Fresh Scars

Title: Fresh Scars

Author: Donna Mumma

Publisher: Firefly Southern Fiction

Genre: Christian Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Suspense

My Review:

Fresh Scars is a debut novel by Donna Mumma. Fresh Scars draws you in from the first line and will keep you engaged until the last, in a sadistically twisted way. You don't want to know what happens but you need to know so you keep reading.

Letters bearing bad news deserved fiery deaths for the trouble they bring.

Ivy and Asia are estranged sisters until a letter forces them home to Florida. Veronica (their heartless mother) is not expected to live much longer and her dying wish was for her girls to clean out their childhood home. While not thrilled about it, both Ivy and Asia each need the money offered, so they set about to clean the house.

Breathe...relax...breathe...

Veronica has left them quite a few surprises in the house. Everywhere they turn there are reminders that she is in control and they are just puppets in her game of manipulation. Ivy and Asia experience a lot of personal growth in the development of the story. You can't help but root for them from the first page, and Asia shows remarkable strength while staying true to her character. The dialogue is engaging, realistic, and keeps the story moving.

If she weren't seeing all this herself, Asia would never have believed it.

Fresh Scars is a story of deep emotional pain, childhood trauma, a glimpse into how our childhood affects us, and a story of forgiveness. It is a heavy story, but not quite as heavy as you would expect. It is not overly graphic. This story is realistic, gripping, and hard to put down. It will leave you thinking long after you have finished the last page.

I would recommend this story but I am not quite sure who to recommend it to. I would say those who enjoy a good family drama where families not only thrive but survive.

★★★★/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

Time heals all wounds . . . or does it?
Asia Butler and her sister, Ivy Butler Morelli, have not spoken in fifteen years. As children, they endured brutal emotional abuse from their mother, Veronica, and want only to forget the past . . . and each other.
But the past comes calling when they each receive a letter from Veronica s attorney promising much needed cash if they will fulfill her dying wish and consent to cleaning out their childhood home. Asia and Ivy reluctantly return to their hometown of Emerson, Florida, only to discover the house is a hoarder's nightmare filled with strange mementos and clues hinting that they were not the only victims of Veronica's sadistic nature.
Can this new pain be the path to their healing? Will they be able to choose forgiveness over resentment?