Gospel Centered Motherhood by The Daily Grace Co

 

Gospel-Centered Motherhood by Daily Grace Co
4 Stars

I read this with my friend Taylor for mother's day this month. I bought this a long time ago and glad I finally got to it! We both enjoyed it, some days more than others, and the experience itself of reading through two each day and sharing with each other the struggles of motherhood we both each have was the best experience. If I didn't have that experience reading with her, I am not sure I would have loved it as much. 

It felt like having bible study together. We both thought it had good reminders for Mamas. I think it could have had some more "meat" to it, if you will, but I liked the reminders. It wasn't trying to fix you as a parent but it reminds you of the important of patience, sharing the Gospel with your child, our calling as Mama's etc. That God is with us in the every day tasks.

Short daily devotionals, application questions, etc. 

As with most Motherhood books though, since I am a special needs parent, I would say I didn't get a ton from many entries since some of the things don't apply to me in my situation with my little boy, but I think a lot of Mama's would enjoy this as a short devotional with encouragement. 

I think more practical tips could have been added and it would have added more meat to the book but I enjoyed reading it with Tay!

Link: https://collabs.shop/1qp3ps

*Get 10% Off Your Daily Grace Company Order with Discount Code BOOKLOVERAMANDA

Living Hope by Mandi Blake

 

Living Hope by Mandi Blake 
Book #3 in the Unfailing Love Series
3.5 to 4 Stars
Rounding up to 4 Stars on Goodreads

This was an emotional read that explores grief, healing and the power of hope in the Lord during life's hardest seasons. Mandi pulled you in from the beginning on this with Natalie being held by gunpoint at work and Jake saving the day...

Natalie is exhausted, lonely and determined to care for her sick mother. You feel the weight she is carrying from the beginning and it makes her struggles real. Watching her navigate the overwhelming grief after her mother's death added an emotional depth to the book.

I enjoyed this one. I really liked how Jake showed up for Natalie and walked with her through the grief she was dealing with. 

This one is one I think will be most memorable out of the series so far because of the depth Mandi added and I really see her progression in her writing journey throughout this series.

Good faith, going to church, seeing the Lord give peace, sweet romance, a good Christian romance!

Content/Trigger Warnings: Death of a parent shown from cancer, grief explored

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4dho7X0
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The Martian by Andy Weir

 The Martian by Andy Weir

1 Star

Let me start....I loved Project Hail Mary. It was a 4.5 to 5 star book for me. So my friends and I tried reading The Martian and it significantly let us down unfortunately. If this is your favorite book, that is awesome, but it didn't work for me.

This is my first 1 star book EVER too. Normally I DNF before this, but reading with my friends, I powered through...

I realize I am somewhat of an unpopular opinion but here we go:

We follow Mark Watney who gets stuck on Mars and separated from everyone. They think he died but he didn't. Thus comes the most insufferable journal entries known to man.

Every chapter is basically:
“Good news: I solved the crisis.”
“Bad news: here are seventeen pages explaining HOW I solved the crisis.”

It was just TOOOO much science, chemistry, equipment details. I wanted to know who Mark was. Not how to grow potatoes with poop. 

The ending was the worst for me because we spent all this time for it to be like, anyway, "this happened, lol byeeee". I was like we spent this entire book watching this man calculate oxygen molecules and all this build up for such a lackluster ending. 

You mean to tell me....he spends a year alone on Mars eating potatoes fertilized with poop nearly dying all the time, communicating like a caveman when he can and that ending was it?

Here is what I needed:
- emotions, more than just sarcasm
- the world reacting and more depth 
- the processing of what actually happened
- a prologue that actually walked through the pre-events before everything happens

- the after scenes after that ending
- ANYTHING but the massive about of cursing that happened. 

The cursing was lazy at this point. It was way too much. I can deal with some language in a book but 60-70 F words, 60-70 S words, 20+ Lord's name in vain at least, it was just ridiculous at this point and for shock value.

