Family is Family by E.D. Hackett
(A Blue Spruce Hills Novella)
Publication date: October 1st 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
She’s living the dream, but it’s not her own. Can this devoted divorcee pave her own path despite her irresponsible ex?
Violet McFadden is a helper at heart. Tired from co-parenting four teenage girls and co-owning a bookstore with their disorganized father, this dedicated forty-five-year-old can’t seem to get five minutes to herself. And she’s worried when her rent skyrockets, fearing their struggling business is doomed.
An upcoming Thanksgiving 5k road race may temporarily save the store, but the conscientious shopkeeper knows deep down that she’d rather be teaching children than managing the shop. As time marches on, an unexpected snowstorm, urgent teenage fires, and her own overprotective motherly drive keep her firmly rooted in the past.
Will Violet keep only her former spouse’s dream alive, or will she choose herself and her true calling?
Family is Family is a heart-warming standalone piece of the multi-author women’s fiction Blue Spruce Hills Novella Series. If you enjoy characters who are never too old to start over, complex families, and tight-knit communities, then you’ll adore E.D. Hackett’s charming story.
Buy Family is Family to rekindle soul-inspiring goals today!
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EXCERPT
At five o’clock, I closed the shop to dash to Ivy’s scrimmage. When I arrived, I found Reid surrounded by two of our four daughters. Forcing my most enthusiastic smile, I climbed over familiar faces, settling between my seventeen-year-old daughter, Willow, and my twelve-year-old daughter, Daisy.
Reid gave a small smile and a slight wave before scooting closer to Daisy to make room for my large satchel.
“You missed it, Mom,” Willow said. My eldest tilted closer, her long strawberry-blonde hair hanging to her elbows, framing the freckles dotting her makeup-free cheeks.
I leaned forward, keeping my eyes on Ivy. “Missed what?”
“She opened the game with a three-pointer.”
My stomach dropped. I should have been there, and I knew she knew I wasn’t. My thoughts moved to Reid and how he had put us in this situation with his wanting a divorce, but still wanting me to help with the store. He was the one who had wanted out and needed a change, yet here I was, missing out on another important moment in my daughter’s life.
I glowered at him, but he was on his feet, clapping for Ivy’s friend who had just hit a free throw.
I turned my smile on and waved to Ivy, who looked away with irritated eyes. Shoot. She definitely knows I wasn’t there.
“How was your day?” I asked Willow.
“Great. I had practice with Riley, and she thinks I’ll be ready for pit auditions for the musical.” Riley O’Connor had been teaching my girls piano for nearly a decade.
Willow, the most studious of the four, worried me with her need to overachieve. Maybe it was because we had left her in charge of her sisters when we reopened the business after Covid five years ago. She was twelve, and Daisy, the youngest, was just seven.
“That’s wonderful! Good luck with auditions. Next week?” I raised my eyebrows at her.
“Yeah. Oh, and Riley asked if Daisy’s lesson could be rescheduled. I can’t remember the day.”
“Sure, I’ll call her.” I looked at Daisy, immersed in her coloring book, first outlining the images and then lightly shading the inside. The spitting image of her father, I recognized the Roman nose and always rounded eyebrows, emoting an element of surprise regardless of the situation.
Across the gym, Ivy guzzled water, and Mari, my fourteen-year-old, strolled across the backside of the opposite bleachers. “Where’s Mari going?”
“Probably to see Dillon.” Willow tipped her head as my eyes followed her to a tall, athletic-looking boy with a curly mop of acorn-hued hair.
“Who’s that? I haven’t heard that name before.” I watched my daughter return his hug, and her nose pressed into his shoulder.
Willow rolled her eyes. “Mom, where have you been? They’ve been talking for a while.”
The sight of Dillon’s rather full goatee prickled my skin, and I raised my eyebrows. “How old is he?”
“A junior. He’s in Ivy’s classes.”
Leaning back, I tried to get Reid’s attention, but he was absorbed in his phone screen, looking at who-knows-what.
“A junior?”
“Mom, he’s harmless.”
“Does he drive?”
“Not that I know of, but I don’t keep tabs on him.”
“He’s closer to your age than hers. She’s a freshman. He probably drives. I don’t like it.” I held up my hands to rephrase my sentiment. “I’m sure he’s a nice boy, but he’s too old for her.”
Willow shrugged. “Mom, he’s new to school this year. He’s probably figuring out where he fits in.”
I touched her leg and gazed into her eyes. “You would tell me if he wasn’t good for her, right?”
“Yes. Believe it or not, he’s in honors classes and plays varsity soccer. Ivy and I have done our research. He’s harmless. Nothing is going on between them. They’re just talking.”
I rolled my shoulders, slightly releasing all the tension from the day as I watched Mari walk toward us. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t jump to conclusions when I didn’t have all the info, and I needed Reid and me to be on the same page.
Knowing him, with his carefree decision-making skills and impulsivity, he probably hadn’t even noticed this man-boy with our daughter.
E.D. Hackett is an only child who always wanted a sister. You'll find themes of sisters and mother-daughter relationships in almost all her novels, where she concocts complex relationships wrapped in forgiveness. Edy lives in New England, where the beaches, lobsters, and quirky cafes are characters of their own.
She has two children (three if you count the dog), and in her spare time, she dreams about living in Ireland.
Edy is an Enneagram Two (The Helper) or maybe a 5 (The Investigator) and is growing a book coaching side hustle (The Story Keeper Book Coach) to help aspiring authors navigate the indie publishing world.
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