Needing You Now by Beth Wiseman, Book review

Synopsis:

When big-city life threatens the safety of one of their children, Brad and Darlene Henderson move with their three teenagers from Houston to the tiny town of Round Top, Texas.

Adjusting to small-town life is difficult for the kids, especially fifteen-year-old Grace who is coping in a dangerous way.

Married life hasn’t always been bliss, but their strong faith has carried Brad and Darlene through the difficult times. When Darlene takes a job outside the home for the first time in their marriage, the domestic tension rises.

While working with special needs children at her new job, the widowed father of one of the students starts paying more attention to Darlene than is appropriate. Problem is, she feels like someone is listening to her for the first time in a long time.

If Darlene ever needed God . . . it’s now.

Experience a family’s triumph over lies, betrayal, and loss while still clinging to the One who matters most.

My thoughts:

Best selling author Beth Wiseman has delighted her many fans with tales of the Amish world for years. Perhaps I was influenced by my daughter as she is a big fan but I have enjoyed her stories!

This novel is however quite different and I will admit to some disappointment. A contemporary story is rarely my first choice of reading  material. I much prefer historical fiction work which lets your imagination wonder, provides you with healthy entertainment and even gives you the incentive to delve into the subject by way of further research!

Beth Wiseman introduces us to her latest writing by depicting a Texan family whom at first glance lives a perfectly well balanced life. They recently moved from a cosmopolitan area to live in an old farmhouse in a small town to raise their children in a much healthier environment. 

Reading the resume I caught the 'Special Needs Children' part and felt drawn to it thus the reason for this choice of review.

Unfortunately whilst I allow any author's right to feel a need to branch out, this time I felt something was missing and I had a hard time to concentrate on the plot.

Perhaps it was the fact that special needs children had only a small part in  this story, or that the neighbour's character just did not seem to fit in, or I was not prepared to comprehend the extent to which some teens go to please their family or when under peer pressure! I have since looked into it and it brought many shudders!

Even the locales were not eye catching and nothing really stands out.

Despite the troubled teenager plight and a handful of supporting characters, the story mainly revolves around the attraction felt by two individuals and much like a soap opera is drawn out: lies, betrayals and sheer boredom!

Somewhat fragmented, Needing you Now is the sort of Christian novel I feel you will only briefly remember and lacking the profound inspirational theme Beth Wiseman usually provides her readers. 

Needing you Now has surprised me and less you feel this is not a good book, I will remind you of course that I offer only my opinion!

As such, I can only give it 3 stars!

About the author:

 

When asked how she arrives to certain characters, Beth Wiseman tells us: 'The characters choose me. I start hearing their little voices in my head and they tell me the story I need to write.'

For more on this best-selling author please visit her website (here)

I received this book free from BOOKSNEEZE as part of their blogger review program.

I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.