Book ~ "Baby Girl" (2016) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ When young Cheryl Ann leaves home, she thinks her path is straight … until she’s forced to make a choice she could never have imagined. The man in her life makes it clear: either pick your baby or pick me, he says. Suddenly, Cheryl finds herself at a crossroads. She makes a decision that will change her life forever and that decision causes a chain of events that will lead Cheryl to a completely unexpected place.

"Baby Girl" is a mother’s story. It’s about the greatest sacrifice a mother can make when she wants only the best for her child. It’s about falling in and out of love, of losing and finding one’s self. It’s about the perilous journey from passionate young love to happy true love and understanding the differences between the two.

Cheryl Ann and Ryan started dating when they were in high school.  Cheryl Ann didn't have a happy home life and she and Ryan moved in together right after she graduated.  They had big plans for their future until Cheryl Ann discovered she was pregnant.  Ryan told her he wasn't ready to have a baby and told her to deal with it.  She has a difficult decision to make that would affect her for the rest of her life.

Though this is the fourth book in the Memory House series (there are five and I've read them all), you don't need to have read the first ones as this works as a standalone.  Ophelia is the only character from the other four in the series and there is enough background provided.  It is the ninth book I've read by this author and I liked it.

It is written in first person perspective in present tense in Cheryl Ann's voice, which is a departure from the other books.  I liked her ... every time life threw something at her, she stayed strong and persevered.

I am enjoying this series ... it shows the value in friendships between women.