The House That Held Its Breath

Grief didn't end with Deborah's death; it followed him, whispered to him, and waited for the moment he would break.Seventeen-year-old Michael Riley has learned how to disappear.After his sister's death, grief settles into the Riley house like something alive. His mother fades into addiction and despair. His father is gone. The house is spotless on the outside, but inside, silence, neglect, and pain have become part of the walls. Michael keeps his head down, keeps the house clean, and keeps surviving one day at a time.Then Lauren Keller stops beside him one morning and asks the question everyone else has ignored: Are you okay?Lauren does not know how much that question will change both of their lives. She only knows that Michael is lonely, hurting, and far more fragile than anyone wants to see. As their connection deepens, Michael begins to believe, for the first time in years, that someone might stay. But love cannot erase a lifetime of grief, and kindness cannot fix what has been left untreated for too long.The House That Held Its Breath is an emotional coming-of-age novel with adult crossover appeal that explores grief, trauma, family neglect, mental health, and the quiet ways people can disappear in plain sight.Tender, heartbreaking, and deeply human, this story explores what it means to notice someone overlooked, to love someone in pain, and to face the devastating truth that seeing someone is not always enough to save them.For readers drawn to emotional young adult and adult crossover fiction, grief fiction, trauma-recovery stories, and character-driven novels about love, loss, and survival.The House That Held Its Breath is Book One in The House Series.

Pages: 261, Paperback, Dolan House Press