ReviewsByErin

I feel like I've done a pretty good job resisting the pull of these illustrated covers, but I confess that the adorable art plus the premise of this book captured me. Isadora Bentley, a researcher whose life isn't exactly happy, decides to follow the advice of a magazine article entitled 31 Ways To Be Happy and use herself as a test subject to note the efficacy of the author's suggestions. She wants to prove the article wrong: there is no subjective way to make oneself feel happy.

If I'm being honest, the Isadora of Chapter 1 almost made me put the book down. She and I did not have much in common. I'm a people person, while Isadora prefers to be alone. She was in the throes of an internal breakdown for reaching her thirtieth birthday, while I'm a decade beyond rolling my eyes at her dramatics. But thankfully it's early in the story that she finds the article and decides to begin her experiment, so Isadora didn't have the chance to drive me away before I was hooked.

As Isadora follows the 31 Ways To Be Happy, new people enter her life and things begin changing. Isadora begins looking at things and people in new ways. But is she happier?

This story ends up diving deep. And as we peel back the layers of Isadora, I found out I was wrong. Isadora and I do have things in common. Deep down, where we've each been abused and neglected and betrayed, we're the same person. The story unwraps and unwraps and unwraps until I, like Isadora, felt undone in her pursuit of happiness. The author lays it bare and presents us someone in her humanity. This is a brilliant piece of storytelling that is gripping and heartrending and hopeful all at the same time.

But for me, it also missed the mark. It hit off-center because there was no faith element. There had been a few passing mentions of God earlier in the story, which I was hoping would come back around. Our own pursuits can never bring us the fulfillment that a relationship with Jesus will bring. This story was ripe for such a message. It was right there. That would have made this one of the best books I've read this year. I was very disappointed. It's still a good book, but it is definitely not what it could be.

We all need Jesus. He is the true answer for healing from abuse, from neglect, from betrayal. There are absolutely things we can do to help with that process and our own happiness, but I believe ultimately they are empty without Him.

I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this book, but I also can't wholeheartedly recommend it. It's a deep journey that I wish had gone just a bit deeper.

I received my copy of the book from NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own.

It's time to talk about my favorite books from this year! 2020 has been no one's favorite revolution around the sun, but it still produced some stellar reads to help distract us along the way. 📚

Click on any title to read my original review, or click on the cover if you're interested in purchasing these books for yourself.

If you missed my earlier posts on Favorite Novellas and Favorite Contemporary Fiction, be sure to check those out. 🙂

"The Land Beneath Us" by Sarah Sundin
Would you make different choices if you knew how you were going to die? Clay's recurring dream has given him a strong premonition. As he prepares to leave this world behind, he seeks to make a difference where he can.

"An Uncommon Woman" by Laura Frantz
The eighteenth century frontier comes to life with the story of Tessa Swan and her family. The author's immersive writing style transports seamlessly and captivates thoroughly.

"Things We Didn't Say" by Amy Lynn Green
This epistolary novel takes place in small town Minnesota at a German POW camp. Linguist Johanna Berglund tries to help the community see that the prisoners are people not dissimilar to themselves—but Jo's plans backfire spectacularly. 

This post contains affiliate links - click here for more information.

It's time to talk about my favorite books from this year! 2020 has been no one's favorite revolution around the sun, but it still produced some stellar reads to help distract us along the way. 📚

Click on any title to read my original review, or click on the cover if you're interested in purchasing these books for yourself.

If you missed my earlier post on Favorite Novellas of 2020, be sure to check those out. 🙂

"The Joy of Falling" by Lindsay Harrel
Young widows Eva and Angela decide to compete in an ultramarathon in New Zealand in honor of their adventurous husbands. Pressed to the limits of their endurance, they learn about grief, hope, and life.

"Some Bright Someday" by Melissa Tagg
Haunted by his past, including military desertion in Afghanistan, Lucas believes he is unworthy of love or finding a home. But his friends in Maple Valley don't see him as broken. Can he ever find healing?

"The Sowing Season" by Katie Powner
Recently retired farmer Gerrit must reinvent his life and remember what is important—including trying to repair his relationships with his wife and grown children, who took a back seat in his life for too many years.

This post contains affiliate links - click here for more information.

It's time to talk about my favorite books from this year! 2020 has been no one's favorite revolution around the sun, but it still produced some stellar reads to help distract us along the way. 📚

Click on any title to read my original review, or click on the cover if you're interested in purchasing these books for yourself.

The Kissing Tree novella collection by Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, Amanda Dykes, and Nicole Deese
I enjoyed each of these four stories! One tree and the romances which blossomed under its branches over the span of 150 years.

