Stay with Me, an Entertaining Vacation Read

Other than quality family time, the best part of Christmas break is cuddling up on the couch with a great book. That's just what I've been doing for the last few days with Stay with Me, a novel by Sandra Rodriguez Barron that just came out in paperback this month from Harper Collins. It's the type of story that makes you look up every few chapters and appreciate the loved ones around you.

The novel begins mysteriously. A boat is found at the dock of an abandoned Puerto Rico development by two policemen, aboard are five toddlers dressed in fancy clothes each bearing the same starfish drawing on their left hand. They're all alone. The press goes wild with speculation but no one claims the children. Eventually the mysterious stowaways are adopted by different families both in the US and in Puerto Rico, but the children remain connected, and consider themselves as siblings even though they are not raised together.

Their bond remains strong even as adults. Adrian is a Latin rock star. Ray is a line cook. David works for the forest service. Taina is a clothing designer, and Holly is a soccer mom. But under the surface, they're all haunted by the mystery of their origins. When David is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, their bonds are tested anew as his tumor gives him flashbacks with vivid clues of their true identities.

Although Stay with Me juggles a lot of different viewpoints, the story is captivating and heartwarming. I felt for those orphans, even as adults, as they struggled to make sense of their mystery. Stay with Me is an entertaining read that I'm sure you'll enjoy as much as I did.

I received my review copy as part of a TLC book tour for Stay with Me. Feel free to read what other reviewers had to say about the book.