The Verdict Is In! Accolades for Vacancy from Kirkus Book Reviews ~ "Our Verdict: Get It"
Updated: Sep 14
"Alexander’s prose convincingly captures the atmosphere and dialect of a small Panhandle town, where everyone knows everyone else and gossip spreads with the speed of the dry wind, with brutal judgment always quick to follow. She delivers a poignant tale of people dealing with grief, guilt, secrets, and transformations, as well as unexpected relationships."
—KIRKUS BOOK REVIEWS, 9.3.26
"A heartbreaking, engaging melodrama with memorable characters and a hopeful conclusion." —KIRKUS
READ ON for the complete Review from KIRKUS
For an early look, get your signed, personalized copy of Vacancy: Secrets and Second Chances in Small-Town Texas
About Vacancy
THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE DUST SERIES
A struggling single mother and a suspicious widow, at odds.
Both have a habit of hiding from hard truths.
Helen is childless and widowed after a long marriage and gets a second chance with a long-lost love. But she’s grieving her hidden regrets. She bonds with her quiet kindergarten student and doubts the girl’s struggling single mother, Charlene, is fit to parent.
Charlene’s hiding a secret of her own, and she resents Helen’s interference. She’s determined to make a better life for her young daughter, the teenage boy her ex left behind, and the baby on the way when a scarred veteran offers to lend a hand.
A tragedy no one sees coming forces the two women to unite, as small-town bias threatens to destroy innocent lives. But first, Helen and Charlene must confront the vacancy in their hearts. As they do, can they find new strength, acceptance, and a second chance at love?
INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS
Vacancy: Secrets and Second Chances in Small-Town Texas arrives September 24. Preorder the ebook now:
Book Review of Vacancy from Kirkus:
"Tragedy brings a middle-aged educator and a young mother together in Alexander’s novel.
"It’s August 2005 in Hartless, a small, dusty town in the Texas Panhandle. Kindergarten teacher Helen McCabe, in her mid-50s, has just finished the first week of school, hoping that her class will help her find her mooring again. Her husband, Hal, recently died in a car crash; he drove into an intersection, just as a trailer truck was entering from the cross lane, and Helen thinks it might have been suicide. She vows that she’ll “never miss the signs of someone in trouble again.”
"Jillie Simpson, a 5-year-old girl in her class, has captured her attention: “One tiny, quiet girl, with huge brown eyes equally bright and sad, mirrored Helen’s grief.” But Helen’s pain is about more than the loss of her spouse; it’s also related to losing her baby daughter, who died many years ago. Jillie’s 23-year-old mother, Charlene Simpson, lives with Jillie’s father, Ray Hopper, and Ray’s teenage son, Mick, in another part of town. They eke out a hardscrabble life, with Charlene working at a secondhand shop. When Ray learns that Charlene is pregnant again, he beats her and takes off, leaving Mick and Jillie behind, as well as months of unpaid bills.
"A heartbreaking, engaging melodrama with memorable characters and a hopeful conclusion."
"Helen, who’s weighed down by her own troubles, becomes preoccupied with anxiety about Jillie, and she becomes determined to protect the child, without fully understanding the danger that surrounds Charlene.
"Over the course of this novel, Alexander’s prose convincingly captures the atmosphere and dialect of a small Panhandle town, where everyone knows everyone else and gossip spreads with the speed of the dry wind, with brutal judgment always quick to follow. She delivers a poignant tale of people dealing with grief, guilt, secrets, and transformations, as well as unexpected relationships. The sibling relationship between Jillie and her half brother, Mick, is the most tender, and when tragedy strikes, Charlene and Mick both face some of the hardest times of their lives.
"A heartbreaking, engaging melodrama with memorable characters and a hopeful conclusion."
—KIRKUS BOOK REVIEWS, 9.3.36
INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS
Vacancy - Secrets and Second Chances in Small-Town Texas releases September 24, 2026.
Read an early copy! Order Vacancy HERE, autographed by the author and personalized with your name.
Preorder the ebook HERE
READ MORE early reviews of Vacancy on GOODREADS
VACANCY: SECRETS AND SECOND CHANCES IN SMALL-TOWN TEXAS,
IS THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE DUST SERIES.
READ UNSPOKEN: Secrets and Survival in the Texas Dust Bowl, Book One
Comments