THE SWEET SPOT — A Novel
When a well-intentioned Southern mother inserts herself into her best friend’s troubled family, her loyalty sets off consequences that threaten her daughter’s future and expose the cost of the life she’s carefully controlled.
About the Book
In 1990s Springville, North Carolina, life revolves around country club rituals, quiet hierarchies, and the careful maintenance of appearances. Linda Richardson has built a life that fits neatly within that world: a steady marriage, a respected place in her community, and a daughter she hopes will follow a similarly stable path.
But Linda has always been shaped by what she’s set aside: a past she rarely revisits, a longing for a larger family, and a wavering relationship with her faith. Only her best friend, Beverly Martin—brash, magnetic, and unconcerned with convention—draws her out of that carefully ordered life.
When Linda becomes close to Beverly’s troubled teenage daughter, Marissa, she steps into a maternal role that begins to strain her already fragile relationship with her own daughter, Cara. As the two families grow increasingly entangled, Cara forms a secret relationship with Marissa’s older brother, binding them in ways Linda never intended.
Then Marissa disappears.
As guilt and suspicion ripple through both families, Linda is forced to confront the unintended consequences of her loyalty—and the possibility that, in trying to help one family, she may have lost her own.
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Susan Van Sciver 