The Sweet By and By

I found The Sweet By and By, written by award winning artist Sara Evans, to be a wonderfully delightful read. It centers around a family that has estrangements from one another and their journey to reconciliation. This all begins when Jade decides to send a wedding invitation to her mother with who she has not spoken in some time. The story follows their relationships and the relationships they have with others.
I thought the book was well written, especially for a first time novelist. Her approach to language helped me to envision and understand the characters. It is often hard to make people real without making them cheesy or trite. However, Evans does a good job in avoiding this situation.
I would recommend this book for high school and above because of some of the content involved in the story line. While none of it is offensive, some issues addressed are deep, complex and for a more mature reading audience. That said, it was an easy, fun read that deserves a wide audience and even wider reading. I commend Evans for her work and look forward to more of her writing in the future.
I posted this as a Book Review Blogger for Thomas Nelson Publishers.