Sunday, March 19, 2017

The Idea of You Review


Title:  The Idea of You
Author:  Amanda Prowse
Publisher:  Lake Union Publishing
Release Date:  March 21, 2017

My Rating:  5 Hope-Filled, Inspirational 's


*Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing for an arc of this book via Netgally.



Synopsis:
With her fortieth birthday approaching, Lucy Carpenter dares to hope that she finally has it all: a wonderful new husband, Jonah, a successful career and the chance of a precious baby of her own. Life couldn’t be more perfect.
But the reality of becoming parents proves much harder than Lucy and Jonah imagined. Jonah’s love and support is unquestioning, but as Lucy struggles with work and her own failing dreams, the strain on their marriage increases. Suddenly it feels like Lucy is close to losing everything…
Heart-wrenching and poignant, this latest work by bestselling author Amanda Prowse asks the question: what does it mean to be a mother in today’s hectic world? And what if it’s asking too much to want it all?
Review:
What a beautiful, powerful story . . . at times heartbreaking - but also an inspiring story of love, hope, courage, family - a story of getting back up when life knocks you down. I was a little wary starting this book. I knew the subject matter and expected that it would be a hard read - one filled with the devastating effects of the ultimate loss. And it is. I found myself wiping the silent tears running down my face several times while reading this. But, this story is so much more. The tenacity and compassion of the human spirit is an amazing thing to see and it shines brightly in this story. Amanda Prowse has done a beautiful job of finding the right words, the right scenes, the right characters to deliver this story and message to readers, to help others understand. The writing is beautiful as the words flow out of the hearts of these characters, filling the pages with both their darkest and brightest thoughts.

I'll give only a brief set up of the story. Lucy & Nate meet, fall in love, and get married. Life is almost perfect as they work to fulfill their dreams of having a child together. As the story unfolds, Lucy & Nate find themselves struggling to cope with some curveballs - the hurt & pain that life throws at them. And in the middle of everything, Nate's unhappy sixteen year old daughter Camille arrives to live with them. While Lucy tries to open her heart & home to Camille, the teenager's surly attitude makes a difficult situation even harder, and thus a crack is forged in Nate & Lucy's marriage. As this family struggles to get past the anger, guilt, and pain, past secrets surface that threaten the very foundation their marriage was built on. It's hard to say more without revealing too much of the story. Readers deserve to discover this precious gem of a story on their own. Get the tissues ready and tell your family you're "off the clock" as you will not want to stop reading until you finish the book. I sat down to begin the book one afternoon and found myself reading into the wee hours as I could not sleep without knowing where their journey ends.

The Idea of You is a powerful, poignant love story that will touch your heart in every deep, dark corner - a love story that carries hope, love, and forgiveness for everyone if they can/will just accept it. My heart bled for these characters and the world of hurt they struggled through to survive - So much strength, so much hope, so tenacious & relentless in their pursuit of happiness. In the end, this is a story of love that only grows stronger when it's given & received freely. We don't always get what we want in life, but often get what we really need. Blessings & miracles come in all kinds of packages...you just have to learn to recognize them and hold on with all your heart and soul and believe the sun will shine again - good things will come. The Idea of You is A Heart Touching Must Read that offers a ray of light in the darkest night...A beautiful gem of a story that deserves to be heard loud & clear around the world. A Must Read!
My Rating:  5 Hope-Filled, Inspirational, Beautiful 's . . . And that's the truth!
Cross My Heart . . . xxx
Sandra

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