It felt like Andy Weir got tired after explaining science for 350 pages and suddenly remembered he had somewhere to be. The only thing I can say I liked was the folks at NASA lol.

Ending was too abrupt. Andddd that's all I got folks. 

Skip this one.

Read Project Hail Mary instead. :) 

Content warnings: Strong language/profanity throughout, Intense survival situations, Isolation and loneliness, Near-death experiences, Injury/body trauma descriptions, Explosions and accidents, Starvation/hunger themes, Medical procedures/self-treatment, Discussions of human waste/feces (fertilizing crops, sanitation, etc.), Anxiety/stress/panic situations, Character presumed dead/abandonment themes, Claustrophobic environments, Mild alcohol references

Summer State of Mind - Kristy Woodson Harvey

Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey
5 Stars

What a great book! This book will stay with me! My first Kristy book and now I need to read them ALL!

This is a secular, contemporary romance/women's southern fiction read and I am impressed!

Kristy tells a beautiful family story, a journey of love, friendship, reconciliation, healing...I loved it.

We follow Mason, a high school baseball coach, who finds an abandoned baby and then Daisy who is a NICU Nurse that helps take care of the baby. Mason and Daisy get close, form a deep connection, romance and bond over the baby throughout the book. Daisy has her own old wounds she is trying to heal from, with her mother leaving her many years ago, that ties in with her need to protect this little girl. Then, we follow Mason's batty Aunt Tilley....who is hiding her long-buried family secret as well....looking for a fresh start.

What I loved about this book was the family, the characters, the realness of it all. It just connected so well. I love all the southern bits too since it's set in Cape Carolina in North Carolina. So many great details.

Even when I didn't agree with the characters choices or motivations, I empathized with them. I found some parts of the romance relatable for when Blake and I first met. It was just a real look at life. Her character depth was so well needed too. We even had characters going to easter service at church and it felt like a look at the family times I had back in the day, when you better have new clothes for easter Sunday haha.

I even teared up in the end....so much emotion and healing that needed to happen. 

Mason and Daisy, really liked them. They were in the mid to late 30s and felt relatable to Blake and myself in some way. Daisy was very complex, I could see the desperation she had with the little girl and the reasoning behind it...seeing her journey to heal in her own issues, wow, it was just great.

The characters were not perfect, they made messy choices, carried old wounds and worked through believable emotions. That authenticity made their journeys resonate in a deeper way for me. Especially as someone who values stories that reflect real life rather than a polished story sometimes. 

Thank you to the publisher for an ebook copy to read for review. I did purchase a physical copy and audiobook too, the audiobook was fantastic. Now I have a copy for my shelves too, since I loved it so much. All thoughts are always my own.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Mild to moderate language (9 Sh*t, 17 D*mn, 1 B*tch, No F words or GD/JC that I saw), Fade to Black/Closed Door Sex Scene - it was not explicit or gratuitous in my eyes, mentions of parental abandonment, miscarriage, loss of a child in NICU situation in the past discussed (side character briefly discussed from Daisy's past work situation), baby abandoned storyline, Aunt Tilley has some mental health things working through, adoption thread things to think about 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4noNGJ0
*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

 

A Tailor Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer

A Tailor Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer
5 Stars

I loved this one! I am really enjoying going through Karen's backlist books. Jericho "J.T." Tucker wants nothing to do with the new dressmaker in town because of his past experiences....issues with his mother and his viewpoint on fashion and beauty have left him with false expectation and impressions about Hannah Richards when she comes to town.

Hannah isn't too sure about his arrogant assumptions and grumpy self....but his little acts of kindness start to open her heart and his as he realizes how wrong he was about her, fashion, dressmaking and beauty. 

