At thirty-five, Abigail Simmons has mastered only one thing—running. When tragedy strikes, she runs. This time her urge to flee brings Abi back to her hometown, where she hopes she can find the peace she’s always searched for. That hope is dashed when Abi’s ex, Sam Forrester, bumps his way back into her life. Sam has flourished in ways Abi hasn’t. From the outside, he has it all—a successful … successful medical practice, a beautiful daughter, and a charming wife.
Who is dying.
Sara Forrester is dying and her final wish is for Sam to find love again so she can meet the woman who will finish raising her daughter and grow old with her husband. Abi seems like the perfect fit, but what Sara doesn’t know is that Abi has a secret, a secret no one could guess.
And it’s a deal breaker.
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Abi left her home town in South Carolina with her mom when she was 17 years old.
Now, 18 years later, she’s back.
She’s ‘running’ from something. From pain that happened to her, but also pain that she caused. But we don’t know any details.
She just wants a few nice summer months back home where she was happy as a kid and teenager. To find some peace and quiet.
And maybe to see what happened to the love of her life Sam.
He was already saving to buy a ring back then, but then she had to leave.
But now … now he’s married and has an adorable little daughter.
But he doesn’t seem happy. There’s a huge sadness in his eyes.
Abi vows to help him with whatever is happening in his life.
And Sam’s wife … she’s right there with her. She wants Abi to help Sam.
But what Sara wants Abi to do might be too much. Or rather too late.
Abi didn’t come back home to stay – she thinks she doesn’t deserve a happy ending.
What is happening to Abi & Sam?
Will there be a HEA?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT!
Grrr, Michelle. Another one of those super-moving and heartbreakingly sad books.
About a love story that seems so hopeless before we even start reading! Stupid blurb almost making me cry already!
BUT I LOVED THE BOOK! Duh!
I almost didn’t start reading – I was too afraid of a non-happy-end thing!
But of course I started reading – and I kept on reading. I just couldn’t stop.
It was all so heartbreakingly sad and beautiful and a bit mysterious and sweet and adorable and frustrating and I just could. Not. Stop. Reading. But I also didn’t want to pick the kindle up again when I came back from doing something else. I was too afraid that it was all too hopeless for our darlings. But of course I kept on reading.
I’m not gonna spoil anything for you.
Just know that I loved it and that it’s a beautiful and heartbreakingly moving second-chance love story.
BEAUTIFUL BOOK! Beautiful characters. A lot of heartache and sadness. Lots of pain and healing. Lots of adorable little Noelle & Daddy moments …. and ALL THE FEELS!
But we also hope so very hard for a happily ever after … but will there be one? It doesn’t look very promising if we listen to the blurb … BUT KEEP ON READING!!! DON’T GIVE UP!
THE DANDELION was such a heartbreakingly beautiful & adorable & moving second-chance love story! Please run to your nearest amazon for some tissue boxes and for your own Sam! This one is MINE!!!!!
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
When this book came up on the TBR list, I knew I had to read it even without reading the synopsis, this author and her writing style is one I love. She can rip out your heart, throw it on the ground, stomp on it and then pick it up, dust it off, put it back in your chest and jump start it and you are back to breathing again. She can transport you into any story and make you feel every emotion. And that is just what she did to me with this one.
Abi has come back to Molly’s Knob to spend some time in the one place she calls home. It is where she grew up until she was 17. Where she has her first love and then she and her mother left. Coming home for Abi is going to give her the peace she needs to help her heal her soul, maybe. Seeing Sam, her first love, isn’t going to make things easy.
Sam has lived in Molly’s Knob his whole life and it was only right that he came back there after college. He has taken over the local medical practice, married his college sweetheart and has a beautiful daughter. He has a perfect life or so it seems.
When Abi meets Sam’s wife Sara, she can’t believe how she looks like an angel. And she can’t believe that she is dying. But Sara has a wish for Sam before she dies, she wants him to find love and a mother for their daughter. And Sara wants to help pick out this woman. When she meets Abi, she realizes that Abi and Sam still have feelings for each other, so why can’t they rekindle their feelings and make the perfect couple?