"An Archer Family Christmas" by Karen Witemeyer
This one isn't actually a 2020 release, but I read it in 2020 and loved it. If you're familiar with Karen's Archer brothers, you won't want to miss this sweet addition to their saga.

"Hoping for Hawthorne" by Tara Grace Ericson
This contemporary story kicks off the Bloom Sisters series, and I loved the depth of emotion and topics covered while still being a fun and entertaining read.

This post contains affiliate links - click here for more information.

Lindsay Harrel's new series takes us to Walker Beach, CA, for a string of sunshine-filled romances. In All At Once, Gabrielle Wakefield has agreed to help with a children's charity in order to be there for her struggling nephew. She didn't realize the charity's founder—and her high school boyfriend—Tyler Baker would be there, much less that they'd be forced to work closely together for the week. He broke her heart ten years ago. She must keep her guard up now to avoid having it happen again.

Good things have happened to Tyler since leaving Walker Beach. He's played professional football and lived an entire life away from the small town he grew up in. Yet being back to help with the charity—and specifically being back in Gabrielle's company—has Tyler realizing there may be things in life he's missing out on.

How much can one week change things? Will Tyler go back to New York and the comfortable life he's made for himself?

Get a head start on Lindsay's new Walker Beach Romance series with this prequel novella. It's available free for signing up for Lindsay's newsletter.

Note: This story was written for the general market, and I truly missed the faith aspect. Lindsay has written some of my favorite womens fiction over the past few years, including The Secrets of Paper and Ink and The Joy of Falling. Don't miss those as this new series rolls out.

 


Linguist Johanna Berglund dreams of studying in Oxford one day, though her plans are on hold as WWII rages. When her small Minnesota hometown opens a German POW camp, Johanna seems like the perfect liaison between the prisoners and the staff. Spirited Jo refuses at first, but circumstances force her hand.

As Jo works with the prisoners and censors their letters, she begins to see the men as more than captured Nazis. They have loved ones left at home, pride in their families, and talents and interests in need of outlets. The town of Ironside Lake has mixed feelings about the POW camp, and most are dead set against it. Is there anything Jo can do to humanize the prisoners in the eyes of the town?

This epistolary novel is told through a variety of letters and newspaper articles. Most of the letters are between Johanna and her Japanese friend Peter Ito, who works with the Army giving a crash course on the Japanese language to American soldiers before they ship out. Jo relies on Peter to tell her the truth when her own opinions may get in the way of things. 

Jo, Peter, the POWs, and the citizens of Ironside Lake are vividly and skillfully brought to life in a non-traditional but gripping format. I loved how the issues of the day were explored, especially the attitudes toward stateside POW camps and Japanese Americans. Johanna's personality in particular shines bright. I'd recommend this book for anyone who loves history and stories that are just a little bit different.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.

 


Gerrit Laninga has poured himself into the family farm, tirelessly keeping it running after the death of his brother. But Luke's been gone a long time now, and Gerrit is in his 60s. His children don't want to keep the property in the family, so he grudgingly sells it—and promptly realizes he's let every relationship that truly matters slip away over the past years. What is he to do with his life now? Can he win back the trust of his family?

Rae Walters has lived all of her fifteen years according to The Plan. She's top of her class and pressing toward going to Columbia to become a lawyer like her father. But she's having nightmares about Driver's Ed, and fear begins creeping in. What if she can't follow The Plan? What will her parents do or say if she's a failure? Will she ever be able to get her driver's license?

When Rae and Gerrit meet, they form a fast and unconventional friendship. Together they begin to see the world a little differently and find inspiration to face their fears.

I haven't read a story like this in a long time. It doesn't fit any of the conventional genre labels. Katie Powner's writing is brilliant in its simplicity. The tension is steady but also gentle, drawing you in naturally. Things do ramp up toward the end when everything comes together, but overall this was a captivating, page-turning read that I didn't want to end. I can't wait to read more from this debut author!

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.

 


Lucas Danby's past haunts him. The scars from Afghanistan mar his body—and his spirit. He's found friends in Maple Valley, but he leaves them half the year to be a secret elite black ops agent. What kind of friend hides his activity and disappears for months?

Jenessa Belville has loved owning the newspaper in Maple Valley, but her spirit is restless. She doesn't know what to do with the sprawling home which has been in her family for generations. The last Belville in Maple Valley, she doesn't want to be stuck with the lackluster legacy. But just after putting a For Sale in the yard, she finds three runaway children who have taken refuge in the back cottage. Suddenly the home seems to have new life.

