A Mother’s Confession

By Kelly Rimmer

PBT Review #14

How do you move on when the person you’ve built your whole life around is no longer living. That’s what these two women, Olivia and Ivy, struggle with throughout the whole book. Ironically, they have built their lives around the same man–David. But they’ve built their lives around him in two different ways. The story is told from two different perspectives, one a mother and one a wife. One can see absolutely no faults in David and one gets to see the ugly side of him way too frequently.

One thing this book made me realize was that there’s a very, very thin line between jealousy and protectiveness, but also protectiveness and possessiveness. Abuse and manipulation is not an overnight thing, but a gradual change in behavior that leaves you wondering how exactly did I get here and why have I let it get this far. This book was definitely an eye opener for me.

It’s ironic that Ivy’s situation and choices as a teenager are very similar to the situation Olivia faces after college and yet Ivy doesn’t really sympathize with Olivia. Even though Ivy knows that she settled for a life with her husband (and son) and refers to her life as a prison. How could she want that for another woman in the same predicament. Even though she really doesn’t because she’s never been supportive of David and Olivia’s relationship and is constantly praying for their downfall. Once Ivy realized that Olivia was a permanent fixture in David’s life, she made it very well known that she was on her son’s side no matter what.

Ivy isn’t exactly an enabler but I think she knows deep down what her son is capable of and she writes it off and makes excuses for him. Ivy and Wyatt, David’s parents, learn the hardest lesson imaginable–turning a blind eye can prove to be fatal.

The Tradegy, as it is referred to by Olivia, is mentioned pretty much on the first page and you’re left wondering exactly what happened and through the 317 pages of the book, very slowly bits and pieces of the events that took place that day are revealed.

The big reveal of The Tragedy was not even remotely close to what I was expecting. I would have never guessed that. It’s so much worse than I could’ve ever imagined. I was seriously blind-sided by the reveal, but it just added to the depth of the story.

I don’t know the words to express how incredibly brave Olivia is to rebuild her life and take back everything that was taken away from her. It’s amazing to watch her transformation throughout the book. She definitely proves just how strong of a woman she truly is, regardless of what her past looks like. Olivia sets out a plan to get her life on track and she accomplishes it rather quickly, with a few setbacks.

But when Olivia finally gets that puppy she’s always wanted that is the true representation of just how far she has come. That scene seriously made my heart melt and the biggest grin came across my face. That puppy represents so much and it was the happiest moment of the book (almost).

Ellen is seriously a godsend, in more ways that I can explain. She plays a pretty significant role in helping Olivia find her way again, even though it doesn’t seem like it.

The bomb dropped at the end is heartbreaking and goes hand in hand with The Tragedy. It took me a minute to really process what had occurred.

The pink teddy bear is all I can tell you about The Tragedy. Please, please preorder and read this book. The light it sheds on so many aspects is truly amazing.

Thank the book Gods above and mostly Kelly Rimmer for that Epilogue it was everything I needed and more! It provided the exact amount of closure that I needed. My goodness this was an amazing book that I almost can’t form words!

Kelly Rimmer is officially a must read author of mine and if she’s not one of yours… Well she should be!

A huge THANK YOU to bookouture for approving me on Netgalley to review this ARC!