A Heartbreaking Situation with An Earthshattering Solution

"To Know You"

By Shannon Ethridge

            and

      Kathryn Mackel

About the book: Julia Whittaker's rocky past yielded two daughters, both given up for adoption as infants. Now she must find them to try to save her son.

Julia and Matt Whittaker's son has beaten the odds for thirteen years only to have the odds---and his liver---crash precipitously. The only hope for his survival is a "living liver" transplant, but the transplant list is long and Dillon's time is short. His two older half-sisters, born eighteen months apart to two different fathers, offer his only hope for survival.

But can Julia ask a young woman---someone she surrendered to strangers long ago and has never spoken with---to make such a sacrifice to save a brother she's never known? Can she muster the courage to journey back into a shame-filled season of her life, face her choices and their consequences, and find any hope of healing?

And what if she discovers in her own daughters' lives that a history of foolish choices threatens to repeat itself? Julia knows she's probably embarking on a fool's errand---searching for the daughters she abandoned only now that she needs something from them. But love compels Julia to take this journey. Can grace and forgiveness compel her daughters to join her?

In To Know You, Shannon Ethridge and Kathryn Mackel explore how the past creates the present . . . and how even the most shattered lives can be redeemed.

My Opinion of this Book:

This book is truly fabulous!  The authors take you on an emotional journey with a family that has to deal with a great heartache in their current lives, but also to come to terms with secrets in the past of the main character, Julia.  Is it ever a good thing to let the past remain there??? Julia discovers that her hidden mistakes have to come to light in the present, in order to "fix" the  present tragedy.  The characters and situations are realistic, in fact, so much so, that you begin to live the painful past with them, as well as the present.

The topics involved in this story, were sensitively dealt with and held my attention throughout the book. Adoption, birth families , siblings, half siblings, marriage- all these complicated subjects in it!!  The plot has so many intertwining subplots that your attention once focused, can't be distracted. I could NOT put this book down, until I had read the last page. I lived this story alongside Julia and her family. It is a situation that anyone could encounter. 

Julia shows us that although we have to make choices in our lives, that these live on deep within us, for the rest of our existence on this earth. The author uses this situation within an ordinary family to show us that God can see us through ALL hard times. He is always there to help you.  Her secrets were the cause of many hurts in the present situation, however, her actions exhibited the healing and restoration that God can do, but only we allow Him.  The message comes through loud and clear! God has a plan for us, BUT we need to listen to that small quiet voice, in order to let Him restore peace to our souls.

Definitely a FIVE star book!!  I can hardly wait for the next book by this author.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/qbiOA

About the authors: Shannon Ethridge is a best-selling author, speaker, and certified life coach with a master's degree in counseling/human relations from Liberty University. She has spoken to college students and adults since 1989 and is the author of 21 books, including the million-copy best-selling Every Woman's Battle series. She is a frequent guest on TV and radio programs and mentors aspiring writers and speakers through her BLAST Program (Building Leaders, Authors, Speakers & Teachers.) 

Learn more about Shannon:http://www.shannonethridge.com

This book was provided by Litfuse in exchange for an honest and fair review.