Christina M. Abt asked me to read this novel, and I went into it completely blind, with no idea what kind of experience was waiting for me. What I found was a thoughtful and deeply emotional journey that unfolds through a dual timeline marked as “Then” and “Now,” each chapter stamped with the exact time of day. That structure pulls you through twenty-four hours of intense reflection while also reaching back into everything that shaped Dr. Juliet Olivia “Jo” Harkins. Jo is a psychologist who dedicates her life to survivors of abuse and trauma, and through her we meet five unforgettable patients—Solana, Aiysha, Tristan, Kit, and Constance—each trying to rise above circumstances they never deserved. The book handles difficult themes with incredible care, especially around memory, identity, and the long shadows cast by pain.
Everything about Jo is calm, measured, and intentional, from her therapeutic strategies to the soft edges of her personal habits. I loved how Abt slowly reveals Jo’s past in fragments—memories, reflections, the small turning points that pushed her toward this work. She is fully committed to her patients, researching the meaning behind their names, creating safe spaces for them, and offering a constant presence that never wavers. The therapeutic tool she developed, the Secret Sand Circle, is brilliant in its simplicity and symbolism. The idea that you can draw something in sand and also sweep it away becomes a powerful metaphor for healing, renewal, and release. As Jo guides her patients through their pain, she is quietly confronting her own trauma and limits. The question becomes: what is the personal cost of carrying so much for others?
By the end, this book left me thinking about how little we truly know about what others are carrying, and how much gentler the world would be if we remembered that. The gardening metaphors—seeds, soil, tending—fit beautifully with the way healing grows in unexpected places. The Secret Sand Circle is a reminder that holding everything in is often the worst choice we can make. Mental health matters, and the story honors the courage it takes to face what hurts. Read this one all the way to the end, and remember: whatever you are navigating, you do not walk through it alone.
Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.
Purchase The Secret Sand Circle
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)
Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