I loved the faith content the most in this book. J.T. really had a warped way of thinking when it came to beauty and fashion. His sister and Hannah pointing him back to scripture for him to really seek what the Lord said about the Proverbs woman was so good. I know several reviews mention not loving J.T.'s grumpiness, rudeness and inability to really express his feelings, but honestly, he reminded me a bit of my own husband and his grumpiness when we first met and his struggles to really express his own feelings today. It was a real look at men and Hannah really "seeing his heart" even when he couldn't say how he was feeling exactly was beautiful. 

Great romance, characters and another win for me with Karen!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4d7vFdh
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/9780764207556_a-tailor-made-bride
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The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

 

The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

4.5 Stars 

I had such a great time with this thriller! This was a chilling, atmospheric thriller that completely pulled me in. I WAS SO HOOKED.

The setting alone hooked me. A fixer-upper in a small-town in Maine with ties to Acadia National Park? It had that isolated.... eerie vibe where you just know something isn’t right from the start. The house was almost like a character itself. 

We follow Gwen who is a former homicide detective and right from the start you are like....what's going on here? She is somewhat of an unreliable narrator because you question if the issues lie within her own mind with what she sees and hears in the house, is it trauma from the past or is someone out to get her truly? You also are trying to piece together why her and her husband and daughter left town to buy this new house and why she is no longer a detective.

I loved how the story slowly unraveled. The pacing kept me engaged, with just enough building in each chapter to keep me needing to know all the things. 

And the twists.....Y'ALL, it was definitely twisty with some big turns at the end that I didn’t fully see coming. Everything came together and I was like WHAT!! So good. If you like thrillers, you will definitely enjoy this one. This was my first Jessica Patch book and I am looking forward to more.

Please be aware that this book does lean into some heavier themes, so just be aware of content warnings: child abuse, murder, child death, miscarriage, fertility struggles, marriage issues, panic attacks, sexual assault, grooming, child abduction, mental health struggles. My only wish was for some added faith content since it was a love inspired read, there was not much faith moments or discussions.

Overall, this was a strong thriller with a haunting atmosphere that keeps you guessing. Thank you to the publisher Harlequin for a copy of the book to read for review. All thoughts are my own.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4uvybBl
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The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers

 The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers

5 Stars 

What can I say? Wow. This was one of those books that stays with you the rest of your life. I did a full spoiler-free reading vlog on this book - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VfloP09064&t= (second half of the vlog) and there were so many emotions. Francine doesn't shy away from the hard, painful realities of life, yet she handles them with such compassion, honesty and spiritual depth that while it's heartbreaking, it is also healing.

Dynah went through so much in this book. Her world shatters when she is raped and becomes pregnant from the assault. What moved me the most was how Francine really explored this journey with Dynah and not losing sight of the Lord. God was with Dynah. This book reminded me that no matter what evil befalls us....the Lord is with us through the battles, always. 

Seeing the generational addition to this book too, with Dynah's mother, grandmother and their own personal histories, really added to the book too. It was just as much their stories as Dynah's as they walked through healing. It shows the Lord can redeem even the darkest things in our lives. There is forgiveness in Christ.

Joe was also such an outstanding guy for me. We really see him be a good friend to Dynah and I loved that. 

Seeing Dynah really seek the Lord was beautiful and inspiring to me. How the Lord worked in her with Jim and his job....all I can say is...it brought me to tears.

This book really reminded me that sometimes when the world is trying to tell you all the things to think and do....that sometimes you need to step back and withdraw alone - just you and the Lord. Take your troubles to Him in prayer. He will answer. He will bring peace.

This is not a light read by any means but it's a profoundly important one. The characters are real and in desperate need of grace, forgiveness and healing.

Through it all, the Lord meets us in the darkest places and His mercy is big enough for every story. 

Content/Trigger Warnings: sexual assault (rape), unplanned pregnancy, abortion themes, family pressure, generational trauma, emotional abuse, PTSD symptoms, medical trauma, abortion procedures discussed, grief and loss, miscarriages

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mX1tGk
*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.