Good Morning Bookish Friends :)
I hope you're all doing well.
As I'm sure many of you are aware, Debbie Macomber is one of my all time favorite authors. She'd actually had a couple of recent book releases that I had yet to read, so I really wanted to try and get to them last month. One of these such books is the one I'm going to be reviewing for you all today.
Any Dream Will Do by Debbie Macomber:
Source: Library
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: August 8th, 2017
Genre: Women's Fiction
Series: New Beginnings
Synopsis:
Shay Benson adored her younger brother, Caden, and that got her into trouble. When he owed money, Shay realized she would do anything to help him avoid the men who were threatening him, and she crossed lines she never should have crossed. Now, determined to start fresh, she finds herself in search of a place to stay and wanders into a church to escape from the cold.
Pastor Drew Douglas adored his wife. But when he lost her, it was all he could do to focus on his two beautiful kids, and his flock came in a distant third. Now, as he too is thinking about a fresh start, he walks through his sanctuary and finds Shay sitting in a pew.
The pair strike up a friendship—Drew helps Shay get back on her feet, and she reignites his sense of purpose—that, over time, turns into something deeper, something soulful, spiritual, and possibly romantic. Even Drew’s two children are taken with this woman who has brought light back into their lives. Perhaps most important, Shay learns to trust again as she, in turn, proves herself trustworthy to her adopted community.
But Caden’s return to town and a disastrous secret threaten to undo the life Shay has tried so hard to rebuild. It will take the utmost courage and faith if she and Drew hope to find healing and open their hearts to a brighter future.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I've come to expect great things when I pick up a Debbie Macomber book, and very rarely am I ever disappointed. I love how her books generally revolve around healing, second chances, sweet romances, and new beginnings. Any Dream Will Do is a perfect embodiment of all of these themes, and is a lovely clean romance that focuses on two people from vastly different circumstances falling for each other and trying to overcome all the obstacles that stand in their way.
Shay Benson has always had a soft heart, and her brother has taken advantage of this fact more than once. When her kindness towards him involves "borrowing" money from the bank she's employed at, and ending up serving a prison term, she knows her life needs to change. Once she's released from prison, she's determined to make a fresh start, and thanks to a chance run in with a pastor named Drew, she finds a place with a women's shelter in town named Hope Center. Hope Center gives her the chance she's so desperately looking for, and she's determined to not be a disappointment. Once her time with the program is over, she finds a job as a waitress to make ends meet, and a chance at educational classes that will help secure her future. However, most promising of all is the new relationship developing between her and Pastor Drew, and she finds herself fast falling for the widowed man and his lovable children. However, Shay's an ex-convict and some of the patrons from his church do not feel this relationship is what's right for someone of Drew's standing. On top of that, Shay's ill prepared to deal with someone from her past making a reappearance, and doesn't know how to prove to everyone that she's truly changed if no one will give the chance to do so.
I was very invested in reading Shay and Drew's story, and I particularly liked the way that Debbie Macomber has them heal their hurts separately, instead of having the plot line that the new relationship miraculously healed both of them from all past hurts. Both characters show maturity in the way they are hesitant to let the relationship go too far when neither has had much experience, and neither wants things to go too far too fast. By far though, my favorite part of this whole story was the way it examines the hypocrisy that often exists in churches towards those who need the most help. Shay has a huge heart, and is constantly trying to help others, especially the homeless. Yet for a large portion of the novel, Drew's church makes her feel unwelcome because of her troubled past. I admire the way Debbie Macomber explores the notion that churches truly need to encourage everyone to come as they are, instead of turning a cold shoulder to anyone truly in need that doesn't measure up to the church's standards.
Once again Debbie Macomber has written a beautiful, contemporary novel about healing, growth, sweet romance, and second chances. I loved how strong the faith element is in this one as well, and really found myself moving through this story quite quickly. I gave it a rating of four out of five stars, and recommend that anyone looking for a sweet romance definitely gives it a try.
