Abby and Richard are just ten years old when puppy love comes nipping at their heels. Part of the “neighborhood gang,” they spend their days riding bikes and looking for new challenges for the group to dare. Just as Abby and Richard begin to realize the confusing and intense feelings they have for one another, they are also introduced to the pain and sadness of loss. Richard’s father, burdened with the medical bills of his dead wife, must give up their home and move Richard and his grandmother to a new town, far away from the only one Richard has known.

Abby follows the cycle of abuse her mother lived and marries poorly. Intent on breaking the cycle to save her daughter, she too leaves the town of her childhood and begins a new life. Richard, now known as Rick, has also made it his mission to break the chains of his past. Working hard at accumulating wealth, with a highly motivated wife doing the same, he soon realizes their foundation is weak and destined to crack.

Twenty years later, their paths are destined to cross once again. Will they rekindle the love they once felt or laugh at the “love” of youth?

Pressed Pennies weaves stories of love and second chances, the loss of youth, and the adventures of maturity. Interspersed with poetry of love, lessons of forgiveness, and the hand of fate, it contains inspiration and wisdom within its pages. Although at times the story would benefit from foundational details, it does not detract from the message of the story. Pressed Pennies appreciates the depth and complexities of love in this world overtaken by technology and the demise of the nuclear family. In its beauty, it reminds the reader that amid the complexities, sometimes you need to find a way to slow down and incorporate the basic rules of love, with a little help from fate along the way.