Happy FriYAY! [Silly saying, but it’s so cute, huh??] Today, courtesy of little man’s naptime [on the floor of the living room next to me–I set him down for a minute when I had to answer the door to sign for a package and he kept sleeping… and who bothers a sleeping baby?!? I just sat down next to him with my first mug of Pumpkin Spice coffee of the year. I just can’t help myself. #ridiculous], I have Amish Sweethearts by Leslie Gould to review for you today as part of the book review program with Bethany House.
Here is a description of the book from the publisher:
Best friends and high school sweethearts Zane Beck and Lila Lehman may be neighbors, but they come from different worlds. When Lila’s father arranges an Amish suitor to court her, Zane enlists in the army—unwilling to watch. Although separated by years and distance, their feelings, now hidden, never fade. But will these two ever find a way to be together?
And as usual, my five point review:
- In general, this book was just okay. It wasn’t great and it wasn’t terrible. If we were breaking up, I’d have to say that it wasn’t you, book, it’s me. Once upon a time I would devour Amish fiction like none other. The premise of this book was interesting so I wanted to read it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my jam and the fact that I hadn’t read the previous book in the series probably contributed to that. On that note, it was well written, and [from what I can tell] well researched as far as details about Afghanistan and the military. There’s definitely an audience for these books and I used to love them. I just prefer to read other things now. 🙂
- At first, I wanted to end my review with the first comment, but after writing a bit I decided to begin with my general thoughts and flesh them out. So for my second point, the premise. Zane is Mennonite, so the fact that he joined the Army isn’t quite the same scandal as if an Amish boy had done so. However, it’s still not totally normal either. It was interesting to consider the experience of someone with that sort of faith background and cultural upbringing in the military so this was a pretty original premise.
- I haven’t read much of anything by Leslie Gould, but I found her to be a good writer and detailed in her research. As a librarian as I have said before, well researched books are important to me.
- What bothered me more than anything about this book was the friends-to-lovers storyline. I knew that is what this book was about going into it, but the way the couple’s relationship was portrayed just didn’t seem very authentic to me for some reason and as such, this book didn’t hold my interest well. The love triangle aspect also was a bit off-putting, but again, I knew about that going into the book.
- Regardless of the fact that this wasn’t my favorite book of all time, I do still think it is worth reading for fans of Amish fiction, this author, and those interested in how faith, relationships, and the military work together. I’m glad I got to read it!
What are you reading lately?
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book!
The Pajama Chef 