Need You Now

Darlene and Brad Henderson have recently made the move from Houston to the family farm near the small town of Round Top, Texas.   Their son, Chad, had made some poor choices in Houston and this is the chance for everyone to begin fresh.  But the move that was intended for the good of all is taking more time to adjust to than anyone thought, especially for the children.  Grace, their oldest daughter, is coping in a way that is very dangerous and has difficulty changing regardless of her resolve to do so.  Chad is still tempted to continue in the choices he made in Houston.

Darlene has been a stay at home mom her entire marriage.  Now that the children are a bit older, Darlene decides to join the work force as a teacher's aide at a nearby special needs school.  This, too, means a number of changes in the Henderson household which, of course, causes tension and things seem be begin to unravel.  At this point, their faith is about all they have to lean on.  Will it be enough?

I have always enjoyed Beth Wiseman's books, who typically writes about the Amish, and this is no exception.  Writing outside the Amish genre, Wiseman has shown her readers that she is very capable of writing contemporary fiction. I did feel that Darlene was portrayed a bit on the naive side though when her daughter was wearing long sleeves no matter the weather and didn't pursue questions when Grace's arm was bleeding through the sleeve.  My husband has always described me as naive but I think even I would be checking that out if my daughter exhibited such behaviors.  That being said, cutting is a topic I don't believe I have ever seen addressed in Christian fiction so I applaud Ms. Wiseman for having done so.  In spite of the trait addressed above, Darlene is a woman who has the same struggles as all mother of teens and trying to juggle being a mom, wife, and working outside the home.

The end of the books contains a listing of questions perfect for a book discussion group.  While not listed as a part of the series, perhaps Ms. Wiseman will consider adding to the Henderson's story or that of their neighbor Layla who is an interesting character herself.

This book was provided to me free by Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  I was, in no way, obligated to write a positive review.