Well! What a fun journey this was! I have finally finished The Amish of Summer Grove Series. This is the third and final book in the series and will release in August 2017. I was so lucky and grateful to receive an advance copy from WaterBook Multnomah and help with the launch!
For my review on Book One (The Ties that Bind) click here: Ties That Bind
For my review on Book One (Fraying at the Edge) click here: Fraying At The Edge
You can read what the first two books are about in my other blogs, but this is the wrap up of the Brenneman family saga about Ariana and her place in the world. Finding out she was switched at birth, she had to carve out a new life for herself and come to grips with the fact that who she thought were her birth parents were not. On top of that, she had to deal with the fact that her real birth parents are "worldly". This goes against everything Ariana stood for and believed in.
It is also the story of her lifelong friendship with Quill and how they had to learn to forgive each other in order to move on in life.
Also, we get to see through the series how Skylar, who is the girl really born to Amish parents, Lovina and Isaac, come to terms with addiction and if she will find peace in the upheaval in her life as well.
I don't like to give too much away in my reviews, because I want you to read them yourselves and enjoy them as much as I did. However, there were a few things I wanted to touch on.
I couldn't stand Nicholas. Even towards the end, I found it hard to come to terms with how much turmoil he actually caused in Ariana's life. Again, no spoilers here, but for those who read the book, I would love your thoughts.
Also, and I know I am going to get major darts thrown at me, but I didn't like, nor did I ever come to like Skylar. Even after things have started to settle, she still seemed entitled to me.
However, I loved this series. I usually like Amish fiction but this series had a real depth to it. I think it's going to do very well in wrapping up the series for those who have read the first two and are looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. I was so lucky to get to read it in advance and I want to thank WaterBook Multnomah again for allowing me to help promote the last book as well as sending me the first two so that I could get caught up. No review was required.
I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did! Summer isn't over yet and I have plenty left on my summer reading list! What are you reading this summer? Comment below!
Greetings, all!
The time is getting closer to the release of the third book in this series, Gathering the Threads, but today I want to talk about the second book, Fraying at the Edge. For the review on the FIRST book click here: Ties That Bind
The second book picks up from where the first one left off, launching Ariana into her strange new modern world. She is so committed to her Amish lifestyle and faith she feels like she's falling apart or "Fraying at the Edge" (ha! You like how I did that?) when her biological father places certain demands on her.
Meanwhile, Skylar (the biological daughter of the Amish Brenneman family) is also struggling acclimating to her new environment as well. She tries everything in her power, while struggling with addiction, to alienate the Brennemans the best she can.
Neither girl wants to be in the situation they are in. Can they find some kind of peace or at least tolerance for their surroundings while waiting for the end of the time period that was forced on them?
My two cents; This series has been great so far. I cannot wait to read the third book. I will be starting it today. I kind of felt like a bad person while reading this one, because I absolutely felt no sympathy for Nicholas, Ariana's biological father. Without giving too much away, I thought he was horribly rude, unrelenting and quite frankly, totally disrespectful of Ariana's lifestyle and faith. I don't like to rant too much on blogs, for fear of spoiling something, so I will not give any more away, except to say, I haven't been this engrossed in characters in a long time.
Isn't it great when you actually care what happens in a book and get vested in the characters? I find lately that it doesn't happen a lot, but with this series, I really can't wait to find out what happens. The only downside will be when I am finished the last book and they will be gone.
A big thanks goes to Waterbook Multnomah for allowing me to be on the launch team for Gathering the Threads and also for sending me the first two books in the series. No review was required.
SPECIAL: Right now when you pre-order Gathering the Threads, you will get The Ties that Bind FREE!!! Go to wmbooks.com/gatheringthethreads today to get this awesome BOGO deal!
And, as always, please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!
Mary Beth is a young Amish girl who works very hard at helping her family with chores and also at babysitting her two younger brothers, Caleb and Micah. Her twin brother, Johnny, torments her by teasing a little too much and sometimes it all gets a little overwhelming.
Mary Beth craves a little peace and quiet. So, she takes refuge in spending the little free time she has in a nearby barn that has been abandoned. She enjoys sketching and writing in her journal. But one day, she notices that some of her things that she brings to the barn is disturbed and she soon finds out that someone may be visiting the place that she called her own.
Along with her twin, they set out to find who is using the barn, and maybe putting themselves in danger. Furthermore, they face the potential disappointment from their parents for sneaking out of the house while conducting their investigation.
So, who is in the barn and why? Hence the "Mysteries of Middlefield" series title. This is the first in the series and while I won't tell you who is visiting the barn or why, I will tell you that the "mystery" is solved in this segment.
So, I made a mistake. I didn't realize that this was a young adult book (lol). I love Amish stories so I was excited to read this. Don't get me wrong, it is a good story, but the longer I read, the more I realized this was geared towards a younger crowd. And while I enjoyed the story, it was predictable but uplifting.
I finished this in a few days and have already started my next book. The next one I will be writing about is The Lovely Bones.
Thanks for reading!
