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The Farm Stand by Amy Clipston

Hello Friends :)

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.

April has been an extremely busy reading month for me so far. I'm participating in O.W.L.S Magical Readathon, and I have a ton of review books to finish before they release next month.

Thankfully, I've really loved most of the books I've read this month, and I'm excited to share another review with you all today of one of the titles from my Most Anticipated 2020 Releases Post.

The Farm Stand by Amy Clipston:



Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Zondervan

Publication Date: May 5th, 2020

Genre: Christian Fiction/Amish Fiction

Series: Amish Marketplace


Synopsis:

Experience some sweet, garden-fresh romance in the next installment of Amy Clipston's Amish Marketplace series. 

Salina Petersheim runs her own booth at the Amish market, where she’s known for having the freshest and most delicious produce in the area. Her father is the bishop of her church district, and her brother is a deacon. They are a very close family, yet sometimes she tires of being compared to her older brother, Neil, who is married and has two children. She also feels the pressure of having to be the perfect daughter for her parents. 

Salina has been dating Josiah for almost a year now, but he feels more like a friend than a boyfriend. Her parents approve of Josiah, who is a hardworking roofer. He’s handsome and easy to talk to, but he just doesn’t warm her heart the way she feels a boyfriend and future husband should. She secretly longs for more.

 Along comes William “Will” Zimmerman, a Mennonite chef who runs a restaurant located next door to the Amish market. He wants Salina to supply the produce for his restaurant, and as they forge a business relationship, they both feel themselves falling in love. Salina especially tries to deny her feelings for Will since her father wants her to marry within the community. 

Both Salina and Will feel stuck in their current relationships, but they cannot deny what they feel for each other. Will they follow their hearts or bow to the pressure of family? Or will God provide a surprising new road for them?


(synopsis from goodreads)




My Review:

Amy Clipston is one of my favorite authors, and The Farm Stand is another perfect illustration as to why this is. This beautiful, heartwarming story showcases that when God is in control, nothing is truly ever impossible.

Readers first met Salina in the first book, The Bake Shop, and I couldn't wait to read more about her. Salina's been in a relationship for a year that was a highly encouraged choice by her parents, and she's not sure her heart is leading her down the same path anymore. She's struggling with wanting to be a daughter her parent's can be proud of, while still wanting to be able to make her own choices. When she meets Will, an on old order Mennonite gentlemen, at her stand at the marketplace, she's instantly smitten with him and the feeling appears to be mutual. Will owns a successful restaurant across the street from the marketplace, and soon becomes one of Salina' s best customers. Salina and Will continue to find themselves drawn to each other, but both are already in committed relationships, and don't want to hurt anyone they care about. Plus, the fact that they come from different religious backgrounds could make their being together an impossibility, even if they weren't already dating other people.

With beautiful storytelling, emotional moments, and heartfelt characterization, Amy Clipston weaves together a heartwarming read about the need for communication in a relationship, and the true importance of following God's plan, no matter how hard it appears to be to do so. Salina and Will's friendship is strengthened by the similar situations they are facing, and the fact that they feel no one else understands where they are coming from. It's easy to see how both Will and Salina felt pressured by family obligations, and felt guilty that their heart's didn't lead in the same direction that their family's expected them to. 

While I read quite a bit of Amish fiction, Amy Clipston is truly my absolute favorite within this genre, and one of my favorites period. Her stories always speak of grace, and are packed with a powerful faith based message, and a focus on the importance of family. The Farm Stand may just be one of her best books to date, and I can wholeheartedly say that it's going to end up being one of the best books I end up reading this year. I truly can't wait to read the next book in this series, and highly recommend picking this one up.

Final Rating: 5/5


Thanks so much to NetGalley and Zondervan for the opportunity to advance read this!

I received an advance reader copy of this novel to voluntary read and review from the publisher (Zondervan) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

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