A place in the heart

A moving novel about the complexities of family life. Grace never wanted to be a mother. But when she meets Victor, a handsome, charismatic, separated man and father of teenagers Max and Ava, she decides she can learn to be a great stepmother. After all, the children live with their mother, Kelli. It can't be that hard, right? At thirteen, Ava is quite mature for her age. Since her parents' divorce, she's been caring for her emotionally unstable mother and younger brother. And while she has nothing against her father's girlfriend, Ava still hopes her parents will get back together and be a family again. But just days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies under mysterious circumstances—and haunting secrets from her life are revealed. Told by Grace and Ava in the present, with flashbacks to Kelli's troubled past, A Place in the Heart is a moving and passionate portrait of femininity, love, and the challenges and joys of family life.