Tricia Stringer has developed characters you get to know and like and clearly depicts the town of Badara, a typical rural Australian town with a larger coastal town not far away. Tricia’s style has you hearing, seeing, smelling, and even tasting everything about the town.
The main character, Paige, is a single mother of three children who moves to Badara to escape her past. She struggles with fitting in and is reluctant to mix with the locals for fear of them pushing her to reveal her secrets..
What she doesn’t realise is most of the other women in town also have their own secrets about their past or family members.
The women have different personalities, struggles, and flaws, but they are friendly and supportive in true country fashion in welcoming Paige and trying to help her.
However, Paige feels their generous gestures of welcome are interfering with gestures of charity. She joins the local exercise class and as she gets to know the other women and their stores, she relaxes and becomes more involved with town activities.
She especially became involved in the planning and organisation of the Back to Baraba event to raise funds to repair the dilapidated hall where the classes are held.
But, it is not just Paige’s story. It is also the story of the residents and the town itself. The interaction between the characters is as important as those involving Paige.
The characters are believable and likeable even with their faults and secrets. I have lived in small rural towns and related to all the characters– I am sure I have met many of them.
Ms Stringer does not hold back on discussing sensitive issues in her book. Subjects such as
Single mothers, drugs, infidelity, homosexuality, and drugs are dealt with sensitively and with empathy and dignity.
Overall the story flowed smoothly and was a most enjoyable read. While the storyline is exceptional I felt it took second place to the characters and that’s not a criticism.
I was sorry when it finished, I felt I had got to know the characters and wanted to spend more time with them.
Thanks to Netgalley, Tricia Stringer and Harlequin Australia for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own
My rating 5*
