This is the story of Sam and Duncan – two people both trying to start fresh and make new lives for themselves for very different reasons. They are linked together due to knowing each other before their lives took very different turns. Sam is the librarian at The Kempner School and Duncan arrives as the new principal – strict, almost-military like and hellbent on ensuring the security of the school.
This story unfolds in such a beautiful way and I would definitely describe it as a page turner – I was absolutely hooked wanting to uncover the secrets of the main characters and they were written in such a lovely way that I really found myself rooting for them and the whole school community. Sam is much more complex than she first seems and I loved the journey that she went on, coming to terms with how her health condition didn’t need to define her and most importantly learning to allow herself to be loved.
Duncan was equally as complex for very different reasons and I did get emotional when finding out the reasons for his new attitude – maybe that’s due to being a primary school teacher myself and realising how real the situation he found himself in could potentially be!
There were so many moments in this book that I found myself laughing out loud – this is due to the way the character’s were written – they seemed so real. I don’t know if it was the author’s intention to provide comedic moments but the conversations after Duncan’s hospital visit were particularly humorous!
I would highly recommend this book as a page turner with a lovely story of love and friendship at its heart.
The Book Believer 