Book Beginnings on Fridays/Friday 56: Even If, and Book Blogger Hop

 

    Hey! I am so excited to share this post with all of you, and conclude my second Week of Book Memes blogging event. Earlier this week I've participated in an IMWAYR, a Top Ten Tuesday, and a Can't-Wait Wednesday, which you can check out by clicking on the links. Today I'm wrapping it up with another Book Beginnings on Fridays/Friday 56/Book Blogger Hop question combo, similar to one I did a few weeks ago.

    This week's book is one I've wanted to post about for a while now. I read it all the way back during quarantine and it really stuck with me. I've been recommending it like crazy ever since, but part of me has always shied away from posting a full-out review of it. This book deals with some hard stuff! But even though the broken nature of some of the scenes and situations here, there is a lot of joy and hope to be found in the story. I've just decided to feature it here and to see what everyone thinks about it first.

Title: Even If

Author: Bethany Riehl

Genre: Christian Fiction/Romance

Synopsis: It was just a glance…but it changed everything.

After a heartbreaking discovery, Lillian Rodgers suddenly quits her job and sets out to rediscover herself. But after weeks with no interviews, she begins to wonder how she will survive. She loves her apartment building, and is intrigued by the kind and very handsome handyman that works there, but it looks like she’ll have to move out, and move to the suburbs—or worse—back home with her mother. Heaven help her. Desperate, she revisits a decision she made in high school and wonders if the Lord could forgive her after so many years living her own way. In the ash of her incinerated life, there are small embers of hope. A new friend, an interesting job possibility, and a quirky bakery owner all seem to be sent as a reminder that God is for her. But then—a devastating blow. Can she trust that the Lord truly has plans that are for her good, even as her hopes are crushed? Or is she doomed to suffer the consequences of her bad choices forever? 

Chuck Davis can’t come to terms with the accident that changed his world. Or, more accurately, what the Lord wants him do about it. Then the woman in apartment 608 rounds the corner and he looks up for the first time in years. Neither of them know in that moment that God has set a plan in motion. A plan for Chuck and Lillian to change each other’s story and redeem their past. If they will let Him. 

Even If is a story of unspeakable loss and illogical hope. Hope that even if a life is mired in shame and rebellion, God can redeem it. A reminder that the plans of the Lord are supremely good, even if they are different from our own.

First Line: Lillian Rodgers toed carefully around a patch of ice on the sidewalk wondering for the dozenth time what on earth she was doing.

My Thoughts: This first line...wow. It nails setting, plot, and character development all in one go. The setting is obviously contemporary, as I don't think there are too many sidewalks mentioned in fantasy or sci-fi, and you can tell that it's winter from the patch of ice mentioned. You are also intrigued by "what on earth" the character is up to, and immediately want to read more just to see what's going on. Definitely a strong opening line in my opinion!

    Sorry if this Friday 56 quote is super long! I tried to cut it down, but couldn't resist leaving out a few paragraphs. 😊 It's all so sweet and cry-worthy.

From Even If: "Chuck?" her voice was husky. Hesitant.

    He cleared his throat. "Yeah?"

    "Will you tell me about your dad? Or is that too painful?"

    Chuck closed his eyes as a pleasant warmth worked through him. He pressed a kiss against her soft hair. "It's a good kind of painful. What do you want to know?"

    "Everything."

    His father was always a welcome topic. But he had found over the years that few people felt comfortable talking about him. As if they could hurt Chuck by remembering the man he wished had never left. It was the best thing she could have done.

    And now for the question of the week...

This Week's Question: If you could go trick-or-treating with your favorite book character, who would it be?

My Answer: The resident writer in me wants to pull out my own characters and say I'd go with them, but as my novel isn't technically published yet and none of you would know who I'm talking about, I narrowed down my choices to a) a cute little kid, or b) a character who I think I'd click with in real life. After thinking about this for a long time, I decided to go with Jo March as the character I'd trick or treat with. Jo (especially before all the conflict between her and Laurie) is witty, kind, down-to-earth, and would definitely be a fun friend to have on a trick-or-treating spree! Plus, she's also a writer, and also comes from a big family with lots of girls, which means we would have lots to talk about.

    Thanks for taking a look at this post! I really appreciate it, and would love to hear what you think about it in the comments. If you've also participated in one of these book memes, please send me a link to your post as well!

    What about you? What did you think about the book? Would you ever consider checking it out, or looking at a future review of it? Which book character would you want to go trick-or-treating with? Do you (like me) forever believe that Jo should've married Laurie, or just stayed single?

    Next week, stay tuned for a review of one of the books on my recent Top Ten Tuesday list! Which one do you think it'll be?