Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Hard Lemonade by Darlene DeLuca

         Her husband fails. Her marriage fails. 

      Does that make Emily Sherridan a failure?

 About the Book: With high hopes and rose-colored shades, Emily Sherridan leaves her family and friends to build a new life in with her screenwriter husband in sunny Los Angeles. There, she learns that love conquers all…until the rent is overdue, the rejections pile up, or the test is positive.

As months, then years, go by and Eric’s career fails to launch, Emily is determined to hold everything together. But when he brings danger into their lives, it’s over. When the cops arrive at her doorstep, anguish mixes with anger. She wonders how low they can go—until one of the officers hands her the number to a women’s shelter.

Broke and broken, her dreams are dashed and her confidence is shaken. With Eric’s taunt about running home pounding in her ears, Emily pushes forward. Though she’s unsure of her direction, she cannot give up. Her daughter deserves more.

From rosy dreams to real-life roadblocks, Hard Lemonade is a compelling story of friends, family, and fierce heroes.

Our review: Women’s fiction at its finest, this novel speaks to every woman at any age:  the young college student, the empty nester of a mother [or, like me, a grandmother missing her firstborn grandchild]. Then when the trials and tribulations begin—and we know they always will—the pain and fear and heartache of how to help someone we love without taking over or playing know-it-all. This is a jewel of a story. Well told and heart wrenching.

On a scale of 1-5, Hard Lemonade merits a solid 8.

Kat Henry Doran, a Wild Women Review

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