's a study on friendship. I am looking forward to reading the next books about other club members' stories.
Thank you to Jill Hannah Anderson for the complimentary copy. These thoughts are my own.
May 28, 2017
The To-Hell-and-Back Club is a well-told book that emphasizes the importance of having a good support group in times of need. Peyton Brooks loses her three closest friends in a car accident and her marriage is disintegrating. Thankfully she learns about a group called the To-Hell-and-Back Club comprised of women who have all experienced some kind of “hell” and meet to try and provide support for each other. I enjoyed the story and the characters and was glad I read this book.
March 22, 2018
First, I want to thank Pandamoon Publishing’s Christina Gabriel Fulton for providing me with Jill Hannah Anderson’s book so I can bring you this review.
The To-Hell-And-Back-Club by Jill Hannah Anderson is a book that will stay with me in my heart and in my mind way after I have finished reading it. I am not one to re-read books but this is one that I would consider reading over and over again. I would definitely say that this is by far the best book I have read in 2018 so far. Plus, I have already told the publishing company I would read anything this author writes as she is one of the best writers I have read in a long time.
Trust me on this one-before you start this book you will need a box of tissues. This book will pull on your heart strings and bring out so many emotions like no other book you have ever read before. I was speechless, in shock and hurt incredibly for what Peyton had to witness with the horrific tragedy that happened!! My heart broke for Peyton and everyone involved. Jill Hannah was so in tuned with Peyton’s emotions and her grieving and her dealing with everything. She brought her readers into the story and made you felt like you were right there. So much so that I cried like a baby at the hospital scene!
The To-Hell-And-Back-Club focused on tough topics such as death, grieving, drinking, drugs, marital issues, learning to live after a terrible tragedy, divorce, past secrets, abortion, infidelity, etc.
Many of the characters in this book were genuine, real and had a heart of gold. They all wanted to be there for Peyton in her healing. With the exception of Jerry. I was not a fan of his.
This is one book that had so many great elements to be made into a prime-time TV show and do really well
The To-Hell-And-Back-Club by Jill Hannah Anderson is a book that will stay with me in my heart and in my mind way after I have finished reading it. I am not one to re-read books but this is one that I would consider reading over and over again. I would definitely say that this is by far the best book I have read in 2018 so far. Plus, I have already told the publishing company I would read anything this author writes as she is one of the best writers I have read in a long time.
Trust me on this one-before you start this book you will need a box of tissues. This book will pull on your heart strings and bring out so many emotions like no other book you have ever read before. I was speechless, in shock and hurt incredibly for what Peyton had to witness with the horrific tragedy that happened!! My heart broke for Peyton and everyone involved. Jill Hannah was so in tuned with Peyton’s emotions and her grieving and her dealing with everything. She brought her readers into the story and made you felt like you were right there. So much so that I cried like a baby at the hospital scene!
The To-Hell-And-Back-Club focused on tough topics such as death, grieving, drinking, drugs, marital issues, learning to live after a terrible tragedy, divorce, past secrets, abortion, infidelity, etc.
Many of the characters in this book were genuine, real and had a heart of gold. They all wanted to be there for Peyton in her healing. With the exception of Jerry. I was not a fan of his.
This is one book that had so many great elements to be made into a prime-time TV show and do really well
May 15, 2017
Jill Hannah Anderson’s debut novel, THE TO-HELL-AND-BACK CLUB (pandamoonpublishing) is for any reader who has been to-hell-and-back. You knew that was coming, right? But, it’s true! A group of women use their senses of humor, strength and comfort to uplift one of the gang, when she finds herself in the absolute worst situation.
Peyton Brooks, an empty-nester with a dying marriage, loses her three best friends in a car accident, when she’s the driver. Wracked with guilt and then the end of her twenty-one year-old marriage, she reaches out to the women in the To-Hell-And-Back-Club to help save her. These are the kind of women you want around you at a time like this. There’s no “you’ll get over it, “you just need some time,” or “I’ve been there,” because no one has.
