Hello Friends :)
I pray that today finds you all safe and well, no matter where you're reading from. As this disease continues to make the future uncertain, just know that I'm praying for you and thinking of you wherever you may be.
If you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you'd probably remember that Lindsay Harrel is one of my all time favorite authors. I've reviewed her previous books here, here, here and here.
I couldn't wait to dive into her upcoming release, and now that I've finished it, I can't wait to share with you all what I thought about it. This was another one of my most anticipated releases for this year that definitely lived up to the hype.
The Joy of Falling by Lindsay Harrel:
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: April 14th, 2020
Genre: Christian Fiction/Women's Fiction
Synopsis
Eva and Angela must learn to live again. One step at a time.
It has been fifteen months since Eva and Angela lost their thrill-seeking husbands in a scuba diving accident. Both women are trying to navigate their way through the grief, but neither one is making much progress. Angela is barely making ends meet, angry at her husband for leaving her to raise three children on her own. Meanwhile, Eva is stuck, unable to move forward after losing the love of her life and her source of inspiration.
But then Eva gets a life-changing phone call. Before Brent and Wes died, they had signed up for a race of a lifetime—an ultra-marathon in beautiful New Zealand. Eva begs Angela to run the race with her in their husbands’ place, and Angela finally agrees, hoping to finally understand her husband's choices.
Training is exhausting, and the race is even more demanding. Their journey grows more complicated by the presence of two men—Marc is Brent’s best friend who is running the race with Eva and Angela, and Simon King is a writer who is covering their inspiring story. With every step, Eva and Angela must ask themselves questions that they haven’t had the courage to ask before. As the women literally put one foot in front of the other, they wonder: Is it possible to find their way forward in hope?
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
The Joy of Falling is truly Lindsay Harrel at her best. I picked up this book meaning only to read a chapter or two at the start, and had a hard time not reading the entire thing in one sitting. Grief is an extremely difficult topic to write about, and it takes an immensely talented author to pull it off. Lindsay does a fantastic job of representing the fact that grief affects everyone differently, and what's right for one person might not be for anyone else.
The set up for this novel is a bit different from anything I'd personally read in a Christian fiction novel before, and I highly enjoyed it. Our two main characters, Eva and Angela, are sisters in law. They were married to brothers, and both became widowed at a young age when their husbands died in a freak scuba diving accident. Angela and Eva move apart instead of growing closer, as the grief shrouds them both in varying ways. Their relationship isn't on great terms, and neither understands the way the other is choosing to live their life. When an opportunity arises for the two of them to run an ultra marathon in beautiful New Zealand with their husbands' best friend, it seems like the perfect way to honor their beloved husbands. However, they may have bitten off more than they were prepared for, and this journey might be what they both needed, just not in the way they set out expecting.
The Joy of Falling is an emotional, grief ridden story that does a fantastic job of highlighting the turmoil that comes when you lose someone you love, but also showcases that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I enjoyed how the author chose to represent the entire process, and the way it affects each and every person differently. I enjoyed the cautiousness exhibited by both sisters at the thought of moving on, and the way they have to turn to faith and God to leave behind the guilt this idea brings with it. There's a difference between moving on and forgetting, and I think this was beautifully represented. The faith element may not have appeared until later on in the story, but once it's there, it's done authentically and wonderfully, and definitely made a great story even better.
I set out liking one of the characters over the other, but by the end of the book I was wrapped up in both ladies' stories, and really rooting for them both. I enjoyed all the secondary characters, especially Sherry, and I appreciated the amazing support system she was for both of her daughter in law's throughout the story. Lindsay Harrel has a beautiful writing style that truly draws the reader right in, and I thought the settings of both New York and New Zealand came alive to the reader across the pages.
The Joy of Falling is truly an inspiring story that was a pleasure to read. I've come to expect amazing things when I pick up a novel by Lindsay Harrel, and she has yet to disappoint.
It may be early in the year, but I have a feeling this is going to end up being one of my favorite reads of the year, and I can't wait to see what this author has in store for her readers in the future.
Final Rating: 5/5
I definitely recommend picking this one up, especially if you're a fan of hard hitting contemporaries.
Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the opportunity to advance read this!
