Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The Chance - Karen Kingsbury


Genre: Christian Fiction
Publisher: Howard Books
Publication Date: March 5, 2013
Rating: 4.5 Out of 5 Excellent

PROS: Fast read; Sweet Love Story; Typical of Author's Writing

CONS: Ends too soon, hopefully a sequel to follow!

Ellie Tucker grows up thinking she has it all...a loving family, great friends at school, and a best friend she loves to spend her days with. Nolan and Ellie have been best friends since 2nd grade, inseparable from the beginning. After watching Nolan shoot hoops on the court, Ellie loves meeting him at the park, spending hours talking and sharing their lives.

Until one afternoon when her perfect world comes to an end. Through tough family circumstances, Ellie and Nolan become separated at the age of 15, with the promise to meet each other in the park 11 years from the day Ellie moves away. Time has a way of changing things, and Ellie wonders if they will ever find their way back to each other?!

Karen Kingsbury, is hands down, an outstanding author with many bestselling titles on her resume. In The Chance, she shoots and slam dunks another winning novel! Such a sweet love story, it brings back memories of one's youth, full of carefree days and first loves.

Character development is excellent throughout the story, with quick glimpses into their lives in the beginning, followed by in depth studies by the end. We learn to hope and dream with Ellie and Nolan, cheer and cry, all while sharing their innermost thoughts with them. Not only do we see how their lives have changed over the years, we also see how the lives of their families have evolved over time as well.

Another great aspect of a Kingsbury novel is the tempo of the story. Not one to drag out a scene, each carefully written page is paced to lead to the next development around the corner. With that being said, I may have been known to quickly skim through a paragraph or two to see what would happen next! I was definitely sitting on the edge of my couch, quickly turning page after page, anticipating their next move. The Chance is, for sure, a “sit and read without any interruptions” type of story!

Not only does the reader become involved in this sweet love story, but also into the sometimes messy life of being part of a family. The answer to the many issues the Tucker family faces always comes back to their Faith. The scripture that is placed throughout the novel not only speaks to the characters and their situations, but can also be an uplifting word of healing to the reader themselves. No matter what one is faced with, God will always remain the constant in your life!

I cannot say enough positive things about The Chance! There was even a couple that showed up in the story from Kingsbury's previous novel, The Bridge! It's always good to catch up with previous friends! You can be sure that this reviewer will be reading her next release in October, entitled Fifteen Minutes!

** I was given this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. **

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