She Gets That from Me

Wells (The French War Bride) explores the shifting dynamics of single parenthood in this engaging novel. Quinn Langston is babysitting her three-year-old goddaughter, Lily, in New Orleans when she learns Lily’s mother, Brooke, her best friend from college, has died from an aneurysm. Brooke, who used a sperm donor, had talked about declaring Quinn Lily’s legal guardian in event of her death, but never changed her will. Soon, Brooke’s grandmother, Margaret, swoops in, determined to track down Lily’s biological father, and in the meantime takes custody of Lily. Margaret finds Zack Bradley, the father, via a donor connection website that Zack’s wife, Jessica, registered him for without his knowledge while the married couple had been unsuccessfully trying to conceive. With Lily gone, Quinn joins a support group for aspiring single parents and confides to the group that she is pregnant. The perspectives of Quinn, Margaret, Zack, and Jessica make for a dynamic view on the complicated questions around paternity, and the characters’ emotions fly amid the drama and stunning plot twists, which deepen Quinn’s involvement with the married couple after Margaret puts Zach in touch with Quinn. With its rich character development and deep exploration of issues faced by single parents and fertility issues, Wells’s book will keep readers turning the pages. (Sept.)