A Place Called Blessing

This is now my third eBook from Book Sneeze.  This book didn't turn out to be anything like I thought it would.  My original intent when I started the book around 2 am was just to read a couple chapters.  By 3:15 am, I was on Chapter 13 and physically my body was saying that I needed to sleep.

Anyway, I couldn't stop.  Finished all 19 chapters at about 4:10 am Friday morning with tears in my eyes.  I'm not much of a fiction reader, but this is a very touching and endearing book.

It's a story about a young boy, Justin (aka Josh) in the story that got a raw deal early in life.  He lost both his parents, ended up in foster homes.  His 2 older brothers, Sam & Matt, got eventually adopted, but Josh never did.  He ends up as an adult and homeless at times.  Through a series of events, he finds himself with no education other than a high school degree, working in a town doing the grunt of construction - cleanup work.

He meets a young man named, Mike, who befriends him.  Mike's mom, Anna, has a room for rent (a converted garage).  Through the course of the next year plus to follow, friendships are forged and trust is built.  Josh has a really hard time trusting because of all that he's gone through.  He begins to fall in love with Mike's cousin, Lori, but upon Lori confessing a secret, Josh feels betrayed that she lied to him and breaks up with her.

Mike's cancer that had been in remission came back and with a furious vengeance.  Mike was in his late 20s nearly finished with his engineering degree, but shortly after receiving his diploma, he dies.

I don't want to give away the ending of the story, but I think this book is well-worth the read.    At the end of the book, there are questions from each chapter that make you think about "stuff" that happens in people's lives and it's a good book I think for young people to read, as well as adults.

How do we rise up above our circumstances?  Forgive?  Love?  Trust?  Despite a whole lot of crappy and really bad things happening?  It's all about Jesus.  Yes, I was moved to tears quite a few times in the book.


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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”