The You I Never Knew

Michelle Turner is the daughter of former movie star Gavin Slade, turned rodeo stock contractor. She grew up mostly with her mother in LA until her death around the time Michelle graduated from high school. Gavin asked her to spend a year with him in Montana before college. During that year she met Sam McPhee who was working on the ranch, fell in love and ended up pregnant. He took off before finding out she was pregnant. Now 17 years later Michelle returns with her truculent son to Montana when her father contacts her about needing a kidney transplant and she finds she is a match. Sam is also back in the area, owns a small ranch and is now a doctor. All of this needs resolution. I had trouble with the whole set up. Sam and Michelle show more knew each other for six months. Gavin and Michelle a little more, but he was an absentee father. The 17 missing years and the lives they say they led during that time don't completely gel for me. I have trouble with stated time lines and reasoning that get them to where they are when they meet again. It just didn't work for me and left me frustrated. show less

Little far fetched for a travel around rodeo guy with an alcoholic mother to end up becoming a doctor but I did like Sam and his attitudes about life. The son, Cody was truly believable as a spoiled punk. Loved the friend, Natalie with her positive ways. Liked how Michelle was raised as a rich kid but maintained a realistic work and do-it-myself manner. Story moved along at a good pace with enough plot development to keep it interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I really felt connected to the heroine, and I liked the history she had with the hero. The heroine's relationship with her son fell a little flat. I had the feeling sometimes that Susan Wiggs was trying to do too much, between the heroine's father, her son, the father's sickness, etc., but I think she twined it all into a good plot.

The You I Never Knew is a story about a single mom and her son and estranged father. She goes back to help her father and runs into her sons father. Susan Wiggs' books are usually like a fairy tale where there is always a happy ending and this book is no exception.

o.k. but like her Lake Chronicles better (Library Exchange book) so return after AR reads it
Father is Hollywood star, Ex boyfriend was rodeo star but saved up and became a doctor but his mom is a recovering alcholic. Stars daughter returns to donate kidney to her Dad and brings teen son who is child of the rodeo star that she thought abandoned them when really her Dad accused him of stealing to get him out of her life.

So sad but could be true. A great book.