Jill creates characters that readers immediately want to be best friends with, and that’s a good thing because she’s hard at work on (at least) two more books in this series. These ladies are flawed, but relatable, they have hearts of gold, but can be sassy and they like their wine! Don’t we all, right girls?
Peyton Brooks, an empty-nester with a dying marriage, loses her three best friends in a car accident, when she’s the driver. Wracked with guilt and then the end of her twenty-one year-old marriage, she reaches out to the women in the To-Hell-And-Back-Club to help save her. These are the kind of women you want around you at a time like this. There’s no “you’ll get over it, “you just need some time,” or “I’ve been there,” because no one has.
Jill creates characters that readers immediately want to be best friends with, and that’s a good thing because she’s hard at work on (at least) two more books in this series. These ladies are flawed, but relatable, they have hearts of gold, but can be sassy and they like their wine! Don’t we all, right girls?
April 5, 2017
I loved the premise of this book. What could be more inspiring than a social club whose sole purpose is to offer support and camaraderie to women who've been to hell and back. Even more intriguing, each new member has to be invited in by a mentor, and then has to wait a year before divulging the tragedy that brought her to the club.
This is a heartwarming story about resilience, friendship, and acceptance. Underneath the main storyline is a constant theme of the secrets we keep even from those closest to us, which brings me back to the premise. New members are meant to keep their secrets so they aren't judged by the past.
Lots here for female book clubs to talk about!
This is a heartwarming story about resilience, friendship, and acceptance. Underneath the main storyline is a constant theme of the secrets we keep even from those closest to us, which brings me back to the premise. New members are meant to keep their secrets so they aren't judged by the past.
Lots here for female book clubs to talk about!
July 2, 2017
This book leads us into a circle of four inseparable friends who have shared several decades of history--college, weddings, pregnancies, motherhood, and especially the ups and downs of marriage relationships. As the book opens they are heading out for a day of fun, but also with a mission to encourage one woman in the group take some steps in a better direction for her life. When that day drops a bomb on her life, what to do with the debris is Peyton's journey from start to finish in this book. This story is an uplifting read about beauty from ashes. Put this book in your summer beach bag!
March 23, 2017
This is a wonderful story of four inseparable couples: the husbands do their "guy things" together, and the wives are each other's support system and all around best friends. When a horrific accident tears the couples apart, those left behind try to rebuild and grow stronger. At one point in their friendship, the women buried two sets of time capsules, including each one's biggest regret, an item from their bucket lists, and their deepest secret that they revealed to no one. When the time capsules are opened, one of them has to come to terms with her friends revelations, questioning whether she was the best friend she could have been. Can she forgive her friends, but more than that, can she forgive herself for secrets long buried? Finding the strength to rebuild, let go of regrets, and find joy again leads in unexpected directions, but opens up a world of new friends and experiences, and maybe even finding new love and coming to terms with love lost. Please read this one, you will definitely get caught up in the lives of these characters. I look forward to more good stories from Jill Hannah Anderson!
May 14, 2017
When Peyton Brooks life is ripped apart by a horrific crash that killed three of her best friends, the devastation of that night shocks her into overwhelming grief. Her marriage to Jerry has been in limbo for years, just going through the motions for their children Karley and Josh, but without any emotional connection, or comfort for one another. Peyton sought counseling through a minister who invited her to join in The Hell-And-Back Club, for women who were devastated by tragedies and were not allowed to share their secrets until they had been a member for a year. These women supported one another in ways no other friends could, and slowly Peyton learned everyone has secrets, but not before she unearthed some of her own past which shocked her. A story of forgiveness, acceptance, and no longer trying to be perfect found Peyton realizing her mistakes, letting go of her old ideas and forging a new life. This is a lovely, bittersweet poignant story about the truth behind lies, and the solidarity of women bonding together in friendship. I enjoyed this debut from Jill Hannah Anderson and thank her for sending me an advance review copy!
