Monday, April 25, 2016

The Atonement by Beverly Lewis


Well, as you or may not know, depending on if you read my blog or not, Beverly Lewis is one of my "automatic" authors. I read every book that she writes. But, this one may just be my favorite. 

This one focuses on Lucy Flaud, a young Amish woman who is almost past courting age. She fills her days with volunteering and helping those less fortunate. Lucy has a wonderful heart but there is an underlying reason that Lucy fills her days, almost frantically. There is a time in her past where she made a grave mistake...one she can't seem to shake and forgive herself for. Plus, is she destined to make the same mistake again? Or, will she find redemption in her future?

Who CAN'T relate to this? Who has a perfect past? Who DOESN'T have something in their past they would rather forget? Lucy's journey trying to find peace is something I could really relate to. I think we all struggle for peace at some point. The good news is we CAN find peace through faith.

Anyway, I digress. The more I read this story, the more I got into it. I really cared about what happened to Lucy and her family. Like I said, I will read anything Beverly Lewis writes, but this one really resonated with me. Thank you very much to Bethany House for an advance reader copy. I enjoyed it very much. 

Friday, April 15, 2016

First Comes Love by Emily Giffin


Hello, all! 
I was so excited to receive an advance reader's copy of First Comes Love from NetGalley! Ms. Giffin is actually one of my "automatic" authors. I loved her earlier work so much, that whatever she comes out with, I read. 

I was super hooked into the story when I first started. It revolves around Josie, her sister Meredith, Meredith's husband, Nolan and how their lives interact. On top of that, Josie regrets losing her last long term relationship with Will and fears that she will never marry or have a family of her own. 

The story also focuses on how Josie and Meredith have been coping since the loss of their brother, Daniel, fifteen years ago. Nolan's struggles with the loss as well, since he was Daniel's best friend.

Josie has a new set of problems when Will's(her ex) daughter is assigned to the first grade class that Josie teaches. I thought that this was really going to be the bulk of the story, but it wasn't, which to me, was disappointing. I just felt that the story just sort of veered off from there into different subplots. 

There's a "secret" involving Daniel's death that, at first, made me really want to find out what was going on, but in the end, the "secret" was really kind of underwhelming and, to make matters worse, it was set up to be kind of earth shattering for the characters.  Maybe I just didn't get it. 

Also, the story just started focusing on Josie and what she planned to do with her life (I won't post it here) and, no, it had nothing to do with her ex, Will. 

I don't want to complain too much, because it really did keep me interested and invested in the characters. So, pick it up or check it out at your local library! Comes out June 28! 

 I would like to thank Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.  

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

We Are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman



I received an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher! I was very happy to receive this book.

Well, Rowan Coleman is one of my new automatic read authors. The first book I read by her was The Day We Met.  That one brought me to tears. 

This new one, We Are All Made of Stars was very good, too. I found myself really engaged with the book and characters and enjoyed it overall. 

One part of the story is about Stella and Vincent, a couple who are dealing with the after effects of war. Stella works as a nurse in a hospice center and finds satisfaction in her job, but also by helping the patients write their last letters to friends and loved ones before they pass. 

Another part of the story is about Hope, a patient at the hospice, and her best friend, Ben. Hope is not in the critical care part at the hospice, she's in the rehabilitation part after having a set back with her cystic fibrosis. 

Finally, there is another story involving Hugh, who is living life as best as he can and thinks he's satisfied with his life, but is he? Has he ever really moved past the fact that his mother committed suicide? 

Get this book and get the tissues. It's not all heart wrenching, and some parts are actually eye opening and moving. I really enjoyed this book and I thank the publisher and NetGalley again for letting me have the advance copy!