Release Day! A Gritty Little Tourist Town by Willa Goodfellow ~ My Thoughts #AGrittyLittleTouristTown

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Willa

on the release today of

A Gritty Little Tourist Town!

A Gritty Little Tourist Town: Bar Tales from Costa Rica by Willa Goodfellow

Travel Humor, 244 pages
Published April 7, 2026 by She Writes Press

Fans of Bill Bryson will love this intimate and humorous memoir surrounding a group of expats as they entertain each other with their stories at a bar in a Costa Rican village. 

Willa and her wife travel to Costa Rica to visit family—but what they discover is far more than they expected . In a sleepy fishing village on the Pacific coast, they meet a vibrant, curious group of expats who have come looking for paradise—or at least cheap beer.

At the Pato Loco, a local bar where stories flow as freely as the drinks, they meet Mama, the blind seventy-two-year-old co-owner of the place; her partner Mary, Willa’s sister, a bartender and installation artist; Richie, the aging hippie whose words are few but weighty; and a whole cast of unforgettable characters who will answer questions like:

- What is it really like to live in another country?

- How important is it to learn the local language?

- How does a tight-knit community face the pressure of development?

- Can you survive dengue—and would you want to?

- Oh, and how do you perform CPR on a fish?

A collection of stories full of humor, heart, and wisdom from unexpected places, A Gritty Little Tourist Town follows Willa as she discovers connection within this community of strangers—one bar tale at a time.

My thoughts about A Gritty Little Tourist Town ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

I've read other books similar to A Gritty Little Tourist Town—a book filled with stories of the people and places that the author has visited or lived around. And I have enjoyed my trip to those places right along with the author. And I love meeting the fun, sometimes quirky, people that the author comes across. 

A Gritty Little Tourist Town took me on a little vacation to Costa Rica, where I got to know the natives and laughed right along with them, while drinking our beers at the bar. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the gang and loved the little stories that the author shared. 

This is the perfect summer read since it is so easy to pick up and put down, enjoying little chapters here and there. I highly recommend it for a wonderful, fun escape.

I received an ARC of A Gritty Little Tourist Town and this is my honest opinion of the book. 

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About the author

Willa Goodfellow is the author of Prozac Monologues: A Voice from the Edge. Combining comedic monologues written in the throes of hypomania with later edgy commentary and information about the bipolar spectrum, the book describes her being misdiagnosed with major depression and treated with a series of antidepressants that made her progressively more suicidal and led to her early retirement. She turned a corner as she researched her symptoms, discovered her bipolar diagnosis, and put together her own recovery.

After decades in more conventional ministries as an Episcopal priest, this graduate of Reed College and Yale Divinity School has turned her preaching chops toward mental health journalism and advocacy. Goodfellow is an author, blogger, tweeter, and public speaker. Still doing comedy, she is currently working on her next book, Bar Tales of Costa Rica. ~ Amazon

Connect with Willa

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram | X

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Release Day! Twinkle of Doubt by Patricia Leavy ~ My Thoughts #TwinkleOfDoubt

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Patricia

on the release today of

Shooting Stars Above!

Twinkle of Doubt by Patricia Leavy

(The Celestial Bodies Romances Book 2)

Contemporary Romance Fiction, 216 pages

Published March 24, 2026 by She Writes Press

For fans of Colleen Hoover, this inspirational follow-up to Shooting Stars Above continues the love story between internationally best-selling novelist Tess and counterterrorism agent Jack as they both fight to overcome their deepest fears.

Tess Lee is a wildly successful and world-famous novelist whose inspirational books explore our innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Jack Miller is a federal agent who has spent decades working in counterterrorism—a violent world that has left an inevitable residue on his psyche.

Two years into their marriage, as Tess and Jack both heal from past trauma, their epic love, fostered by their ability to truly see one another, has brought them profound happiness. When an anonymous threat is made against Tess’s life, however, everything changes. Will they learn to lean on each other, or will they fall apart into the darkness?

In Twinkle of Doubt, the second Celestial Bodies Romance, Tess, Jack, and their chosen family explore the nature of doubt and the struggle to feel worthy of love.

My thoughts about Twinkle of Doubt ~~ 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—""Thank you, I've got it from here,' Jack said to the driver, taking the luggage  and seeing him out. He turned to Tess. 'Welcome home, Mrs. Miller.'"

