Fences Left Broken

Author: Kristen Terrette
Genre: YA Timeslip
Pages: 330
Release Date: October 13, 2023
Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing, Inc.

Finding out she’s the granddaughter of neighboring families—torn apart by racism, war, death, and murder—is only the beginning of the story...

Mia’s father is dead. Now she’s dumped in the rural Mississippi Delta town of Marigold the summer before her senior year with family she’s never known.

The strange catch? Her maternal and paternal grandparents are next-door neighbors. But so much more than a fence and their skin colors separate these rivaling families, her families, the Montagues and Capulets of Marigold.

When she learns their hatred toward one another has something to do with murder, she and her new friends—who are longing for adventure in the last three weeks of a boring summer—set out to uncover the buried secrets and tragedies from as far back as the Great Depression, World War II, and the Freedom Summer Movement of ‘64.

By finding out the mystery surrounding her families and the town they live in, she hopes to reconcile her grandparents. But can broken fences be mended after unforgiveness has festered so long?

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Reviewer: Beverly Laude

Mia Clark is a typical teenage girl in a lot of ways, but when her father is killed in combat, her world is torn apart. Her mother, who is also in the military, takes Mia to Marigold, Mississippi, for the burial, and Mia comes face-to-face with a family she never knew.

Her mother leaves her in the care of her grandparents, and Mia soon learns that her parents' families have been in a feud that started long before her parents’ interracial marriage. Mia is determined to learn the truth about how this feud began. Along the way, she finds out that there has also been a murder in the past involving someone in her family tree.

Mia and her new friends, calling themselves The Adventurers, delve into a past filled with racism, prejudice, slavery, and hatred. She learns that her family has ties to WWII, the Civil Rights movement, and the KKK. While searching for the truth of what actually happened, Mia is also searching for faith in God, which seems to have gotten lost along the way.

This is a beautifully written book, full of wonderful characters, budding young romance, faith, love, and forgiveness. The author has done a great job of bringing the characters to life, both in the past and in Mia’s time. She has captured the struggles in the Deep South and presented them in a caring manner that will give the reader pause. The book evoked many emotions while I was reading and brought to mind how God works in our lives even when we fight against his plans.

Even though this book is advertised as a YA novel, readers of any age will enjoy following Mia’s journey and will also learn something about themselves along the way. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this author.​

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of the author through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.

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Reviewer: Elizabeth Rucker

This is an amazing historical young adult fiction book! The beauty of the story really captures the time it took place. The educational aspect of it was spot on. It had very good character building, and I fell in love with the subplot of romance.

I love the way the author chose to incorporate God. It didn’t seem cheesy, and it didn’t seem forced. It was almost natural, like the natural way anyone would talk to God in their head.

For it being about slavery and racism, I think that it was done very tastefully. It is a beautifully written book, and I am super glad I read it. Thank you, Kristen Terrette, for the characters that we got to fall in love with and for the whole story and what it represents: that loving each other is one of God's greatest commandments.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of the author through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.

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