Opinioned Tannia Ortiz

Wherever Lily Goes is the second installment in the Lily Trilogy, penned by experienced journalist and fiction author Sherry Boas.

In the first book, Until Lily, Ms. Boas introduces the reader to the trilogy's main character, Lily Eagan, born out of wedlock with Down syndrome. She and her two adopted siblings, brother Jimmy and sister Terry, are sent to live with Aunt Bev and Uncle Jack Greeley after the death of their mother Jennifer. Narrated from Aunt Bev’s point of view, we learn how the Eagan children’s and the Greeley’s lives are changed forever.

In Wherever Lily Goes, Lily is living at a group home in Seattle mourning the death of Aunt Bev. Her sister Terry is married to Jake Lovely and lives in Minnesota with their three daughters: Laura, Katie, and Beth, an extremely disturbed, troublesome teenager.

One night during dinner Terry expresses her concern about Lily, and Jake suggests that the family relocate to Seattle hoping to solve two family issues: Lily's loneliness and Beth's self-destructive behavior and bad companions.

The Lovely family gets a new beginning, and both Beth's relationship with her family and her academic performance improve. Lily moves in with them and has a positive effect on the family--- to the extent of inspiring Terry and Jake to pursue having another baby.

As the story unfolds, the reader will enjoy the development of a tender and deep relationship between Lily and her Mexican dad, who she met after Aunt Bev's death.

My admiration for the author's storytelling skills continues to grow. In Until Lily, Aunt Bev's tone changes from antipathy to unconditional love toward Lily. In the sequel, Terry's humane narration speaks about Lily's dilemmas, developmental issues, and unique family dynamics.

This book will keep the reader engaged and motivated to get to know Lily better and learn about the life-changing effects she has on others.

I highly recommend this book to readers looking for an inspirational story on how to cope with the many challenges associated with raising a family while dealing with the needs of a loved one who has Down syndrome.