Bitter Blessings - Book Review

I've been busily working away on my NaNo novel, and I'm up to 13,000 words so far! Yay, me. :)

I have to take a reading break now and then, though, right? Every month is National Novel Reading Month, after all. Even November.

So, I had the opportunity to read Bitter Blessings by Christine Mehring recently, and I have to say that I completely fell in love with it.




I hadn't heard of the book until I was asked if I would like to review it, and I hadn't heard of the author, either, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The premise caught my attention, though, and the cover art is strikingly beautiful, and I was hopeful that the book would live up to its promises.

First of all, here is the back cover copy: Megan has the perfect life, but when her mother dies in an accident, everything spins out of control. With the rest of her family falling apart, Megan must confront her past to uncover the truths that will keep everyone together. Thought-provoking and heartfelt, this book shows that even in times of trial, you can often find blessings.

Looking back, I can find things I could nitpick about the writing or the characters or the ending, but, honestly, as I was reading, I didn't notice any of those things. I was completely swept up in the drama and I fell in love with the characters. My heart ached for Megan as the story progressed and things went from bad to worse to completely-spiraling-out-of-control.

I will say that I felt the ending may have wrapped up a little too quickly, but on the other hand, I think the story was about how they got to that ending, and not the ending itself. And the story about how they got to that ending was excellent. It definitely wasn't a stereotypical LDS novel by any stretch.

The upshot is, I definitely recommend this book. You can purchase a copy here. Just in time for Christmas! (hint, hint)