The Heart That Breaks by Inglath Cooper

Ann-Elizabeth Casteel grew up knowing her limitations and that her Nashville dreams are very likely way bigger than her ability to ever make them come true. But at seventeen, she loves her imperfect mother and her dog Henry with a heart that sees the best in both of them. Ann-Elizabeth is perfectly happy with their less than affluent life until her mom’s new boyfriend Lance moves in and threatens to destroy it all.

Determined to hold onto what she holds most dear, Ann-Elizabeth struggles to keep it all together until she can graduate from high school and head to Nashville to make a life of her own. But when up and coming songwriter Nathan Hanson strikes up a conversation with her in their senior Lit class one afternoon, Ann-Elizabeth knows full well the foolishness of adding something else to her life that she will never be able to keep. But Nathan will show her it’s only the heart that breaks that can fully know the absolute necessity of love, that it is the blood coursing through a life here on earth. And that it’s only love that makes it all worth fighting for.