Month: December 2019

BOOK NEWS: December 17, 2019

BOOK NEWS: December 17, 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the new books releasing this week!

Books for Kids

   

Rock-a-Bye, Dino (Board Book) – Rock-a-Bye, Baby with a dinosaur theme.
A Valentine for Uni the Unicorn (Board Book) – Part of the Uni the Unicorn line of stories.
The Galaxy Needs You – A celebration of the reader with art and characters from the Star Wars universe.
Hamster Holmes, A Big-Time Puzzle – Book 6 in the Hamster Holmes series of leveled readers. This time, Hamster Holmes and Dr. Watt participate in a scavenger hunt-like contest with clues to solve.
A Place for Everything (Habit 3) Reader – Part of a line of leveled readers that celebrate the Habits of Happy Kids (Sean Covey).

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

The Adventurers Guild: Night of Dangers – Book 3 in the Adventurers Guild series. The Adventurers are their world’s last line of defense against the monsters who would try to destroy everything. And this time, the Dangers are gaining ground. The first book in this series, The Adventurers Guild, is available through the Kindle FreeTime Unlimited subscription. (It’s like Kindle Unlimited, but for books for kids.)
Black Panther: Stormy Weather (Comics Collection/Graphic Novel) – Black Panther and Shuri team up to deal with deadly weather issues in Wakanda.
Disney-Pixar Toy Story 1-4 : The Story of the Movies in Comics – 200 pages of movie adaptations in graphic novel format.
The Art of Spies in Disguise – An Art of book for the movie releasing on Christmas day.
Star Wars: The Galactic Explorers Guide (December 20) – Book plus app gives readers an interactive Star Wars experience.

Books for Adults

Make Your Move (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Gamer Girls series. A game designer struggling to find her next idea lets her friend move in, even though she knows he has a serious crush on her. The roommate situation actually works out fine, but she’s puzzled by her feelings when the guy starts to fall for someone else. This sounds great! Book 1 in the series, She’s Got Game, is available for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers at the time of this writing.
The Spia Family Avoids the Pits (e-book – December 19) – Book 3 in the Mobsters Anonymous Mystery series. For some reason, this book has disappeared from my research sites, but the author’s site says it is still on schedule, so you may have to do some searching for this one. For sure, you can read the first two books, The Spia Family Presses On AND The Spia Family Branches Out for free if you are a subscriber to Kindle Unlimited. Mia Spia and her mom are trying to keep their former-mob family on the straight and narrow while Mia also works to stay sober, but the mob life tends to throw a wrench into their quest to break free. I have this whole series on my reading wish list.
Star Trek Discovery: Dead Endless (Trade Paperback) – The latest Star Trek Discovery novel focuses on engineer Lieutenant Stamets who is grieving the loss of his partner, Doctor Culber. The description of the book sounds EXACTLY like a plot thread from the last season of the show, but someone on Goodreads assured me that this is original content, not a novelization of the episodes. I guess I’ll find out this week when I read the book. You can read my review of one of the previous novels here.
The Art of Rise of Skywalker (Hardcover – December 20) – Art from the new movie releasing at the end of this week.
The Grace of Les Misérables (Trade Paperback) – A six-week study of the themes from Les Misérables. There’s also a DVD, a leader’s guide and a youth study.
Schooled: A Love Letter to the Exhausting, Infuriating, Occasionally Excruciating Yet Somehow Completely Wonderful Profession of Teaching (Trade Paperback) – A collection of essays from a high school English teacher about the profession of teaching.

REVIEW: Zits: Chillax by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

REVIEW: Zits: Chillax by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Jeremy, star of the Zits comic strip, and his best friend Hector bought two concert tickets to hear their favorite rock band, Gingivitis, from Tim, the bass player in their band. At first, their only concern is how to convince their parents to let them go to the show. Then they find out why Tim sold his tickets. His mom has cancer, and the day of the concert, he’s having surgery to give his mom some bone marrow.

Fitting the teen boy stereotype, Jeremy doesn’t know how to relate to Tim or to the situation. After talking to his parents and his girlfriend, Jeremy decides that he and Hector will get Tim a gift at the show as a sign of support. But nothing that night goes like they plan.