Can Sara make Abi see that Abi would be perfect for Sam and his daughter? Will Abi tell Sam why she really came back to Molly’s Knob? What will Sam do when he learns the truth?
I loved everything about this story and recommend you read it with a box of Kleenex because you will feel all of Abi and Sam’s pain from the past and present. I hope you give this one a chance and love it too.
**Wicked Reads Review Team**
This is my second 5 star read of 2018. This book runs the gamut of emotions. Not only will you fall in love with the book, but these characters will become embedded in your heart and soul!
Michelle Leighton’s writing was superb. She weaved an intricate story around you with complex characters that are emotionally charged. The topics she touches on are very deep and once the storyline is fully shown it will take your breath away. The topics will bring the reader to their knees.
Wonderfully done!
Memories…..they can haunt you for years or bring you joy from the fondness. For Abi – decades have come and gone since she fled her hometown, leaving the boy of her dreams behind in her wake. Life was anything but easy for Abi, and now she is determined to put it all behind her. To return to the one place she can seek solace and peace.
Abi knew that there was a possibility that she would run into Sam. Yet – nothing could have prepared her for just how much his life had changed in her absence. As the town doctor, Sam seems to ‘have it all’ with a beautiful wife and daughter. Looks can be deceiving and Sam is far from living the life one might think from looking from the outside.
Nothing in life is perfect. Something Sam knows all too well. His wife Sara is slowly dying and there isn’t a single thing he can do to stop it. In the face of her grave prognosis, Sara shows nothing but devotion for Sam and Noelle. Determined to make sure they have someone to lean on when she is no longer around. Giving her a peace that will only come from knowing that there will be someone around to pick up the pieces for Sam and Noelle.
When Abi returns to town, Sara knows that this could be the answer to her prayers. A shoulder to lean on for Sam, and a role model for Noelle. Time is running out for Sara, and Abi may be the only person that will fill the void. While Abi agreed to help Sam in any way possible, she didn’t count on Sara or the devotion that this town has for Sam. All of it sits like a weight on Abi’s shoulders. Nothing can make Abi believe that she deserves the love, friendship or kindness that has come her way. Is there any way to change Abi’s mind before Sara is out of options?
Let me take a moment……I’m not crying, YOU are crying!!! The Dandelion was unlike anything I prepared myself to read. It was beautiful and poignant. A tribute to the writing style that Michelle Leighton is known for when she puts pen to paper. There will be heartbreak and sadness, but the story has an underlying tone of hope and mercy. There will be moments of adoration and others that will leave you in tears as you follow in the footsteps that Sam and Abi will travel.
One thing that this book does is make you think….and I mean think HARD!! What would you do if you traveled in the shoes of these characters? Right or wrong….good or bad….the choices that these characters make will leave you thinking and feeling with all of your heart. Michelle Leighton always seems to write with such beauty, depth and thought provoking story plots. This novel is no exception.
The Dandelion is simply……..BEAUTIFUL!!!
“We all have secrets, injuries. Scars. Some end up being invisible prisons that we carry with us wherever we go.”
Choices. This story is full of them. It makes you think. It makes you feel. It makes you question; how would you handle any of these situations?
What a soul gripping story. Abi, Sam, Sara, and Noelle’s journeys are honest, vulnerable, painful, and emotional. The writing is truly amazing! You feel everything from everyone. It’s sincere, raw, and heartfelt. These characters burrow deep into your heart. I fell in love with them, their sincerity, their hope, and their love for each other.
This story grips your heart and doesn’t let go. It’s unique and genuine. Amidst the tragedy, Michelle Leighton weaves such beautifullness, bits of hope and love and peace. There are unexpected turns of events. I smiled, I cried, and my heart was overwhelmed by emotions. It’s truly beautiful.
* A review copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review *
The Dandelion is an emotionally charged second chance love story.
As always with a Michelle Leighton story, you know your heart strings are going to be pulled and this book was no different. Not only because you know going into the book that Sam’s wife is dying, but what Abi also goes through and the secrets she is keeping will shred your heart. But just know that Michelle will put it all back together in the end.
