Forever and Back

Life on the Ledge Duet, Book 1

By: Ashley Manley

Narrated by: Marie Hawkins

In motherhood and marriage, is anything ever really simple?

June Cannon has spent the last seventeen years of her life as a devoted mom and wife, but when her husband, Camp, doesn't come home for dinner—again—and her teenage daughter calls her simple, she's had enough. Inspired by a podcast, her way forward becomes clear: get a divorce, get a job, and show her kids she's anything but simple.

As soon as she tells Camp she wants a divorce, he becomes the husband he hasn't been for years, blurring the lines between what's real and what's pretend for the sake of their kids.

She quickly realizes that nothing—including her life, no matter what her kids think—is simple. As June catapults herself into the world at age forty to build a life outside of her family's needs, a romantic interest from the past returns to town, giving her the attention she's missed.

When the unhealed wounds of kept secrets and loss are reopened, June must decide between the wild and free life she thinks she wants and the seemingly simple one she already has.

For mature listeners.

©2025 Ashley Manley (P)2025 Podium Audio

Couldn’t stop listening!

Absolutely loved this story! A must for all of us middle age married women in the trenches.

Every mom needs to listen to this book! 🙌🏻

June is so relatable and raw. This book made me laugh, cry, swoon and want to tell all my friends they must read or listen to this book! The narrator was so good! Very talented. BUY IT! 👏🏻👏🏻

Loved it even more a second time

Having already fallen in love with this book the first time, couldn't wait to have this story brought to life audibly. Narration was spot on. I especially loved hearing Camp's southern drawl. This story is a must read/listen.

Must read for moms

This book feels like talking on the phone for hours to your best friend. She's venting about all the things you know too well. Ashley Manley wrote a character just for us, the moms. One who knows what it's like to lose yourself to marriage and motherhood. One who loves her family deeply, who is grateful for this role of mother, but who also knows bone deep exhaustion and feels the invisible burden of being the doer of all things. This story beautifully captures the raw parts of marriage and motherhood that we tend to only speak about in private on the phone with our best friend. This emotional journey will have you laughing and crying, while celebrating the triumph of healing what you thought was broken beyond repair. A stay-at-home mom can have main character energy after all.

This hit home

I absolutely adored this book and could not have found it more relatable. At times, it was like reading the thoughts in my own head. I loved how they worked through it all; It wasn’t pretty but it was real.