by Christian Suzann Nelson
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 9780764240409
I had the opportunity to read one of this author's previous stories and thought it was incredibly interesting so I didn't want to pass up another chance to read one of her books. The publisher sent me the book for review!
Summary:
Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy--but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. All of that changes when she's asked to spotlight her childhood best friend's missing person case on her podcast.
Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter's belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.
As the long-abandoned investigation moves forward, old wounds and long-buried secrets are exposed. Will these two women, whose lives have never been the same, finally get the answers they need to reconcile the past and the future?
Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter's belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.
As the long-abandoned investigation moves forward, old wounds and long-buried secrets are exposed. Will these two women, whose lives have never been the same, finally get the answers they need to reconcile the past and the future?
My Review:
Christina writes such interesting books. Her characters seem like someone who would be your neighbor, but then there's so much more. In What Happens Next, she's done it again.
Here you have a middle-aged woman, Faith, who has recently gone through a divorce. Her past comes back to greet her out of the blue in the form of her childhood friend's sister. Her friend, who she never heard from again after her family moved after the best summer of her 10 year old life, has been missing all these years.
We get three different perspectives and while sometimes that can be clunky or hard to follow along, this was done smoothly and it flowed perfectly. What I found especially interesting was getting to know Heather through her chapters. She's the missing friend/daughter. You can't help but love her spunk and curiosity.
I also felt like this author brought 1987 to life through the "past". It was like having deja vu reading those pages and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip down nostalgia lane! If you were around and a teen in those days, you'll enjoy the topics that are brought up.
The author also makes us work for it trying to figure out who might be connected to Heather's disappearance. Dora, Heather's mom, was incredibly relatable! She certainly had me stepping back wondering what my reaction would be. I'm pretty positive Dora could easily be me... or anyone of us us moms.
The faith of the characters comes through subtly, but it's there, but in different ways for each character.
I'm looking forward to what the next story will bring us!
About the Author:
Christina Suzann Nelson (www.christinasuzannnelson.com) is an inspirational speaker and Christy award-winning author. Her first novel, If We Make It Home, was honored as one of Library Journal's top five inspirational novels of 2017, and her 2021 novel, The Way It Should Be, won the Christy Award for general fiction.
In 2017, Christina was named the OCW Cascade's Writer of Promise and received a Cascade award for her novel Swimming in the Deep End. Her stories have been published in the Cup of Comfort for a Better World, Cup of Comfort for Adoptive Families, as well as other publications.
Christina is over-the-top about her passions, including the stories created somewhere in the twists and turns of her less-than-focused brain. When she's not writing, Christina serves on the board of Every Child Linn-Benton, a nonprofit where she has the opportunity to influence the lives of families and children in the foster care system.
On a typical day, she chases escaped farm animals, reads, hikes with her dog, and enjoys her husband and six kids.
In 2017, Christina was named the OCW Cascade's Writer of Promise and received a Cascade award for her novel Swimming in the Deep End. Her stories have been published in the Cup of Comfort for a Better World, Cup of Comfort for Adoptive Families, as well as other publications.
Christina is over-the-top about her passions, including the stories created somewhere in the twists and turns of her less-than-focused brain. When she's not writing, Christina serves on the board of Every Child Linn-Benton, a nonprofit where she has the opportunity to influence the lives of families and children in the foster care system.
On a typical day, she chases escaped farm animals, reads, hikes with her dog, and enjoys her husband and six kids.
Title: The Reunion 
