Happenstance (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780228632702)

Take two teenage girls, Tara and Sophie, who live near each other in the same area of the city, but inhabit completely different worlds. Add one mysterious and mesmerizing lost-and-found moonstone ring, that may or may not possess mystical properties. And one unsuspecting guy named Silas who, just by chance, happens to be caught up in the converging circumstances of both the girls.

Various school friends and frenemies orbit Tara and Sophie's lives to help complicate matters even more. Added to the mix are several different sets of moms and dads, and other caregivers whose behavior is causing unprecedented upheaval in the lives of their children at this precise moment in time. As the girls continue to cross paths inadvertently, slowly closing in on one another's social circles, they each contend with their own seemingly unique versions of complicated family frustrations. And their changing fortunes may or may not be related to the moonstone ring. Along the way, each girl is caught up in a school project which helps each one to perceive her disheartening circumstances in a completely different light.

Maybe everything that's happening right now is a life-altering wakeup-call. Maybe there's another way, a better way, to react to changing situations in your life. Maybe everything isn't as complicated as it always seems when you pause for just a moment to take a look at the bigger picture. And maybe every family is more alike than anyone could ever imagine, and new friendships can begin to bloom in the most peculiar ways.

The combination of family, friends, and strange coincidences is sure to stir up any number of misunderstandings and mixed messages-which all adds up to Happenstance.

Editorial Review

Nancy M. Bell

Who knew a moonstone ring could cause such havoc? Amidst the angst of high school dramas Tara and Sophie, two girls from vastly different backgrounds, are thrown together by a lost ring. The moonstone is the catalyst which leads to the revealing of secrets finally seeing the light of day. Throw in a drop dead gorgeous male lead in the school play who sets all the girls hearts a flutter who just happens to be Sophie's next door neighbor...

Happenstance is a wonderful story of understanding and growth.