Karen Kingsbury does it again. She has written a good story that addresses a difficult issue and she has done it with grace and kindness and romance! You know there's gonna be a love story, but it's not too overpowering.

Maddie was adopted as an embryo, but doesn't know this until she's 22. This is not a spoiler, it's on the front cover of the book and talked about within the first couple of pages. But how does she react? How does this make her feel when she does find out? How do you deal with the fact that you were once frozen and then brought to life? Karen looks at this topic and imagines a response and creates a story out of it, a story that ends in healing and hope, but doesn't always look that way as you are reading.

I tried to imagine what it would be like to have your foundations shaken as a young adult and while I can't fully grasp it, I can also understand why it turned Maddie's world upside down.

This was a well-written book that tackled a topic that is not very common and yet it is an option for couples struggling with infertility. The big takeaway for me is to keep the truth forefront--be honest always. Secrets only snowball the longer they are kept.

I received this book from Atria Books via NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

One of her best!

This is one of the best books I have ever read by Karen Kingsbury. I could hardly put it down. All of her books are "clean" and Christian based. The stories she tells could actually happen in life. She doesn't use any "bad" words.

Welcome back to another riveting Baxter family story. What an emotional rollercoaster ride for Maddie as she suddenly learns the earthshattering truth about her origins! We have all probably struggled at one time or another waiting for just the right moment to share some important information with a much-loved family member, or possibly with a very dear friend. The critical lesson from this story is that we must make the time sooner rather than later. The longer we wait, the easier it becomes to wait for a better time. Information shared at the earliest possible moment typically will be received more easily and is less likely to throw the other party into a major tailspin. If you have read other Baxter family stories, you know what a close-knit family they are. Face it - you may have felt a certain amount of jealousy as you read their stories and joined in vicariously on many of their family get-togethers, possibly wishing your own family was more like this one. You also know that they have gone through many struggles together. From their first story, I have enjoyed reading about John Baxter, the patriarch of the family. Although not a lot is said about him in this story, he plays a very special role. As he has gotten older and retired, he often has been the one the Baxter siblings turn to for counsel and prayer. Now he becomes a man of action for his oldest granddaughter, Maddie.

I really enjoyed the story of Maddie and how she has to overcome the challenge of finding out that her embryo was adopted so that the parents she has adored her whole life are not her biological parents. Reeling with what she feels is betrayal, Maddie sets out to Portland to meet her bio-parents, leaving her devastated family behind. This book is writtten perfectly, with just the right amount of tears and laughter. What I liked best was how much I learned about embryo adoptions from reading this well-researched novel. I purchased an autographed copy of this book from Landmark Books and was not required to write a postive review. The opinions expressed are my own.