In this book we follow Abi and Sam. Abi left her hometown when she was 17 years old. Leaving Sam….the love of her life. Now after some personal tragedies she has decided to come back home 18 years later. We don’t know what she is ‘running’ from, but we know she has some hidden secrets that she is keeping close to her. What she didn’t expect was to run into Sam again all these years later. An even bigger shock is that he is married and has a little girl. But what Abi doesn’t know is that Sam’s wife is hiding a special request. What happens when all the secrets come out?? Read this book to find out
One thing I love about Michelle’s books is that the writing is flawless. The pace and flow of her books are always spot on. You can’t help but get sucked into the story and the characters lives.
I don’t want to say much more about this book except that this is a book you should read. If you are a Michelle Leighton fan this is another book of hers that you don’t want to miss. One thing this book will do for you is think about how you would handle this situation. But Michelle’s books always make me think about how I would handle these situations. She tackles some tough subjects but always does it with such grace and tact.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a second chance romance. This is one like no other I had read before.
I love Michelle Leighton’s writing. This book; wow, I absolutely love this book. Even though it made me cry. It grabs at your heart and never lets go.
What an emotional journey. My heart hurt for so much of this story. For the pain Sam and Noelle are enduring. For Sara, knowing her time is so short. For Abi and all she has lost.
Sara sees what Sam and Abi both deny. It’s hard not to see it. She uses it to make her weeks and days more peaceful. It fills a part of her that have caused her worry and have prolonged her wait. Sam knows it and with anyone other than Abi it just wasn’t possible. But maybe. Maybe with Abi.
Noelle is a beautiful, spirited child of three who knows her mommy is ill. She knows something is wrong. She loves so freely, as do most children. She loves her mommy and daddy. She’s also attached to Abi.
Sam. She’s his long lost love. But Sara and Noelle are his world. Can he ask for the seemingly unthinkable? A second chance? Someday? So much pain in his heart with all he’s losing. And his little girl. He will do anything for his beautiful girl.
Abi has a story. Hers is one of physical and emotional pain. She’s lost her dad. Her high school sweetheart. And now her mom is no longer capable of being a mom. But there’s more. You feel it. You know it. Sara saw it. But the truth is, she’s so completely broken and circling the abyss. She’s made a promise to Sara. To Sam. A promise she cannot keep. She will break them all.
The Dandelion. Is it a dying plant? Or is it life? Sam and Abi’s journey in life has been far from easy. Pain and loss just keep coming. It hurts. But it’s what you do with that hurt that changes you. How much strength and will do you have. Can you hope for more? The Dandelion. Is it a dying plant? Or is it life?
4.5 Stars
I’ve read a few books that Michelle Leighton has written under the name ‘M. Leighton’, and enjoyed them greatly. Now that I’ve gotten a few years older, I find myself choosing more books where the central characters are older, as well. So when I saw that The Dandelion had characters in their mid-thirties, I was intrigued. The blurb sounded really appealing, also, so I made sure to put this on my TBR and wait patiently for its release.
I love a story where the plot has some uniqueness. And The Dandelion did. Sam and Abi had been childhood sweethearts, but right before their senior year, she is forced to move away with her mother. Flash forward 18 years, and she returns to the small town of Molly’s Knob, needing desperately to get away from demons in her past. Shortly after returning, she runs into Sam and his daughter, Noelle, at the grocery store. While it wasn’t a pleasant encounter, it certainly wasn’t awful, either. Abi is brought into Sam’s life at the request of Sam’s dying wife. Sara wants nothing more than to know that Sam and Noelle are loved before she dies. And Sara believes that Abi is the one to provide this.
With a ton of emotion and well-written characters, The Dandelion was a book that I will read again. I believe that Michelle Leighton has broken into a sub-genre that I find very appealing.
The Dandelion by Michelle Leighton is a standalone contemporary romance all about second chances and moving on. Sam and Abi’s story is absolutely heartbreaking and endearing and it ran me through the emotional wringer in a way that hasn’t been done in a while.