May 10, 2017
What does a woman do when her life is falling apart? Peyton Brooks has two children in college, on the verge of ending her marriage, when her three best friends, her lifeline, are all tragically killed. Succumbed by grief, overwhelmed by sadness and frustration, Peyton turns to a group of women called The to Hell and Back Club. These women have all endured their own tragedies and challenges, and through these women and their non-judgmental ways, Peyton begins to slowly heal. We follow Peyton on her journey for a couple of years, cheering for her to resume her life, enjoying the adventures that she and the other women go on. This book is an interesting look into how life goes on, even under the most grueling, unimaginable circumstances, and how important friendships and families are to see our way back home.
June 19, 2017
The title of this book made me think it was a biker-gang/tough-chick book, but it was a charming story about second chances. Author Jill Hannah Anderson has a lively/plain-speaking way of writing that makes the book accessible and a treat to read. The main character's best friends die in a horrific accident just about the time she's set to file for divorce. When things couldn't get any worse, Peyton joins the Hell Club where she learns the value of being responsible for her own happiness...then she goes about finding it amid the wreck of her old life. There are twists and turns and secrets discovered in time capsules left by her best friends...which kept the pages turning!
May 12, 2017
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book and loved it. Every woman needs a club like this! No whiners here, just strong women helping one another navigate the road back from all sorts of hell. This is a unique story of survival with rocks being thrown at Peyton from the past, present, and future. I love her attitude and perseverance as she takes time to mourn her losses, but also creates the life she wants. She proves that we are never too old to start over.
April 23, 2017
This novel is about a woman who, in middle-age, loses nearly everyone she holds dear in one fell-swoop. Peyton must claw her way back through the grief process, although at times she isn't sure she wants to. To recover, she must come to terms with many aspects of her life that she has avoided dealing with, but in order to heal she knows she must. With the help of the To-Hell-And-Back Club, she begins.
July 21, 2017
Awesome
It's like meeting old friends. This one made me feel anger, sympathy, laughter. It's definitely a great read. Will be following this author!!!
It's like meeting old friends. This one made me feel anger, sympathy, laughter. It's definitely a great read. Will be following this author!!!
March 24, 2017
This is an emotional story told with wit, humor, and compassion. We meet the main character, Peyton, at the cusp of an unimaginable tragedy that completely collapses the life she once knew. She must make a choice to either face the tragedy head-on and begin to heal, or to completely allow herself to self-combust. The storyline is fast-paced, never lagging, and always internalizing the ways one faces grief. Peyton is introduced to a group of women who have the ability to help her with her journey, but it is up to her to take those steps. I was captivated by the humor and deep longing for connection in this story. Most of all, I completely fell in love with Peyton. She is the kind of woman anyone would want to be friends with so it was extremely endearing to journey with her in this book. I felt myself longing to reach out and hug her. I really enjoyed the continuous surprises that lurked around the corner throughout the whole storyline. Although this book is about healing from tragedy it also encompasses many different deep-rooted secrets being unearthed, and having the courage to face mistakes. It will make you reflect on your own friendships, past and present. I raced through this book any free moment I had, wanting to spend more time with Peyton, and to see what else lurked beneath the surface. Jill Hannah Anderson is a gifted writer and I cannot wait to read more books by this author.
June 17, 2017
This is one of those books that I look at and think, why didn't I think of that? While this book hits on a hard topic for me, Jill Anderson did an amazing job of covering details and hitting on the emotions involved in such a story. I was impressed by the details and the strong emotions that I felt as the story line unfolded. Always a fan of books about friendships and strong women, I found The To Hell And Back Club to be a book that had this in spades.
As each character was flushed out I could see how they all fit into Peyton's life and why. Living in the area that Jill talks about in this book, I loved being able to visualize the places the group frequented and the roads they traveled.
