Pretending To Dance

Diane Chamberlain

Molly Arnette is very good at keeping secrets. She lives in San Diego with a husband she adores, and they are trying to adopt a baby because they can't have a child on their own. But the process of adoption brings to light many questions about Molly's past and her family-the family she left behind in North Carolina twenty years before. The mother she says is dead but who is very much alive. The father she adored and whose death sent her running from the small community of Morrison's Ridge. Her own birth mother whose mysterious presence in her family raised so many issues that came to a head. The summer of twenty years ago changed everything for Molly and as the past eaves together with the present story, Molly discovers that she learned to lie in the very family that taught her about pretending. If she learns the truth about her beloved father's death, can she find peace in the present to claim the life she really wants? (from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

Molly and her husband Aidan are trying to adopt. There is something in Molly’s past that is preventing her from being able to fully live in the present. Pretending to Dance is the story of what happened to Molly that one fateful summer and why it has impacted her life in such a significant way.

It is not often that I feel compelled to immediately sit down to write a review. But with this story, I have no choice, although first I had to quit crying.

Told in alternating chapters of Molly’s current life and one summer when she was fourteen, eventually the past and present collide. I’m not certain why, but I connected with Molly from the very beginning. I liked her as an adult, but fell in love with her as a fourteen year old. What happened when Molly was fourteen was gut wrenching for me. It is only when she is an adult and discovers the real truth that she is able to put the past behind her and move on.

This wasn’t so much of a roller coaster story, but a slow steady build up to an awesome ending. My goodness, how is it even possible this is my first read by this very talented author? As they say, better late than never. Off I go to pick another book by Ms. Chamberlain. I have a feeling she is going to be one of my go to authors when I want a guaranteed good read.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, via Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review. Lucky me.......