If Lucas thought he loved Jenessa before, his feelings only increase watching her care for the children and go through the hoops to maintain temporary custody while the social workers search for their relatives. He's never had the courage to tell her what he feels for her, especially since he feels unworthy of anything good, plus he's never told her about his work with Bridgewell. Would she want a relationship with a man whose ghosts chase him half the world away as he tries to prove his worth to himself?

As Jenessa falls more in love with the Hollis children, fearing every day with them will be her last, she also begins seeing Lucas in new ways. Why has she never noticed what a kind and attentive friend he is? New dreams begin spouting in her heart—dreams that would settle her restlessness in ways she never expected. But how could any of it come to be?

I loved returning to Maple Valley. Lucas, Jenessa, and the Hollis children completely stole my heart. This novel is about longings and overcoming the past and finding a place to call home. It was wonderful to see characters from Melissa's other Maple Valley stories, too. I would highly recommend this book, as it touched my heart in multiple ways. Be prepared to come away from these pages looking at life a little differently than you began.

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This novella collection features four lovely authors and their beautiful stories all centered around a live oak tree in Oak Springs, Texas. The first story is set in 1868, and we follow on through the years in 1891, 1945, and modern day. I really enjoyed each and every one of these novellas. Two of them made me cry! I would highly recommend this to readers everywhere.

Here's a breakdown of each novella:

Broken Limbs, Mended Fences—by Regina Jennings: Passing tests never came easily for Bella Eden, but when  and the schoolteacher left town and an injury forced Bella to give up her seamstress dreams, she inherited a teaching role. Now Adam Fisher has returned to Oak Springs, bringing back all the embarrassment of the worst day of Bella's life. Local farmers don't want to put faith in Adam's new threshing machine, so he proposes a contest. But things go sideways when Bella's teaching job hinges on the outcome. Can she rise to the challenge and pass the teacher's exam, or will he be a part of more of her ruined hopes?

Inn For a Surprise—by Karen Witemeyer: Barnabas Ackerly has a pocketful of protests when his employer sends him to Oak Springs to help his daughter open the Kissing Tree Inn. Phoebe Woodward's tastes tend toward the extreme end of Victorian romantic notions, and Barnabas's practical sensibilities are overloaded. Yet as the two are forced to work together, they find out balance between the practical and romantic might be the best place to build a business—and a relationship.

From Roots to Sky—by Amanda Dykes: Luke Hampstead should have died when his plane was shot down over Belgium on Christmas Eve of 1944. The only thing that kept him alive was writing a letter to his penpal, the sister of a fallen soldier. When Luke miraculously survives, he desires to deliver his letter to Hannah in person, so after his recovery he travels to Oak Springs. Hannah Garland is more than he ever imagined, and as he helps her with a project in her brother's honor, his own heart begins to heal and take flight in new directions.

Heartwood—by Nicole Deese: Arborist Griffin Malone returns to Oak Springs when his cousin hires him to check on the health of the famous Kissing Tree. That's not the only thing on Griffin's plan, however. He wants to find closure with Abby Brookshire, groundskeeper at the Kissing Tree Inn, and the woman he once thought he'd spend the rest of his life with. This novella deals with loss and hope for the future, and brings a fine conclusion to this wonderful collection.

I received my copy of the book from one of the authors. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Rural Appalachia comes alive in this latest book from Barbour's True Colors true crime series. Travel back to 1912 and find out how one kiss sparked a massacre that would lead to the largest manhunt in Virginia's history.

Ava Burcham has suffered tragedy upon tragedy in her young life. She finds it hard to believe God—or anyone besides her granny—could really love her. She dreams of using her gift of storytelling to make an impact on the world, and writes for the local paper under a male pseudonym.

When a corn shucking kiss sets clan against clan, Ava and her good friend Jeremiah try to stay out of the crossfire. But sights are turned on them when they step in to help a grieving family.

The situation slowly heats up until it boils over at the Hillsville Courthouse Massacre. Can Ava and Jeremiah stay alive and help sort through the confusion in the days that follow?

Pepper Basham is known for writing "kissing books," and this one is no exception. My favorite part of the story was the relationship between Ava and Jeremiah. I do enjoy learning about true crime, though suspense is not my favorite genre, as I often feel the plot gets too tangled for my taste. I blame my own preference for not liking this book quite as much as I had hoped, though there was plenty I enjoyed, including Ava's faith journey. Who hasn't felt unworthy or in need of assurance that they are loved? 

If you enjoy true crime, suspense, and the power of a good (or mischievous!) kiss, check out The Red Ribbon. Don't miss the wonderful quotes from Granny Burcham and Granddaddy Sutphin that start each chapter—those were absolutely delightful!

I received my copy of the book from the author. All opinions in this review are my own.