Through the Red Door: This Side of Heaven

Finally, another review! I was hoping to post sooner, but oh well. I'm still learning how to do this. I think I'll read more than one book at a time and just see which is ready to be reviewed first. I like to savor a book, but I'll take forever to read them if I savor them one at a time. :) I'm also going to add who I would cast in a movie version of (some of) the fiction books I review, just because I think that's a lot of fun. I know the posts are going to be a million miles long, but you can just call them "thorough". Sorry, just thinking "out loud." Here's the review:

Book:

This Side of Heaven

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Pages: 307

Summary: (back cover) A story of family secrets, broken relationships and a love strong enough to span the nation.

Thoughts: I am so excited to be reviewing a book by my favorite author, Karen Kingsbury, and I wish this review could do her gift justice. There is just something about her writing that makes the story come to life and the characters become my friends. Every word touches my heart in a way no other thing can. I usually have tears streaming down my face before I even get through the dedications she writes to her family at the beginning of each book.

Karen is not one to shy away from tough, real life issues, and This Side of Heaven is no exception. It dealt with having a child out of wedlock (with a married woman) and pain killer addiction, among other things. As I said before, her characters are always incredibly special and wonderful. They are perfectly imperfect, and you can't help but love them. In This Side of Heaven, there were some returning friends, and some new ones. I fell in love with Josh on the first page - he was so real. Savannah stole my heart instantly. I sympathized with Annie, I appreciated Nate's quiet, steady strength and Lindsey's loyalty. The story captured my attention and held it, so that I just needed to know how it all worked out, how they got to their happy ending. I think this one would make an excellent movie.

Favorite things: Carl Joseph, Daisy, Cody and Elle were back! I was so excited! They're from two of my very favorite books, A Thousand Tomorrows and Just Beyond the Clouds, and I've missed them. :) The mention of Ali was great too, and I like knowing that she's still not forgotten. I also liked that it started with a renewed faith for Josh, instead of ending with it. It was a unique perspective. I also enjoyed the story being told from Savannah's point of view at times - Karen is great at capturing a child's innocence in her writing.

Least favorite: Maria Cameron. She made me so angry. I like all the "smaller" parts with Cara, Becky and even Lindsey, but it made me wish for more of their stories. I would LOVE to read Cara's and Becky's in another book, especially Becky.

The Cover Story: This cover is beautiful! I've had my eye on this one for a while because of it. It really captures the innocence of Savannah's character and is just how I would've imagined her. Her eyes are stunning!

My favorite quote: