Author: Diane Chamberlain
Published: April 24, 2012
Genre: contemporary fiction
eBook: approx. 368 pages
Source: borrowed from the library
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Synopsis (from GoodReads): Four years ago, nineteen-year-old Travis Brown made a choice: to raise his newborn daughter on his own. While most of his friends were out partying and meeting girls, Travis was at home, changing diapers and worrying about keeping food on the table. But he's never regretted his decision. Bella is the light of his life. The reason behind every move he makes. And so far, she is fed. Cared for. Safe.
But when Travis loses his construction job and his home, the security he's worked so hard to create for Bella begins to crumble...….
Then a miracle. A job in Raleigh has the power to turn their fortunes around. It has to. But when Travis arrives in Raleigh, there is no job, only an offer to participate in a onetime criminal act that promises quick money and no repercussions. With nowhere else to turn, Travis must make another choice for his daughter's sake.Even if it means he might lose her.
My Thoughts: I've been wanting to read Diane Chamberlain for sometime now, but never got around to picking up one of her books. When I saw that this was available for immediate checkout on the OverDrive site (a library lending site), I went ahead and checked it out. The premise sounded promising and like something I would enjoy. As I started reading the book, I wasn't immediately drawn in. It took me about 100 pages to be fully engaged in the book, but once I was, it was hard to put down.
The story is told by three characters: Travis (Bella's father and a man who is down on his luck), Robin (a woman with a secret who is about to be married to a strong political family in North Carolina), and Erin (a woman who has recently lost a child and is finding it hard to cope with her life). Each chapter is told from a different point of view, and it's because of that reason that it takes a little time to get into the story. I love books that are written with multiple narrators, but it wasn't clear how all these people related to one another and how their stories would contribute to the overall plot.
It was an engrossing read once the action started and you didn't know what Travis was going to do in order to provide for his daughter. As the title states, Travis is a good father who has fallen on hard times and doesn't have a way to provide for his child. While I have no children, I could instantly relate to Travis and his struggles. Chamberlain has you rooting for him from the get-go and she really pulls you into the story with Travis and Bella.
The characters were engaging, the story engrossing, and the overall effect was wonderful. I could only give this book 3.5 stars thought because of the beginning (I hate when it takes a long time for me to get into a book), and the end (I just thought it was awkward). I will definitely read more of Diane Chamberlain's work in the future and hope that they are all as riveting as this story.
Oh I wasn't expecting this book to be about what it is about. The cover doesn't match the description. It sounds riveting, I'm glad to hear that it actually is.
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