My name is Ana Leigh Watkins, and if one more person in my hometown calls me a hero, I’ll lose my mind. I’m no hero. I’m just a kindergarten teacher trying to figure out how to move on with my life after…well…after a very traumatic year.
Which is why I decided to spend my entire summer with a great-aunt I’ve only met once in Bitter End, Tennessee.
It’s okay, you can laugh. My best friend Lexi has had a field day with the idea of me going off to a place called Bitter End to get a fresh start.
I don’t care what that town is named as long as nobody there knows why I walk with a limp. I’ll admit I was a little surprised when I arrived. I thought there would be a little town square or a welcome sign. Something. But it turns out Bitter End is more of a winding country road that takes you up and down Old Buck Mountain.
The view from the top is stunning. A sea of Appalachian mountaintops rolls all the way to the horizon line. I’m no expert, but while I was out on one of my walks, I might have even stumbled upon ancient remnants of a moonshine still. This place has to be filled with some wild stories. Maybe I’ll discover one or two while I’m here. Speaking of which, though there aren’t many neighbors near my great-aunt’s house, she warned me to stay away from some lady named Marilyn. I saw her once, and she seemed pretty harmless. But I thought I might as well pass along the warning if you decide to visit.
You should also know that if you get turned around and ask someone how to get to Bitter End, they will probably look at you sideways. Apparently, only the people who grew up here call it by its original name now that it’s technically been absorbed into the town of Roan Mountain.
But Bitter End will still populate on the map if you type it in your GPS. Go ahead and try it.
See? I told you it was a real place. I don’t blame you for doubting me. Lexi thought I made it up too.
Truth be told, if I attempted to explain what my time here has been like so far, I’m not sure anyone would believe it. It’s been one awkward mishap after another. I’m starting to think Lexi and my aunt somehow set this whole thing up as an elaborate prank. But don’t let my experiences stop you from checking out Bitter End for yourself. If you’re looking for an Appalachian getaway with stunning mountain views and eccentric neighbors, Bitter End will be right up your alley.
Hometown hero Ana Leigh Watkins ventures to Bitter End, Tennessee, to help her great-aunt get her house ready to sell. Bitter End seems an ironic place for Ana to refresh her weary spirit, but she's desperate for respite from her community's attention and unwarranted admiration. While on a hike in Roan Mountain, a ragtag group of amateur bird watchers take her under their wing--a little against her will. However, she quickly warms to these genuine souls seeking solace in the great outdoors.
But when Ana's adventures in Bitter End lead her to a severed branch of her family tree--one that involves the forbidden love between a moonshiner's daughter and a preacher's son--what began as a quest to study Appalachian birds becomes a transformative journey that binds together two women who, though they live on the same street, have been estranged for sixty years.
Immerse yourself in the lyrical prose and layered plotting of award-winning novelist Amanda Cox as she offers up an engaging story of finding belonging, reconciliation, and new beginnings in the most unexpected places.
Women's Fiction Family Life | Christian Contemporary [Baker Publishing Group, On Sale: August 19, 2025, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780800746612 / eISBN: 9781493450558]
Amanda Cox is a blogger and a curriculum developer for a national nonprofit youth leadership organization, but her first love is communicating through story. She holds a bachelor's degree in Bible and theology and a master's degree in professional counseling. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and their three children.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2026