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A review by emmasbookdiary
A Life Once Dreamed by Rachel Fordham
medium-paced
5.0
The beauty of this book isn’t just the cover (isn’t it gorgeous?😍),it’s what it inside that’s most beautiful. It was my most anticipated book for this year and it didn’t disappoint!! I’m trying to decide how to write a review for this book without fangirling about it the entire time... because I just loved it!
Rachel Fordham has a way with words that instantly draws me into the story. That isn’t something I can say with a lot of books. Her stories are simple— stories about real people with real problems yet they always touch me so profoundly. I become so attached to her characters and they become so real to me, so real that I believe that they are. I feel their pain and their joy and I’m cheering them on the whole way through. I am there in the world she creates. I’m apart of it. I’m apart of the simple, country life that speaks home to my heart and I fall in love with the small towns she writes about. I become so invested in it that it’s really hard to put the book down.
Aggie was a character that I really connected with in different ways. No, I haven’t went through anything like she did but parts of her I definitely did relate to. She was such an amazing character. Her selflessness for those she loves was inspiring and I admired her for it. I felt and sympathized with her so deeply and I just wanted everything to work out for her. Her life threw her a curve that wasn’t easy but she persevered anyways. She didn’t give up but she kept moving forward. I was really inspired and touched by her character.
James.... James was wonderful. He’s loyal, he’s fun, he’s good-looking, he’s unselfish, he’s funny, he’s sweet. I just fell in love with him. It wasn’t just his loyalty to Aggie but also his unselfishness. He put others before himself. There were several times that I just sat back at how amazing he was, risking his own life and doing the hard things so other people could live. That being said, he is not perfect. That’s something I love about Rachel’s books. She doesn’t write characters that are perfect and have no flaws. She writes about people who are flawed and imperfect and have issues but they work against them, they work to be better people. That’s what makes them so relatable and feel so real! Real people do have flaws and issues. James had flaws and things he needed to work on but that makes him all the more lovable.
All of side characters captured my heart too— kindhearted Hannah, overbearing Minnie, adorable Freddie, and sweet Sam. Sam became one of my favorite characters. He’s so kind, unselfish, and understanding despite the hurt he went through. He could have been bitter but he wasn’t. I really felt for him and wanted the best for him. I still hope he gets his happy ending.
The story itself is beautiful and has a beautiful message. There were so many things to think over. What I take from it is that it doesn’t matter where someone comes from, it matters where they are going. Also talking through things with those you love is much better than running from it. But in the end, I just found a message of hope. God has ours lives planned out with purpose, all we have to do is trust Him.
I loved this book. I loved and appreciated how clean it was! I loved the wholesome, faith she weaves throughout. Everything about it captured my heart from page one and it was an absolute joy reading it!
I smiled, I laughed, I got excited, I teared up, I felt all the feels.
I so highly recommend this book, especially for anyone who is looking for a beautiful and clean historical fiction set in a small town with an inspiring message.
*I would like to thank Revell for sending me an ARC in exchange for a honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
2023 reread-
This is still such a sweet book and I enjoyed rereading it so much!💗
Rachel Fordham has a way with words that instantly draws me into the story. That isn’t something I can say with a lot of books. Her stories are simple— stories about real people with real problems yet they always touch me so profoundly. I become so attached to her characters and they become so real to me, so real that I believe that they are. I feel their pain and their joy and I’m cheering them on the whole way through. I am there in the world she creates. I’m apart of it. I’m apart of the simple, country life that speaks home to my heart and I fall in love with the small towns she writes about. I become so invested in it that it’s really hard to put the book down.
Aggie was a character that I really connected with in different ways. No, I haven’t went through anything like she did but parts of her I definitely did relate to. She was such an amazing character. Her selflessness for those she loves was inspiring and I admired her for it. I felt and sympathized with her so deeply and I just wanted everything to work out for her. Her life threw her a curve that wasn’t easy but she persevered anyways. She didn’t give up but she kept moving forward. I was really inspired and touched by her character.
James.... James was wonderful. He’s loyal, he’s fun, he’s good-looking, he’s unselfish, he’s funny, he’s sweet. I just fell in love with him. It wasn’t just his loyalty to Aggie but also his unselfishness. He put others before himself. There were several times that I just sat back at how amazing he was, risking his own life and doing the hard things so other people could live. That being said, he is not perfect. That’s something I love about Rachel’s books. She doesn’t write characters that are perfect and have no flaws. She writes about people who are flawed and imperfect and have issues but they work against them, they work to be better people. That’s what makes them so relatable and feel so real! Real people do have flaws and issues. James had flaws and things he needed to work on but that makes him all the more lovable.
All of side characters captured my heart too— kindhearted Hannah, overbearing Minnie, adorable Freddie, and sweet Sam. Sam became one of my favorite characters. He’s so kind, unselfish, and understanding despite the hurt he went through. He could have been bitter but he wasn’t. I really felt for him and wanted the best for him. I still hope he gets his happy ending.
The story itself is beautiful and has a beautiful message. There were so many things to think over. What I take from it is that it doesn’t matter where someone comes from, it matters where they are going. Also talking through things with those you love is much better than running from it. But in the end, I just found a message of hope. God has ours lives planned out with purpose, all we have to do is trust Him.
I loved this book. I loved and appreciated how clean it was! I loved the wholesome, faith she weaves throughout. Everything about it captured my heart from page one and it was an absolute joy reading it!
I smiled, I laughed, I got excited, I teared up, I felt all the feels.
I so highly recommend this book, especially for anyone who is looking for a beautiful and clean historical fiction set in a small town with an inspiring message.
*I would like to thank Revell for sending me an ARC in exchange for a honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
2023 reread-
This is still such a sweet book and I enjoyed rereading it so much!💗