STORY | The world and its many wonders has been “home” to Emily Ackerman for her entire adult life. Living out a series of dreams inspired by the letters her mother left her, Emily is now returning to the one place that holds the only memories of her mother, Nantucket. In the aftermath of her grandfather’s death, Emily returns to their family home to clean things up, make some repairs, and sell the place. Her biggest surprise ends up being seeing her childhood friend Hollis walk down the beach.
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As the pair reunite and work on Emily’s renovations, memories flood Emily; memories of happy summers with Hollis, and memories of her mother. But as time passes, Emily struggles with her past and the secrets she isn’t ready to face, and the question of what she wants from her future…
If For Any Reason by Courtney Walsh | Book Review
REVIEW | Set in a place I can only imagine is as lovely and calming as these descriptions and the island name suggests, If For Any Reason is a lovely story that sets the genre bar pretty high. The novel is a two person perspective in some sense as it flips back and forth between the present, and Emily’s timeline as well as her mother’s story as portions revert to the past to reveal some plot secrets. It’s not something I find to always be necessary, especially in a novel like this that allows us insight into the character through the letters Emily reads, but I do understand its purpose.
The writing is solid and the story really well told; and there’s an array of emotions within this skillful narrative. Alongside this, there’s characters with scarred pasts, mistakes that haunt them, forgiveness and the healing power of God’s love. It’s a well-rounded love story with characters who, despite their flaws, are either easy to relate to, or champion towards that happy end. Plus, there’s a hero easy to swoon over.
If you’ve liked Courtney’s prior novels or any in the genre alike this, then you’ll find a lovely little “escape” in If For Any Reason; an armchair escape that’s so much more than it’s pretty picture cover art.
‘If For Any Reason’ – Make an Escape to a Lovely Island. A book review of the Tyndale novel, authored by Courtney Walsh. #BookReview #CleanRomance Click To TweetABOUT THE BOOK
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Author: Courtney Walsh
Publisher: Tyndale
Publication Date: 2020
Source: Publisher Provided – thank you, Tyndale!
Genre: Fiction; Contemporary Romance
Find the Book Elsewhere: Amazon | Goodreads
Find the Review Elsewhere: Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: ★★★★
Sincere thanks to Tyndale for kindly sending me a copy of this novel in consideration of review; all opinions are my own.
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[…] BOOK REVIEW | ‘If For Any Reason’ – Make an Escape to a Lovely Island […]
[…] another reunion romance story that has a lot of history between its protagonists. This story, like book one (which you don’t have to read, but why not?), has a lot of cozy things and characters that make […]
[…] Courtney Walsh’s novels set in Nantucket seem charming. I’m not one for small, slow town settings because I live that reality. So ideally, I like something different. But you know, sometimes, a book does make it sound pretty. Amazon | Goodreads […]