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There’s a moment in life when you look around—the toys scattered across the floor, the never-ending pile of laundry, the to-do list that only seems to grow—and think: Wait, who am I again?
Most of us spend our youth gathering stories about ourselves in an effort to become who we think we should be. We learn to define ourselves by our roles, relationships, education, job titles, and looks. But all of these things can and will change. Meanwhile, this essential inner voice—our souls, our spirits—in all of our people-pleasing, role-fulfilling productivity, is largely neglected.
That feeling of losing yourself in the roles you take on is something Annie, the protagonist of my novel, knows all too well. By the time she hits forty, she’s become everything to everyone else—and forgotten who she truly was. Her magical do-over at twenty-five isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s about finding her way back to herself.
These are questions so many women relate to. How do we reclaim ourselves after years of putting others first? How has time reshaped what we need in love and friendship? Do regrets weigh heavier for what we did—or what we never dared to do? And, maybe hardest of all, can we ever truly recover the pieces of ourselves we’ve sacrificed along the way?
When I was writing Annie’s story, I didn’t set out to hand over neat answers. I wanted to leave the reader with questions that made them reflect on their own lives because those are the kind of conversations I love the most.
It’s been so fun to have early readers tell me what’s come up for them after reading the book. Some have said things like, “I wish I'd let loose and danced on the bar in my twenties.” Others have mentioned that it made them realize they wouldn’t change anything because they wouldn’t want to risk what they have now.
