Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko
About the book:
Folks are dying fast as the ash trees in the southern Indiana town ravaged by the heroin epidemic, where Jaycee Givens lives with nothing more than a thread of hope and a quirky neighbor, Sudie, who rescues injured wildlife. After a tragedy leaves her mother in prison, Jaycee is carrying grief and an unplanned pregnancy she conceals because she trusts no one, including the kind and handsome Gabe, who is new to town and to the local diner where she works.
Dividing her time between the diner and Sudie’s place, Jaycee nurses her broken heart among a collection of unlikely friends who are the closest thing to family that she has. Ultimately, Jaycee must decide whether the truest form of love means hanging on or letting go.
My Review:
Adoption is a topic that is very close to me. My grandmother was adopted. She was loved by two mothers, the one that gave birth to her, loved her and cared for her until she was six weeks, while keeping it a secret from everyone. The second one was the mother that adopted her, an amazing mother whom had nothing, but love for her daughter, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren. She was incredible. Always laughing, and giving something of herself to others.
When I read this story of Jaycee, I knew that the story was very different than that of my grandmother. But her mother that gave birth to her was similar in that she felt she had no choice. In that time, you didn’t keep a child when you were not married.
This story touched me as you felt the love of a birth mother for her child. The sacrifice she gave to give a child life. Often that is neglected in the story of adoption to show the incredible love that is there.
I wish that we were more supportive of mothers, so they do feel they have options, like Jaycee, that if they want to parent or release their child to be parented by another set of parents, we would see there is love in both actions.
I would recommend this book to anyone that has adoption as a part of their life, to see a glimpse inside the world of a mother that chose adoption, but not only them, almost anyone that would want their heart to be touched to glimpse into how we can love, self sacrificially in so many ways.
This book was obtained by me from the publisher, Tyndale House. The opinions contained herein are my own.
You can purchase your own copy in your local bookstore, or online.