Good Days Bad Days

A Novel

By: Emily Bleeker

Narrated by: Aasne Vigesaa, Eric Altheide

A daughter reconnects with her estranged parents before it’s too late in an emotional novel about memories, secrets, and finding home by the bestselling author of When We Chased the Light.

Charlie McFadden was fifteen years old when CPS removed her from her hoarded home. Her mother, Betty, chose her worthless collectibles. Her father chose Betty. Neither chose Charlie.

Thirty-one years later, a mother herself and cohost of a popular reality show with her husband, Charlie is proud of what she accomplished without her parents—relative strangers she never saw again. Until the day Charlie’s father pleads with her to come home and to say goodbye to her mother, now confined to a memory care center. Betty has her good days, recognizing her daughter with familiar resentment. And her bad ones, lost in the past as a blissful young mother with a cherished newborn. Those days make Charlie feel loved.

For Charlie, each memory is a journey and a revelation. She sees a mother she never knew—bright and beautiful with so much promise. But hidden away is also a fiercely guarded secret. Shared, it could finally bring hope and healing to a broken family. If Betty can bear to remember it.

©2025 by Emily Bleeker. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Bleeker writes her characters with a great deal of empathy, and readers who appreciate a moving story of self-discovery will find much to love here.”—Booklist

The storyline was unique.

I liked the storyline. It was different. I love that Emily brings new stories to me that I haven’t heard over and over. The narration was good but didn’t convey much emotion. So, I liked it, but didn’t love it.

Great view of a family member with dementia

This book was a great raw representation of Han g a family member with dementia and trying to unravel family secrets!

Loved the narrator

The story line and easy to follow back and forth between time periods. Character development was great too

The love!

It was a beautiful love story, so sad, I use to watch the shows about these kind of people and wonder how they became that way, now I understand!!!

Emily Bleeker Always Tells Great Story.

I won’t spoil a thing—this is another outstanding tale from a truly gifted author. The storytelling is masterful, and even the non-linear timeline, with its seamless shifts back and forth, works beautifully to heighten the tension and depth.

The book serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring human struggles we all face, the profound importance of forgiveness, and the ways history and personal pain intertwine. Sprinkled throughout are just the right touches of intrigue to keep the pages turning. Brilliantly done. Highly recommended.