phyllish
Written on Aug 3, 2019
After Olive's mother lost her battle with cancer, Olive and Macie, her younger sister, were left at her Gramma's house in Hawaii while her dad returned to their Boston home to attempt to recover from his grief.
The anger and pain that Olive endured and the sense of betrayal were palpable. I was drawn so completely into this beautiful story of grief and the journey towards hope.
I love the way Taylor Bennett didn't make the journey easy. The hard questions she asked and the insightful answers Olive discovered led her to find so much more than she had ever anticipated.
The characters were marvelous! I loved Jazz, with her effervescent spirit that held tightly to her faith in God regardless of her own struggles. The persistent way she loved Olive even with their initial prickly encounters. She was probably my favorite. Brander was a gem with his steadfast faith and determination to do what was good and right. His willingness to show his love for his friends through great sacrifice was admirable.
This is Taylor Bennett's debut novel. If you peruse her website you'll see that it was written when she was seventeen. Yes, you read that correctly! Yet it has more depth and maturity than many books I've read by authors far more advanced in years. I'm so grateful she has added her voice to the few who write young adult Christian fiction and look forward to reading many more of her stories in the future!
Read my full review at Among the Reads