It's Friday, it's the start of the weekend, and it's time once again to start getting in the Christmas spirit.
All three of these things have me in a really good mood today, especially since I also happen to have the day off from work, and I don't have any errands or running around to get done. So today I'm simply going to be getting my house cleaned, doing some online Christmas shopping, curling up with a cup of tea, and one of my first Christmas reads for the season, and sharing my review of an amazing book with all of you guys! And that's basically a description of the perfect day in my eyes. :)
Life After by Katie Ganshert:
Source: Church Library
Publisher: Waterbrook
Publication Date: April 18th, 2017
Genre: Women's Fiction/Inspirational Fiction
Synopsis:
It could have been me.
Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost.
A year later, Autumn Manning can’t remember the day of the bombing and she is tormented by grief—by guilt. Twelve months of the question constantly echoing. Why? Why? Why?Searching for answers, she haunts the lives of the victims, unable to rest.
Paul Elliott lost his wife in the train bombing and wants to let the dead rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to cause more pain for his loved ones. He wants normalcy for his twelve-year-old daughter and young son, to see them move beyond the heartbreak. But when the Elliotts and Autumn are unexpectedly forced together, he fears she’ll bring more wreckage in her wake.
In Life After, Katie Ganshert’s most complex and unforgettable novel yet, the stirring prose and authentic characters pose questions of truth, goodness, and ultimate purpose in this emotionally resonant tale.
*******synopsis from goodreads*******
My Review:
Life After was one of those novel that you were almost hesitant to read, after all the amazing things you'd heard about it. After all, it couldn't possibly live up to all the hype could it? Yes!!! A million times yes! It not only lived up to all the expectations I had for it, but it far exceeded them, and I can't remember the last time I loved a book so much, or felt so strongly about it when I finished it.
This was my first experience with a Katie Ganshert novel, and I was completely blown away by the emotionally turbulent story contained within these pages. I, like many others, am always horrified when I hear about tragedies on the news, and as much as possible, I try to pray for everyone involved after I hear about it. However, this book really shook something deep inside of me in terms of the way the effect the accident had on the deceased's families is portrayed so realistically. How do the families go on with their everyday lives after a tragedy of this magnitude has occurred? And on the other end of the spectrum, how is it possible for the lone survivor of such a horrendous event to ever be okay with moving on with her life, when the guilt that she survived in the first place is literally eating her alive.
I connected to this story in ways I never could have thought possible, and its raw, heart breaking, eye opening portrayal of grief left me completely mind blown. However, my favorite part of the story was definitely the way that Katie Ganshert dives into the topic of "Why God let's these kind of things happen," and her stunning way of showcasing that no matter the occurrence, God is always in control, and it's only Him that can literally turn the broken into beautiful, whether we're able to view it in that light or not. The scriptural focus on "Jesus Wept" left me in tears, and reeling from the realization that I'd never truly understood the significant impact of that small verse before.
I loved both Autumn and Paul as characters, and Tate and Reese were the perfect addition to this amazing story that had me hooked right from the opening lines. I can't even begin to express how amazing this novel was, and how it was nothing like what I was expecting, and yet, was everything I needed at the same time. Katie Ganshert's beautiful story about tragedy, guilt, redemption, God's Grace, and healing is one of the most amazing books I've read in quite some time, and it gets a perfect five star rating from me. This book will make you feel things you didn't know you were capable of feeling, and will remind you that God can turn any situation into an example of his unwavering grace. I can't recommend this book enough to anyone, and I will suffice by saying that I Completely Loved It!!! I will definitely be diving into more of Katie Ganshert's books ASAP, and I'm so glad I went ahead and checked this one out of our church library even though the never ending stack of books in my TBR pile at home had me tempted not to do so.
Thanks so much for reading guys! I hope you all have a great weekend, and I'll see you all again on Monday. :)
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.
All three of these things have me in a really good mood today, especially since I also happen to have the day off from work, and I don't have any errands or running around to get done. So today I'm simply going to be getting my house cleaned, doing some online Christmas shopping, curling up with a cup of tea, and one of my first Christmas reads for the season, and sharing my review of an amazing book with all of you guys! And that's basically a description of the perfect day in my eyes. :)
Life After by Katie Ganshert:
Source: Church Library
Publisher: Waterbrook
Publication Date: April 18th, 2017
Genre: Women's Fiction/Inspirational Fiction
Synopsis:
It could have been me.
Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost.
A year later, Autumn Manning can’t remember the day of the bombing and she is tormented by grief—by guilt. Twelve months of the question constantly echoing. Why? Why? Why?Searching for answers, she haunts the lives of the victims, unable to rest.
Paul Elliott lost his wife in the train bombing and wants to let the dead rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to cause more pain for his loved ones. He wants normalcy for his twelve-year-old daughter and young son, to see them move beyond the heartbreak. But when the Elliotts and Autumn are unexpectedly forced together, he fears she’ll bring more wreckage in her wake.
In Life After, Katie Ganshert’s most complex and unforgettable novel yet, the stirring prose and authentic characters pose questions of truth, goodness, and ultimate purpose in this emotionally resonant tale.
*******synopsis from goodreads*******
My Review:
Life After was one of those novel that you were almost hesitant to read, after all the amazing things you'd heard about it. After all, it couldn't possibly live up to all the hype could it? Yes!!! A million times yes! It not only lived up to all the expectations I had for it, but it far exceeded them, and I can't remember the last time I loved a book so much, or felt so strongly about it when I finished it.
This was my first experience with a Katie Ganshert novel, and I was completely blown away by the emotionally turbulent story contained within these pages. I, like many others, am always horrified when I hear about tragedies on the news, and as much as possible, I try to pray for everyone involved after I hear about it. However, this book really shook something deep inside of me in terms of the way the effect the accident had on the deceased's families is portrayed so realistically. How do the families go on with their everyday lives after a tragedy of this magnitude has occurred? And on the other end of the spectrum, how is it possible for the lone survivor of such a horrendous event to ever be okay with moving on with her life, when the guilt that she survived in the first place is literally eating her alive.
I connected to this story in ways I never could have thought possible, and its raw, heart breaking, eye opening portrayal of grief left me completely mind blown. However, my favorite part of the story was definitely the way that Katie Ganshert dives into the topic of "Why God let's these kind of things happen," and her stunning way of showcasing that no matter the occurrence, God is always in control, and it's only Him that can literally turn the broken into beautiful, whether we're able to view it in that light or not. The scriptural focus on "Jesus Wept" left me in tears, and reeling from the realization that I'd never truly understood the significant impact of that small verse before.
I loved both Autumn and Paul as characters, and Tate and Reese were the perfect addition to this amazing story that had me hooked right from the opening lines. I can't even begin to express how amazing this novel was, and how it was nothing like what I was expecting, and yet, was everything I needed at the same time. Katie Ganshert's beautiful story about tragedy, guilt, redemption, God's Grace, and healing is one of the most amazing books I've read in quite some time, and it gets a perfect five star rating from me. This book will make you feel things you didn't know you were capable of feeling, and will remind you that God can turn any situation into an example of his unwavering grace. I can't recommend this book enough to anyone, and I will suffice by saying that I Completely Loved It!!! I will definitely be diving into more of Katie Ganshert's books ASAP, and I'm so glad I went ahead and checked this one out of our church library even though the never ending stack of books in my TBR pile at home had me tempted not to do so.
Thanks so much for reading guys! I hope you all have a great weekend, and I'll see you all again on Monday. :)
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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