REVIEW: Mending Fences by Sherryl Woods

In Mending Fences by Sherryl Woods, Marcie Carter could never have seen herself being in the position she now finds herself in: with her son Evan being accused of date rape. He’s a college football star on the rise and he’s as all-American as you can get. But she also knows that he’s watched his father be demeaning and disrespectful of the women in his life. Especially to Marcie. Her friendship with neighbor and mom of two, Emily Dobbs, has been her saving grace through the years and definitely through this crisis. That is, until secrets are revealed about Emily’s daughter Dani. Shocked even further, Marcie isn’t sure who to turn to or what to trust in her crumbling life anymore.

‘And in that instant, Marcie knew that her world as she’d known it–already shaken to its foundation by the charges against her son–was about to come tumbling down around her.’

Things were supposed to become less complicated once Emily and her now ex-husband Derek got divorced. She and her kids Josh and Dani were on an even keel for a short while, but now with her best friend Marcie dealing with her son’s arrest, they’re all emotional wrecks. On top of that, Dani seems to be keeping something from her and Emily intends to get to the bottom of things. But with her unexpected reaction to Grady, the detective working the case against Evan and hints of what Dani might be hiding from her, she knows that things will only get more intense and emotionally-charged before they can fight their way out of their situation.

‘She’d always believed that she and Dani were closer than most mothers and daughters, but obviously that was no longer true. Her daughter was clearly in trouble and Emily didn’t have the first clue how to go about helping her.’

Mending Fences was a complex, tangled work of fiction that proved how complicated relationships of any type can be when they are tested. Whether it was best friends, married partners, or neighbors, each person involved had to sort through what they were capable of accepting and dealing with in their lives.

Sherryl Woods always writes a compelling story. And this reissue, originally released in 2007, showed the darker side of human nature and what happens to those around a person (or people) when they must choose sides after a heartbreaking incident. It’s mentioned in the book synopsis that this was about date rape, so readers are forewarned before even picking this book up what the subject matter will be. Woods didn’t go into graphic details for the most part but we did get an inside look into the mindset of one of the victims, so this might still be too intense for some readers.

I thought there were several elements that raised some interesting questions as we got to know the neighboring families and their background. It was an almost impossible situation for best friends Emily and Marcie once Marcie’s son was accused and more details came out about what happened to Emily’s daughter Dani. How could two families that were so entwined stay objective and not accusatory? And how could they stay supportive of each other and not give in to the emotions that threatened to overtake them once everything was revealed?

Things were further complicated when well-meaning detective Grady, with his own issues, became emotionally involved with Emily and her family. That led to some interesting scenes that left me wondering how things could ever work out in the end. And honestly, I’m not really sure that things would have ended up in real life in the manner they did here, but it worked for the story and we had more of a positive resolution than I anticipated. Which was good, considering how bleak things looked for the Dobbs and Carters for a while there.

Sherryl Woods gave us a thoughtful look into the tough decisions two families had to make during a shared crisis and–explored from almost every angle–how it affected all of them. This will likely have readers asking themselves how they would’ve handled the situation and what their own friendships would be able to endure.

Book Info:

 Expected publication: September 27th 2016 | by Mira |

Devastating secrets tear two families apart in this acclaimed novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods!

For ten years Emily Dobbs and Marcie Carter have been the closest of friends. They’ve raised their kids together, shared joy and heartache, exchanged neighborhood gossip over tea. But when Marcie’s son, now a college freshman sports star, is arrested for date rape, the bond between the families could be shattered forever.

As the Carters try to deal with the unthinkable, Emily discovers her daughter has been hiding a terrible secret…a secret that threatens the futures of both families. Recently divorced, Emily struggles to keep it all together—to support her terrified daughter, to maintain her friendship with Evan’s mother and to have faith in the detective who could change all of their lives.

When things seem darkest, both she and Marcie discover that sometimes the first step toward a better future is mending fences with the past.