Where Hope Begins Review

 

About the Book

 

In the aftermath of her husband’s act of adultery and abandonment, Savannah must finally face the ghosts that haunt her and discover for herself whether authentic faith, grace, and ultimate healing really do exist.

When her husband of twenty-one years leaves her, Savannah Barrington believes she’s lost almost everything she’s ever loved. With her daughter in college and her son in boarding school, Savannah retreats to her parents’ lake house in the Berkshires, where hope and healing come in the form of an old woman’s wisdom, a little girl’s laughter, a touch of magic, and a handsome man who’s willing to risk his own heart to prove she’s still worth loving.

But when her husband asks to reconcile, Savannah is faced with the hardest challenge of all: Forgiving the unforgivable. Somehow she must find freedom from the chains of their past and move forward, or face an unknown future without him. (goodreads)

My Thoughts

This is by far Catherine West's best novel! I was absolutely engrossed with this book and I really can't recommend it enough. The characters are all very well written and the plot well thought out. There is adultery, divorce, suicide (nothing graphic), and the loss of a loved ones. So as you can imagine this is an emotional book, nothing light or fluffy. The biggest part was how the marriage was written, even after finishing this story it is staying with me. I loved how nothing in this book was easy and how realistic the dialogue and life situations were. I loved the secondary characters and how the ending ties everything together. With all of the touchy subjects within it's pages, this book was so well done it has made my top favorite books list. 

Five stars! 

"I received this book from BookLook Blogger for free. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."

The Things We Knew Book Review

 

 About the Book

When their tragic past begins to resurface, can he help her remember the things she can’t?

After her mother's death twelve years ago, Lynette Carlisle watched her close-knit family unravel. One by one, her four older siblings left their Nantucket home and never returned. All seem to harbor animosity toward their father, silently blaming him for their mother's death. Nobody will talk about that dreadful day, and Lynette can't remember a bit of it.

But when next-door neighbor Nicholas Cooper returns to Nantucket, he brings the past with him. Once her brother's best friend and Lynette's first crush, Nick seems to hiding things from her. Lynette wonders what he knows about the day her mother died and hopes he might help her remember the things she can't.

But Nick has no intention of telling Lynette the truth. Besides the damage it might cause his own family, he doesn't want to risk harming the fragile friendship between him and the woman he once thought of as a kid sister.

As their father's failing health and financial concerns bring the Carlisle siblings home, secrets begin to surface—secrets that will either restore their shattered relationships or separate the siblings forever. But pulling up anchor on the past propels them into the perfect storm, powerful enough to make them question all they ever believed in. (Goodreads)

 My Thoughts

There has been a lot of hype around this book so I was anxious to read it. I had a really hard time getting into this book. I thought the general idea was good, as it deals with a lot of present day issues. I just couldn’t click with the characters very well. I liked Grey’s story a lot I just felt like the ending just…ended. I also loved the Alzheimer's disease story that is told, I think it’s avoided and yet it is a part of so many people’s lives. This book has some great reviews so I know it has touched many people. I would give it three stars.

“I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for free in exchange for an honest review.”