An army veteran with a career as a beat cop behind her, security guard Addie Finch is tough—on the outside. Internally, she’s in crisis mode. She’s lonely, introverted, struggling through AA, estranged from her son, and, at sixty-two years old, questioning her role as a protector. She also has a soft spot for the underdog that’s about to change her life.
Addie finds Jonathan, a homeless teenager abandoned by his mother, holed up in a warehouse and vulnerable to the elements and to predators. Touched by the boy’s gentle nature and a wisdom beyond his years, Addie offers him temporary shelter in her garden shed in exchange for maintaining the sprawling property. It’s an act of kindness and purpose that means the world to Jonathan. But when Addie faces a situation that sends her internal world tumbling, the emotional connection with Jonathan, once the unlikeliest of strangers, becomes her lifeline as well.
As both process past traumas, Addie and Jonathan forge a surrogate grandmother-grandson bond—a chosen family that could restore trust and heal hearts they thought were broken forever.
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My Review
This is a quietly powerful, deeply human story about redemption, resilience, and unexpected family. At sixty-two, Addie Finch—a recovering alcoholic and retired cop—works nights as a security guard, haunted by her past but determined to stay sober and steady. When she encounters Jonathan, a homeless teen escaping violence, an unlikely bond forms between two lost souls seeking safety and purpose. Their connection, first born of compassion, grows into mutual healing as they face trauma, guilt, and the ghosts of their histories together.
Hyde’s storytelling is compassionate yet unflinching, weaving tough realities—addiction, homelessness, assault—into a narrative that ultimately uplifts rather than crushes. Addie’s introspective “life inventory” offers emotional depth and insight into the long shadows of regret and recovery. Jonathan’s quiet strength and kindness balance her struggles beautifully.
Handled with tenderness and moral clarity, this novel explores found family, forgiveness, and the fragile grace that emerges when broken people help each other heal. It’s moving, reflective, and quintessentially Catherine Ryan Hyde—heartache transformed into hope.
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