From the opening pages, the reader experiences the sharp contrast between 17 year old Delilan and her workaholic, unemotional, always in charge mother. Unjustifiably labeled as a troublemaking teenager, Delilah struggles with memories of  her childhood, years of loneliness she experienced as a latch key kid, and the ‘what if’s’ of the father she never knew.

Unexpectedly called back to her mother’s home town by the death of Delilah’s  grandmother from whom her mother has been estranged for eight years, Delilah re-enters a world she has longed for. Upon arriving back to the lake house in rural Vermont, Delilah is full of questions that her mother and aunt will not answer: Why did her mom and aunt and Grandma get in a huge fight on the dad of her Grandpa’s funeral?’ Why didn’t her Grandma ever try to get in contact with her?

Adding to the suspense is the mystery of her youngest aunt’s death at the age of 19, less than a year before Delilah was born.  Why won’t her mother, aunt or other family friends tell her the details of what happened to Aunt Stephanie? Why doesn’t anyone have her diary, and why are there no photos of her?

While helping her mother and aunt with estate sale and funeral preparations, Delilah reconnects with her childhood friend who lives in the house next door to her grandmother. This childhood friend, who she hasn’t seen or talked to in eight years, is now a handsome 18 yr. old young man.

The story of their rekindled friendship, her rebuilding of her relationship with her aunt, and the search for answers to the mysteries of the family history makes this an intriguing and compelling book.

This is a well written book, with characters and situations that teens and adults alike can relate to.