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Stay With Me by Becky Wade Review

Hello Friends :)

How are you all doing with everything going on in our world right now?

There's certain things that have definitely been frustrating for me, but I'm trying not to focus on them or complain as I know everyone's struggling right now, and staying positive is one way I can try my best and help.

One way I've found to stay positive during everything going on is to immerse myself in Christian fiction. I love how I always feel uplifted and more positive when reading this genre, and I've found myself turning to it a lot.

Today's review is especially exciting for me to write as it's another book from my 2020 most anticipated releases post. Becky Wade is one of my all time favorite authors, and I can't wait to share with you all what I thought about her upcoming release.

Stay With Me by Becky Wade:




Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Bethany House

Publication Date: May 5th, 2020

Genre: Christian Fiction/Contemporary Romance

Series: Misty River Romance



Synopsis:

Loving her is a risk he can't afford . . . and can't resist.

When acclaimed Bible study author Genevieve Woodward receives an anonymous letter referencing her parents' past, she returns to her hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains to chase down her family's secret. However, it's Genevieve's own secret that catches up to her when Sam Turner, owner of a historic farm, uncovers the source of shame she's worked so hard to hide.

Sam has embraced his sorrow, his isolation, and his identity as an outsider. He's spent years carving out both career success and peace of mind. The last thing he wants is to rent the cottage on his property to a woman whose struggles stir his worst failure back to life. Yet can he bear to turn her away right when she needs him most?


(synopsis from goodreads)




My Review:

I honestly never thought that any of Becky Wade's new books would end up replacing Undeniably Yours as my favorite by her. However, I was not prepared for the amazing story that is Stay With Me, and it has without a doubt become my new favorite. This beautiful story about the importance of truth, healing and redemption tugged at my heartstrings right from the opening paragraph and left me with a huge book hangover when I finished reading it. 

It takes an insanely talented author to be able to weave together a story with many different story lines occurring throughout, and still keep the reader interested in each and every one. Stay With Me is part romance, part mystery, and a story about both main characters growing closer to God by learning to let go of the things they truly cannot control. Rounding out the story is chapters that provide a look back to the traumatic experience that the main female character Genevieve experienced as a teenager with her older sister and three other youth. I couldn't wait to find out how everything was going to tie together, and I had a hard time putting this once down once I picked it up.

Genevieve is a different protagonist than is often featured in Christian fiction, and I liked her right from the start. I appreciate the fact that Becky Wade always writes her characters as flawed, and never represents Christianity as meaning perfection. Genevieve is struggling, and trying to maintain a facade of being the perfect Christian that she comes across as in her Bible studies that thousands of women all over the world have found hope and understanding from. However, she's losing a little bit more of herself everyday she continues the charade, and she's turned to prescription pain killers to make her life more manageable. A chance encounter with local Misty River restaurant owner, Sam, has her yearning for things she's never found herself wanting before. Sam has dark secrets in his past, and he's dealt with them by shutting himself off from the rest of the world. As he tries to help Genevieve overcome her addiction, he realizes that he wants more than the small life he's carved out for himself. As Genevieve stumbles upon tragic secrets her family has tried to keep hidden, her and Sam will truly learn the importance of coming clean with our Heavenly Father, and that the only way to truly move on is to embrace the healing and grace that He always is there to offer.

While this book ended up being a lot more raw and realistic than I'd originally expected, it also gives the primary messages of hope and redemption, and had me both laughing and tearing up throughout. Becky Wade truly shines at weaving together complex story lines that always feature a swoon worthy romance, Christians who aren't perfect, and a focus on the importance of a true relationship with Jesus. I really loved both the characters of Genevieve and Sam, and the fact that their romance starts out as a reluctant friendship. A lot of my favorite book couples have been written by Becky Wade, and Genevieve and Sam are now officially on this list as well. Becky continues to be one of my all time favorite authors, and I can't wait to read more of the Misty River Romance series in the future. After all the set up in this book for introducing the Miracle Five, I really can't wait to hear more of their stories in upcoming books.

I can't possibly recommend this enough, and it's one of my favorite reads of the year so far.

Final Rating 5/5


Thanks so much to Bethany House and NetGalley for allowing me to advance read this!

I received a complimentary advance copy of this novel to voluntarily read and review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

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