single mothers

"Single mom Jessica Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in; she holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard... and lonely. GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company, claims to find soulmates through DNA. Her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: one of GeneticAlly's founders, Dr. River Pe?a. She already knows Dr. Pe?a, and this stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist than she thought"--OCLC.

"A producer at the Belfast bureau of the BBC, Tessa is at work one day when the news of another raid comes on the air. The IRA may have gone underground after the Good Friday agreement, but they never really went away, and lately, bomb threats, arms drops, and helicopters floating ominously over the city have become features of everyday life. As the anchor requests the public's help in locating those responsible for this latest raid--a robbery at a gas station--Tessa's sister appears on the screen. Tessa watches in shock as Marian pulls a black mask over her face. The police believe Marian has joined the IRA, but Tessa knows this is impossible. They were raised to oppose Republicanism, and the violence enacted in its name. They've attended peace vigils together. And besides, Marian is vacationing by the sea. Tessa just spoke to her yesterday. When the truth of what has happened to Marian reveals itself, Tessa will be forced to choose: between her ideals and her family, between bystanderism and action. Walking an increasingly perilous road, she fears nothing more than endangering the one person she loves more fiercely than her sister: her infant son"--Provided by publisher.

"Sonya used to perform on stage. She used to attend glamorous parties, date handsome men, ride in fast cars. But somewhere along the way, the stage lights Sonya lived for dimmed for good. And then, in their absence, came darkness--blackouts, empty cupboards, hazy nights she can't remember. Haunted by her failed career and unresolved childhood trauma, Sonya has fallen deep into an alcoholic abyss. What keeps Sonya from losing herself completely is Tommy, her son. But her love for Tommy is in fierce conflict with her love of the bottle. Addiction preys on her fear of losing Tommy, as every maternal misstep compels her to drink. But soon, Sonya will be forced to make a choice. Give up drinking or lose Tommy--forever. Bright Burning Things is an emotional tour-de-force, offering a devastating and nuanced look at an addict's journey towards rehabilitation and redemption"--.

"Set in near-future America, The School for Good Mothers introduces readers to a government-run reform program where bad mothers are retrained using robot doll children with artificial intelligence. Protagonist Frida Liu, a 39-year-old Chinese-American single mother in Philadelphia, loses custody of her 18-month-old daughter, Harriet, after she leaves Harriet home alone for two hours on one very bad day. To regain custody, Frida must spend a year at a newly-created institution, where she practices parenting with bad mothers from all over the county. There, she learns to love an uncannily life-like toddler girl doll in order to demonstrate her maternal instincts and prove to her family court judge that she deserves a second chance. Frida is an outsider in every way: better educated, more affluent, and the only Asian. The mothers, whose transgressions range from benign to horrific, are under constant surveillance. If they don't pass all the school's tests, their parental rights will be terminated. Inspired by dystopian classics such as 1984, Never Let Me Go, and The Handmaid's Tale, the novel eviscerates the dominant American parenting culture, while highlighting the tragedy of state-sponsored family separation. Is there one right way to mother? Can a bad mother ever be redeemed? With warmth, heart, and dark humor, the novel tells a timeless story of a mother fighting to win back her child, and her struggle to hold onto her integrity while being indoctrinated"--Provided by the publisher.

"Recently widowed Lina returns home with her teenage son Rory to sell the house she has inherited in Greenfield, California. Lina discovers that her father's sleepy hometown has been transformed into a Silicon Valley suburb on steroids, obsessed with an annual exam called The Wonder Test. When students at her son's high school go missing, reappearing under mysterious circumstances on abandoned beaches, Lina must summon her strength and push her own ethical boundaries to the limits in order to solve the crimes."--Provided by publisher.

Sixteen-year-old Poppy Patterson moves across the country to find a new start after getting pregnant. She carves a life for herself and is happy working at a night club while raising her kid. Meanwhile, TK Moore dreams of becoming an NFL player, but memories of the girl he thought would be at his side through the fame playing professional football are still painful. TK and Poppy meet again in unlikely circumstance and the two rekindle emotions long-held at bay, and secrets between them are revealed.

In 1986, siblings Elena and Joaquin Finney struggle with their manipulative, alcoholic mother and look for any way to escape Mariposa Island. Elena starts babysitting for a visiting family and sneaking off with a new boyfriend while Joaquin dreams of finding his estranged father in California. Meanwhile, their mother reflects on life in the 1950s as the daughter of wealthy white Cubans who sent her to the United States during the Cuban revolution where she experienced the turmoil of being an outcast immigrant in Texas. After Joaquin makes a startling discovery, the lies and secrets that have defined their family come to light.

"After the shocking death of two teenage boys tears apart a community in the Pacific Northwest, a mysterious pregnant girl emerges out of the woods and into the lives of those same boys' families--a moving and hopeful novel about forgiveness and human connection. In misty, coastal Washington state, Isaac lives alone with his dog, grieving the recent death of his teenage son Daniel. Next door, Lorrie, a working single mother, struggles with a heinous act committed by her own teenage son. Separated by only a silvery stretch of trees, the two parents are emotionally stranded, isolated by their great losses--until an unfamiliar sixteen year-old girl shows up, bridges the gap, and changes everything. Evangeline's arrival at first feels like a blessing, but she is also clearly hiding something"--Provided by publisher.

"Eighteen years old, pregnant, and working as a pizza delivery girl in suburban Los Angeles, our charmingly dysfunctional heroine is deeply lost and in complete denial about it all. She's grieving the death of her father (who she has more in common with than she'd like to admit), avoiding her supportive mom and loving boyfriend, and flagrantly ignoring her future."--Provided by publisher.

"On the surface, Rachel Marin is an ordinary single mother; on the inside, she's a fierce, brilliant vigilante. After an unspeakable crime shatters her life, she changes her identity and moves to a small town in Illinois, hoping to spare her children from further trauma...or worse. But crime follows her everywhere. When the former mayor winds up dead, Rachel can't help but get involved. Where local detectives see suicide, she sees murder. They resent her for butting in--especially since she's always one step ahead. But her investigative genius may be her undoing: the deeper she digs, the harder it is to keep her own secrets buried. Her persistence makes her the target of both the cops and a killer. . ."--OCLC.