Abi has decided to come back home to Molly’s Knob, South Carolina. As the story unfolds we learn that she is here to make amends for something in her past. We don’t know quite what that is yet but we know it will be a doozy. Renting a cabin for the summer at the lake that used to be hers and Sam’s, she is here to do good, to pass on her goodwill and make as many peoples lives as she can better before the summer ends. When she realizes that Sam, the boy she left behind all those years ago and that still has her heart, is still living in town things get complicated, fast.
Sam never expected to see Abi again. When he literally runs into her at the grocery store he is shocked and surprised and still helplessly and hopefully in love with this girl from his past. with his life in turmoil Abi’s arrival happened at both the best and the worst time possible.
While this COULD sound like a love triangle story – it most absolutely is NOT. Yes, Sam is married and it isn’t to Abi, but the story is so intricately woven – pulling the threads of Sam, Abi and Sarah together in such a beautiful and tragic way. This was an amazing story – emotionally exhausting but really amazing! Enjoy!
This story ripped my heart apart but slowly put it back together again. I read this book knowing that it would be a tough one to read because of the subject, a dying wife wanting her husband to find love again before she passes so she can get to know the woman that will help Sam raise their daughter, Noelle. As I sit here writing my review there are tears streaming down my face because I would want the same thing for my family if I was about to pass away, which could have been a very real reality for me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 so this story really hit home for me.
Abi and Sam were teenage sweethearts and had plans for their future that abruptly changed when Abi’s mother decided to move them away with only a few days notice. Neither Abi nor Sam every really got over their first love, but their lives moved on and Sam found a new love in College, Sara.
Fast forward almost two decades when Abi finds herself back in the small town she left behind, she knows she’ll most likely run into Sam but Abi needs to find peace and the lake house is a perfect place for her to do just that.
I will not give any spoilers because YOU MUST READ THIS EMOTIONALLY CHARGED STORY yourself, I enjoyed the hopefulness of Sara, the dedication of Sam, the sweetness of Abi, and the loving Noelle.
Believe me when I say you need to read this story, it’s just that beautiful!
**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book**
I received a free copy of the book from the author.
The Dandelion features Sam and Abi. They were childhood sweethearts then they were forced apart. Abi’s mother made her leave town thus causing Abi and Sam to loose touch. Now Abi has returned to her hometown kinda but not really hoping to run into Sam.
Both characters have endured or are enduring some of the most terrifying and upsetting events in their lives. Sam is currently married but his wife is dying. They have the most beautiful and smart young daughter who Abi adores instantly.
Abi, however, has a big dark secret. There’s no way she can agree to take care of Sam and his daughter. She just can’t…but she craves his attention. Loves his family as her own. There just this one thing…
I enjoyed reading this new title from Michelle Leighton. I think you will find yourself hooked from the beginning to this story. The writing flows, as her stories do, and you’ll find yourself immersed in the lives of Abi and Sam.
Life changes people and you can tell from the last few releases from M. Leighton that she was changing…evolving. What has emerged is Michelle Leighton and her first book as such.
Let me just say that she has delivered a heart wrenching, life shattering, pick up the pieces of your heart and paste them back together story. Tissues will be required as this book has all the feels. But she has also weaved love, understanding and hope throughout the pages too.
I didn’t hesitate at the opportunity to review and am so glad that I didn’t. This book will keep you reading even though there are times you may just need to take a break.
Abi returns years later to her hometown to gain perspective and find her happy again. She also knows that there’s a good chance that she will run into her old love Sam Forrester too.
For all thing things that Sam has to be grateful for Abi can’t help but notice the sadness in his eyes. Meeting Sam’s family, his beautiful daughter and wife, Sara Abi starts to understand Sam’s plight. Her desire to help Sam right in line with the wishes of his wife, Sara.
I cannot tell you much more about this amazing book without giving in to spoilers and that’s not my thing. All I can say is go #1 click. Find somewhere quiet where you can get lost in the pages of this book and take in all the emotions. When you are done I am pretty sure you will be happy to have invested the time.