The Truth She Knew
J.A. Owenby
(The Truth, #1)
Publication date: September 12th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
“A bittersweet story of young love, independence, and soul-crushing manipulation. J.A. Owenby shines a light on the impact that mental illness can have on a family.” —Dr. Sheri Kaye Hoff, PhD, Professional Life Coach
Mama didn’t want me. In fact, she would’ve traded my soul back for someone different if God would’ve let her, but he didn’t, so she was stuck with me.
For eighteen-year-old Lacey, life at home is a rollercoaster. She doesn’t think she’ll ever be good enough to truly deserve Mama’s love.
But when Lacey enters college and meets Walker, everything starts to change. Suddenly, Lacey is face to face with the realization that maybe what she’s always seen as normal really isn’t. Her entire life—and everything she’s ever believed about herself and her family—is abruptly hanging in midair.
Lacey is left facing two paths, and she has to make a choice. The first means walking away from everything she’s ever known. The other means never really knowing the truth.
The TruthShe Knew offers an honest and powerful glimpse into mental illness, the meaning of true love, and the psychological waltz that a daughter dances as she endures her mother’s unpredictable emotions, manipulation, and abuse.
Excerpt
I
took my seat belt off and turned to face him. His blue eyes captivated me. I
could lose myself in them forever and never care. A soft patch of hair shadowed
his upper lip. My gaze lingered as I wondered what his lips would feel like
against mine.
“What
are you thinking?” he asked and trailed his finger lightly across my cheek.
I
blushed and silently cursed my pale skin as I reached for his hand. His fingers
intertwined with mine. They were strong, rough, and soft all at the same time.
“I’m
not good for you, Walker.” I glanced down, embarrassed that those words had
slipped out of my mouth. No way had I intended to say anything like that, but
my mouth had a mind of its own. My plan had included ending the night with a
thank-you and letting Walker go, but instead, it was turning into a tug-of-war
between my heart and my brain.
“Lacey,
I highly doubt that,” he replied and squeezed my hand.
“How
would you know? We just met.” I dared to glance at him. If he knew what I meant
he would kick me out of his car right then, leave, and never look back.
Walker
leaned his head against his seat as he ran his free hand through his hair. His
eyes settled on my face.
“If
we date, you’re going to hear things about me and my ex-girlfriend. You and I
share some mutual friends and enemies.”
“You
have enemies? What the hell, Walker, you’re only nineteen,” I said as I dropped
his hand. Maybe I wasn’t the worst of us after all.
“No,
that’s not what I meant,” he said, laughing.
“What’s
so funny?” I asked and folded my arms across my chest.
“Not
enemies in that way, but there are grudges and rumors. You know what high
school was like.”
I
nodded. I remembered all too well what it was like being caught in the
crossfire and rumors. I’d managed to piss off a few mean girls myself.
“Well,
what do you mean exactly?” I let my hands fall back into my lap.
“My
ex, her name is Brittany. We dated for three years. She . . .
how do I say this?” He paused and shook his head. “She was a handful. I didn’t
realize it for a long time, though. I even asked her to marry me.”
“What?
Seriously?” My eyes grew wide with the realization of how serious they had
been.
“Yeah,
I was crazy about her. It wasn’t until we got into a fight and she threw the
engagement ring into the lake that I finally saw who she really was. When we
worked out the fight the next day, she demanded I buy her not only another one,
but a bigger one.”
“Shit,
Walker. That’s just rude!”
“I
agree. So, I doubt you saying you’re not good for me is true. I have a feeling
you’re exactly what I need.”
Author Bio:
J. A. Owenby lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and two cats.
She’s a published author of six short stories and is beginning her first full length novel. J.A. doesn’t mess around when it comes to working with a professional team in order to present her best writing.
She also runs her own business and helps people find jobs they love as a professional resume writer.
She is an avid reader of thrillers, romance, new adult and young adult novels. She loves music, movies, and pop tarts. Her downtime consists of a beautiful summer evening, snuggling with her hubby outside underneath the stars. If it’s winter, listening to the rain and watching NFL football.
You can follow the events of her upcoming novel on https://www.facebook.com/JAOwenby
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