Molly Sullivan, age thirty, has to make one of the most important decisions of her life on the eve of a new year. It might seem like a simple decision— especially with the news she's carrying her potential- fiancé's child in her nethers—but what follows is anything but. A yes or no has the ability to make all the difference in this tale.

ALL THE DIFFERENCE by Leah Ferguson answers the what-if of a crucial decision by following the outcome of both roads. Over the course of Molly's pregnancy, the tale deviates between the two scenarios, and how her life changes as a result. Ferguson does an incredible job realizing Scott's (the would-be fiancé) full depth of character, in his happiness and in his melancholy, and how the dynamic of their relationship changes in regards to each other and the baby on the horizon.

I like how Ferguson incorporates class and status into the balance, and weighs it so heavily against the intangible warmth and goodness of a close knit family who love each other, no matter the pennies or dollars. Life's events will never fall cleanly into place, and compromise will be a necessity, but where the line is drawn between not enough and too much is a great point of contention in ALL THE DIFFERENCE. Molly cannot have everything she wants—engaged or not engaged—but it's that journey, of finding what it is she must have, what she's worth and will fight for— that makes this story a satisfying one. Structure-wise, some readers may dislike the novel which is really two different scenarios that weave back and forth on the same timeline, making each side of the story half as long. But ALL THE DIFFERENCE doesn't set out to be a classic singular storyline. It sets out to explore both paths at the fork in the road, and learn something by the end of each, regardless of which had the better outcome. And it does this very well.