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.
I hope you're all doing well.
As I'm sure many of you are aware, Debbie Macomber is one of my all time favorite authors. She'd actually had a couple of recent book releases that I had yet to read, so I really wanted to try and get to them last month. One of these such books is the one I'm going to be reviewing for you all today.
Any Dream Will Do by Debbie Macomber:
Source: Library
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: August 8th, 2017
Genre: Women's Fiction
Series: New Beginnings
Synopsis:
Shay Benson adored her younger brother, Caden, and that got her into trouble. When he owed money, Shay realized she would do anything to help him avoid the men who were threatening him, and she crossed lines she never should have crossed. Now, determined to start fresh, she finds herself in search of a place to stay and wanders into a church to escape from the cold.
Pastor Drew Douglas adored his wife. But when he lost her, it was all he could do to focus on his two beautiful kids, and his flock came in a distant third. Now, as he too is thinking about a fresh start, he walks through his sanctuary and finds Shay sitting in a pew.
The pair strike up a friendship—Drew helps Shay get back on her feet, and she reignites his sense of purpose—that, over time, turns into something deeper, something soulful, spiritual, and possibly romantic. Even Drew’s two children are taken with this woman who has brought light back into their lives. Perhaps most important, Shay learns to trust again as she, in turn, proves herself trustworthy to her adopted community.
But Caden’s return to town and a disastrous secret threaten to undo the life Shay has tried so hard to rebuild. It will take the utmost courage and faith if she and Drew hope to find healing and open their hearts to a brighter future.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I've come to expect great things when I pick up a Debbie Macomber book, and very rarely am I ever disappointed. I love how her books generally revolve around healing, second chances, sweet romances, and new beginnings. Any Dream Will Do is a perfect embodiment of all of these themes, and is a lovely clean romance that focuses on two people from vastly different circumstances falling for each other and trying to overcome all the obstacles that stand in their way.
Shay Benson has always had a soft heart, and her brother has taken advantage of this fact more than once. When her kindness towards him involves "borrowing" money from the bank she's employed at, and ending up serving a prison term, she knows her life needs to change. Once she's released from prison, she's determined to make a fresh start, and thanks to a chance run in with a pastor named Drew, she finds a place with a women's shelter in town named Hope Center. Hope Center gives her the chance she's so desperately looking for, and she's determined to not be a disappointment. Once her time with the program is over, she finds a job as a waitress to make ends meet, and a chance at educational classes that will help secure her future. However, most promising of all is the new relationship developing between her and Pastor Drew, and she finds herself fast falling for the widowed man and his lovable children. However, Shay's an ex-convict and some of the patrons from his church do not feel this relationship is what's right for someone of Drew's standing. On top of that, Shay's ill prepared to deal with someone from her past making a reappearance, and doesn't know how to prove to everyone that she's truly changed if no one will give the chance to do so.
I was very invested in reading Shay and Drew's story, and I particularly liked the way that Debbie Macomber has them heal their hurts separately, instead of having the plot line that the new relationship miraculously healed both of them from all past hurts. Both characters show maturity in the way they are hesitant to let the relationship go too far when neither has had much experience, and neither wants things to go too far too fast. By far though, my favorite part of this whole story was the way it examines the hypocrisy that often exists in churches towards those who need the most help. Shay has a huge heart, and is constantly trying to help others, especially the homeless. Yet for a large portion of the novel, Drew's church makes her feel unwelcome because of her troubled past. I admire the way Debbie Macomber explores the notion that churches truly need to encourage everyone to come as they are, instead of turning a cold shoulder to anyone truly in need that doesn't measure up to the church's standards.
Once again Debbie Macomber has written a beautiful, contemporary novel about healing, growth, sweet romance, and second chances. I loved how strong the faith element is in this one as well, and really found myself moving through this story quite quickly. I gave it a rating of four out of five stars, and recommend that anyone looking for a sweet romance definitely gives it a try.
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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