Fly Away by Kristin Hannah book review

Amazon's Description:
Tully Hart has always been larger than life, a woman fueled by big dreams and driven by memories of a painful past. She thinks she can overcome anything until her best friend, Kate Ryan, dies. Tully tries to fulfill her deathbed promise to Kate---to be there for Kate’s children---but Tully knows nothing about family or motherhood or taking care of people.
Sixteen-year-old Marah Ryan is devastated by her mother’s death. Her father, Johnny, strives to hold the family together, but even with his best efforts, Marah becomes unreachable in her grief. Nothing and no one seems to matter to her . . . until she falls in love with a young man who makes her smile again and leads her into his dangerous, shadowy world.
Dorothy Hart---the woman who once called herself Cloud---is at the center of Tully’s tragic past. She repeatedly abandoned her daughter, Tully, as a child, but now she comes back, drawn to her daughter’s side at a time when Tully is most alone. At long last, Dorothy must face her darkest fear: Only by revealing the ugly secrets of her past can she hope to become the mother her daughter needs.
A single, tragic choice and a middle-of-the-night phone call will bring these women together and set them on a poignant, powerful journey of redemption. Each has lost her way, and they will need each one another---and maybe a miracle---to transform their lives.

 This is the sequel to FireFly Lane, which I read last week.  If you like Jodi Piccoult and Nicholas Sparks books, then you will love Kristin Hannah.  There are so many things that I love about this book.  I love the characters.  Despite their obvious flaws, you really connect with them. This book should come with a disclaimer though--have tissues availabe.  It shows you that not everyone handles grief in the same way.  What is right for one person, isn't necessarily right for the other.  I liked hearing the back stories for the other characters....like Cloud.  It gives you a chance to understand where she is coming from and why she acts the way she does.  I also liked getting to "know" Marah. 

There are a few things I didn't necessarily care for.  1.  Marah's loser boyfriend's name was Paxton.  I hate that he has the same name as my son.  Not a deal breaker though :).  2.  The flashbacks--  While I get that they are necessary to tell the backstory--I was often confused with what year it was.  I soon figured it out there so again...not a deal breaker.

Overall, I loved both books.  I am definitely now a Kristin Hannah fan.