October Baby by Eric Wilson and Theresa Preston

Blurb

Not long after Hannah, a college student, experiences increasing anxiety and a sudden collapse, all signs point to the surprising circumstances of her birth. Hannah soon learns from her parents that she was adopted and is the survivor of a failed abortion attempt.

Bewildered, angry, and confused, she turns to her oldest friend, Jason, for support. Encouraged by his adventurous spirit, Hannah joins his friends on a road trip, embarking on a journey to discover her hidden past and find hope for the unknown future.

Along the way, Hannah finds that every life is beautiful, and that life itself can be so much more than what we might have planned.

Based on the popular movie of the same name, October Baby brings to life powerful themes of hope, love, forgiveness, and redemption.

My Perspective

October Baby is the novel version of the movie, October Baby, which is about a college student named Hannah who collapses on stage during a performance due to medical issues related to her birth. Her world as she knows it falls apart with the knowledge of what really happened when she was born – that she was the product of a failed abortion and her parents adopted her. She joins a group of friends on their Spring Break trip to visit the place where she was born – and hopefully find some answers.

Last year we watched the movie version of October Baby at the youth group we run. The theme for the term was forgiveness and this story really explored that concept well. I was curious to read the novel version of it especially if any of our youth wanted to read it too.

At first I found it hard to get into the book as it started out when Hannah was a child and i found the reading a bit immature. I had to remind myself that I am not the target audience for the book and so i got into a bit more plus Hannah soon became a college student so things matured.

Hannah is a likeable and realistic character. She bugged me a little bit because she reminded me of myself with the acting – a little bit up herself. Plus I couldn’t get over how much she let her parents dictate her life even though she was an adult. I can understand she was living under their roof so it was their rules etc. but I felt like she acted like a young teenager! I liked Jason except I couldn’t really understand his relationship with Alanna. I found it hard to like her Dad because he was so controlling. I understood he wanted the best for her however he went about things all the wrong way! I really liked her mother.

The story really explores the concept of what abortion looks like when it fails and how the product of that is much more than just a fetus. I’d rather not get into a political debate about abortion in a book review however I think this book is a great way to start a discussion.

The story has a small element of Christianity throughout however it’s very subtle and doesn’t shove any agendas in your face. It mainly just focuses on the power of forgiveness, which I think is great.

The story flowed fairly well and although it was a bit sappy in places, it was an enjoyable read.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially to those who like a fairly lighthearted book with deep messages and themes.

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Last Chance For Justice by Kathi Macias

Blurb

Welcome to Bloomfield, where life is simple, love is real, and stories are shared.

Lynn Myers is still reeling from losing her husband of thirty-five years when word comes that her only sibling, an older brother, has also died. With no one else to settle the estate, she must return to her small hometown of Bloomfield, however briefly, to settle his affairs.

Lynn’s daughter, Rachel, has just graduated from Bible college and with no other commitments comes along to sort through her uncle’s huge old home, right next to the local cemetery.

It isn’t long before Rachel has two men — a handsome CPA and the youth pastor — seriously vying for her attention. At the same time, Lynn’s attention is drawn to a set of journals her brother has left behind detailing a long-standing Bloomfield mystery.

As they pursue solving this mystery, Rachel must make some personal decisions about her future, while Lynn is forced to face unexpected issues from her own past.

My Perspective

This is the third book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about Last Chance For Justice by Kathi Macias from Ionia at Readful Things Blog. You can read her thoughts on the book here.

Last Chance For Justice is about Lynn Myers and her daughter Rachel. Lynn finds out her brother has passed away and left everything to her. She must return to the town of her childhood, Bloomfield, to settle his estate. Rachel comes with her, and helps Lynn face the town she left behind. With only a quick visit in mind, God has other plans and soon she and Rachel find themselves caught up in the legacy that her brother, Myron, left when he died.

The book was well written and interesting. It was a little bit predictable and cliche in some parts however it wasn’t over the top so it wasn’t annoying.

The characters were extremely likeable. They did have their flaws though so I did find myself mildly irritated by some of their actions however this did make it more realistic. I did find it interesting as there was no “bad guy” or villain in the story. I didn’t actually notice this until I had finished reading.

The book is a Christian novel and there are obviously Christian themes. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a Christian, so this obviously didn’t bother me at all. I didn’t find it preachy or too religious, it flowed well.

One thing I noticed about the style of writing is that everything is mentioned. “Pulling into the dirt-and-gravel parking lot, Rachel maneuvered the Corolla into a cool, shady spot and cracked the windows for the now-snoozing Beasley. Both women knew he’d be fine while they went inside to eat”. I actually really liked that. I don’t need to know if they go to the toilet however I’m the person that says, what about Beasley? You just left him in the car, is he okay? This book left me no doubts or unanswered questions like that and I really appreciated it. If you find that annoying, the book may irritate you, however for those like me – it is fantastic.

Overall I enjoyed the book and I am interested to read the author’s other works that are set in Bloomfield. I would definitely recommend it to those who like light romance with a bit of mystery thrown in.