Twinkle of Doubt is a great second book in a series, picking up where things with Tess and Jack left off in book one. There is plenty of love and romance in their lives, which is a beautiful thing to witness. But things can't stay lovely and serene forever, can they? 

When the past invades their present, their love and their friends surround them as they find out how important they are to each other and how much their self-worth means. There is plenty of drama to go with the love, which made this a very entertaining and fast-paced story.

Twinkle of Doubt was a great escape read that was needed in my life right now. I will always be grateful and excited to spend more time with Tess and Jack in their world.

I received an ARC of Twinkle of Doubt and this is my honest opinion of the book.

Shooting Stars Above

(The Celestial Bodies Romances #1)

Read my thoughts here

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About the author

Patricia Leavy, Ph.D., is a bestselling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chair of Sociology and Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. She has published over forty books, earning commercial and critical success in both fiction and nonfiction, and her work has been translated into many languages. 

Patricia has received over 100 book honors. She has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. 

In 2016 Mogul, a global women’s empowerment network, named her an “Influencer.” In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” 

She lives in Maine with her family. Patricia loves writing, reading, watching films, and traveling. These days, she's focused on writing feel-good love stories. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Patricia

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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Release Day! One Beautiful Year of Normal by Sandra K. Griffith ~ My Thoughts #OeBeautifulYearOfNormal

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Sandra

on the release today of

One Beautiful Year of Normal!

One Beautiful Year of Normal by Sandra K. Griffith

Mystery, Thriller, Psychological Fiction, 312 pages

Published February 24, 2026 by She Writes Press

A must-read for fans of character-driven suspense like Liz Moore’s Long Bright River and A. J. Finn’s The Woman in the Window, One Beautiful Year of Normal is a gripping psychological thriller about a woman’s dangerous decision to unearth her family’s darkest secrets.

Some memories protect you. Others imprison you.

When August Caine receives a phone call from a Savannah attorney, she is blindsided by the news—her Aunt Helen has passed away. But how can that be, when August’s mother insisted Helen died in a car accident fifteen years ago? Determined to uncover the truth, August returns to the deep South, where the ghosts of her past—both real and imagined—await her.

Plagued by a memory splintered by her father’s unsolved murder when she was a child and further tangled by psychiatric treatments for the debilitating depression she struggles with, August realizes her survival depends on unraveling the mystery surrounding her father’s death. This means returning to the one safe place she remembers from the childhood she has mostly locked away inside her Aunt Helen’s home, and the ghost tours they created together. 

A chilling exploration of mental illness, mother-daughter bonds, and generational secrets, One Beautiful Year of Normal follows August as she pieces together the long-buried truths that shaped her family’s tragic past and confronts the question that has haunted her for Can the truth set her free, or will it unravel everything she thought she knew?

    

My thoughts about One Beautiful Year of Normal ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First lines—"One of the most important practices of a ghostwriter is to make certain you are invisible. For me, this is easy: I come from a long line of world-class deceivers."

Strap in and hold on to your hats. This story will take you on a wild ride! One Beautiful Year of Normal has just about every element you could want in a book. There is plenty of family drama, mother and daughter dysfunction, murder, cover-ups, kidnappings, friendship, support, and lies—lots of lies. It goes on and on. And I loved every minute of it! 

The author penned such beautiful passages that the whole book was a pleasure to read. I was totally captivated by her words. And all the drama and secrets kept me turning the pages. 

I highly recommend One Beautiful Year of Normal. It is a moving family drama with amazing characters and an outstanding storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I received aa ARC of One Beautiful Year of Normal and this is my honest opinion.

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About the author

Sandra K. Griffith is a doctorate-level psychologist with extensive clinical and forensic experience, the owner of a behavioral health agency, and an adjunct instructor at Marshall University. Her expertise in mental health, trauma, and the complexities of memory informs her deeply psychological and atmospheric storytelling. 

When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, antiquing, cooking and spending time with her family, friends, and too large collection of pets. She splits her time between Kenova, West Virginia and Tybee Island, Georgia, just outside of Savannah.

Connect with Sandra

Publisher | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

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Release Day! In the Shadow of Silence by Rae Dumont ~ My Thoughts #InTheShadowOfSlience @SheWritesPress

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Rae

on the release today of

In the Shadow of Silence!

In the Shadow of Silence: A Novel by Rae Dumont

Death, Grief & Bereavement Fiction, 264 pages

Published February 17, 2026 by She Writes Press

After a lonely childhood, this novel follows love and joy—until the descent untreated depression ends with unbearable loss, forcing a family to deal with the shocking and immediate aftermath of suicide.