I received a complimentary advance copy of this novel to voluntarily read and review from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I pray that today finds you all safe and well, no matter where you're reading from. As this disease continues to make the future uncertain, just know that I'm praying for you and thinking of you wherever you may be.
If you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you'd probably remember that Lindsay Harrel is one of my all time favorite authors. I've reviewed her previous books here, here, here and here.
I couldn't wait to dive into her upcoming release, and now that I've finished it, I can't wait to share with you all what I thought about it. This was another one of my most anticipated releases for this year that definitely lived up to the hype.
The Joy of Falling by Lindsay Harrel:
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: April 14th, 2020
Genre: Christian Fiction/Women's Fiction
Synopsis
Eva and Angela must learn to live again. One step at a time.
It has been fifteen months since Eva and Angela lost their thrill-seeking husbands in a scuba diving accident. Both women are trying to navigate their way through the grief, but neither one is making much progress. Angela is barely making ends meet, angry at her husband for leaving her to raise three children on her own. Meanwhile, Eva is stuck, unable to move forward after losing the love of her life and her source of inspiration.
But then Eva gets a life-changing phone call. Before Brent and Wes died, they had signed up for a race of a lifetime—an ultra-marathon in beautiful New Zealand. Eva begs Angela to run the race with her in their husbands’ place, and Angela finally agrees, hoping to finally understand her husband's choices.
Training is exhausting, and the race is even more demanding. Their journey grows more complicated by the presence of two men—Marc is Brent’s best friend who is running the race with Eva and Angela, and Simon King is a writer who is covering their inspiring story. With every step, Eva and Angela must ask themselves questions that they haven’t had the courage to ask before. As the women literally put one foot in front of the other, they wonder: Is it possible to find their way forward in hope?
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
The Joy of Falling is truly Lindsay Harrel at her best. I picked up this book meaning only to read a chapter or two at the start, and had a hard time not reading the entire thing in one sitting. Grief is an extremely difficult topic to write about, and it takes an immensely talented author to pull it off. Lindsay does a fantastic job of representing the fact that grief affects everyone differently, and what's right for one person might not be for anyone else.
The set up for this novel is a bit different from anything I'd personally read in a Christian fiction novel before, and I highly enjoyed it. Our two main characters, Eva and Angela, are sisters in law. They were married to brothers, and both became widowed at a young age when their husbands died in a freak scuba diving accident. Angela and Eva move apart instead of growing closer, as the grief shrouds them both in varying ways. Their relationship isn't on great terms, and neither understands the way the other is choosing to live their life. When an opportunity arises for the two of them to run an ultra marathon in beautiful New Zealand with their husbands' best friend, it seems like the perfect way to honor their beloved husbands. However, they may have bitten off more than they were prepared for, and this journey might be what they both needed, just not in the way they set out expecting.
The Joy of Falling is an emotional, grief ridden story that does a fantastic job of highlighting the turmoil that comes when you lose someone you love, but also showcases that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I enjoyed how the author chose to represent the entire process, and the way it affects each and every person differently. I enjoyed the cautiousness exhibited by both sisters at the thought of moving on, and the way they have to turn to faith and God to leave behind the guilt this idea brings with it. There's a difference between moving on and forgetting, and I think this was beautifully represented. The faith element may not have appeared until later on in the story, but once it's there, it's done authentically and wonderfully, and definitely made a great story even better.
I set out liking one of the characters over the other, but by the end of the book I was wrapped up in both ladies' stories, and really rooting for them both. I enjoyed all the secondary characters, especially Sherry, and I appreciated the amazing support system she was for both of her daughter in law's throughout the story. Lindsay Harrel has a beautiful writing style that truly draws the reader right in, and I thought the settings of both New York and New Zealand came alive to the reader across the pages.
The Joy of Falling is truly an inspiring story that was a pleasure to read. I've come to expect amazing things when I pick up a novel by Lindsay Harrel, and she has yet to disappoint.
It may be early in the year, but I have a feeling this is going to end up being one of my favorite reads of the year, and I can't wait to see what this author has in store for her readers in the future.
Final Rating: 5/5
I definitely recommend picking this one up, especially if you're a fan of hard hitting contemporaries.
Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the opportunity to advance read this!
I received a complimentary advance copy of this novel to voluntarily read and review from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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