Need You Now by Beth Wiseman

Thomas Nelson (April 10, 2012) 320 pages

Description from Amazon:

When big-city life threatens the safety of one of their children, Brad and Darlene Henderson move with their three teenagers from Houston to the tiny town of Round Top, Texas.

Adjusting to small-town life is difficult for the kids, especially fifteen-year-old Grace who is coping in a dangerous way.

Married life hasn't always been bliss, but their strong faith has carried Brad and Darlene through the difficult times. When Darlene takes a job outside the home for the first time in their marriage, the domestic tension rises.

While working with special needs children at her new job, the widowed father of one of the students starts paying more attention to Darlene than is appropriate. Problem is, she feels like someone is listening to her for the first time in a long time.

If Darlene ever needed God . . . it's now.

Experience a family's triumph over lies, betrayal, and loss while still clinging to the One who matters most.

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars(I really liked it)

Beth Wiseman has gained a great reputation in the Amish book world. Need You Now is her first publication outside of the Amish genre, and it was also my fist time to read her works.

This book took me completely by surprise! If you're looking for a light read, don't pick up this one! It deals with hard topics such as adultery, cutting, drinking, autism, and death. I wasn't expecting a light read when I picked it up, but Beth just blew me away with all the difficult subjects she packed into this story. It never seemed forced, and flowed very well.

I'd say that Need You Now is mostly a marriage story. It shows just how difficult marriage is, no matter how good a couple has it. I hate reading stories that portray a perfect marriage, with perfect people! It just doesn't exist. It's hard! When I first started reading Need You Now, I thought that is what I was going to get, but Wiseman did an awesome job of capturing a difficult stage of marriage. Even though I do think it's mostly an adult story, the topic of cutting makes it a great read for teens, too. This is simply one amazingly emotional book!

I very much enjoyed reading Need You Now, and I might just have to pick up some of Beth's Amish books now.

*Thanks to B&B Media for my review copy in exchange for my honest opinion!