Between Two Worlds: Part I

Anya Orlova is perfect by design. Perfect job. Perfect home. Perfect life in Manhattan. So how come she's never felt more alone? Raised by Soviet parents who were emotionally absent, Anya has sidelined everything-including her sense of self-to be exactly what they wanted: the perfect immigrant success story. But none of it feels real. None of it feels worthwhile. And the ordinary girl she once was, from the grey blocks of Lithuania, is buried so deep, even Anya has stopped looking for her.

But then Anya literally collides with Elliott, flipping every corner of her world on its head. Conversation with the handsome stranger is awkward at first, but it's also electrifying, unlike any interaction Anya's perfectly manicured life has allowed. He's somehow both mysterious and comfortable as an old favorite sweater, and soon, Anya finds herself feeling something real for the first time in years. But right when she needs Elliot most, she discovers an unsettling secret that sends her spiraling back behind the guarded wall she's worked so hard to tear down.

Between Two Worlds explores the often vast distance between who we are when we're born and the adults we shape ourselves into-and the sacrifices we must make to remain true to ourselves.