"the sweet by and by" by sara evans with rachel hauck

Jade Fitzgerald seems to have it all: a thriving business, wonderful girlfriends, and a fiancé who is crazy about her. But underneath her confident exterior lies a girl whose heart has been beaten down by life. As her wedding day approaches, Jade will have to deal with the pieces of her past that she’d rather leave buried--her hippie mother, her absent father, her childhood sweetheart, and the secret she's carried alone for the past thirteen years.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Jade’s character is well developed, and one can’t help but sympathize with her as her past is revealed. However, I never warmed up to Max, Jade’s fiancé, though I’m pretty certain the authors intended for me to like him! Also, I was disappointed by the scene where Jade is reunited with her first love; it felt incomplete and rushed, and it was ultimately unsatisfying.

This book was an enjoyable read, but there was nothing too special about it. I’d recommend waiting for it to arrive at your local library.

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