Blind Turn

by Cara Sue Achterberg

Published January 2021

308 pages

Women’s Fiction

This story is told through the alternating viewpoints of Liz, a young single mother, and her sixteen year old daughter, Jess. As the book opens we learn that Jess has had a car accident and is at least indirectly responsible for the death of a beloved coach at the high school she attends in this small Texas community. 

Jess hit her head and can’t recall what happened and is left to wonder if the accident was her fault. The only witness to the car crash is her best friend, Sheila, who says Jess answered a text while driving into a blind turn. When she is charged with texting and driving, something she knows she has never done before, Jess can’t figure out why Sheila is lying. Sheila has also dumped her from the popular set and starts telling lies about her. This hurts her as much as the guilt she feels for the accident itself.

We come to love both of these deeply drawn characters. Liz, a smart, hard-working mom with a painful back-story and current burdens too heavy to carry alone, struggles silently. She faces this new hardship with character and strength that rarely slips. Jess, the mouthy teenager who only worries about her popularity and what she will wear to the prom gains maturity beyond her years as the plot develops. We see the pain of both characters as they grow and learn to love more honestly through this ordeal.  

This is a heartbreaking story that address the real life issues of teen life and those who love them through it. A very engaging and interesting book I highly recommend you read it and then pass it to your children or grandchildren.