Picture This by Jacqueline Sheehan

Picture This
Author:  Jacqueline Sheehan
Published: May 2912
Publisher:  William Morrow Paperbacks
Pages: 400
Genre: Adult fiction
ISBN 9780062008121
Source:  Thank you to TLC book tours for the complimentary copy of Picture This.  The opinions in this review are my own and were not influenced by receipt of this novel.
http://www.jacquelinesheehan.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jacqueline-R-Sheehan/697022012

Jacqueline Sheehan made serious waves with her much beloved runaway bestseller, Lost and Found(“The best book I’ve read in a long time” —Susan Elizabeth Phillips). Now she treats readers to a sequel, Picture This—a story of rebirth and personal redemption that is as moving, funny, and heart-soaring as its predecessor. Whip-smart contemporary women’s fiction with heart and soul, in Picture This, Rocky Pelligrino is back on Peaks Island off the coast of Maine, along with Lloyd the dog, the beautiful black Labrador retriever who gave her a new “leash” on life. But this time a new wrinkle warps the fabric of her world when a young girl shows up on Rocky’s doorstep claiming to be the long-lost daughter of her late husband. (from the TLC site)

My Review:

A sequel to Lost and Found, Picture This continues the story of Rocky who finds a new home on Peaks Island following the sudden death of her husband.  A relationship with her archery instructor may not be the wisest answer to grief, nor the befriending of a young girl, Natalie, who calls Rocky up out of the blue, claiming to be the daughter of her deceased husband.  Foster care has not been kind to this young girl who presents herself as a victim but is she?  Cooper, the loveable black lab isn't comfortable with Natalie, nor is Rocky's neighbour but how can anyone show Rocky what she is not prepared to see?

Strong character development, with chapters devoted to individual characters interspersed throughout, allowing the advantage of further insight into each person and even Cooper.  I found Rocky to be a very likeable but somewhat overly trusting person.  I wanted to wake her up at times, and make her see the clues for what they were.  

Overall, Picture This was a good read, though somewhat dark and sad at times.  The story redeems itself in the end, leaving me glad to have had the experience of knowing Rocky and Cooper.  Jacqueline Sheehan writes marvellous characters, deep drama, all while telling a story of love, loss and hope for new beginnings.  If you are looking for something other than a light beach read, give Picture This a try.

Meet the author: 

Jacqueline Sheehan, Ph.D., is a fiction writer and essayist. She is a New Englander through and through, but spent twenty years living in the western states of Oregon,  California, and New Mexico doing a variety of things, including house painting, freelance  photography, newspaper writing, clerking in a health food store, and directing a  traveling troupe of high school puppeteers. She is currently the fiction editor for  Patchwork Journal, an online journal sponsored by Patchwork Farm, an  internationally based writing center. Jacqueline teaches workshops on writing  and the combination of yoga and writing. She lives in Massachusetts.