Review

This is an illustrated novel like a Dork Diaries or a Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Fans of the Zits comic strip will recognize all the major players. And the usual humor over teen stereotypes and parent interactions are present as expected. The cancer story could be heavy for a book with this format, but it’s balanced well with the humor.

I have enjoyed the Zits comics for years. While this was a new format, I enjoyed it.  The story felt familiar, but I can’t pinpoint what came from a previous comic and what might have been changed or added for this book.

I think this could be a bridge book from middle grade to teen, maybe a good fit for readers in the 10-15 year old range. There’s a lot of fun music/band stuff that musicians might enjoy. But compared to contemporary teen fiction and graphic novels, this skews younger in my opinion. Might be a good fit for teens who don’t want the heavier or more mature YA themes.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: Abraham by Jennifer Beckstrand

BONUS REVIEW: Abraham by Jennifer Beckstrand

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Zebra in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Alfie and Benji Petersheim are still on their quest to see their three older brothers married so they can move out of the cellar and back into a room at the house. (Their grandparents have moved in which bumped the twins to the cellar.) They helped Andrew and Mary get together (Andrew – ♥♥♥♥♥). Now it’s time to help their brother Abraham find a girl.

The girl is the easy part. Abe stares at Emma all the time. The issue is that Abe is so quiet and never speaks to ANY girl, much less to Emma.

So the twins start scheming, using Abraham’s affinity for animals along with a stray dog and Emma’s chickens to bring the two young people together. But Emma couldn’t be less interested in Abraham. She knows him from the community. Their families are neighbors. But Abe is like a blank wall. Emma’s having too much fun playing the field and flirting with other boys who make her feel special. And she makes her disinterest pretty plain right up front. But the twins are tired of sleeping with spiders. They aren’t giving up on this match any time soon.

Review

This is the second book in the Petersheim Brothers series. I read book one, Andrew, this summer and adored it. That was my first introduction to the author, Jennifer Beckstrand. Then I read two of her Honeybee Sisters books and loved them, too. (You can read my review of book one, Sweet as Honey, here.) It wasn’t until I started Abraham, though, that I realized these two great series are connected.

I fell in love with Abraham in this book. I have some strong introverts in my life whom I adore, so I felt for him early on. It was sad how little he thought of himself because he wasn’t at ease with others like Emma or his younger brother, Austin.  Abraham was resigned to being alone, and he thought that meant he would be a disappointment to his family.

Emma was harder to like. At first she comes across as breezy and fun. And I liked that she was up front with Abe about her feelings even if it did break his heart. But over time I started to see the difference between her public personality – flirty, bubbly, keeping her options open and her focus on fun – and who she was when she was alone with Abraham. When she chose the public personality over the private one, I was incensed for Abraham’s sake.

With Andrew, book one in the series, I loved the faith questions at the center of the story. Andrew wrestles with questions about sin, and I was 100% engaged in that wrestling with him. With Abraham, the wrestling is more with self, for both Abraham and for Emma. And I enjoyed that exploration, too.

I have adored everything I have read so far from Jennifer Beckstrand. She is now part of my must-read authors list. Pair her books with my favorites from Sarah Price for some fun, romantic Amish fiction. This one was romantic and funny and riling – and everything I hoped it would be. Do not miss out on this series! Book 3, Austin, releases in the summer of 2020.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters

REVIEW: Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

After seven years at the business equivalent of “always the bridesmaid, never the bride,”  Evie is ready for a change. She’s the assistant to an agent who manages screenwriters, including Oscar-winner Ezra Chester. The rude and arrogant writer is woefully behind on  completing a contracted rom-com script. And Evie is sent to light a fire under him. Maybe if she handles this well, she will get the chance to be an agent to some clients of her own.

Ezra feels rom-coms are beneath him. He says he has no intention of writing the script. Evie knows if he backs out of this, her company is doomed. All of her years on grunt work waiting for her big break to move up to agent will be wasted. So she convinces Ezra to sign on for a challenge.

Assuming the real reason he’s not writing is writer’s block, Evie says she will test out all the popular movie meet-cutes and show Ezra they can work. And while she tries to find love like in a romantic comedy, he’ll start writing his script. Sure, it’ll be embarrassing to spill coffee on a stranger or go looking for a date at a book club meeting, but it’s worth it if she can wrangle a script out of Ezra, keep her job, and maybe even find love.