Eva’s lonely childhood has given her an intuitive connection with kids and teenagers. She is a gifted child psychiatrist. Single, she dreams of having her own children, and she yearns for love. The future seems bright when she meets Lyman; They build a family. They share adventures. They meet life’s challenges as team. They navigate a bout of Lyman’s depression; treatment works.

They share rich, fulfilling years while their careers develop, and their children grow up.

When their sons enter adulthood and their daughter is a teenager, they plan an entire summer as a family. But Lyman abruptly stops both therapy and medication. He spirals into a dark and irritable isolation that none of them can penetrate.

After his brutal suicide, Eva is left to cope and to guide her children through the trauma, as they each rebuild their lives.

EDITOR'S PICK: BookLife and Publishers' Weekly

    

My thoughts about In the Shadow of Silence ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First lines—"Old photographs with curled edges are scattered on the red kilim rug. Barefoot on her knees, in faded denim overalls, Eva sorts them into piles."

Depression hits so many people and so many families. This story, In the Shadow of Silence, is one family's journey through the trials and tribulations of living with depression. This is something that affects everyone in a family going through it. 

The author did an amazing job of creating caring, loving family members who lived and survived depression and the aftermath of their loved one's suicide. The subject was handled in a sensitive and responsible way while also showing how something like this touches everyone. 

This story was quite personal to me as some of my loved ones have in the past, and some are currently struggling with depression so this one hits close to home. It was sometimes hard to read but also reassuring to see how others are managing their lives to get through it.

I received aa ARC of In the Shadow of Silence and this is my honest opinion.

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About the author

Raymonde Dumont, MD, LMFT, is both a pediatrician and a family therapist.

She practiced and taught for several years at Harvard Medical School, and at the Joslin Diabetes Center. She saw the impact of one person's illness through their entire family, and showed that mental health affects medical outcomes.

In private practice, as a family therapist, she helps families collaborate during difficulties, rather than becoming divided.

She is also a mother, a widow, and a friend to many. She now turns her years of experience into words that speak of resilience, and of the flawed road that leads us to becoming good enough.

Depression and suicide are on the rise, and the impact of tragedy reaches far beyond those immediately affected. They often create a broad circle of confusion, anger and guilt. She hopes her book will make readers feel less alone. Perhaps it will bring some insight and comfort.

She lives and practices in Montclair, New Jersey, within reach of New York City. Her short stories have been published in Persimmon Tree and in The Hemlock Journal.

Connect with Rae

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Substack

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Release Day Spotlight! A Tiny White Light by Linda Bass #ATinyWhiteLight

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Linda

on the release today of

A Tiny White Light!

A Tiny White Light: A Memoir of a Mind in Crisis by Linda Bass

Memoir, 312 pages

Published January 20, 2026 by She Writes Press

From an author with a psychology background, a candid memoir about the interior of her own psychotic episode and its origins in guilt, lost purpose, conflict between mothering and career, and the ambiguity in her relationship with her therapist.

Just after Linda, nineteen, and her brother Brian, eighteen, move from their tiny country town in Wisconsin to the tumult of Los Angeles in 1967, the Summer of Love, their parents decide to divorce—and for the first time, the two teenagers find themselves truly on their own. Forced to fend for himself, Brian’s life quickly spirals He hitchhikes around the country, lands in psychiatric hospitals and jails, and, finally, commits an irrevocable act. Plagued with guilt over her role in Brian’s deterioration, Linda loses her own sense of purpose, gives up a promising career in psychology, and finds herself in a life she never envisioned—poor, alcoholic, an accidental parent in an unhappy marriage, feeling invisible and alone.

When Linda’s husband, Jake, urges her to see Sam, a psychologist, for help in quitting smoking, Sam quickly becomes a touchstone for what she has her sense of self. Feeling truly seen, she falls in love with him, and she believes he might return her feelings. But he offers her only mixed messages, and the ambiguity triggers her descent into a psychotic episode—one that echoes her dreams, Brian’s experience, and Sam’s own phobia.

Will she follow her brother’s path—or will she find her way back to herself and create the life she longs to live?

