Miss Janie’s Girls

After years away, two women return to Birthright, Tex., to celebrate the life of their foster mom in this sentimental outing from Brown (The Banty House). Sarah Jane “Miss Janie” Jackson is dying, and she asks her great-grandnephew, Noah, to bring her two daughters home to her in her final days, though her Alzheimer’s has her confusing the twins she gave birth to and was forced to give up for adoption at age 15 and her two estranged foster daughters. Teresa Mendoza and Kayla Green don’t consider each other sisters and could never get along when they lived together as teens, but when Noah comes to find them they agree to bury the hatchet for Miss Janie’s sake. All three move into Miss Janie’s house to care for her, leading Teresa and Noah to rekindle their teenage romance and Kayla to face the demons of her past. The romantic elements feel forced and suffer in comparison to the heartfelt tale of familial love and self-acceptance. Those who don’t mind leaving the love story on the back burner may want to take a look. Agent: Erin Niumata, Folio Literary. (July)