The Coopers live an idyllic life in their close-knit church community in Boston. Ruby Cooper has been jealous of her sister Erin for most of her life. Erin is beautiful, and smarter. Ruby has a few good friends though, but she feels inferior to her sister.
Then Erin’s boyfriend rapes Ruby. He denies the allegations, but his DNA is found inside Ruby. Erin breaks up with him. On the day the verdict of the court is announced, Ruby and her mother move to Dublin (where her grandmother lives). Ruby starts going to school in Dublin and refuses to think of the past. During her time at Trinity college where she studies drama, Ruby starts drinking heavily and taking drugs. She often wakes up not knowing where she is.
When she tries to kill herself, her parents send her to rehab. Ruby doesn’t want to be there but knows she has to stop drinking to be able to leave rehab. She tries to seduce one of the guys in rehab, an actor called Jack. Ruby is kicked out of rehab and on her way home she stops by the pub. Things aren’t going well.
After she finally realises she needs help, she goes back to rehab and kicks the habit. During a checkup it’s discovered that Ruby is pregnant but she doesn’t know who the father is. Nevertheless, she decides to keep the baby.
Years later, Ruby is still struggling with what happened with her sister’s boyfriend. She eventually confides in her AA sponsor, after her husband tells her he wants a divorce. Her AA sponsor doesn’t respond the way she expected…
Liz Nugent’s books are always a treat. I loved this one. Ruby is not a likeable character and when you find out what her secret is, you’ll despise her! Excellently written, and I didn’t want it to end.
Read for The 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2026
Prompt 10: Spans a decade or more
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️