This month in BookTrib, we are celebrating Women’s Fiction titles that showcase the journey that the road of mental health can take us and those we love on. The veering off and on again, the rest spots along the way and the speed of life adjustments we make on the bumpy sections and especially the windy or even scary bits. The enormous courage to see a way forward as we travel beside those we love or walk alone and discover the learning, growth and surprising experiences along this path.
Equilibrium by Lorrie Thomson | Kensington Books, 2013
In the year since her husband died, Laura Klein’s world has shifted on its axis. It’s not just that she’s raising two children alone — fact is, Laura always did the parenting for both of them. But now her fifteen-year-old daughter, Darcy, is dating a boy with a fast car and faster hands, and thirteen-year-old Troy’s attitude has plummeted along with his voice. Just when she’s resigning herself to a life of worry and selfless support, her charismatic new tenant offers what Laura least expects: a second chance.
Darcy isn’t surprised her mom doesn’t understand her, though she never imagined her suddenly acting like a love-struck teen herself. With Troy starting to show signs of their father’s bipolar disorder, and her best friend increasingly secretive, Darcy turns to her new boyfriend, Nick, for support. Yet Nick has a troubled side of his own, forcing Darcy toward life-altering choices and finding the balance between holding on and letting go.
The Promise Between Us by Barbara Claypole White | Lake Union Publishing, 2018
Can you be a good mother if you abandoned your baby?
Metal artist Katie Mack is living a lie. Nine years ago, she ran away from her family in Raleigh, North Carolina, consumed by the irrational fear that she would harm Maisie, her newborn daughter. Over time she’s come to grips with the mental illness that nearly destroyed her, and now funnels her pain into her art. Despite longing for Maisie, Katie honors an agreement with the husband she left behind — to change her name and never return.
But when she and Maisie reunite by chance, Katie can’t ignore the familiarity of her child’s compulsive behavior. Worse, Maisie worries obsessively about bad things happening to her pregnant stepmom. Katie has the power to help, but can she reconnect with the family she abandoned? To protect Maisie, Katie must face the fears that drove her from home, accept the possibility of love and risk exposing her heart-wrenching secret.
Rewrite the Stars by Christina Consolino | Black Rose Writing, 2021
Mom-of-three Sadie Rollins-Lancaster struggles with a crumbling marriage she had hoped to salvage. Though her husband, Theo, initiated the divorce, he’s now having a change of heart that’s difficult to reconcile as he fights against PTSD demons within. When a chance encounter with a stranger resurrects emotions in Sadie she never expected to feel again, her world is turned upside down. Will Sadie find the courage to shape her own future? Will Theo resolve his internal struggles and win Sadie back?
In dual points of view, Rewrite the Stars tells the story of Sadie and Theo, a former member of the military, as they and their family struggle to not only survive but thrive in the face of Theo’s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Rewrite the Stars exhibits the hard work and dedication that someone living with PTSD and their family members must commit to in order to heal.
The Difference by C. D’Angelo | Self-published, 2021
When Rachel Granza, struggling with crippling anxiety, learns that her growing sense of emptiness is jeopardizing any possibility of a marriage proposal from her almost perfect boyfriend, she knows she must pull herself out of her funk. But how? A dream apartment in New York City, a thriving psychotherapy practice and her unique obsessions with topics like the Titanic don’t even make her feel grounded anymore. Red alert!
Trying to find happiness and meaning again she throws herself into a genealogy mission to discover childhood information about her idol, aka her grandpa, who died years ago. Rachel’s ancestral roller coaster has roadblocks galore, but she needs the answers to her family’s secretive history. They’re her only hope to salvage her relationship, and most importantly to save herself.
The Dog Walkers by Michelle M. Davis | Self-published, 2022
Ali Doyle, a thirty-two-year-old engineer, discovers her boyfriend, the legal counsel at the suburban Philadelphia software company where she works, has no intention of marrying her. After an uncharacteristically emotional confrontation, Ali ends the two-year relationship. However, the fear of seeing her ex at work and losing all control causes her to feign an illness, self-isolating in her apartment. At first, she’s fine with the solitude, but when Ali tries to leave, she’s incapable of venturing outside.
While feeling lost and hopeless in this self-quarantined state, Ali discovers a solace to her loneliness: watching dog walkers from her front window. Searching for human connection, she creates imaginative back stories for these strangers and their pets. Ultimately, it’s her concern for an elderly gentleman and his golden retriever, as well as advice from an unexpected voice inside of her head, that give her the strength to leave her apartment building and begin her journey to wellness. As Ali re-emerges from her isolated state, she meets several of the dog walkers, learning their real names and true identities. Through this process, she forms friendships, finds guidance and recovers the missing pieces of herself that she had given away.
These Numbered Days by Anna E. Collins | Red Adept Publishing, 2022
How do you ask forgiveness for the unforgivable?
When Annie Wolff’s ex-husband dies unexpectedly, she breaks her self-imposed exile and returns home to Snohomish, Washington. Annie hasn’t seen her children, Grace and Connor, in eight years, and now, her in-laws are making a bid to adopt them. She only hopes the crippling depression that once sent her running will remain in check.
Annie is quickly drawn back into the lives of her now-teenage kids, under the skeptical supervision of their aunt. While Connor welcomes his estranged mother with open arms, Grace wants nothing to do with her. Annie is determined to be patient, even though her daughter’s behavior raises red flags. As Annie sets out on this new, treacherous road, she stumbles into the path of Wic Dubray — the annoyingly honest woodworker who leases her a room. Not used to anyone caring for her, she finds his presence is both an unanticipated gift and a complication. Annie must navigate old memories, hostile relatives, her wavering mental health and a growing fondness for Wic. Only then will she have a chance to win back her children and her life and maybe find love.
