Release Date: April 11, 2017

Merilee Dunlop is entering into a new stage of her life. She is recently divorced and is moving with her two children to Sweet Apple, Georgia. The divorce was amicable after her husband was found cheating with their daughter’s third grade teacher. She rents a cottage house from an elderly woman named Sugar Prescott.  Sugar at ninety-four is very opinionated and is the self appointed town matriarch.

Merilee has enrolled her children in an elite private school to avoid the gossip around her failed marriage. The children adjust quickly to their new life while Merilee struggles with her social status. Merilee feels different because she is a divorced, working parent who doesn’t play tennis. Heather Blackford is the poster child for this stereotype and is living the life that the local women crave. She is at the top of the social ladder and others seem to worship her friendship. Heather eventually befriends Merilee and starts to dominate her life with carpools and awkward gifts. At the same time, Sugar starts to take an active interest in Merilee and her children. They forge an unlikely friendship that becomes stronger as drama and secrets unfold.

This is a story about a woman transitioning into a new phase of her life. She is forced to evaluate new acquaintances and along the way discovers a lot about herself. Karen White does a great job of blending drama, mystery, southern fiction, and romance in her new novel.