Introduction

A moving novel of family and forgiveness and of hope and healing by Rochelle B. Weinstein, the USA Today bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends.

When Avery Beckett is proposed to by Jude Masters, a widowed father and the man she loves, it should be a time of great joy. Instead, Avery is on edge. She’s wary of the idea of family, doubtful of happy endings, and too afraid to take the leap. It’s the kind of fear that comes from having secrets.

Before Avery commits to a new life, she must reconcile with the one she left behind.

When Avery returns to her childhood farm in the North Carolina mountains, she’s surprised to be saddled with a companion: Jude’s teenage daughter, Elle, who’s grappling with the loss of her mother and the complicated emotions of first love. On a path of mending wounds and breaking down walls, Avery and Elle form an unexpected alliance. It’s giving them the courage to move forward. And for Avery, everything she needs to confront the past.

An emotional tale of mothers and daughters, loss and acceptance, When We Let Go is about the lessons that come from heartbreak and the healing it takes to embrace the joy of a second chance.

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Excerpt

Avery Beckett is driving home to North Carolina on a quest to reconcile with her past when she finds a stowaway in her back seat. It’s Elle Masters, the fifteen-year-old broken daughter of the widowed man she just abandoned. Here Avery is on the phone with Jude discussing the situation. The scene sets the stage for the novel, the very heart of the story, as the two very complicated women are forced to face their demons together.

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“Maybe this is the punishment she needs,” he says, echoing my earlier sentiment. “I know I shouldn’t be asking this. It’s a lot, and she got herself into this mess . . . but I don’t want to make it too easy for her. If you take her to Crystal, she’ll be forced to sit with her actions. Then I’ll send her bag with the boys, and she can meet them in New York.”

A few hours is two or three. This is ten. My mind buzzes with all the ways in which this is a punishment for me, not just Elle.

“Put her on,” he says.

I toss Elle the phone, and she stares at it like it’s infected with E. coli. I want to tell her to hurry up, to move things along, because her little stunt has already put me behind schedule, but she continues to leer at me, not making a move. “Elle. Take the phone.” Cautiously, she draws it into her hands, holding it far away from her ear.

It doesn’t take long for Elle to begin making excuses and disagreeing. Swearing, too. Her defiance is effortless, sharp words that shoot from her tongue, leaving me feeling sorry for Jude. It’s obvious when he tells her that she’s joining me on my trip, because she suddenly shuts down and does the unthinkable. It’s like slow motion, but there it goes, my cell phone, flying out the car window. And as though to prove her point, she rolls the window back up so we can muse on what she’s just done.

“No, you didn’t.” Deep, angry breaths fuel my response and I clench the wheel. “You didn’t just throw my phone out the window.”

Elle is pouting—though at least she’s not yelling anymore—and I jump out of the car to salvage what’s left of it. Even with the case, there’s a gash at the center of the glass. Shards loosen and fall to the pavement. The power is on—there’s Jude’s face, marking the conversation—but the phone is frozen. Stuck. Like us.

I count to five before speaking. “Elle, besides that being my personal property you just destroyed, it was our navigation.”

“Your navigation.”

She wasn’t going to make this easy. “While you were doing all that sneaking around, did you happen to sneak your phone back from your father?”

She frowns, followed by her signature eye roll.

“Elle, if we’re going to do this, at the very least, you need to acknowledge me when I talk to you.”

“Your car doesn’t come with navigation?” she asks, derision coating every syllable.

“No. It doesn’t.”

“Well, it’s really not my problem you haven’t made it into the twenty-first century.”

It’s pointless to argue with her, and I don’t try because her insults sting. I start the car, slowly inching into the oncoming traffic. We’ll have to stop at the nearest gas station for a map and a pay phone (do they still exist?) to let Jude know why he can’t reach us.

One glance at Elle, and I know we have a long road ahead of us. It’s useless to sugarcoat the adventure we’re about to take. Two damaged women without any direction. view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

1) Avery keeps a secret from Jude because she fears the truth will make him leave. Has there been an event in your life that has forced you to keep a secret from someone you love? Would you do it again?
2) Nature is another character in the novel. For many, it can be a great healer. Where are you most at peace?
3) As Avery’s dad explains, there are lessons in gardening that apply to life. Is there a hobby you enjoy whose lessons have stuck with you? Give examples.
4) Themes of loss and letting go are woven throughout the story. What is your own experience with both? What advice would you give to someone who is struggling with either?
5) If you were able to spend a day on Watauga River or the farm with one character from the novel, who would you choose and why?
6) Do you believe in fate and circumstance. Signs and spells? The power of positive thinking? Have you ever had an experience that felt otherworldly? Explain.
7) Throughout the story, Avery holds on to Oliver. Is there someone in your life who has stayed with you even though they’re gone? Do you feel their presence? Explain what connects you.
8) Avery returns home to North Carolina to confront her past. Do you live where you grew up? If not, have you ventured home? What keeps you away? What does being home bring forth in you?
9) Avery and Elle have clearly come into each other’s lives for a reason. Is there someone outside of family and close friends who you’ve met or come to know who has touched you or shared an impactful life lesson with you?
10) The novel depicts the tender relationships between mothers and daughters and of sisters. If you were Willow, how would you have handled Avery’s decision to leave Crystal? What do you believe is the most valuable part of a mother-daughter relationship?
11) Several of the characters in the novel have lost loved ones. Did any of their handling of grief resonate with you? Were you able to learn anything about yourself through their experiences? What would you say to these characters if you could?

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