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Advance Praise for A Tiny White Light 

"Through poetic and thought-provoking prose, [Bass] examines the human need for companionship and connection with refreshing candor, not shying away from describing the darker aspects of her own impulses and behavior . . . the work’s exceptional prose and unflinching honesty make for an engaging read . . . A skillfully written personal exploration.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Exquisitely written with vivid imagery, this enthralling memoir takes one on a harrowing journey to madness and back.”—Bonnie R. Strickland, PhD, former president of the American Psychological Association and author of Leaving the Confederate Closet

”An evocative memoir that immerses the reader in the author’s descent into psychosis. With unflinching vividness, Bass translates the logic of madness, the distortions of perception, and the sensory overload of a fractured mind not just as an experience, but as a surreal world with its own internal consistency. For anyone interested in how the mind works, this story is critical and relevant.”—Rosie McMahan, EdM, author of Fortunate Daughter: A Memoir of Reconciliation

”Brave, bold, illuminating, and well-written, this memoir is essential reading for anyone interested in the human mind and overcoming adversity. It is especially relevant for those touched by mental illness and clinicians seeking to understand the lived experience of psychosis from the inside."—Julie Savitch, EdD, author of My Other Kids: A Memoir of Child Advocacy and the Power of Showing Up

“Truly the most authentic, disturbing and riveting description of psychosis I’ve ever read, barring perhaps Jack Kerouac’s depiction of alcoholic psychosis in his memoir Big Sur.”—Dori Ostermiller, author of Outside the Ordinary World

“A Tiny White Light is a lyrical memoir in which living is treated as a continual search for meaning and self-worth . . . A revealing memoir about hitting rock bottom and digging one’s way out . . . toward a triumphant ending.”—Foreword Clarion Review

”Burdened by a life marked by trauma, neglect, and solitude, Bass begins to experience a psychotic episode during psychotherapy. This book shows how what she calls “craziness” is a strategy for survival in the face of deep hurt—and a catalyst for confronting life’s challenges in a new way.”—Stijn Vanheule, professor of clinical psychology at Ghent University and author of Why Psychosis Is Not So Crazy

“Spanning time, place, and people, A Tiny White Light provides a compelling portrait of mental illness and the long, winding road of recovery.”—Maria Galano, PhD, assistant professor of clinical psychology, UMass Amherst

“A brave, brilliant and beautifully written book.”—Michele Orwin, author of Waiting for Next Week

About the author

Linda Bass holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA and a master’s degree in psychology from UC Berkeley. She worked in the workforce development field for thirty years, most recently as the executive director of a regional workforce board in Cambridge, MA. Now retired, she devotes her time to writing, painting, solving puzzles, reading, singing (to herself), enjoying friends and family, and feeling grateful for the life she has now. She currently lives in South Hadley, MA, and is working on a second book.

Connect with Linda

Website | Goodreads | Amazon

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Nineteen by Leslie Johansen Nack ~ My Thoughts #Nineteen

Nineteen: A Daughter's Memoir of Reckoning and Recovery by Leslie Johansen Nack

Memoir, 368 pages

Published October 14, 2025, by She Writes Press

For fans of Stephanie Thornton-Plymale's American Daughter and Cea Sunrise Person’s North of Normal comes Leslie Johansen Nack’s emotional follow-up memoir about her battle with addiction following a traumatic childhood—and her inspiring journey toward healing and happiness.

In the mid-1970s, Leslie Nack’s family returned from sailing to French Polynesia and began the integration process into American life again, which included being tossed back and forth between an alcoholic, mentally ill mother and an abusive, overbearing father.

To find love and acceptance, Leslie chases a myth that throws her into the path of nefarious older men, where she eventually falls into drug and alcohol addiction. Her father dies in his plane in the jungles of Mexico when Leslie is nineteen, but his abuse lingers in her psyche. She spirals, her only solace her next fix—until, somehow, she finds the grace, despite her abjectly dysfunctional family background, to believe in her worth. This newfound self-love changes everything for her, and finally she is able to find her way to sobriety and recovery.

Raw and intense but ultimately hopeful, this sequel to the popular memoir Fourteen tells the rest of Nack’s turbulent—and incredible—story.

My thoughts about Ninteen ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"It was October 22, 1975, and we were three days from San Diego in the cold, North Pacific Ocean when I looked behind me as a wall of water three stories high rose. 

Nineteen is a story of family dysfunction, but also a story of family love and forgiveness. At times it was hard to read as it wasn't easy to see how Leslie's family treated her. Through a lot of grit and self-love she was able to overcome the damage done and end up in a better place. 