I highly recommend this book to fans of strong women and friendships. I believe this would make for a great book club read as there is so much to discuss about friendships, and tragedies, and the moments that change us forever. I am so excited to read the next book that Jill writes and see where that takes me!
As each character was flushed out I could see how they all fit into Peyton's life and why. Living in the area that Jill talks about in this book, I loved being able to visualize the places the group frequented and the roads they traveled.
I highly recommend this book to fans of strong women and friendships. I believe this would make for a great book club read as there is so much to discuss about friendships, and tragedies, and the moments that change us forever. I am so excited to read the next book that Jill writes and see where that takes me!
April 14, 2017
Peyton is just existing in a marriage that's falling apart and is making plans to divorce her husband now that their children are both in college. She relies on her three best friends to help give her advice on how to confront her issues until one fateful day when her friends are killed in a car accident. Peyton is overwhelmed with grief and unable to function. She goes to a minister for grief counseling who refers her to a local women's group called the to hell and back club. The main purpose of this club is to mentor other women in a non-judgmental way who have been through hell and have managed to start living again just like all of the members of the club.
This is a very affirming story about the value of friendship and how crucial friends are in overcoming life's tragedies. I am pleased to see that the author is writing a new book featuring another member of the club.
Thanks to the author for a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
This is a very affirming story about the value of friendship and how crucial friends are in overcoming life's tragedies. I am pleased to see that the author is writing a new book featuring another member of the club.
Thanks to the author for a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
March 31, 2017
I have not read a book that could make me cry and laugh, feel weak then strong. Payton is a incredible character, that makes you feel you are right there in the book with her. It is so well written it was so hard to put the book down ,and when I did I was counting the minutes to get back to the book. I highly recommend this book . I think we could all use a women's club like the one in the book.
May 26, 2017
This is heartwarming story of life, love, friendship, and expectations. Peyton is me. Peyton is every woman, or any woman who will admit it. We all have failed ourselves and others in certain ways, and yet Anderson's story reminds us that it's okay. Witty, emotional, and full of great writing, The To-Hell-And-Back Club book is a must read!!
April 17, 2017
Very enjoyable read. Fun details about life in Minnesota!
April 23, 2017
A wonderful story of friendship. The unexpected secrets, understanding, forgiveness and healing that are always a part of it.
August 21, 2017
Jill Hannah Anderson's THE TO-HELL-AND-BACK CLUB is a emotional and compassionate story of friendship, love, loss and healing. I was lucky enough to have won a copy from the author. The story focuses on Peyton, an empty-nester whose long-time marriage is failing and who is looking to move on with her life. When her three best friends are killed in a tragic accident, Peyton loses her entire support network in one moment. The rest of the book follows her journey as she finds the strength to let go of her guilt and regret and try to find happiness again in her life. She is introduced to the To-Hell-And-Back Club, a group of women who have all endured difficult challenges and tragedies themselves and have bonded together to support and uplift each other during times of crisis. Through these relationships, Peyton begins to move through her grief and embark on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. As part of this process, she learns a lot about the friends she lost and about herself. The characters are believable and relatable. Jill's writing is fast-paced and witty and the book definitely held my interest. This would be a great book club read, with lots of points for discussion. I am looking forward to Jill's next book!
July 2, 2017
The book begins in tragedy and ends with hope. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first began but I could relate to Peyton's story in some ways and it really helped me process my feelings from my past and find ways to move on, grow from your mistakes and see that there really is life at the end of the tunnel...Now if only I could find my own local branch of The To Hell and Back Club life after this story would be complete.
Peyton is going through a lot at the moment. Her children are all moving out and in to their own lives, her husband doesn't speak to her anymore and moved out and to top it all off she loses her three best friends in a horrific car crash.
Then at the point when she needs the support the most, she reaches out To The Hell and Back Club and these "new" friends change her life forever. She has people to go out with, share her feelings with and new friends to go through the remainder of her life with.
