Library Journal
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It's 1955 in the Mississippi town of Shakerag, and former jazz singer Betty Jewel is dying. A single mother, she must find someone to care for her ten-year-old daughter, Billie, and quietly places a local newspaper ad. When reporter Cassie Malone reads the ad, she leaves the safe, white side of town and tracks down Betty Jewel, hoping to write a story. Instead, Cassie, a childless widow, learns Betty Jewel's deepest secret and becomes inextricably linked with the cancer-ridden African American mother. Hussey, who pens romance novels under the pseudonym Peggy Web, here writes about women who transcend the racial discrimination of their time to do what is best for a young, soon-to-be orphaned child. Verdict This page-turning book will enchant fans of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling The Help. Hussey weaves events from recent American history into the plot, encouraging readers not to forget the cruelties of racial segregation while telling a story of love, hope, and friendship.-Shannon Marie Robinson, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In a desperate bid, a dying mother takes out an ad in the paper and finds protection and love for her daughter from an unexpected source. Former jazz star Betty Jewel Hughes expected her life to be different--and longer. But after her husband, Saint, squandered their careers and landed in jail, she came home to Shakerag, Miss., where she sang in the local blues joint and soon discovered she was pregnant with her daughter, Billie. Now, 10 years later, Betty Jewel is dying of cancer and her mother, Queen, is too old to take care of Billie on her own. Racial tension is heating up in the South of the mid-1950s, so Betty Jewel would be suspicious of any white woman responding to her classified ad looking for someone to take care of Billie, but Cassie Malone is especially problematic. At first, the part-time reporter and columnist for the local paper just wants to do an article on Betty Jewel and the ad. After all, Cassie's known for making trouble by questioning the status quo. But the more time Cassie spends with Betty Jewel, Queen and Billie, the more she realizes the story is complex and layered, and she becomes invested in the dying woman and her family. However, neither community--Cassie's nor Betty Jewel's--is excited about a friendship between the two women, much less a proposed adoption. As secrets and unexpected connections are revealed, the women must fight for a special girl in an uncertain world. Hussey has written a lovely, poetic book about race, love, mothers, daughters and friends that navigates a spectrum of emotional minefields. With well-drawn, authentic characters and a lyrical writing style that occasionally gets in its own way, the story is sweet and hopeful, with impressive dialogue. A certain fairy-tale realism--similar to that of The Help, which this book will inevitably be compared to--makes the concept both believable and entertaining, if perhaps a little glossy given the true history of the racial tension of the time. An endearing and emotionally satisfying exploration of race, family and friendship in trying times.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

It's 1955 and Betty Jewel Hughes, an African American jazz singer in Memphis, is dying of cancer in Shakerag, Mississippi, with no one to take care of her 10-year-old girl after she's gone. Not Betty's mother, who is also sick, nor either of her friends, who have families of their own. And certainly not the man called Saint Hughes, the once-great trumpet player who ended up in prison. Betty's only option is to put an ad in the local paper seeking someone to love and care for her girl. When Cassie Malone, a privileged white reporter for the local paper, recent widow, and closeted rabble-rouser ends up on Betty's doorstep, a secret is revealed, which establishes a tentative, if prohibited, friendship. The ending is somewhat implausible the ease with which everyone accepts the final outcome is difficult to believe considering the time period and location. However, Hussey tells a beautiful story of redemption filled with strong female characters and rich in detail, showcasing Hussey's love of music and the South.--Kubisz, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist