Simple Wishes

Lisa Dale

While Adele was growing up in the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania her mother Marge cocooned her and wouldn't allow her much leeway in anything. Adele dropped out of high school and ran away to New York City. For the next twelve years she spent her time working sales and clerical work in art galleries. She met people, had romances, but never connected to anyone. Then her life fell apart. None of her acquaintances would help her when she suddenly found herself jobless and homeless.

Now she has returned to her mother's home in Pennsylvania. Her mother had died years earlier. They had only exchanged cards while Adele was in New York. She hadn't even returned for her mother's funeral. Now she's back and still resentful of her mother. She can't wait for things to turn around so she can return to the city.

She becomes friendly with the neighbors. One home is a weekend retreat. She becomes friendly with the older woman, Beatrice, a Korean who has lived in American since she married her husband. Adele also connects with her granddaughter, a 14-year-old who is a loner but trying to fit in to please her mother. At first she seems to be rebelling but Adele learns over time that Kayleigh is more than she appears. Beatrice had been close friends with Marge. She accepts Adele but refuses to talk about Marge so Adele can finally learn more about her mother.

The other house that is close belongs to Jay Westvelt, a woodworker and occasional artist. Jay is happy to live in the mountains and has no desire to live in the city. Adele is drawn to him but wary at the same time. She is returning to the city. A relationship with Jay would be a mistake.

Simple Wishes is not a simple romance. Instead, it is a thoughtful novel about a woman who was disconnected from her mother and ran away. Now she is trying to learn who her mother was and why she treated Adele as she did. The two were very different and Adele wants to understand her mother better. Without the romance aspect of the story this would be a novel of women's relationships and growth.

Lisa Dale combines in the romance to help Adele find out who she really is after all these years. Between Beatrice and Jay she is able to look and herself and find the person she can like. By the end she still doesn't understand everything about her mother, but has better insights and understandings.

Notice: Strong sexual content

Publicist provided for review