Every Wild Heart: A Novel

Every Wild Heart is the story of a woman, Gail, and her daughter, Nic. Gail Gideon is a radio personality who gives no-nonsense advice about love to her listeners. She’s built a sort of empire around her brand, including writing a book. Her minor fame often brings major issues, like rabid fans and stalkers from whom she must protect her privacy.

Nic is a painfully shy girl with a stutter. She lives for the days when she can leave school and ride her horse, Tru. One day, she takes Tru on a trail ride. She tries to jump over a fallen tree, but she falls off the horse and slips into a coma. When she awakens, her stutter is gone and she has a new sense of adventure. After her inhibitions fall away, Nic decides to train an abused horse, Peach, in secret.

This book is about the tug-of-war relationships mothers have with their teenage daughters, the efforts mothers make to protect their daughters, and the lengths to which their daughters will go to subvert them. With Nic’s newfound confidence, Gail feels the need to rein her in. But Gail ultimately realizes that she was the same way when she was fourteen years old. Every Wild Heart is a wonderful story to read for Mother’s Day.