When the Bough Breaks

Rachel Fletcher thought the biggest secret she'd ever have would be her crush on Jason West. But everything changes the night her father dies in a car accident — an accident she believes is all her fault.

Starting high school is hard enough but carrying her secret guilt, enduring her mother's depression, and, worst of all, dealing with the alcoholism of her seventeen-year-old brother Ryan, plunge Rachel into a world she never wanted or imagined. Add to all that the unwelcome intrusion of a stepfather and a teen-aged stepbrother — a stepbrother she doesn't want to like but can't help liking. Maybe too much.

It isn't long before Rachel feels totally overwhelmed. Things like this aren't supposed to happen to good LDS people, so why are they happening to her? She's praying for Heavenly Father's help. Why isn't he listening?

With two new people living in her home, nothing can remain a secret for long. Rachel learns that Heavenly Father doesn't always answer our prayers in the way that we want, but he does answer them — in his own time, usually through other people, and often in unexpected ways.