Topping the Willow

Stranded in paradise ... with a guilty conscienceOne million things about fifteen-year-old Brittany Warner infuriate her mother-and vice versa. Britt wants to bask in the Hawaiian sun this summer as planned, not build her Ivy League resume at a lake cottage in Vermont. But her case against her power-attorney mother doesn't stand a chance. She's sentenced to an ordeal intended to set the course for the rest of her life.Until she rebels, and her mother ends up in a coma.Through a chance encounter with a waitress, Britt is sent to a Vermont horse farm where she is stranded in paradise with her guilty conscience and Will, an intriguing seventeen-year-old reformed by grace. Things go from bad to worse when she discovers secrets about her mother's past that threaten her own identity. As Britt's anger escalates, her risky decisions create a dangerous spiral that threatens to take her down, and Will with her. But a greater love is at work ....This realistic, contemporary novel contains little or no explicit sex or strong language, but is recommended for mid-teen and older due to mature themes and situations. The universal themes of parent-child love and our core beliefs about God, life, and death will appeal to a broad audience and bring hope to those who need it.IAN 2023 Book of the Year Finalist ~~ ACFW Genesis Semi-finalist