A Sister’s Wish Book Review
In Shelley Shepard Gray’s third book in her Charmed Amish Life series, A Sister’s Wish, a respectable young woman finds herself falling for an Amish man from the wrong side of the tracks.
About A Sister’s Wish
Amelia Kinsinger is the perfect Amish woman—at least according to her neighbors. And while Amelia takes pride in her role as homemaker, she’s also harboring a secret: She’s been in love with bad boy Simon Hochstetler for as long as she can remember. Too bad he’s about as far from “perfect” as an Amish man could get . . . but that’s exactly why she’s so drawn to him.
Life hasn’t been kind to Simon. He ran away from an abusive home at fifteen and things went downhill from there. Eventually, Simon landed in prison. But the experience changed him. Now back in Charm as a grown man, he’s determined to make a new life for himself and not think too much about his wild past . . . unless it pertains to Amelia.
He’s loved Amelia for years. To him, she represents everything good and kind in the world. When he realizes that she returns his affections, he starts calling on her in secret, even though her older brother Lukas—who just happens to be Simon’s best friend—has made it perfectly clear that Amelia deserves better. Simon disagrees and believes he’s the only one who can truly make her happy.
But when Amelia gets hurt, it sets off a chain of events that forces them to consider their future together—and face their past mistakes. There’s a chance for love . . . but only if Simon dares to trust Amelia with the secrets of his past.
My Thoughts
I have always loved Amish fiction stories. They are sweet, full of hope, forgiveness, love and faith. This story by Shelley Shepard Gray is all of that and more.
Amelia is a sweet, kind and loving young girl in her family who takes care of a lot more than her family cares to admit. She is charge of the household, the chores and so much more. She never complains and she loves her job but nor does anyone quite realize all she does and the young woman that she has become. Her long time crush, Simon, returns to their small town. Simon had suffered greatly as a child and it led him down a destructive past. Simon had to go through these hardships in order to become the young man he is today. They helped him with his faith and his understanding of others but it is also a secret he keeps tucked away afraid to show the world. He has always been in love with Amelia but never felt good enough for her. When he realizes she returns his feelings, he feels blessed. Except no one in her family sees how much this relationship means to her.
When Amelia is hurt and the family has to come to the realization that she is now a grown woman who has been looking after a lot more than they expected, it forces them to look at themselves and their way of thinking in ways that no one wants to. No one wants to have admit they are wrong nor do they want to go about fixing it. Thus begins a struggle for understanding, trust, acceptance and faith in each other.
A Sister’s Wish is well thought out, well written and a beautiful story from start to finish.
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Rating: 4/5
About the Author
Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.