Nice Girls Can Win by Suzanne M. Hurley

Jessie was fired, dumped and evicted all in one day. She had school loans to pay off so asks to move back in with her mother. She and her mother did not get along because she feels her mother neglected her for her art. Jessie's father left them when she was 10. Brian “Red”, moved in next door while his father was dying of cancer. He and Jessie had a tolerant relationship at best. Red caught his fiancee with his partner in a compromising position and was leery of a new relationship, just as Jessie was. Since Jessie was no longer practicing law, she decided to open a dog daycare in her mother's old studio with her mother's blessing. Red and some of his friends helped with roofing and soundproofing the studio. Jessie embarks on a journey to discover just what she wants to do with her life, which she learns when she helps one of her pro bono cases. However, she thinks Red has gotten back together with his ex fiance and doesn't know if he will be part of her life. Everything was thrown at Jessie at once and she is not sure how to cope. Then she learns things about her parents that she has to struggle to learn to forgive. Her journey was a tough one but she came through and learned to cope with everything that life handed her. Which is a good lesson for anyone to learn. The whole story is told through Jessie's words and eyes. The reader sees her vulnerability along with her strength. With help from her friends and family she begins a new and better life. Ms. Hurley is a new author for me and I enjoyed this book tremendously. I'm sure I will be looking for more entertaining books by her in the future.