She decides to move her and her seven-year child Kia back to her home town and to her wayward family.

They all seem so lost in life, including Leanne, except for her older brother, Markie, who has just been released from prison.

Having to start from the bottom once again proves tough for Leanne especially due to the secret she burdens, the celebrity identity of her daughter Kia.

In The News.com said of the novel "The characters may be textbook, the plot predictable and the 'explosive secret' guessable around page five, but the basic package is there.

"[2] While Henry Sutton of The Mirror said "Tough Love comes laden with grit, and, thankfully, some humour, plus heaps of diverse characters who might not quite hold your attention.