Did your mom have lemon drops in the house? My mom still has a baggie of them in her purse. If you are sitting next to her in church, she will pass you that bag so you can suck on one during the sermon. I wish I had used lemon drops with my kids the way Morgan's mother does in this story. What a great way to give kids and other people in our lives a moment to reflect on what they have to say. The lemon drop is such a great analogy for hard talks that result in a closer relationship. Heather Clark writes the story of Morgan and her family in a Before and After timeline. "Mama Bell" died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism and the family is numb with shock. Morgan is twelve and feels a burden to keep her family going. It isn't Plan A, but she is determined to keep them in Plan B no matter how much it stinks. She is certain that sliding into Plan C will lead directly to Plan D for Disaster. A solo hike on impulse takes Morgan into dangerous territory. Morgan's mom was a Life Coach and Morgan can hear her mother's voice, but does not see a way to live a happy life again. If only she could actually talk to her mother in person. . . I really loved the way the two timelines complemented each other. You could see how the complete and connected life Morgan had before her mom's death was starting to fray and fracture in other ways as well. Could it be that Plan B is meant to be temporary and can launch you into a new Plan A? This would be a fantastic classroom read aloud. Looking forward to seeing more books from Heather Clark.

Thank you to Jolly Fish Press and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.adventure family middle-grade39 s Tina Loves To Read2,785 1 follower

This is a Middle Grade book. This book is told with two different timelines (Before Mother's death and After Mother's death) by Morgan. I found the beginning of this book hard to get into. This book is covering some hard topics (Death of a Mother and Mental Health). I loved the lemon drops idea in this book, and I really loved the ending. I think this book needed less bouncing Before and After, and It also needed some light hearted moments mixed into the hard hitting times in this book. I d this book, but I really wanted to love this book. The ending is where all the action is. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (North Star Editions) or author (Heather Clark) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.arc-copy kindle-books middle-grade ...more28 s Reading_ Tamishly4,971 3,067

Happy Publication Day!

I cried my eyes out while reading this book. I knew it would make me sad and break my heart when I got the ARC. But all the tears.... I wasn't expecting that.

All I am trying to say is that this book is really good. The writing, the themes it's representing, the realistic characters and the story. It all clicks. Just the perfect book which tells the story of a grieving family and a young character with anxiety. The book is written with sensitivity and understanding that I feel this book needs to be shared and read by the young and the adults.

Un most of the middle grade books, this book shows the vulnerable sides of adults. Adults do not know everything and we aren't perfect how our kids see us when they are really young.

The story is quite realistic and it explores what we can do in such situations. One of those books we bawl our eyes out because they are so real and relatable.

Go for this book without thinking twice. But yes take your time while reading it. And also a certain headspace before picking it up.

*Be aware that the book deals with grief and anxiety in details.

Thank you, Flux, Jolly Fish Press for the advance reading copy.24 s Belles Middle Grade Library861

Wow! Wow! Wow! I am just blown away by this book! It takes a lot for me to feel this way about a contemporary….I mean where I not only enjoyed it, but fell absolutely in love with it. Well this one took my heart, & I would give it again & again for this book. This was told so beautifully, & the writing was absolutely superb. I was so impressed by this author. The chapters alternate between “Before” & “After”(& it tells you which at each chapter head). Before means before Morgan’s mom died, so we get to see memories/moments in time of life before, & what was going on in Morgan’s life leading up to that tragic day. After, is of course after her mom dies, & for the most part those chapters are current time. I really enjoyed that aspect. It makes you even more invested with Morgan, her friends, her mom & the whole story. With everything Morgan had going on in her life when her mom died-especially the day of….plus about to start junior high & everything that’s changing..it’s a time in her life where she needs her mom more than ever. Then she feels she has to step in & be mom to her siblings, & run the household so her dad doesn’t worry. She has so much on her shoulders, & she can’t even let herself grieve, much less be a kid. She was incredible. So many great messages in here. Just amazing. The whole idea of the lemon drops was just brilliant, & the reason. Makes perfect sense. Such a great analogy. I also loved how her mom was a life coach, & the whole idea of the Plan A, B, & C approach. I absolutely loved her mom, she was amazing. I said, you feel such a connection with these characters. I highly recommend it. Absolutely loved the ending & how the story came together to wrap up. Big book hug for sure. Stunning cover by Dirclumsy too!
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