Review

Stories like this, whether in a book or a movie or on TV walk a fine line between humor and pain. I struggle to rate this one because several of the scenarios in this were painful for me. I wanted to close my eyes rather than watch Evie ruin something else related to her friend’s wedding or endure another disastrous  meet cute. At the same time, I loved that Evie didn’t take herself too seriously. She set aside any humiliation and owned her disasters. And through them, she re-discovered herself as a writer.

Ezra was a piece of work. I wasn’t surprised by where things went regarding his script, but I was surprised by some of the choices he made in the end with Evie. Also, her work situation in general – not just the Ezra parts – was infuriating. I don’t know that the character ever communicated that she felt trapped in her work situation, but I felt trapped for her.

Evie’s friends had the patience of Job. They endured so much. I would have liked to see/read more of why they were friends. Sarah was an odd fit in the group for me. I would have liked to see some warm moments with Sarah and Evie, or Sarah and the group, to offset the shrill bridezilla moments. And I cringed every time Evie had to apologize to them yet again. They were awfully gracious.

I wanted more scenes with Ben and Anette. They were delightful! Yes, Anette comes across as older than her stated age, but I liked her so much, I didn’t care.

This has a particular sort of humor – disasters and embarrassment and quite a lot of sexual humor. For the right reader, this will be a hoot and a half. For me, it was sometimes more awkward than funny.  I agree with other reviewers who have said this feels more “chicklit” than “romance” because that’s really something that only gets sorted out in the end. Once settled, though, I enjoyed the romance in the end. (Language, sexual references)

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet by Megan Frazer Blakemore

REVIEW: Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Frankie’s 3rd grade class is getting a class pet. They are going to set some parameters for the pet, and then students will research their options, and make a presentation to the class. Then the class will vote on what pet they should choose.

Frankie’s aunt is a rodentologist, and Frankie loves to visit the animals in her aunt’s lab. So she decides the class should get a rat.

Frankie is so convinced her idea is the right one, though, she wants to skip the classroom process and just present her research right away. She also assumes her best friend, Maya, will vote with her for a class rat. But when Maya confesses that she doesn’t like the idea of a rat and she wants to research betta fish instead, it causes a fracture in their friendship.

Review

After an afternoon of reading a variety of only-okay early chapter books, I discovered Frankie. What an absolute treat!

Frankie is a complex character. She’s quite bright, although she does struggle some with reading and writing at times. Her enthusiasm for rodents is fun; this is a great age for kids to go all in on a topic or passion. She is an inventor with her own space and supplies for her creations. She can be moody and pouting when she doesn’t get her way. And her parents challenge those moods in really healthy ways. I loved all of this!

The friendship fracture is mild compared to what you might find in a middle grade novel, which is perfect for lower elementary readers. Frankie’s feelings are hurt because Maya doesn’t do what Frankie wants. Frankie tries to manipulate Maya and gets called out for it. Maya’s response is withdrawal rather than confrontation or nastiness. And Frankie figures out how to apologize with actions, not just words, as she prioritizes her best friend over her own desires about the class pet.

The class pet project process in the classroom is well developed. Frankie tries to push against the structure to get her own way, but her teacher kindly holds the boundaries. Frankie is never shamed for her behavior, but she is held to a reasonable standard and coached to help her fix her own problems.

I loved everything about this! Don’t miss this one. Great for home and classroom use. Would be a great readaloud!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BOOK NEWS: December 10, 2019

BOOK NEWS: December 10, 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

I don’t know about you, but my schedule is amping up the closer we get to the holidays. Let’s take a quick look at some of the books releasing this week!