There are secrets that come out little by little in time capsules that her and her three friends had buried years back. She find the courage to go through them one by one.
Then there are her children's tribulations that Peyton learns the right way to support them through, her filing for divorce and even has the chance to date the man that will give her butterflies again and make her life whole.
This story is uplifting and you won't be able to put it down.
Peyton is going through a lot at the moment. Her children are all moving out and in to their own lives, her husband doesn't speak to her anymore and moved out and to top it all off she loses her three best friends in a horrific car crash.
Then at the point when she needs the support the most, she reaches out To The Hell and Back Club and these "new" friends change her life forever. She has people to go out with, share her feelings with and new friends to go through the remainder of her life with.
There are secrets that come out little by little in time capsules that her and her three friends had buried years back. She find the courage to go through them one by one.
Then there are her children's tribulations that Peyton learns the right way to support them through, her filing for divorce and even has the chance to date the man that will give her butterflies again and make her life whole.
This story is uplifting and you won't be able to put it down.
May 19, 2017
A heartwarming and wonderful story about friendship, secrets, family and survival. Highly recommended.
July 20, 2017
Jill Hannah Anderson, has written a powerful debut novel, in her: THE TO-HELL-AND-BACK CLUB. Peyton is the main character in this story. Her two children Karley and Josh are both in college, and her marriage of 22 years, to Jerry, has not been good. They married because Peyton was pregnant, but they weren't in love. The only thing Peyton has, that she can depend on, in her life are her three best friends: Maggie, Lauren, and Dana. The four of them do everything together, However, on the day they are going to the yearly craft fair, Josh calls and needs his football shoe spikes. Peyton tells her friends that she'll meet them there. Peyton is driving to the fair, finally, when traffic slows to a crawl ..... there is probably an accident ahead. As she passes the over turned truck, and smashed car; she suddenly realizes it's Maggie's car! It's probably the most tragic scene Peyton will ever witness in her life. The paramedics pull her away as she realizes that Maggie and Lauren are dead, and Dana is being rushed to the hospital, where she soon dies, also. Peyton feels like she has died, too. Reading about what the survivor, Peyton, endures in the days ahead; and her emotions of guilt, thoughts of what she should've said or done, and wishing she'd died, too. They are so extremely prevalent to survivors of a tragedy. I even had to stop reading for awhile to process it all, having lived through my own tragedy. That's why, I know, that Ms Anderson's writing is exquisitely accurate. What will Peyton do now for love and support? She lives in Minnesota, and her family is in San Antonio a thousand miles away. Will Peyton have the strength to survive this tragic event ? This is where the To-Hell-And-Back Club comes into Peyton's life. Who are these people in this club? SURVIVORS. When Peyton reaches out to them, her whole life is going to change. That's what this superb novel is about: how Peyton, and other survivors of tragedies, can help each other. The club members pull one another back from the hell that they've been living in. WOW! This book touched my heart in so many ways ..... I cried, I laughed, and then I stood up and cheered Peyton on!! Jill Hannah Anderson has written an incredibly satisfying novel. I highly recommend that you read this first book in THE TO- HELL- AND - BACK CLUB SERIES. Book Two: Crazy Little Town Called Love, will be published in 2018.
October 23, 2018
I was recently lucky enough to win this absolutely MUST READ by Jill Hannah Anderson and panda moon publishing . Peyton Brooks is in a marriage that hasn’t worked for years, is a recent empty nester after spending years living her life for her children’s schedules, and suddenly loses her three best friends in a car accident. When she is introduced to a group of women that call themselves the To-Hell-And-Back Club she starts learning to live a new life that she never thought she would have. As part of her healing process she decides to dig up time capsules that they each buried and learns that her friends each had life changing secrets. Her discovery makes it harder for her to hold on to her secret but her new friends show her that with love, patience, laughter and a lot of healing you can make a life your proud to live. I related to this book so much that I will probably continue to reread this book each year at a certain point for many years to come. This is a must read for anyone trying to figure out how to move past any tragedy in their life or just a fan of women’s fiction. I can’t wait to read the follow up book and any books by Jill Anderson.
