Penelope Winters, Pen to her friends, is headed to Edinburgh for college. She's going with her friend Alice, although they've agreed not to interfere with each other's lives while at school.

Pen has an ulterior motive for choosing Scotland, one that neither her friends nor her parents know about.

Armed with what knowledge she thinks she has gleaned from her parents' flailing marriage, Pen is determined to unearth the secrets she believes lie with her father's oldest friend, Elliot Lennox.

There are classes, though. And classmates. This is a coming-of-age book, as well as a deep dive into the lives we hold up to the light and those we hide in the dark.

Anyone looking for an interesting, multi-layered story. It seemed to start off rather simply but in the end was about more than a teenage girl looking for answers. There are questions that bear thinking about; who are we, as women, once we bear children?

The characters all come to life seemingly effortlessly, and within the first few pages.

We all have secrets. Most of our secrets are merely an embarrassment. Some of them, though, can change lives.

The title alone is enough to make you want to read this book. You won't be sorry that you did.

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Created Jun 19, 2025 at 7:13pm • Submit your own review...