ABOUT THE BOOK:

Emily Ackerman has traveled the world, her constant compass and companion a book of letters her mother left for her when she died. With no father in the picture, her mom’s advice has been her only true north. But when professional failure leads Emily back to Nantucket to renovate and sell the family cottage she inherited, she wonders if her mom left advice to cover this . . . especially when her grandmother arrives to “supervise.” And especially when her heart becomes entangled with Hollis McGuire, the boy next door–turned–baseball star who’s back on the island after a career-ending injury.

As sparks fly between her and Hollis, Emily is drawn to island life, even as she uncovers shocking secrets about the tragic accident that led to her mother’s death. With her world turned upside down, Emily must choose between allowing the voices from her past to guide her future or forging her own path forward.

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Book: If For Any Reason

Author: Courtney Walsh

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 3, 2020

MY THOUGHTS:

No, I’m not pushing my review deadline. Why would you think that? It’s not because I have to post my review tomorrow is it? 😂

I have been wanting to try Courtney Walsh’s books for a long time now, and I finally got the chance when I signed up for the tour even though I would only be reviewing a part of the book. I happened to enter a giveaway for a paperback copy of If For Any Reason … And won! I was so surprised, happy, and excited, I would get to read one of Courtney Walsh’s books, and it was a paperback!

When I got my SIGNED giveaway copy I put it on my shelf since I wasn’t able to read it yet, I, of course, in my usual way forgot all about it.

Le sigh.

So, the day before reviewing If For Any Reason I D-E-V-O-U-R it. It was so good, at first I had struggled to get into it but after a while, I was so captivated I read it until it was too dark to read and my throat itched horribly due to the smell of grass, (we were taking a ride, and I’m allergic to grass at times. Ick!), and I finally had to stop until we got home. Once home I finished the rest of the book with a sad swiftness.

The start of the book was perfect for a romance, much like a Hallmark movie, and sweet with a bit of sadness.

If you like romance I should tell you now … You’ll love this one!

I really don’t want to say much on the content in the book since I don’t want to spoil it, it’s really good though and I absolutely L-O-V-E-D the themes featured in If For Any Reason.

There is content that isn’t appropriate for younger readers; mentions of unwed pregnancy, sleeping together, a fling, and seeing a boy behind her parents’ backs … While I feel bad for the reasons they did it, I don’t really agree.

I especially loved how Emily grew, and her love for the kids and the theater. Especially Jojo, it was so sweet to read about them both!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Courtney Walsh is the author of ten inspirational novels. Her debut, A Sweethaven Summer, was a New York Times and USA Today e-book bestseller. Courtney lives with her husband and three children in Illinois, where she is also an artist, theater director, and playwright.

MORE FROM COURTNEY:

3 Bits of Wisdom Every Mother Hopes Her Daughter Cherishes

By Courtney Walsh

There are so many types of mother-daughter relationships, and I’ve discovered that in most of my novels, these relationships are explored in one way or another. My most recent book, If For Any Reason, delves a little deeper into this universal relationship, as the main character’s only connection to her late mother is a book of letters she left behind for daughter when she died.

It was interesting to think through the advice and wisdom I would want to be sure to share with my own daughter, if for any reason I wasn’t here to share it in person. There’s so much I would want to say, so many lessons I would want to share, but if I had to boil it down to three bits of wisdom, I think it would be these:

Ask for help when you need it.

I’m not sure why it’s so difficult to admit we need help sometimes, but in the past year and a half, my family has faced some pretty significant medical challenges, and I learned that it’s necessary to let other people help you. One of the quickest ways to burn out and get overwhelmed is to try to do everything on your own. Now, I’m not talking about laziness. I’m not talking about figuring out ways to get other people to do things for you that you don’t want to do, but genuine help in this journey of life—spiritually, mentally, physically—all the ways that you need to be strong and healthy. You were never meant to figure everything out on your own. And it’s less lonely when you let people in.

Mistakes are good . . . as long as you learn from them.

Okay, it’s inevitable. You’re going to mess up. You’re going to make a million mistakes and sometimes you’re going to really, really regret them. It’s okay. It’s okay to make the wrong choice now and then . . . but only if you learn from it. Because even though there’s a lot of grace for your mistakes, there are still consequences, and if you’re not willing to learn what you did wrong, you’re just going to keep making a mess of things. Don’t do that. Don’t be stubborn and unmoving. There are opportunities to learn something new every single day, and there are people all around you who can help teach you—but only if you humble yourself, realize you don’t know everything, and are willing to learn. Remaining teachable is one of the greatest things you can do. Learn this lesson early, and you’ll go far.

Be yourself.

This is one of the most important and most challenging lessons any of us could learn. It’s a platitude, isn’t it? Advice you’d find on the outside of a coffee mug or embroidered on a throw pillow. But it’s more than that, this whole idea of being who you are, who God created you to be. Here’s the tricky part—how do you know who that is? The only way I can tell is to spend time with yourself. And to not be afraid to sit in the quiet with your thoughts. Learn what God says about you so that if those ideas are challenged or someone else tries to put a label on you that you don’t want, you’re armed with the truth. This will serve you well as you work to discover who you are.

The truth is, as a mother, I’m constantly learning. As a person, I’m constantly learning. And while these are just three bits of wisdom I hope my daughter carries with her, there are so many other lessons I hope she learns, lessons I hope I can teach her so she doesn’t need to learn the hard way.

What about you? What’s one bit of wisdom you want to be sure to pass along to the next generation?