*WINNER of the 2019 GOLD Royal Palm Award for Literary Fiction - Finalist in the UK Wishing Shelf Awards*

It's the early 1990s and Ella Donovan can't wait to see her unfortunate past and her bleak Midwest hometown disappear in her rearview mirror. With a degree in art therapy in hand, she arrives in a charming Southern city of colorful bridges and gleaming beaches for her dream job working with teen addicts. But not all is as it seems in a place where the Confederate flag still flies over the downtown courthouse. Nearly unhinged by a boss who wants her to fail, Southern gentleman who aren't so gentlemanly, not to mention an unscrupulous social service system, Ella struggles to find her footing. Just when she thinks she's mastered it all, a fateful phone call unleashes a Pandora's box of devastating family secrets throwing her into the arms of a forbidden romantic liaison. If not for fierce Jo Gaetano, her wise-cracking coworker and new best friend, Ella just might break under pressure. Will Ella redeem the past and find hope and renewal amongst her losses and unfortunate choices? Based on real events.