Book for Kids

Books Are the Best – A leveled reader from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.
Racing the Waves – A leveled reader about a school field day.
All About Bears – A National Geographic leveled reader.
If You Love Cooking, You Could Be… – A career focused leveled reader for kids who love to cook.
My First Puppy – A nonfiction leveled reader about caring for a puppy.
Fetch-22 – Book 8 in the Dog Man series. Dog Man and Petey need to put aside their differences and work together.
Henry Heckelbeck Gets a Dragon AND Never Cheats – Heidi Heckelbeck’s little brother Henry gets his own series when he finds a book of magic spells. And Henry discovers that magic can be tricky.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Donut Dreams: Hole in the Middle AND So Jelly – The first two books in a new series about a group of middle school girls. Hole in the Middle is about a girl named Lindsay who lost her mother and works in the family restaurant, selling donuts. As she gets ready to start middle school, Lindsay feels her mother’s absence all the more, but she discovers her friends and family are there to support her through anything. In book 2, when Kelsey’s mom starts spending a lot of time with her cousin, Lindsay, who lost her own mother, Kelsey starts to feel jealous. From the author of the Cupcake Diaries series as well as the Sprinkle Sundays series.
Kat Wolfe Takes the Case – Book 2 in the Wolfe & Lamb Mystery series about two girls and their loyal animal sidekicks. This time they are investigating a mysterious death that takes place when dinosaur bones are discovered.
Frozen II Movie Special – Go behind the scenes of the latest Frozen movie (which was terrific!).
Fearless (Marvel Graphic Novel) – Comic collection starring the women of Marvel.
The Pretenders – The sequel to The Similars, a twisty mystery/suspense story about clones and secrets. I am loving the new covers they have created for this hit series. And I already have this book on hold at the library. I have to find out what happens next. You can read my review of book one here.
Regretting You – A mother and daughter story about what happens when their husband/father – the peacemaker between the conflicted women – is in a questionable accident and is no longer the buffer between them. This is available for Kindle Unlimited subscribers for free at the time of this writing.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Graphic Novel) – The story of Sabrina Spellman, a teen witch, living with her two aunts who are also witches. Sabrina is getting a lot of attention right now. This seems like the lighter side of some of the new releases.
Shadow Knights (e-book) – Book 2 in the Knights of the Realm series. I loved book one, Realm of Knights, and I’ll be reviewing it at the end of the month. In this book, Reid is manipulated into an arranged marriage and sent to spy on her king’s enemies. But she isn’t sure the king is someone she should have ever trusted. This book is at the top of my wish list for the month. Book 3, Hidden Knights, will be out next spring.
The Easy College Cookbook: 75 Quick, Affordable Recipes for Campus Life – A cookbook for college students. This is available for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers at the time of this writing.

Book for Adults

Death in the Afternoon (e-book) – First in a new series. When the Pierogi Fest is in town, Freya stumbles across a dead body – and she was the only one who had access to the place where he’s found. There are so many people in town for the festival. Freya is afraid the police will arrest her as the easy solution to their troubles, so she will have to sleuth out a killer on her own. This sounds fun! This is currently free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. I have it on my reading list.
Jingle Bells, Mussel Shells, Murder All the Way (December 15 – e-book) – When Tessa discovers her assistant is living in her car, she wants to help her, but she didn’t count on Melissa ending up a murder suspect. This sounds like a fun mystery! This is also free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers at the time of this writing.
Kingdom Chaos (December 12 – Trade Paperback) – A stand-alone story with crossover ties to the Dixon on Disney series. When a controversial US President and his family disappear while aboard a Disney monorail, it sets off a national crisis. This is a political thriller, set at Walt Disney World. How fun is that?!
They’re Strictly Friends (e-book) – The crackling electricity between a stuffy British gentleman and a sassy Parisian woman is hard to ignore, but he says they are “strictly friends.” But she suspects he’s holding her at arms length, not because he’s not interested, but because of something else. This is another new ebook that is available for free if you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber.
Verse and Vengeance (Hardcover) – Book 4 in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series by Amanda Flower. While Violet tries to protect the secrets of the bookshop, a nosy PI keeps hounding her, until he winds up dead. I’ll be reviewing this one in a couple weeks.
The Enneagram Collection (Hardcover) – Your Enneagram Coach, Beth McCord, is releasing a series of Enneagram workbooks that examine the qualities of each type and include space for journaling. I have already ordered two of these based on my type and my husband’s, and I have asked for third, for my teen’s type, for Christmas. I can’t wait to see these in person!
The Plant-Based Diet for Beginners: 75 Delicious, Healthy Whole Food Recipes (Paperback) – Recipes for those trying out a plant-based diet.
The Ultimate Make-Ahead Cookbook: 125 Delicious, Family-Friendly Freezer Meals to Prep Now and Enjoy Later (Paperback) – For those busy seasons of life where it helps to have food in the freezer, ready to cook whenever you need it. I wish I could check this out in person – the description says the recipes are labeled for dietary restrictions, and I am curious what that looks like. This is another book that is currently available for Kindle Unlimited, which means it is free for subscribers.
The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando 2020 (Paperback) – If you are planning a trip to Universal Orlando in the near future, these books are a great resource to help you prepare and plan for your vacation.