This is a very well written look into Leslie's life as we witness her ups and downs. This is actually the sequel to the book she wrote, Fourteen, which cover a slightly younger part of her life. I'm drawn to read that one too to get better understanding of the life she led. This is the perfect coming-of-age story that held my attention to the end. 

I received an ARC of Nineteen and this is my honest opinion.

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About the author

Leslie Johansen Nack is the author of two award-winning books: her debut memoir, Fourteen, and her historical novel, The Blue Butterfly. Her forthcoming sequel, Nineteen: A Daughter’s Memoir of Reckoning and Recovery, concludes her raw and deeply personal story, chronicling her path to sobriety and a renewed sense of hope. 

Nack graduated from UCLA with a degree in English literature and overcame past traumas to raise two children in a healthy, loving home. She is a member of NAMW, the Historical Novel Society, and the PNWA. She lives outside Seattle with her husband.

Connect with Leslie

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook

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Release Day! The Road to Yesterday by Maryellen Donovan ~ My Thoughts #TheRoadToYesterday @shewritespress

Happy Release Day!

Congrats Maryellen

on release today of

The Road to Yesterday!

The Road to Yesterday: A Memoir by Maryellen Donovan

Memoir, 248 pages

Published September 9, 2025, by She Writes Press

For readers who found comfort in Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking, a 9/11 widow’s memoir of rediscovering joy and finding love again after the violent loss of her husband.

One sunny Tuesday morning, Maryellen Donovan’s beloved husband, Steve Cherry, lost his life in the 9/11 attacks—rocking her to her core, and changing her family forever.

Maryellen’s life and love with Steve was all she could have hoped for; in the wake of his death, she was inconsolable. But ultimately, she had no choice but to be strong for her two young sons—and even when deep in the grip of hopeless despair, she found solace in her deep faith and belief that, with the support of friends and family, she would eventually find love and happiness once again. Her route to her happy ending proved long and winding and full of obstacles—cancer, family conflict, even more loss—but she always found a way forward, no matter the setbacks she encountered. 

An inspirational story that will provide hope to anyone who’s experienced unfathomable loss and loneliness, The Road to Yesterday is a testament to the idea that there is always a path to love and joy—if only you’re determined enough to keep yourself open to it.

My thoughts about The Road to Yesterday ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"Everything seemed crystalline, sharp, more beautiful than usual. Even the air felt new, with that crisp fall texture that made me imagine leaves crunching under our feet as we moved into fall. The day—and the world—felt fresh."

To be honest, I was hooked after reading the prologue of this book. Reliving that horrible day of 9/11 again, from a family member's point of view, was heartbreaking but it's something that they have to live with day after day. This memoir shows us, the readers, that even though getting through it was very tough and surreal, it was possible to live a life on the other side of all the heartbreak and trauma. 

We get to witness all of Maryellen's ups and downs as she and her family try to navigate their 'new normal'. Times were very tough but love, family, and friends were always at the core of their lives. The Road to Yesterday is a great reminder of the 9/11 event and gives insight as to how people moved on, while never forgetting what they went through. 

I received an ARC of The Road to Yesterday and this is my honest opinion.

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About the author

Born and raised in Connecticut, I am now proud to call Hailey, Idaho home, nestled amidst the pristine landscapes that inspire and uplift my soul daily. Being a nurturing mother of two incredible young men, Brett and Colton, has magnified my capacity to love and cherish every precious moment we share. My loving husband, Michael, has been my cornerstone for the past 15 years, always supporting and understanding me as grief and healing is a nonlinear process. 

I find immense joy in connecting with others, weaving threads of companionship that strengthen the fabric of our community both here and afar. Embracing the profound beauty of the outdoors, I revel in the whispering winds and scenic mountains that speak to the core of my being. My unwavering passion for exploring the world, whether through travel or introspection, continuously fuels my spirit, enabling me to infuse every encounter and moment with a deep sense of wonder, gratitude, and boundless optimism. ~ Author's website

Connect with Maryellen

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

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Release Day! The Untended by Mattea Kramer ~ My Thoughts #TheUntended @shewritespress @GoSparkPress

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Mattea

on the release today of

The Untended!

The Untended by Mattea Krame

Psychological Fiction, 312 pages

Published May 6, 2025 by She Writes Press

For fans of Rachel Kushner and Gillian Flynn, a gritty contemporary debut novel that puts Katniss Everdeen into Euphoria.

