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A Sweethaven Homecoming by Courtney Walsh Review

Hello Everyone :)


I hope you're all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

Last week I shared a book review for A Sweethaven Summer by Courtney Walsh with you all, and today I'm excited to share my review for the second book of the series with you all.


I had loved the first, and I was hoping I'd end up feeling the same about the second. Today I'm here to tell you guys if I ended up feeling as positive about the second book as I had with the first.


A Sweethaven Homecoming by Courtney Walsh:



Source: Library

Publisher: Guideposts

Publication Date: August 2012

Genre: Christian Fiction/Women's Fiction


Synopsis:


The Sweethaven Circle is back—and so is the friend they thought they’d never see again!

Country music star Meghan Rhodes has moved on with her life, leaving Sweethaven and its painful memories in the past. But when she is confronted on national television with her ex-husband’s plan to file for sole custody of their twins, Meghan takes the first flight home, back to the charming lakeside town full of regrets and relationships that need mending.

As Meghan searches for forgiveness—as well as the ability to forgive—she is overcome with the need to make things right with her children, her ex-husband, her mother, and even the friends she’d convinced herself she no longer needed. But is she too late?

The Sweethaven Circle is together again as Meghan works with Campbell, Jane, Lila, and Adele begin a new scrapbook for memories yet to be made. Picking up where A Sweethaven Summer left off, A Sweethaven Homecoming explores the strong bonds of friendship, the power of forgiveness, and the importance of unconditional love.


(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

After how much I had ended up enjoying the first book in the Sweethaven Circle, I really couldn't wait to go ahead and dive into this one. The characters had come to feel like old friends by the close of the first story, and I was thankful that this one picked up right where the first book left off. Campbell, Lila, Adele, and Jane are all preparing to spend their summer in Sweethaven, but an unexpected complication arrives when prodigal daughter Meghan finally decides to return home. Where Meghan goes, chaos seems to follow, and with each woman already dealing with her own internal struggles, this summer may be more than any of them were prepared for.

I ended up not having a favorite character in the first book, as I honestly loved each woman's individual story, and enjoyed reading more about them. In this book I'll be honest and say that Meghan was a harder character to root for, as her destructive behavior rubbed me the wrong way, and she succeeds in hurting the people around her who care about her the most. However, I also felt that her story was raw and realistic, and truly showcased the depths that our Heavenly Father can pull us back out of when we feel like we've honestly hit rock bottom. Meghan did finally manage to win me over, and I was happy with how Courtney Walsh chose to end her story in A Sweethaven Homecoming.

However, probably my favorite part of this beautiful series is that even though each book has a basic main character, the reader still gets to enjoy chapters from the various other points of view as well. In A Sweethaven Homecoming each woman who was introduced in the first book has a continuing story as they work through the various struggles that have come to light. Campbell has arrived in Sweethaven in the summer, and she's looking forward to spending more time with the women who've come to feel like family, and also looking forward to continuing her relationship with Luke. She soon discovers that the summer is not going how she'd been hoping for, and she's left trying to sort through her mixed up feelings because of it. Jane is still struggling with the death of her son that occurred in Sweethaven, and the fact that she's never truly forgiven her best friend Meghan for her part in it. Adele is struggling with the fact that she pushed her beloved daughter away, and in the process ended up alienating herself from her precious grandchildren as well. When she learns troubling news about her grand babies, she struggles to do the right thing when doing so might mean her losing them for good. And finally, Lila is struggling to come to terms with her husband's betrayal, and where her life should go from here. She can't deny that she still has feelings for Tom, but would forgiving him for his mistakes truly be something she could live with doing?

With a beautiful setting, heartfelt struggles, and a dialogue and writing style that had me hooked right from the opening sentence, A Sweethaven Homecoming was everything I was hoping for in a sequel. These stories have much more depth to them than one might initially expect, and I appreciate how raw, realistic and heartfelt the author has made each woman's story appear to the reader. 

I can't wait to continue on with A Sweethaven Christmas, and I've definitely discovered a new favorite series.

Final Rating: 5/5

I can't recommend this amazing series enough, and I'm thankful that I finally got around to reading them this year.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day. This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.


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