October 17, 2022
Peyton has lost her best friends in a tragic car accident, she’s in the midst of divorce & a group of women who call themselves the To-Hell-and-Back Club give her the lifeline she so desperately needs. This novel is about how Peyton learns to heal, deals with secrets her friends left in their wake, and a big one of her own—it’s about how she reclaims her life and learns to live again.
“If you can’t relate to the club, you just haven’t lived long enough”
Everyone needs a To-Hell-and-Back club; I know I certainly have. I loved this book. I particularly fell in love with Peyton’s character and connected with her. She is relatable, flawed, real. Anderson creates a layered story that is fast-paced. I felt, I cried, I laughed. Highly recommend if you enjoy stories about friendship, healing and renewal.
“If you can’t relate to the club, you just haven’t lived long enough”
Everyone needs a To-Hell-and-Back club; I know I certainly have. I loved this book. I particularly fell in love with Peyton’s character and connected with her. She is relatable, flawed, real. Anderson creates a layered story that is fast-paced. I felt, I cried, I laughed. Highly recommend if you enjoy stories about friendship, healing and renewal.
May 20, 2017
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest review. This is a powerful and searing debut novel about the ties that bind women, and the power of love, forgiveness, and healing. Anderson is willing to shine a light on how the mistakes we make should not define us. I loved this premise: A woman whose entire life crumbles after being torn apart by guilt following a tragedy, and the notion of the “to hell and back club” where likeminded souls must bond for an entire year before they can share their dark pasts. Kudos to Anderson for being unapologetic and unafraid to tackle deep, dark emotions with honesty and vulnerability and for allowing us to take this incredible journey with Peyton through darkness to the light.
April 13, 2017
What initially hooked me about the novel, in concert with all the references to the setting I know so well, was the shocking premise. Honestly, main character Peyton's life couldn't get much worse even before the terrible accident that claimed the lives of the only people on whom Peyton believed she could depend. I enjoyed the characterization in this novel, especially Peyton's cruel husband, Jerry -- he may have been the most realistically rendered character in the whole story. This could be an excessively gloomy story -- everything good that happens to Peyton is almost totally overshadowed by tragedy and problems and negativity -- but what makes this not only a depressing story is the fact that Peyton largely turns her life around on her own. She makes new friends without simply replacing the old ones, she moves forward from an honest place in her relationship with her children, she pursues career change for her own sake and no other, and while her burgeoning courtship with Daniel certainly is enjoyable, he's a bonus aspect of her recovery instead of the primary or even an important step. Her newfound independence is encouraging more than anything else. I did struggle a bit with some of the stilted dialogue, which felt a little formal at times, and I'm afraid that too much conflict was addressed to come to meaningful, realistic conclusions for the majority of them, but overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I'm likely to read Anderson's next book in this series if I am able.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2017
"If we admit to others we need help, it's like Pandora's Box -- you can never fold the pain back inside again. Someone else knows your 'secrets', and they can no longer be ignored. Peyton's secrets and the secrets that her closest friends never told her become the theme of this story. The author creatively weaves these secrets throughout the book, and Peyton's life reaches a climax when she must reveal her secret. There are passages throughout the book that resonant. A must read to find out which one resonates with you.
June 15, 2017
I found the characters in this book to be very relatable. Whether first hand or family and friends, so many have been through these life experiences. I started reading this book and wanted to follow through to see how Peyton would find the strength to go on after the tragedy of losing her friends and trying to adapt to all of the other changes affecting her life. Her portrayal of the main character shows the wide range of emotions that come with all of the ups and downs of life. Looking forward to Jill's next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews