Until I Found You

3.5 Stars. Being generous.

The author is a great writer, and I liked the characters–all of them. A lot. What I had trouble with is the SUPER RUSHED ENDING. SUPPPPPERRRR rushed. Kate didn't even MEET Nick's family but she's comfortable with his brother marrying them? Or has she been attending his congregation this whole time? I DON'T KNOW.

Furthermore, I found her conversion horribly lacking. Not sure if it is just a difference in opinion between me and the author though. There was little Bible verses mentioned (only one, Jeremiah 29:11 used wonderfully out of context) and lots of “Well, I WANT God to be real because then I can be happy like Leona and Nick are happy.” I don't know, I would have liked it to be based on Bible verses that helped her, maybe a good sermon and not birds and “feelings.”

Also, the bird asides were weird. Did not work for me at all.

I found this for $3 on the Mardel clearance shelf and loved the cover...so I grabbed it, since I'd heard good things about the author. I really, really loved the story! Both Kate and Nick have a past—Nick is recently saved; Kate has been wandering in her faith—but it is handled very well on the author's part, and I never felt like she gave a sense of either condonement or condemnation for their past choices. Just “that's past; I'm a Christian now; I have to fight to make the right choices and stay pure now.” I really admired that aspect of the story. It's a deeply heartfelt tale of what faith and family really mean, and how to find true fulfillment in life. The grandmother was a great side character, and I loved the whole thread about the California Condors.