Tag: Petersheim Brothers series

REVIEW: Austin//His Amish Sweetheart by Jennifer Beckstrand

REVIEW: Austin//His Amish Sweetheart by Jennifer Beckstrand

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free 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 have been working to get their three older brothers married and out of the house. They helped Andrew (♥♥♥♥♥) and Abraham find true love and now they just need Austin in love so all of the older boys will move out of the house and the twins can move out of the cellar and back into a room.  But Austin could be their hardest project yet.

Benji is convinced Austin is in love with his best friend, Hannah Yutzy. Alfie thinks they should get Austin interested in Priscilla Lambright who works at the library. With the twins at odds, they decide to work their own agendas – alone. May the best man win.

Review

This was a lovely wrap up to the Petersheim Brothers trilogy!

I’ve been a fan of this series from the start. This book, originally titled Austin, was supposed to release in the summer of 2020. And then Covid. And while the publisher waited for the right time to release it, they also determined that the book might sell better with an Amish woman on the cover. So this is the new cover and the new title. While I had no issues with the other titles and covers, I’m just happy to finally see how the series ended. It was a satisfying resolution.

I have to be honest, though. Austin is a hot mess in this book. I can’t say for sure who I grumbled about more – Austin or “Scilla.” She was obnoxious, and he was an idiot a lot of the time. It never got to the point where I thought about giving up on the book, but they were truly a mess. The twins and Hannah and some of the other events of the book helped balance out Austin’s moments.

I think my annoyance is part of what made things so awesome in the end, though. I loved the resolution here. Alfie and Benji really stole the show in this book. And the extra help they recruit for their quest was an added delight!

Newcomers can start here without too much trouble. There are pieces of the story with the larger community – and the twins’ quest to get out of the cellar – that play out in Andrew, Abraham, and the Honeybee Sisters books. And reading those will fill in around this story, but I think new readers can get along without those details to start. But I highly recommend the books in both series, so you should be sure to check them all out in the end.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

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

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: Sweet as Honey by Jennifer Beckstrand

REVIEW: Sweet as Honey by Jennifer Beckstrand

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Lily, Poppy, and Rose Christner have been raised by their Aunt Bitsy since their mother and father died. Bitsy’s a little unusual for an Amish woman, but she has done well by her nieces. They have built a honey bee farm on their property, and their honey and other bee products take care of their family.

Dan Kanagy is back in town after two years in Pennsylvania. He went to learn more about raising cattle to help on his family farm. His parents hoped he might find a wife there, but no luck. He has always been in love with Lily Christner.

Lily can’t believe that mean Dan Kanagy is back in town. He made fun of her braces and thick glasses when they were in school together. His nicknames for her always hurt so much. Thankfully, Paul Glick has always pulled her away from the teasing and been her one true friend. He seems to be talking a lot about their “future.” But Dan’s arrival leaves Lily’s feelings very confused.

Review

The author has launched a new series – the Petersheim Brothers – and I ADORED the first book, Andrew (Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥). While I was waiting for book 2 (Abraham, out now), I decided to try one of her other books to see if I enjoyed more of the author’s work than just that one title. I read this in a day, and I loved it. In fact, when I finished it, I gave it back to the library and bought the whole three-book series for myself.

The characters are my favorite part of this series, although the story is terrific. I fell in love with all three of the Christner girls – responsible Lily, spunky Poppy, and wary yet sweet Rose. And their Aunt Bitsy is delightful. Dan is terrific – although his cluelessness is cringe-worthy. I kept watching him screw up this relationship with Lily because he has NO idea his nicknames and teasing tear her apart.

Lily’s boyfriend shows a lot of examples of gaslighting. The more strict parts of the Amish life and community reinforced the awful things he said to her. My heart broke for Lily as she accepted his manipulation as her due, and I was quite vocal about my dislike of that man as I read. But I especially loved that Lily worked out her own issues. No one rescued her. In fact, when someone tried, it caused even more trouble. This was something she had to do for herself.

I enjoyed the second book in the series, A Bee in Her Bonnet (Rating: ♥♥♥♥½), and I read book three, Like a Bee to Honey, in a day (Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥). I highly recommend this series as well as the Petersheim Brothers series!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