AustLit

'Mila can't shake her grief for the life she thought she'd have. She's broke, childless, and single. But her developing relationship with Josh, a sugar baby, opens her eyes to new possibilities.

'Then Josh goes missing on a trip to Europe — a presumed suicide. Mila, and Josh’s best friend Kyle, are devastated, yet they suspect something is amiss. Together, they feel compelled to trace Josh’s steps across Budapest, Prague and Berlin, seeking clues in his last posts online.

'Yet is there one mysterious factor Mila hasn't considered?

'Is running toward danger the only way for Mila to meet her true capacity? Or will it mean yet more loss?

'This genre-defying stunner asks how we might make the most of our power in the face of fear, loss, and the unknown. It celebrates our ability, despite great challenges, to be intimate with others and with the world.'(Publication summary)

'She used to be someone else, but now she’s arrived in Vegas, 
where she can start again. It won’t do to let the past leak in. It’s the Sixties now. She’s going to become … Joan.

'She makes a list: Buy a new dress (fitted, floral). Dye her hair (dark). Curl it. Buy red lipstick. Buy cigarettes and a lighter, too: Joan, she decides, is a smoker.

'There’s no need to dwell on why she’s here, what went before. She is just moving forward, one foot in front of the other, becoming that new person. Joan.

'This city of flashing neon, casinos and shows is full of distractions. Finding a job will be quick and easy. Things to do. New people to meet. A clean sheet.

'She’s certainly not thinking about Jack, or … No. Not any more.

'Her new life starts right here, right now.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.