When Susan Tate’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Lily, announces she is pregnant, Susan is stunned.  A single mother, she has struggled to do everything right.  She sees the pregnancy as an inconceivable tragedy both for Lily and herself.  Then comes word of two more pregnancies among other high school juniors who happen to be Lily’s best friends.  The town turns to talk of a pact.  As fingers start pointing, the emotional ties between mothers and daughters are stretched to breaking in an emotionally wrenching story of love and forgiveness.   “A topical tale that resonates with timeless emotion.”— People “Delinsky examines the roles people unconsciously play in families.” — USA Today “Delinsky proves once again a perceptive observer of family relationships. . . . A tautly emotional story about mothers and daughters.” — Boston Globe   “Timely, fresh, and true-to-life. . . . Explores multiple layers of motherhood and tackles rough questions.” — Publishers Weekly   “Delinsky has a knack for exploring the battlefields of contemporary life. . . . Not My Daughter [is] an emotionally intelligent [book that] offers readers what they want—high drama and realism.” — Kirkus Reviews "Delinsky treads the same domestic themes as fellow best-seller Jodi Picoult.” — Entertainment Weekly   “An engaging writer who knows how to interweave several stories about complex relationships and keeps her books interesting to the end.  Her special talent for description gives the reader almost visual references to the surroundings she creates.” — Newark Star-Ledger   “[She] may be as adept at chronicling contemporary life in New England as any writer this side of John Updike.” — Times Union (Albany) “Delinsky uses nuance and detail to draw realistic characters and ensure that emotion is genuine.” — The Providence Journal   “Barbara Delinsky knows the human heart and its immense capacity to love and believe.” — Observer-Reporter (Washington, PA)   “Delinsky delves deeper into the human heart and spirit with each new novel.” — Cincinnati Inquirer   “Delinsky [is] out there with the Anita Shreves and Elizabeth Bergs, perpetually bestselling authors who wrestle with bigger themes.” — Lexington Herald-Ledger   “ Barbara Delinsky is a New York Times bestselling author with more than thirty million copies of her books in print.  She lives with her family in New England. Chapter 1      Susan Tate never saw it coming. She only knew that her daughter was different. The girl who had always been spontaneous and open had suddenly grown opaque.   Lily was seventeen. Maybe that said it. A senior in high school, she had a loaded course schedule, played field hockey and volleyball, and sang in an a cappella group. And, yes, Susan was spoiled by the close relationship she and Lily had always had. Theywere a family of two, fully comfortable with that and each other.   Inevitably, Lily had to test her wings. Susan knew that. But she also had a right to worry. Lily was the love of her life, the very best thing that had happened in all of her thirty-five years. As achievements in life went, being a good mother was theone she most prized.   That meant communicating, and with dinner too often interrupted by e-mail or texts, eating out was warranted. At a restaurant Susan would have Lily captive while they waited to order, waited for food, waited to pay--all quality time.   She suggested the Steak Place, definitely a splurge, but lined with quiet oak booths. Lily vetoed it in favor of Carlino's.   Carlino's wasn't even Susan's second choice. Oh, she liked the owners, the menu, and the art, all of which were authentically Tuscan. But the prices were so reasonable for large plates of food that the whole town went there. Susan wanted privacy and quiet;Carlino's was public and loud.   But she wanted to please Lily, so she gave in and, determined to be a good sport, smilingly hustled her daughter out of the November chill into a hive of warmth and sound. When they finally finished greeting friends and were seated, they shared hummuson toasted crostini, and though Lily only nibbled, she insisted it was good. More friends stopped by, and, in fairness, it wasn't only Lily's fault. As principal of the high school, Susan was well known in town. Another time, she would have enjoyed seeing everyone.   But she was on a mission this night. As soon as she was alone with Lily again, she leaned forward and quietly talked about her day at school. With next year's budget due by Thanksgiving and town resources stagnant, there were hard decisions to be made.Most staff issues were too sensitive to be shared with her seventeen-year-old daughter, but when it came to new course offerings and technology, the girl was a worthy sounding board.   Susan's motive actually went deeper, to the very heart of mothering. She believed that sharing adult issues encouraged Lily to think. She also believed that her daughter was insightful, and this night was