What We Found in Hallelujah by Vanessa Miller Review

 Happy Wednesday Friends :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you took the time out of your day to stop by my little bookish corner of the internet.

I'm Kirby, and I'm so happy you're here. 

This year, I've really been enjoying the fact that I've had the opportunity to try books by quite a few new to me authors, and that recently included reading my first ever book by Vanessa Miller.

I'd heard great things about her books from others, and I was excited to dive right into her upcoming release, and find out if it was going to live up to all the hype.

I hope you'll all keep reading down below, and stick around to read today's full review.

What We Found in Hallelujah by Vanessa Miller:

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: November 29th, 2022

Genre: Christian Fiction/Contemporary/Chick Lit/Women's Fiction

Synopsis:

Another storm is on the horizon for the Reynolds women. And the only way out is to go through it.

Good things never happen in November—at least not for the Reynolds women. It was the month they lost their patriarch. And the month when fourteen-year-old Trinity went missing during a tropical storm. So Hope Reynolds isn’t surprised when it becomes the month she walks in on her boyfriend kissing another woman. Or when she receives a panicked call from her mother about a mistake that could cost the family their treasured beach house.

Meanwhile, Faith Reynolds-Phillips is facing her own financial struggles. She’s also looking down the barrel of divorce and raising a daughter who reminds her so much of her younger sister, Trinity, that sometimes it physically hurts. The last place Hope and Faith want to be is in Hallelujah, South Carolina, during hurricane season. Going home will force them to confront the secrets that have torn their family apart. But if they can survive another storm, they’ll have a chance to rebuild on a new foundation—the truth.

In the latest novel from prolific writer Vanessa Miller, three women must find the strength to endure the storm and the faith to believe in a miracle.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

What We Found in Hallelujah is a heartwarming, page turner that speaks of the importance of faith, family and forgiveness, and was a story that I had a hard time putting down once I picked it up. This was my first experience with a Vanessa Miller novel, and I was blown away by the intensity of the story, and how well the entire plot was pieced together.

We follow the three Reynolds women throughout the course of the story; which consists of Ruby and her two adult daughters Hope and Faith. After many years of trying, Ruby has finally concocted a way to get her two daughters home at the same time, and there's many secrets and much history that the women must all work through together. Hope is still reeling from a shocking discovery she encountered after her college graduation, Faith is still blaming herself for the disappearance of their youngest sister (Trinity), and struggling to connect with her teenage daughter Crystal, and Ruby is harboring more secrets, that might just be the tipping point for a family already struggling to move on. As the Reynold's women prepare to battle a hurricane that's quickly making its way to Hallelujah, South Carolina, their lives are about to change in ways they never could have seen coming.

From start to finish, this was one of those stories that pulled you right into the plot, and never wanted to let you go. I ended up reading the majority of it one sitting, as I couldn't take not knowing what was going to happen next. The plot twisted and turned in ways that left me stunned, and Vanessa Hall's beautiful prose had me tearing up many times at the many, truly heart wrenching moments contained throughout. The faith element was heart breaking and heart warming at the same time, the characters felt real and authentic as we followed them along their tumultuous journey, and the conclusion was not what I ever could have expected.

I wholeheartedly loved my first experience with a novel by this author, and I look forward to picking up more of her titles in the future.

My only complaints were that the characters did take quite a while to grow on me, as they're all pretty awful at the start of the story. And there were a couple of inconsistencies throughout that I found rather bothersome. I'm hoping these won't make it through to the final manuscript, but for example, in one instance Hope is talking about how her father died two years prior, but yet in a conversation the next day she mentions that her mother has struggled ever since her father died four years ago. It was just kind of odd, but definitely didn't keep my from loving this wonderful story.

Final Rating: 4.5/5

Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

Thanks so much for reading guys! I pray your week is off to a great start, and I look forward to sharing more book reviews with you all later this week!

Have a wonderful rest of your day :)