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A review by emrobreads
Beneath the Night Tree by Nicole Baart
5.0
I've been getting into the habit of randomly grabbing books at the library - just picking a shelf and taking one of the books off, committing to read it no matter what - no reading the blurb, no judging the cover. This was one of those books and can I say how happy I am that this one ended up in my hands?
When I got home and added it to my Goodreads, I discovered it was actually book 3 of a trilogy. Fortunately I was able to find books 1 & 2 on my Overdrive, so I started with them first. I had no idea I would fall so in love with the story of Julia DeSmit. Book 1 takes her from being a little girl dealing with feelings of abandonment by her mother, and dealing with the pangs of first love on into college where she is experiencing new things and ultimately makes a choice that changes her life forever. Book 2 follows up immediately after as she returns home at the age of 19, dealing with the repercussions. Her life changes again when her mother returns after years of being gone, and she meets her half-brother for the first time. Book 3 is the final chapter in her story and finds her as a single Mom still living with her grandmother, raising both her son and half-brother.
I was fully immersed in Nicole Baart's beautiful writing and found myself thinking of Julia, Simon, Thomas, Parker, Grandma, and Daniel even when I wasn't reading. The story gripped me and I loved how raw Julia was. I loved her struggles with her life and her faith, with holding onto past hurts and ultimately releasing them. I loved Baart's message of forgiveness and showing how people can actually change. I feel like that goes against what current society tells us, but it does show how God can really work in someone's life.
All in all, I loved this series, love this author, and am so glad I picked it up! Random book picking - I tell you! You can find some real gems that way!
When I got home and added it to my Goodreads, I discovered it was actually book 3 of a trilogy. Fortunately I was able to find books 1 & 2 on my Overdrive, so I started with them first. I had no idea I would fall so in love with the story of Julia DeSmit. Book 1 takes her from being a little girl dealing with feelings of abandonment by her mother, and dealing with the pangs of first love on into college where she is experiencing new things and ultimately makes a choice that changes her life forever. Book 2 follows up immediately after as she returns home at the age of 19, dealing with the repercussions. Her life changes again when her mother returns after years of being gone, and she meets her half-brother for the first time. Book 3 is the final chapter in her story and finds her as a single Mom still living with her grandmother, raising both her son and half-brother.
I was fully immersed in Nicole Baart's beautiful writing and found myself thinking of Julia, Simon, Thomas, Parker, Grandma, and Daniel even when I wasn't reading. The story gripped me and I loved how raw Julia was. I loved her struggles with her life and her faith, with holding onto past hurts and ultimately releasing them. I loved Baart's message of forgiveness and showing how people can actually change. I feel like that goes against what current society tells us, but it does show how God can really work in someone's life.
All in all, I loved this series, love this author, and am so glad I picked it up! Random book picking - I tell you! You can find some real gems that way!