Reviewed by Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite

Grief can change a family, but sometimes the right person can help everyone begin finding their way forward. In Not My Child by Denise Jett, Charlotte is trying to figure out what comes next after losing her mother to cancer. The former first-grade teacher leaves everything she knows and travels to North Carolina to interview for a private teaching position. Her pupil will be Savannah, an almost four-year-old girl who stopped speaking after her parents were killed in a car accident. Charlotte moves into the wealthy Milani estate and quickly becomes close to the young girl and her grandmother, Kathryn. Antony, Savannah’s uncle, is another matter. He’s distant, angry, and makes it clear that he doesn’t think she belongs in their world. Charlotte focuses on guiding Savannah as she learns, communicates, and experiences new things while also trying to rebuild her own life. As the months pass, she becomes increasingly connected to the family, while Antony’s sorrow and resentment create tension in the household. Can Charlotte help Savannah and the Milanis heal while finding a place where she belongs too?

I flew through this novel. The short chapters helped, but the plot kept me reading. Each one covers a new month, and I found myself moving right on to the next one to see what would happen. Savannah was probably my favorite. I liked seeing Charlotte use her experience as a teacher to connect with her instead of treating her silence as the only thing that defined her. Savannah is curious, funny, and smart, with plenty of personality that comes through in different ways. I also liked the theme of grief because nearly everyone carries some kind of sorrow, but they don’t all handle it the same way. Charlotte’s bond with Savannah gives the story a lot of its emotional weight, while her complicated interactions with Antony add tension and a romantic element. There are also some genuinely humorous and sweet moments mixed in, which kept the heavier subjects from taking over. This is a quick, easy read with romance, family relationships, and characters trying to move forward after loss. Anyone looking for a book about second chances and finding family in unexpected places should pick Not My Child by Denise Jett.