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Spiritual Growth Resources from 2019

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Spiritual Growth Resources from 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

If you had asked me a month ago what spiritual growth resources I have used this year, I would have been hard-pressed to come up with more than three titles. But when I went back to review the year, I found many more. While I enjoyed many of these in the moment, looking back, only a few made a lasting impact. You can go here to see my list from 2017 and here to see the 2018 list. And here are the resources I used in 2019:

Enneagram

Studying the Enneagram has been a big part of my spiritual journey over the last couple years. You can read my full posts about Ennegram resources here for 2018 and here for 2019 where I talk about all four of these books. Even though I have talked about all of these before, the Spiritual Rhythms of the Enneagram is one of my favorite resources from this year, and one of the most impactful.

 

Bible Study

I think one of the reasons I didn’t feel like I had worked through many spiritual resources this year is because I didn’t do a lot of Bible studies. I am still riding the high of the Isaiah study I did last year. My small group at church worked through Fervent this fall, and because of that, I have spent a lot of time with my Bible, which has been great. This is the second time I have worked through the book, and it is always a solid resource.

I haven’t finished Four Portraits, One Jesus, yet. I’ve had the book for awhile because I love studying the synoptic gospels and looking at how Matthew, Mark and Luke shared the same stories, differently. Last year I got a workbook to go with the text book, but the workbook actually seems to slow me down. I might just finish reading the book in 2020 instead of trying to press through the rest of the workbook. I have LOVED digging into the history of Bible times as well as the days when the gospels were written.

 

Fiction and Nonfiction

I read every single book in this list – and I enjoyed many of them! But few left a lasting impression. In fact, while I might revisit a couple of these because I enjoyed them, only one book in this list earned 5 stars from me – and that’s the fiction one published by a secular company.

Andrew was a perfect fit for me this year because in the book, he’s introduced to a young Amish woman who left the faith and then returned – pregnant. And he wrestles with how to relate to her in light of her “sin.” I was wrestling right along with him. For weeks after I finished the book, I kept thinking about it. To me, that is the mark of a great spiritual growth resource – something that sticks with you and continues to ask you questions and asks you to consider things from a different point of view. (Andrew is book one in the Petersheim Brothers series by Jennifer Beckstrand.)

You can see my reviews and ratings of some of these other good resources here:
Inspired – ♥♥♥♥½
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way – ♥♥♥♥½
The Jesus Who Surprises – ♥♥♥♥
The Middle Matters – ♥♥♥♥
Shameless – ♥♥♥♥
Taste and See – ♥♥♥♥
The Universal Christ – ♥♥♥♥

2020 Reading

I have high hopes for 2020. I chose 12 resources from my TBR shelves and I have already started one for this month. I also found a few friends who wanted to join me on a more intentional reading journey, so we are keeping each other accountable in the coming year.

REVIEW: Where You'll Find Me by Natasha Friend

REVIEW: Where You’ll Find Me by Natasha Friend

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Anna can’t believe she’s living at her dad’s house. He had gotten engaged to Marnie before her parents’ divorce was even final. And their baby appeared soon after their wedding. She’d done a careful job of avoiding sleeping there. Daytime visits only. Anything else felt disloyal to her mother. But that was before.

Before her mother tried to kill herself and ended up in the hospital.

And when it rains, it pours. Anna has also lost her best friend. She’s stuck at school hanging out with the weird kids. It seems like everyone – other parents, teachers at school – is talking about Anna’s mom. And Marnie’s trying too hard with Anna, making her feel suffocated.

It all leaves Anna feeling lost and adrift. But help will arrive from places she least expects.

