Things I Never Told You

GIVEAWAY

VOGT, BETH K.
THINGS I NEVER TOLD YOU

It's been ten years since Payton Thatcher's twin sister died in an accident, forcing the entire family to cope in whatever ways they could. Now a lone twin, Payton reinvents herself as a partner in a successful party-planning business and is doing just fine -- as long as she manages to hold her memories and her family at arm's length.

But with the announcement of her middle sister Jillian's engagement, Payton's party planning skills are called into action. Which means working alongside Johanna, her opinionated oldest sister, who always seems ready for a fight. They can only hope a wedding might be just the occasion to heal the resentment and jealousy that divides them...until a frightening diagnosis threatens Jillian's plans for the future.

As old wounds reopen and the family faces the possibility of yet another tragedy, the Thatchers must decide if they will pull together or be driven apart for good.

My Review:

Lif'e's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they're supposed to help you discover who you are. (p 182)

But what happens if you're stuck in paralyzed mode and you don't know it? That's Payton, outwardly coping after the accidental death of her twin sister but she really isn't living. It's like she got stuck in time. And the things she's never told anyone are what's holding her back What an intensely moving story of loss and brokenness as a trio of sisters struggle to navigate their way towards a better future.

I hesitated a bit before picking this book out of my TBR pile. Mainly, I think, because it isn't my usual genre -- I mean, it's a well known fact that my romance loving heart loves, well, romance and this is a Women's Fiction selection. But I have loved Beth Vogt's contemporary romance novels so I threw caution to the wind and jumped genres and I am over-the-moon ecstatic over venturing out of my comfort zone! Because once I started reading Things I Never Told You I was hooked. This became the kind of 'savor and ponder' experience that touched me deeply...and more importantly, impacted my life in a profound way.

Three points of view -- Payton in first person, her sister Jillian and 'friend' Zach in third. (I put quotation marks around friend because he isn't in the beginning. Payton is quite hostile towards him.) Anyway, that unusual mash up of first person/ third person point of view actually works really well. Definitely made me feel like this is Payton's book even though Jillian has a compelling story to tell and gets her fair share of page time.

Zach is probably the most powerful secondary character I'v ever met in the pages of a book -- and the only Christian in Payton's sphere. The author uses him to bear a compelling witness to Payton when she questions him about his faith.

"Why do you believe in God, Zach?"

"... I realized that I needed God -- "

"Like a crutch --"

"No. Like the One who knows me best because He created me. The One who offers me more grace than I offer others...more grace than I offer myself. The One who forgave me of the things I still struggle to forgive myself for. That's why I believe in God, Payton." (p 385-6)

And, really, what more can I say, except that these characters and their stories will stay with you long after you close the book and file it away on your keeper shelf.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Things I Never Told You, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday September 2 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!