Just 18 Summers by Rene Gutteridge & Michelle Cox
The death of a young wife and mother takes place before the story begins, but helps prompt four families to realize how precious time with their children is, and how quickly it goes by. Butch has let his wife Jenny be the primary parent to their daughter Ava, and now that she is gone, he is struggling with single parenthood. Jenny's sister Beth is dealing with the graduation of her middle child and trying to claim some extra time with her oldest while she is home from college. Daphne has gone a little overboard preparing for the upcoming birth of her first child, to the point where her husband avoids coming home, and Helen and Charles are so busy making sure their kids have everything that they don't see how much they are missing.
During an infant dedication at her church, the author heard her pastor say, "Don't forget--you have just eighteen summers. Take time to make some memories." She was at the end of her eighteen summers with her youngest son, and it helped prompt this story. As a reader and mom looking at the end of my eighteen summers, I expected this story to be emotional, but I didn't expect to laugh so much. The authors found just the right balance and I highly recommend this book.
Janet
