Such a Fantastic Girl

Everyone thought Sara James had it all together-respected primary care physician, devoted wife, engaged mother. Such a fantastic girl. But when a surprise pregnancy ends in devastating loss, something inside her gives way. Sara shuts down, emotionally withdrawing from her husband, Rob, and their two teenage kids, Jen and Bryan. After two years of going through the motions, she leaves the country to serve with Doctors Without Borders--hoping that saving lives abroad will somehow save her from herself.

Rob is left behind to hold their fractured family together. Jen and Bryan, stumble through adolescence without the mother they once knew. Over time, new partners emerge, a divorce is finalized, and the family begins-tentatively, imperfectly--to move forward.

But healing doesn’t follow a straight line. And forgiveness rarely arrives all at once.

Told with wry humor, emotional nuance, and unwavering compassion, Such a Fantastic Girl is a novel about the roles we play, the identities we lose, and the quiet courage it takes to choose connection--even after everything falls apart.