Casch Abbey is a waitress, single mom, and recreational boxer who falls in love first with a veteran who secretly grows pot on a rich man’s land in Vermont’s Green Mountains, and then with a painkiller that eases her long-buried pain.

After her foot is crushed under the wheel of a station wagon, Casch loses her waitressing gig and goes broke—and the meds for her foot are her only source of relief. But when the drug is recalled due to outcries of widespread addiction, Casch’s dependence imperils her already tenuous life, as cravings lead her into her small town’s simmering netherworld.

Intimate and exhilarating, The Untended will upend your every assumption about who is a hero and who is worthy of love.

My thoughts about The Untended ~~ 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"Just off the interstate at the Greenfield exit, it was humid inside The 99."

I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started this book. I didn't know much about the storyline other than what I read in the synopsis. I didn't expect to come to like and respect Casch, the main character, a woman and single mom who struggled with drug addiction. 

This is an eye-opening story about how far down someone can go and the lengths that they will go to, to come back up to the top again. Drug addiction is a real problem in the world and The Untended gives us glimpse of how easy it is to spiral out of control, thanks to the availability of drugs. 

This wasn't always an easy story to read but I'm glad I stuck it out and got to enjoy the satisfying ending. The Untended was well worth my reading time.

I received an ARC of The Untended and this is my honest opinion of the book.

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About the author

Mattea Kramer is an American writer. She writes about drugs, power and powerlessness, and the voice in your head. She's been published in The Guardian, The Nation, Mother Jones, Guernica, and The Washington Post, and she has appeared on MSNBC and on radio stations across the country. 

Her first novel The Untended will be published in May 2025.

Connect with Mattea

Website | Goodreads | Amazon

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Release Day! Standing Up by Mary L. Devine ~ My Thoughts #StandingUp @shewritespress @GoSparkPress

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Mary

on the release today of

Standing Up!

Standing Up: Making the Best Out of Surviving the Worst by Mary L. Devine

True Crime, Nonfiction, Memoir, 272 pages

Published May 6, 2025 by She Writes Press

For true-crime fans, a gripping memoir of a domestic violence survivor who becomes a police detective in the domestic violence unit and is forced to face her demons when her first major case mirrors her own violent assault.

Standing Up invites you on an exhilarating journey with a woman who refuses to be defined by her scars. A pulse-pounding chronicle of survival against all odds, this memoir takes readers along on a plunge into the chilling depths of abusive relationships.

At the tender age of twenty-three, Mary Sweeney-Devine unwittingly stumbled into the clutches of her abuser, igniting anguish and despair. With each heart-wrenching trial, including a hospital visit, she unearthed a reservoir of resilience she didn’t know she possessed. But just when she thought she had weathered the storm, a second marriage to a recovering alcoholic unleashed a tempest of secrets and unforeseen challenges.

Yet Devine emerged from the darkness, fueled by an unyielding determination and a fierce spirit. With the help of unexpected allies, determination, and a sprinkling of humor, she navigated the treacherous terrain of her past—and reclaimed her life with courage. Offering hope to those ensnared in the vicious cycle of abuse, Standing Up is a riveting testament to Devine’s indomitable spirit and a gripping saga that will leave you breathlessly rooting for the victory of the human heart over adversity.

My thoughts about Standing Up ~~ 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"It was spring, a few months after out first wedding anniversary and another of many nights when Vince had gone to the bar after work instead of coming home."

This started out as a very hard book to read. Mary documents the domestic violence that she endured and when I was only about one-fifth of the way through the book, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to continue. I feared that the rest of the book would be more of her trauma and beatings that would end up with her going back to the monsters in her life.

I'm glad I stuck it out though, as Mary overcomes her past and makes a difference in her present—and the future. The journey she takes is long and hard but she is determined to persevere. Standing Up is a positive look at the possibilities to overcome high hurdles when surrounded by the right circumstances and the right people. You just never know when your kindness will change a person's life for the better. 

I received an ARC of Standing Up and this is my honest opinion of the book.

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About the author

Mary L. Devine graduated from Wilmington University with a bachelor’s degree before joining the police force, where she served in the detective unit, was promoted to sergeant, and eventually commanded the mounted patrol until her retirement in 2016. She now serves as an investigator for the State of Delaware while dreaming of her next book. Besides writing, she loves painting, swimming, hiking, and horses. 

Standing Up is Mary’s first book. She resides in Middletown, Delaware. ~ Publisher website

Connect with Mary

Publisher Website | Goodreads

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