The Girl Who Was Loved

Every action has consequences. Every family has secrets. And every decision has the power to change your life forever.

New York City attorney Laura Castillo lives a pleasant, uneventful life. Most days, the biggest question she faces is what to have for dinner. But when she agrees to defend a troubled man charged with running over a young girl in his taxi, the case opens up a new world—and old wounds.

As Laura gets emotionally entangled with both her client and the family pressing charges, she is forced to reckon with her estrangement with her own mother. She vows to make amends before it’s too late. The only problem? She has no idea where her mother is.

The Girl Who Was Loved takes the reader on a soulful and sentimental romp from the bustling streets of New York City to small-town Texas and back again. Like a slice of homemade lemon meringue pie, Dana Prather’s debut novel offers an irresistible sweetness balanced by just the right amount of tart. It is a joyous celebration of food, family, and forgiveness, and a reminder that no matter who we are or what we are going through, we never outgrow our need to be loved.