How two completely different people, both on the outside and inside figure out life's most important lessons. How will you decide if you were in their shoes?
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Title: A Reason to Stay
Author: Kellie Coates Gilbert
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: October 6, 2015
ABOUT THE BOOK
Sometimes the thing that keeps us from making the wrong choice
is the one thing we can't control
As an investigative reporter and the host of her own TV talk show, Faith Marin works to expose the truth for her viewers. But in her personal life, she's anchored her world with firm boundaries in order to hide a family history she'd like to forget. By contrast, her husband Geary's life is an open book. An easygoing pro bass fisherman, Geary is the ultimate family man--and his overbearing relatives don't know the meaning of boundaries.
Faith and Geary haven't been married long when their differences start to derail their tender relationship. Surely love shouldn't be this hard. While Faith considers whether divorce is the only answer to their issues, tragedy strikes. With her life in the balance, she finds that the one she has been shutting out may be the very one she cannot bear to lose.
As an investigative reporter and the host of her own TV talk show, Faith Marin works to expose the truth for her viewers. But in her personal life, she's anchored her world with firm boundaries in order to hide a family history she'd like to forget. By contrast, her husband Geary's life is an open book. An easygoing pro bass fisherman, Geary is the ultimate family man--and his overbearing relatives don't know the meaning of boundaries.
Faith and Geary haven't been married long when their differences start to derail their tender relationship. Surely love shouldn't be this hard. While Faith considers whether divorce is the only answer to their issues, tragedy strikes. With her life in the balance, she finds that the one she has been shutting out may be the very one she cannot bear to lose.
MY THOUGHTS
A Reason to Stay by Kellie Coates Gilbert had me glued to the pages from the beginning. With an opening line as "There's no need to fix something that isn't broken." (1), you can't but wonder is there more than what's being said on the surface? This story is about Faith Marin and her development from a seemingly perfect woman with a perfect job and the perfect man, but in truth someone who's broken from the inside to someone who finds strength to move beyond and find faith in God. Faith as a character is someone that others can relate to, because of her ambitions and her strive to deal with childhood memories. Her sense of lost can be seen in her desire to achieve success in her career, and her ways of alienating others in self-preservation. When tragedy strikes, how will she deal with it?
Faith is the only character and surprisingly, Chuck (the camera-man) that I find I understood. Faith's the life of the book. Her development is the strongest as it should be. With Geary, his development was somewhat disappointing. He's still the same man from the beginning and to the conclusion of story. I wish there was more growth. For example, for him to see when a marriage crumbles, it takes two. It's not only one person's fault or there's not only one side of the story. I know he mentioned his shortcomings at the end, but I would like to be able to "feel" it through the words of the story. Another character I want to mention is Connor. Reading about him and his words, I can see or rather feel how Faith felt. His faith, at such a young age is astounding and inspiring. "He looked up at her then. 'Oh-tay. But I'm not awone. Jesus is wif me.'" (291). The faith of a little child that surpassed all. I love it.
In all, a beautiful story about faith, committed love and family. All important things in any one and everyone's life, and because of that, I would recommend this.
Faith is the only character and surprisingly, Chuck (the camera-man) that I find I understood. Faith's the life of the book. Her development is the strongest as it should be. With Geary, his development was somewhat disappointing. He's still the same man from the beginning and to the conclusion of story. I wish there was more growth. For example, for him to see when a marriage crumbles, it takes two. It's not only one person's fault or there's not only one side of the story. I know he mentioned his shortcomings at the end, but I would like to be able to "feel" it through the words of the story. Another character I want to mention is Connor. Reading about him and his words, I can see or rather feel how Faith felt. His faith, at such a young age is astounding and inspiring. "He looked up at her then. 'Oh-tay. But I'm not awone. Jesus is wif me.'" (291). The faith of a little child that surpassed all. I love it.
In all, a beautiful story about faith, committed love and family. All important things in any one and everyone's life, and because of that, I would recommend this.
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group for an honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kellie Coates Gilbert is a
former legal investigator and trial paralegal, and the author of A Woman of Fortune and Where Rivers Part. Gilbert crafts her emotionally charged stories
about women in life-changing circumstances in Dallas, Texas, where she lives
with her husband.
I just got done reading this book & I have to say, this was the most emotionally gripping books I've read in a good long while!! Some parts were harder to read than others, especially through my tears, but wow...I was blown away by this one! So many deep lessons to learn....this one will stick with me a while :-) Loved reading your thoughts on this book, thanks for sharing.
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