While still grieving for her mother and unable to accept her stepmother, a girl clings to the memories represented by forty-three buttons on a string.

"When Elise Buckley moved with her family to Abingworth, it was supposed to be a new start. She hoped the little English village, with its scattering of houses, pub, and village church, wouldn't offer enough opportunity for her doctor husband, Andrew, to continue having affairs. Apparently, she was wrong. Now Elise's only goal is to maintain the façade of a happy homelife for their teenage daughter, Niamh. When the body of Niamh's best friend, Hollie,...

When I first met my stepmother, I was a little suspicious. All stepmothers are supposed to be wicked! Evil! Downright B-A-D BAD! Or at least, that's what the stories say. So I thought I knew just what to expect from mine. But my stepmother didn't seem to be any of those things. She helped me paint my room. She left me notes in my lunch box. She baked my favorite lemon squares. Is it possible I might have been wrong about stepmothers?