Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with this e-book ARC to review.

WOW, I raced through this book!

In 1964 we meet Daisy, a 15-year-old girl living in the polygamist community of Redemption in British Columbia. When the day of Daisy’s Placement comes, she is wed against her will, to a man forty years older than her, and her best friend, Brighten, doesn’t fare much better. The two girls make a plan to escape to the nearest town but things don’t go as planned. As an adult, Daisy has been able to make a life of freedom for herself, but she feels called to save the women she left behind. Can she keep her independence while facing her past to show the women of Redemption that there is another way?

I’ll be honest and say that I find high-control groups fascinating, so I was already interested in the subject matter before I started reading. It’s abundantly clear that the author did a ton of research for this novel, and I really appreciated her lengthy author’s note at the end where she goes into detail about her process. Everything about the time period of the late 60s and the polygamist community was detailed in a way that made the setting feel very authentic. The music, Wolfman Jack (a well-known real-life radio DJ), and the hippy vibes of peace and love all brought the 60s to life. The same can be said for the details of Redemption, such as the large houses with lots of sister wives looking after so many children, the patriarchal nature of the community, and the difficult relationships the women had with each other.

This novel can definitely be categorized as a coming-of-age story for Daisy. She’s 15 when she escapes Redemption and we get to follow along on her journey of self-discovery into adulthood. Freedom from the suppression of the polygamist religion allows her to learn more about herself, what she wants, and who she wants to be. I loved watching her grow throughout the novel. The theme of found family is also prominent as Daisy looks for support in her transition to the outside world, and again when she sets out to free the women of Redemption.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and now I plan to read Leslie Howard’s first novel too!