saving cicadas by nicole seitz

When single mother Priscilla learns she is pregnant again, she takes her family on a road trip they will never forget. What she’s looking for, she doesn’t really know, but along the way, she will discover the importance of family, unconditional love, and forgiveness.

Saving Cicadas is told mainly from 8 ½-year-old Janie’s point of view. This technique is quite effective, as it allows the reader to see grown-up problems from a child’s perspective.

Honestly, I didn’t enjoy the first half of the book much at all, and I probably would have stopped reading if I hadn’t agreed to read and review it for Thomas Nelson. However, the last third of the book really picked up, and the last fifty pages or so are spectacular. Seitz weaves an interesting tale with several shocking twists. (The twists are perfectly built up to throughout the book; I just didn’t pick up on the clues!)

I highly recommend this book. It’s so much deeper and more thought-provoking than much of the fiction on the market today, and it makes a powerful statement about life while not making light of the difficult choices facing single mothers.

***I received a free copy of this book for review through Thomas Nelson's book review blogger program.***