title: Never Letting Go
author: Lapalm, Jodi
description: Following a painful separation and divorce, Meredith Bryant seeks a new beginning with her eight-year-old daughter Tara. But the desire to break free and become independent seem impossible when a complicated ex-husband, shared custody, and suffocating in-laws remain deeply embedded in the family picture. Slowly and methodically, Meredith works to rebuild and restart, first by moving back to her college hometown in Tennessee. In a city both strange and familiar, she and her daughter settle into a rental on the edge of town and after a series of disappointments, Meredith finds employment and friendships to sustain them both. Feeling more confident and empowered by the day, she opens her mind and life to trying new things and embracing opportunities. But when long-ago love Jacob Wilde walks back into her life, Meredith is forced to confront the memory and current reality of the heart she once broke. Despite her attempts to avoid him, their paths continue to cross and when her safety is threatened more than once, Jacob not only becomes her protector against a hidden danger but a harsh reminder of what she has lost over the years. Alone and afraid, Meredith begins to question everything - her ability to parent, the decisions of her past, any plans for the future, and the people closest to her - until one terrifying night she collides head-on with her darkest fears and almost loses it all.