Pumkin Patterson dreams of a life beyond her Jamaican hometown. But what we dream of and where we belong aren’t always the same thing…

A heartfelt and uplifting story for fans of The Girl With the Louding Voice and The Reading List

‘A delightful, at times humorous story set in Jamaica, amid heartbreak, hopefulness, and mirth.’ CHARMAINE WILKERSON, author of Black Cake

‘A tender exploration of familial love, both the family you’re born to, and the one you find along the way.’ CHARLENE CARR, author of Hold My Girl
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For Pumkin Patterson, family is complicated.

There’s her mother Paulette, who only sees Pumkin as a nuisance. There’s her beloved Auntie Sophie, who has always talked of she and Pumkin travelling to new horizons. And there’s her grandmother, who has always favoured Sophie over Paulette.

When Sophie moves to France for work, she promises to send for her niece in one year’s time. All Pumkin has to do is pass her French entrance exam. But when Pumkin’s mother finds out, she’s determined that her sister won’t get her own way this time.

Now forced to raise the money for her exam in secret, Pumkin turns to her loyal friends to help her secure her way out . . . while evading her mother’s suspicions.

But while Pumkin dreams of her escape, could happiness be closer to home than she thinks?