Rain by V.C. Andrews

Life is not easy for Rain Arnold; she lives with her mom, stepfather Ken, sister Beni and brother Roy in a rundown neighbourhood in Washington D.C. Ken is a alcoholic, and the streets around them are dangerous. One night Beni comes home in shock, someone has put some drugs in her drink, and she is terribly raped and there are pictures taken of her. There is a gang of guys responsible for this, and Beni and Rain's live is in serious danger because of this.
And then..Ken leaks a secret of Rain's past in his drunken mood. He and Rain's mother are not her real parents. Rain's world is put upside down. Her mother wants a better life than the danger and poverty they live in now and sets up a meeting with Rain's real mother. Then everything changes for rain. She is send to live with her real grandmother from the wealthy Hudson family, who lives in a luxurious mansion, and she is send to a private school. She starts a new life, and is getting involved in horseback riding and the school's theatre club.But will it be enough to fulfill her heart's deepest wish — and give her a place to call home?
I started reading this book after reading the Melody series. I liked that series a lot and had high expectations of starting in the Hudson series. I enjoyed to read Rain, but I had expected a bit more of it, but maybe I have to read the sequels to to see how the story continues. It was not bad at all, but also not my favorite.The grandmother was also in this book, but that was finally not like the other books, in the beginning I thought: Oh, no, not again the same wealthy evil grandmother. But that turned out outherwise, good point.