Cut Scenes and Impossible Things

by Tracy Daley

Mama Mia meets Love and Gelato where a girl travels to Wales with a mom who doesn't remember her while navigating old family drama, a budding romance with a boy she lied to, and the secrets both her and her mom are afraid to share.

Nothing is impossible is Bri Harrison's life motto. Her hard work and dedication have finally paid off when she is chosen as a final candidate for an internship at the Sundance Film Festival. But when a filming project goes wrong, Bri captures the zip-lining accident that makes Mom lose twenty years of her memory. Bri will have to face the impossible with a mom that doesn't remember her.

She wants to create the perfect final entry video while trying to help Mom, but Mom wants to go home to Wales where her childhood memories are intact. With both of them feeling broken, Bri agrees to go with Mom to try and heal both of their pain. Bri is determined to find a way to submit her film project, even with spotty internet connection, and get Mom's memories to come back, even when a cute Welsh boy asks her to accept things the way they are.

Bri has never given up before, but her determination sends her once-close relationship with Mom up in smoke and strains her budding romance. Despite wanting to beat the odds, Bri has to decide if she should keep fighting for the past or walk into an uncertain future.

Genres: Romance

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 11, 2024

About the author

Tracy Daley is known for telling Stories with heart, adventure, and mystery.

She wrote her first book in fifth grade and will forever be grateful for amazing teachers who encourage and empower their students. She spent ten years working in the publishing industry and has developed her love of storytelling through reviewing, acquiring, and reading every great book she could get her hands on. She is the author of a middle grade
historical fiction, If the Fire Comes. She now owns her own publishing company, Night Nook Publishing, where she publishes her own stories and is working to support other writers in the future. She loves skiing, eating, and traveling with her family.

“Tracy Daly draws the reader into the drama of her story.”
"YA at its best!"
"Tracy Daley's writing is topnotch."
"The brisk pace and Tracy Daley's skilled use of language keeps me turning the pages!"

Reviews

[Michelle Dennis Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was definitely a page turner for me. I started it shortly before my son's wedding to help me calm down at night. I was planning on reading a few pages over the next couple of weeks as I prepared for the festivities. Instead, this book sucked me in and I couldn't put it down. It took me under a week to read this book--and that's with everything I had going on in my life (which for me is quite fast.)

I loved how Daley portrayed the grief and difficulty that both Bri and Mom had with accepting the new situation. The emotions were raw, and I could really feel them. I loved the setting!! I could feel like I was right there living in a small cottage in the middle of lots of greenery. She did a beautiful job at describing it without info dumping. The setting felt like a character to me and added so much to the story.

[Katherine Hayward Pérez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked Bri and her mother.

I was excited for her birthday celebration and then shocked at what happened.

I felt immersed in the story all the way through.

Bri’s medical backstory was interesting and I also wanted her mother to be OK. The insight into her hospital stay and brain damage was very sensitively done.

Bri's friends were great people, and I liked how they wanted to help her out.

Wales was realistically portrayed.

The author does a great job of raising awareness for Bri's condition of cleft palate and her difficult birth, as well as her mother's brain injury and memory loss.

Tracy Daley is a new-to-me author. Her writing is atmospheric and heartfelt as well as gripping. The story is unforgettable.

Thanks to Tracy Daley.

5 stars

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took a minute for me to get into this, but once I did, I had to know how it ended. It was heart wrenching… (spoiler alert!) I can’t imagine having anyone you care about, especially a parent, completely forget you. It would be beyond difficult and I could feel that in Bri’s story. The author intertwined film similes throughout the book, tying in the theme with the tragedy. My favorite part of was the vivid details of Wales, I felt like I was driving the roads too and it really made me want to visit!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Bri and her social media channel team plan to get Bri's mom to conquer her fears, they never imagine it will lead to a horrible accident that will wipe Bri from her mom's life. Amnesia.

This story is a fascinating look at the lengths you might go to to be remembered by the most important person in your life. A different read than much of the YA that's out there, but thought-provoking and moving.

I also loved the setting in Wales, and now I think I need to plan a trip. :)

[Patrice Carey Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful contemporary novel about when to accept things as they are and when to push through to make the impossible possible. Cute romance, multi-layered mother-daughter relationship, idyllic Wales setting, a sprinkle of mystery--highly recommend!

[Jessica Flory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. The writing was vivid and beautiful, the story powerful, and the characters relatable. A must-read!

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daley has a great way with words. Her story sucked me in and kept me turning pages.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Grant Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good read and reminder of what's really important.

[Tracy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was moving and real. It definitely pulled at my heart strings and left me rooting for the mother-daughter duo.