My Rating: 4.5 stars
I’m not a huge fan of books about time-travel, as I oftentimes
end up feeling lost and confused trying to remember the different timelines and
the back-and-forth sequence of events that usually occur with these types of
books -- so when I first read the blurb for this book and saw that there would
be a time travel element to it, I was a little hesitant. Add to this the fact that I had never read a
book by Diane Chamberlain before (though I had heard a lot about her and do
have several of her books on my TBR), I really didn’t know what to expect going
into this. Now that I finished reading
this book, I am tremendously glad that I decided to go forward with it, as I
ended up really really enjoying it!
The summary uses the word “genre-spanning” to describe
this book and I have to say that is a perfect description, as it truly is
impossible to fit this into just one category – the time travel element seems
to put it into science fiction but then again, that was only a small portion of
the story (think of the time travel piece as a means to an end rather than the
main arc of the story); there were also historical fiction elements with
references to real historical events and a portion of the story taking place in
the 1960s and 70s. Mostly though, this
story is about a young mother’s tremendous love for her unborn daughter as well
as for her family, which puts her on a path that she never imagined possible – it
is also a story about faith, hope, courage, sacrifice, and the lengths a mother
would go through to save her own child.
In this sense, it would probably more appropriately fit into women’s
fiction, but with a lot more depth to the story, plot, and characters.
I’ve heard that Diane Chamberlain is a masterful storyteller
and after reading this book, I absolutely agree! The writing was fantastic and the plot was amazingly
well-thought out, with enough detail to make the story believable (despite the
time travel element) and a surprising amount of twists and turns that kept the
story lively and engaging. What I liked
most about this book though were the characters – Hunter, Patti, and of course
Carly, whom the story mainly revolves around. I love stories with strong female protagonists
at their core and Carly absolutely fit the bill – her tremendous strength and
courage in the face of the situation she
found herself in and the many difficult choices as well as sacrifices she had
to make, one after the other, this was a character I not only admired, but also
connected with on an emotional level. Carly
was such a well-developed character that I often felt I was right there alongside
her as she embarked on her journey and as I got to know her throughout the
course of the story, she ended up being a character that I didn’t want to let
go.
Heartfelt, poignant, and emotional, this is a story that
made me shed a tear or two throughout the read, but at the same time, it also
made me smile and laugh in a few places. I deliberately went light on the plot with
this review, as this is a wonderful story that everyone should experience for
themselves, so I didn’t want to spoil anything.
This one is highly recommended!
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