From the Publisher’s Website:
A redemptive story from multi-platinum recording artist Sara Evans.
Jade Fitzgerald left the pain of her past in the dust when she headed out for college a decade ago. Now she’s thriving in her career and glowing in the light of Max Benson’s love.
But then Jade’s hippie mother, Beryl Hill, arrives in Whisper Hollow, Tennessee, for Jade’s wedding along with Willow, her wild younger sister. Their arrival forces Jade to throw open the dark closets of her past–the insecurity of living with a restless, wandering mother, the silence of her absent father, and the heart-ripping pain of first-love’s rejection.
Turns out Beryl has a secret of her own. She needs reconciliation with her oldest daughter before illness takes her life. In the final days leading to the wedding, Jade meets the One who shows her that the past has no hold on her future. With a little grace, they’ll meet in the middle, maybe even before that sweet by and by.
My Opinion:
The story tells the tale of Jade Fitzgerald and her coming to terms with her past; her relationship with her hippie mother, her absent father and her first love who shattered her heart. Jade has fallen in love and is getting married but her past won’t leave her in peace. I enjoyed how the story was told in flashbacks. It let you learn about the characters slowly and you learned how past events were influencing the present. Jade and her parents have not had contact in years. There is blame on both sides and much lack of communication. I feel the ending came too fast and was much too contrived given the slow build up of the beginning chapters. It is Christian fiction so be aware of that. Not being religious I didn’t find that part of the tale realistic. I did, though, enjoy the book for the most part.
Disclosure: I received a gratis copy of The Sweet By and By for review from Thomas Nelson Books. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinion and were not impacted by the receipt of the free book.
