The Family Friend - Paperback

by Ryan Lamantia (Author)

After an unexpected shadow mars the bright light of a college graduate, she and her family must confront their emotions, religion, and perspectives to build toward a better life together.

Carrie Ann has spent her whole life doing everything right. She followed her father's rules, honored her church's expectations, and fit herself neatly into the quiet rhythms of Rockwood, Tennessee. But "right" has never felt like hers. When she graduates college and finally leaves home for her new life Houston, Texas, she imagines beginnings that belong solely to her: a real career, independence, and the freedom to discover who she is outside of her small-town roots.

Thanks to "Uncle" Charlie - her father's old football teammate and the trusted family friend she's known forever-Carrie Ann steps into city life with confidence. Charlie becomes her guide and her safety net; he's the person she believes she can rely on without question.

Until the night she can't.

When one shocking moment shatters everything Carrie Ann thought she knew, she finds herself alone in a city that no longer feels full of promise. With her family distant, her faith shaken, and her sense of self slipping, she must confront the truth she never wanted to see: trust can be broken, even by the people we are taught to depend on most.

But when she meets Ben Wallace - a steady, kind presence who sees her hurt without demanding her silence - Carrie Ann discovers a glimmer of healing she didn't think possible. As their friendship deepens, she faces a choice that will define her future: remain captive to the betrayal that wounded her or reclaim the voice she lost and step into a life built on her own terms.