Equilibrium by Lorrie Thomson
In the year since her husband died, Laura Klein’s world has shifted on its axis. It’s not just that she’s raising two children alone — fact is, Laura always did the parenting for both of them. But now her fifteen-year-old daughter, Darcy, is dating a boy with a fast car and faster hands, and thirteen-year-old Troy’s attitude has plummeted along with his voice. Just when she’s resigning herself to a life of worry and selfless support, her charismatic new tenant offers what Laura least expects: a second chance. Darcy isn’t surprised her mom doesn’t understand her, though she never imagined her suddenly acting like a love-struck teen herself. With Troy starting to show signs of their father’s bipolar disorder, and her best friend increasingly secretive, Darcy turns to her new boyfriend, Nick, for support. Yet Nick has a troubled side of his own, forcing Darcy toward life-altering choices and finding the balance between holding on and letting go.
The Promise Between Us by Barbara Claypole White
Metal artist Katie Mack is living a lie. Nine years ago, she ran away from her family in Raleigh, North Carolina, consumed by the irrational fear that she would harm Maisie, her newborn daughter. Over time she’s come to grips with the mental illness that nearly destroyed her, and now funnels her pain into her art. Despite longing for Maisie, Katie honors an agreement with the husband she left behind — to change her name and never return. But when she and Maisie reunite by chance, Katie can’t ignore the familiarity of her child’s compulsive behavior. Worse, Maisie worries obsessively about bad things happening to her pregnant stepmom. Katie has the power to help, but can she reconnect with the family she abandoned? To protect Maisie, Katie must face the fears that drove her from home, accept the possibility of love and risk exposing her heart-wrenching secret.
Rewrite the Stars by Christina Consolino
Mom-of-three Sadie Rollins-Lancaster struggles with a crumbling marriage she had hoped to salvage. Though her husband, Theo, initiated the divorce, he’s now having a change of heart that’s difficult to reconcile as he fights against PTSD demons within. When a chance encounter with a stranger resurrects emotions in Sadie she never expected to feel again, her world is turned upside down. Will Sadie find the courage to shape her own future? Will Theo resolve his internal struggles and win Sadie back? In dual points of view, Rewrite the Stars tells the story of Sadie and Theo, a former member of the military, as they and their family struggle to not only survive but thrive in the face of Theo’s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Rewrite the Stars exhibits the hard work and dedication that someone living with PTSD and their family members must commit to in order to heal.
The Difference by C. D’Angelo
When Rachel Granza, struggling with crippling anxiety, learns that her growing sense of emptiness is jeopardizing any possibility of a marriage proposal from her almost perfect boyfriend, she knows she must pull herself out of her funk. But how? A dream apartment in New York City, a thriving psychotherapy practice and her unique obsessions with topics like the Titanic don’t even make her feel grounded anymore. Red alert! Trying to find happiness and meaning again she throws herself into a genealogy mission to discover childhood information about her idol, aka her grandpa, who died years ago. Rachel’s ancestral roller coaster has roadblocks galore, but she needs the answers to her family’s secretive history. They’re her only hope to salvage her relationship, and most importantly to save herself.
The Dog Walkers by Michelle M. Davis
Ali Doyle, a thirty-two-year-old engineer, discovers her boyfriend, the legal counsel at the suburban Philadelphia software company where she works, has no intention of marrying her. After an uncharacteristically emotional confrontation, Ali ends the two-year relationship. However, the fear of seeing her ex at work and losing all control causes her to feign an illness, self-isolating in her apartment. At first, she’s fine with the solitude, but when Ali tries to leave, she’s incapable of venturing outside. While feeling lost and hopeless in this self-quarantined state, Ali discovers a solace to her loneliness: watching dog walkers from her front window. Searching for human connection, she creates imaginative back stories for these strangers and their pets. Ultimately, it’s her concern for an elderly gentleman and his golden retriever, as well as advice from an unexpected voice inside of her head, that give her the strength to leave her apartment building and begin her journey to wellness. As Ali re-emerges from her isolated state, she meets several of the dog walkers, learning their real names and true identities. Through this process, she forms friendships, finds guidance and recovers the missing pieces of herself that she had given away.
These Numbered Days by Anna E. Collins
How do you ask forgiveness for the unforgivable? When Annie Wolff’s ex-husband dies unexpectedly, she breaks her self-imposed exile and returns home to Snohomish, Washington. Annie hasn’t seen her children, Grace and Connor, in eight years, and now, her in-laws are making a bid to adopt them. She only hopes the crippling depression that once sent her running will remain in check. Annie is quickly drawn back into the lives of her now-teenage kids, under the skeptical supervision of their aunt. While Connor welcomes his estranged mother with open arms, Grace wants nothing to do with her. Annie is determined to be patient, even though her daughter’s behavior raises red flags. As Annie sets out on this new, treacherous road, she stumbles into the path of Wic Dubray — the annoyingly honest woodworker who leases her a room. Not used to anyone caring for her, she finds his presence is both an unanticipated gift and a complication. Annie must navigate old memories, hostile relatives, her wavering mental health and a growing fondness for Wic. Only then will she have a chance to win back her children and her life and maybe find love.
Great Share!
Its really difficult to understand this situation which leads to serious health problems. But we can solve it little by self help guys, i am sharing you some tips to reduce your anxiety
1. Breathing exercises helps to calm down fear.
2. Sleep Regularly
3. Meditation for atleast 10min
4. Try to follow healthy Diet
5. Engage yourself with work or reading books
6. Find workable new goals
Thanks,
Sonali