Review: The Sweet By and By

http://athistable.blogspot.com/2010/03/review-sweet-by-and-by.html

I love reading books that are almost impossible to put down. Every night I read “The Sweet By and By” by country singer Sara Evans and writer Rachel Hauck, I waited until my eyes were red to stop reading.

Evans and Hauck provide lovable, realistic characters readers can easily related to. As the main character, Jade, slowly reveals her past, the reader learns along with her that, which people can forgive and forget, they can’t hide their past forever. The past affects the present; it makes us who we are. Engaged to a wonderful man, Jade must face her past in order to fully commit to a future. Along the way, she heals broken relationships with her mother, her ex, and, most importantly, God.

The book does not come without its faults, however. The writing can be hard to follow at times, and some things don’t fit. Jade’s encounter with her ex doesn’t have enough purpose, and one scene that switches to her father’s viewpoint is the only scene of its kind. Evans and Hauck tell the rest of the book from Jade’s and her hippie mother’s points of view, so the father’s viewpoint doesn’t fit. Jade’s conversion is also unrealistic, too quick, and too emotionally charged.

But even with its faults, and its title that doesn’t completely fit the book, “The Sweet By and By” makes a good edition to any woman’s book shelf. I certainly couldn’t put it down. It’s told at the perfect pace and reveals each new twist just when the stakes need to be heightened to keep the reader’s attention. Most importantly of all, the characters speak to the reader’s heart, something every good book needs.


I received a free copy of this book from BookSneeze.com in exchange for my honest review.