Book Review: The Forgiving Jar by Wanda Brunstetter

Title: The Forgiving Jar
Author: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Published by Shiloh Run Press
Series: The Prayer Jars #2
Date Published: 1 February, 2019
Pages: 320
Genres: Christian Fiction, Amish, Romance
Format: Paperback
Source: Shiloh Run Press
Purchase: Amazon
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What would happen if you found out someone has been impersonating you?   Sara Murray had never met her mother’s parents and was surprised to learn after her death that they were Amish living in Pennsylvania. When she is finally able to make the trip to meet them, she is shocked to learn someone else has been living with them and pretending to be Sara. Sara can’t understand how quickly her grandparents are willing to forgive the imposter.   Secrets and deceit seem to follow Sara, and she is so tired of it. Though soon she meets Brad Fuller who is visiting her grandparents for during Christmas. She likes him a lot, but even he seems to pull away from her, not being totally honest.   Struggling, Sara finds an old canning jar hidden in the barn that is full of encouraging prayers. Can Sara find a way to forgive the past and move on to building new relationships?

This is Book 2 in the brand-new series, The Prayer Jars, from New York Times bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter. Book 1 -- The Hope Jar (August 2018) Book 3 -- The Healing Jar (August 2019)  

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Author/Shiloh Run Press and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.

Many of y’all know me, and know that one of my favorite genres to read is Amish fiction. Among that Amish fiction, there is this really amazingly talented author who never fails to hook me, keep me focused on the story, and make me feel as if I was a character within the pages as I follow the ups, downs, ins and outs of her beloved characters’ lives. That author is Wanda Brunstetter. She is phenomenal. So, I looked forward to opening up the next book in her Prayer Jars series. Let me tell you this: She did not disappoint me. In fact, I was blown away with this story.

Ms. Brunstetter has woven a tender story with this book. It’s full of secrets and twists, but also full of hope, longing, forgiving and grace. Sara and Brad’s characters are tenderly chiseled together to create a few sparks of romance blooming within the book, and Michelle’s character…..well, let me say that at first, I wanted to hate her, for assuming a life that wasn’t her own. But, through the words of Ms. Brunstetter, through the forgiving grace of God, I was able to see why she did it, and much like the story line suggests, and forgive her for it, the same as if she truly did it to me.

The way Ms. Brunstetter makes me feel at the end of the book, like she wrote solely for me (which, of course, I know she did not but that’s how good her writing is!), has once again left me ready for her next book in the series so I can feel this way again. The Forgiving Jar is a tender story, one that makes the reader sit and reflect about forgiving and letting go of the pain and the past, and focus on the here and now. Anything less than a 5 star praise for this book, would not be doing it justice. Well done, Ms. Brunstetter. Well done.