About the book:

Fourteen-year-old Kaitlyn Myer dreams of becoming a basketball champion, but making her high school’s varsity team quickly turns into a living nightmare when a gang of bullies targets her. As their abuse erodes her confidence, Kaitlyn slides into destructive patterns and isolates herself from the people who love her most. If God is so good, why is her life so bad?

Taryn Thompkins, fifteen-year-old daughter of a heroin addict, is just settling into a group home when an experienced foster family offers to take her in. Embraced by the Myer family, Taryn begins to understand for the first time what family really means. But when Kaitlyn’s rebellion threatens everyone’s peace, Taryn is caught in a crossfire of mistrust and judgment and left wondering if she ever should have agreed to live with them in the first place.

Terrified of the repercussions, Kaitlyn cannot speak the truth, and no one’s listening to Taryn. But as secrets, half-truths, and lies upheave the family, one thing is certain: Truth alone will set their feet on solid ground.

Excerpt:

I stare at the brown bottle clasped in my hand. I lose track of how long I sit there, my hands shaking. God, help me. I never thought my life would go this way.

Tears fall as I twist off the cap and bring it to my nose. It reeks of memories I’ve tried to forget. My mother hurling into the kitchen sink… staggering across the house…passing out in a pile of bottles… me mopping up the beer she spilled in her drunken meandering. I swore I’d never do that to myself, but look at me now.

I bring the bottle to my lips and struggle to put back a few sips. I cough and sputter as the bitter taste attacks my tongue.

How does my mother—how does anyone—do this night after night? What am I doing? This isn’t me. I am not my mother. I will not become this person who turns to alcohol to feel better. I can’t get rid of this garbage fast enough.

In the bathroom, I crank the tap on high to disguise the sound of me dumping the rest of the bottle down the drain. I feel like I might cry, but now it’s a mix of agony and triumph. Maybe I’m destined to hold on to my pain—and everyone else’s—like a cancer for the rest of my life. Maybe it will take root somewhere deep down and fester until it becomes something so big, I can’t handle it.

But for now at least, I can handle it. I can hide this empty bottle of misery under my bed, where no one will find it. I don’t know where I’ll find the strength to carry all that’s been thrown my way, but at least for tonight I’m strong enough to resist my mother’s legacy.

About the author:

Chrissy M. Dennis lives in Saskatchewan, Canada with her foster daughters and calico kitty.  She is a full-time mom and a part-time administrative assistant for Renovaré Canada. Chrissy also loves to read, crochet and, of course, write, trusting the Lord will use her books for the glory of God and the growth of His kingdom through the healing work of the Gospel.  

She carries a Masters of Divinity in Youth and Family Ministry. She loves working with teens, and has felt the call of God to minister to the needs of youth in this culture. She hopes to continue writing, specifically regarding issues relevant to today’s teens, offering a message of salvation and hope. Her first novel, The Lion Cubs, received positive reviews and deals with themes of abuse and abandonment.

Author media links:

Where can readers find you online?

www.chrissymdennis.com

www.facebook.com/chrissymdennis

www.twitter.com/chrissymdennis

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5826990.Chrissy_M_Dennis

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