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A review by miaev
Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky
5.0
Most women at some point in their lives wear some makeup. Many of us wear it daily. We wear it to feel better about ourselves. Others use it as a form of armor to protect themselves. Mackenzie Cooper is a master make up artist and wears make up daily as a way to hide her scar and applies make up at an upscale spa in Vermont.
Mackenzie Cooper uses her make up as a mask to hie a scar from an accident several years ago in which her young daughter was killed. She was driving her daughter to a play date and took her eyes off the road for a second. The result was a serious accident which changed Mackenzie’s life in a number of ways. She lost her daughter, her marriage and her career as an up and coming potter.
Mackenzie is now living in Vermont working at a upscale spa in Vermont as a make up artist under the name Maggie Reid. She has a new life, new friends and is trying to stay under the radar. She still throws clay but she struggles to work her art. Her heart just will not let her escape into the bliss of throwing a pot right now.
Maggie is doing a fine job of staying under the radar and hoping to stay under the radar until her probation is over. That is until her friend’s son is arrested for a serious cyber crime. He is accused of hacking a national reporter’s Twitter account. It is a federal crime and the publicity surrounding it is scaring her. But Maggie is torn between helping her friend and her son and staying under the radar if at all possible. But staying under the radar proves to be really hard for Maggie .
Maggie is also dealing with the fact that her ex-husband has shown up in her small Vermont town. He has bought the inn where the spa she works at is located in. Maggie is trying to carefully hold onto the threads of her new life. And that is just where the story starts.
Barbara Delinsky always writes about real people facing life changing issues head on. Her characters are not in their twenties with their lives ahead of them. Rather they are in their late thirties or forties and have lived a life and made choices that have either worked out or not worked out. They are deep complex characters complete with flaws and good points. Her characters are relatable in a way that is often hard to find in modern women’s fiction.
I did receive a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. I have long been a fan of Ms. Delinsky;s books so having the chance to read her latest one before publication was thrilling.
Mackenzie Cooper uses her make up as a mask to hie a scar from an accident several years ago in which her young daughter was killed. She was driving her daughter to a play date and took her eyes off the road for a second. The result was a serious accident which changed Mackenzie’s life in a number of ways. She lost her daughter, her marriage and her career as an up and coming potter.
Mackenzie is now living in Vermont working at a upscale spa in Vermont as a make up artist under the name Maggie Reid. She has a new life, new friends and is trying to stay under the radar. She still throws clay but she struggles to work her art. Her heart just will not let her escape into the bliss of throwing a pot right now.
Maggie is doing a fine job of staying under the radar and hoping to stay under the radar until her probation is over. That is until her friend’s son is arrested for a serious cyber crime. He is accused of hacking a national reporter’s Twitter account. It is a federal crime and the publicity surrounding it is scaring her. But Maggie is torn between helping her friend and her son and staying under the radar if at all possible. But staying under the radar proves to be really hard for Maggie .
Maggie is also dealing with the fact that her ex-husband has shown up in her small Vermont town. He has bought the inn where the spa she works at is located in. Maggie is trying to carefully hold onto the threads of her new life. And that is just where the story starts.
Barbara Delinsky always writes about real people facing life changing issues head on. Her characters are not in their twenties with their lives ahead of them. Rather they are in their late thirties or forties and have lived a life and made choices that have either worked out or not worked out. They are deep complex characters complete with flaws and good points. Her characters are relatable in a way that is often hard to find in modern women’s fiction.
I did receive a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. I have long been a fan of Ms. Delinsky;s books so having the chance to read her latest one before publication was thrilling.