Author Description

Layla Holmes had everything going for her: loving parents, a stable home, good grades, a great boyfriend, and a full scholarship to one of the best art schools in New England - then she began a slow, gradual slide into confusion that had her committed to the state hospital with the diagnosis of a psychotic break. The next thing she knew, her parents had packed her up and were moving her out of state to the backwoods of Vermont for a “fresh start.” The last thing she wanted was to have to adjust to new people and get used to a new environment, but her parents weren’t giving her any choice. Layla would either make the move with them to Vermont, or she would have to go back to the residential psychiatric hospital for treatment. Preferring some semblance of freedom to a residential program, she complies with her parents’ wishes and ends up embarking upon a journey to wellness that she hadn’t expected. Lavender Hill is a young adult novel that explores the topics of family relationships, mental health, community dynamics, and the importance of young women being aware of and empowered by the balance between having their own agency and heeding the good advice and counsel of their family, community or village.