Vale Lightner's dreams turn to ash when the Pittsburgh bar she owns goes up in flames. Just like the past she escaped, very little seems salvageable. Facing unavoidable change, Vale returns to her hometown of Philadelphia to stay with her grandmother.
She knows that returning also means facing everything she left behind: a mother and stepfather who shunted her into the background from the day they married, and her charmed and favoured half-sister, Blythe, who has abandoned a perfect marriage and is now at a crossroads of her own. Everyone has their secrets, and this reunited family racked by them is about to reach a crisis point.
For a mother and her two daughters, this reunion is a chance for closure, newfound love, and forgiveness. As each of them reassesses her own memories of the past, only the truth can bring them together-in ways that could last forever. From the bestselling author of The Passing Storm comes a poignant novel about family secrets, healing, and the hope of second chances.
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Vale awoke to the scream of sirens.CHAPTER 1
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(Lake Union Publishing, 27 September 2022, e-book, 301 pages, #ARC from the publisher via @ NetGalley)
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I loved A Brighter Flame. This is a book that made me cry a lot and gave me all the feels. Vale is a great character. She's not perfect but she's strong-willed, tough, and very relatable. I cried a few times reading this. I loved the way the author explores family relationships in the book especially Vale and her sister Blythe. This is a powerful novel. I'd highly recommend it.