Review

I pulled this from a middle grade pile on my bookshelf, but when I looked the book up, the publishing information says this is for teens. I was confused. Anna is only 13 in this story – young for a teen book. And while her processing of all the things feels appropriate for 13, it also feels young for a teen/YA book. It might be a good fit for the new “Older Middle Grade” category for readers 10 to 14. But there’s some mature content – some swearing, Anna hears her dad and step-mom having sex, etc. – things you don’t generally find in middle grade books. All of this made it hard for me to get a good grasp on this one. Who exactly is this book for?

That aside, I loved the story. My heart broke for Anna. The near suicide is a huge stressor, but there’s so much MORE going on:

  • The unspoken things between Anna and her dad and the ways she has felt abandoned by him, left to care for her mom on her own.
  • Anna’s fears of finding her mother dead.
  • Anna’s memories of her mom’s manic episodes as she learns about Bipolar 2.
  • Anna’s shame about her mom’s illness.
  • The loss of her best friend.

All of these things are conveyed SO well. I was rooting for Anna through the whole book – that she would make new and better friends, that she would see her step-mother as an ally, and that she would share the burden of her mom’s illness with someone. There’s a great happy-for-now wrap up to this that was so satisfying.

Find the right audience and this will be a hit with readers. I loved it! (Language, sexual references, references to Wicca, CW: Suicide)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: A Very Scalzi Christmas by John Scalzi

BONUS REVIEW: A Very Scalzi Christmas by John Scalzi

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Subterranean in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

A collection of seasonal essays and short stories from John Scalzi. My favorites include:

  • A hilarious Thanksgiving prayer of gratitude,
  • A hilarious conversation with a bitter month of November, feeling crowded out by December and its festivities,
  • A hilarious interview with Santa’s Reindeer Wrangler, and
  • A hilarious list of script notes on the Birth of Jesus (written to “Matt and Luke”).

This is a short collection – around 15 pieces. They’re mostly quirky and often funny. These four listed above had me cackling aloud. I enjoyed the science fiction references as well as the riffs on the Biblical accounts of Jesus’ birth.

If you are looking for humor in your holiday fare, don’t skip this one! (Although, the $40 price tag seems steep for a print copy of such a small collection. I noticed this week that the print copy is no longer showing as an option. $6 for an e-book version is a much nicer price.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson

REVIEW: The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

After a string of bad dates, Cassie is giving up on her dating app and the blind date scene. Her best friend is convinced the string of bad luck is because her dating profile says she doesn’t want kids. She actually does, but she physically can’t have them. And that has caused enough heartache all on its own. She can’t get attached to a guy and then find out it’s a deal breaker.

Jett can’t believe he found Cassie on that dating app. He had such a huge crush on her when she was a senior in high school. As a lowly freshman, she didn’t know he even existed. But now he has a chance to try again.

And they hit it off. They have a great first date. They exchange some flirty texts. And then, in a moment, everything changes. Each of them becomes the caretaker of three kids. And neither wants to tell the other and risk ruining the tender new relationship they had just started to explore. But the girls in Cassie’s care are in desperate need of love and stability. And Jett’s niece and nephews are traumatized after being abandoned. They have to prioritize the kids. But how long can they keep up the charade of being the same single people they were on their first date?

Review

This was great! I loved watching how these two single people were transformed when they became instant parents to three kids each. It was hard, but they also determined it was worth every struggle.

The end was a little abrupt, at least on Cassie’s side. We get no explanation of how things wrap up like they do. But I enjoyed the wrap up and the epilogue.

I expected more Christian content since this is published by Thomas Nelson, but other than an extended scene at church, there aren’t really any faith pieces to this.

Expectations are a BIG deal when it comes to this book. The publicity materials sell this as a “romantic comedy.” I did not find that to be true at all. Jett and Cassie barely spend any time together before the arrival of the kids, and even less after. It’s almost like the romantic relationship is based on imagination and potential rather than reality. Thankfully the epilogue takes place a year later so I could tell myself they had a real foundation by then. But there’s not a lot of romance happening in the story. I also didn’t find it especially funny. I thought of it as a Christmas story, and in that regard, I was satisfied. This situation is fascinating. I would have liked more obvious treatment for the girls in Cassie’s care and more discipline and boundaries for Jett’s three. But I enjoyed the story for what it was – a story of two adults who let the unexpected upend their lives for the sake of kids who need them.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