Now That is Good Storytelling...Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert ~ Review

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You know that feeling of finding a great book? The kind of book whose characters ride the tide of your emotions and pull so deeply on the heart strings that they just might be real people?

          

  What a minute? Who says they aren’t?

           

Don’t answer that.

           

My point? Some books have that…that star quality that make them soar. “Wishing on Willows” has that quality and so much more.

           

It’s hard to fit this book into the right “box” because there isn’t one out there labeled specifically for it. I wouldn’t say it’s a romance…though it’s such a sweet love story. A love story between Robin and her son. Ian and Robin. Bethany and Evan. The older couple who visit the diner. Amanda and Jason. I wouldn’t call it women’s fiction, though there are strong elements of that genre woven all through the story.

          

  Would I call it perfect? Pretty close to it. It’s a delicate symmetry, a balance between lyrical writing and character emotions and actions that make them so incredible loveable. I think Ian had the ability to melt my heart more times than should be allowed through the story.

          

  There is a talent for story woven so perfectly through this novel that it’s like taking a deep breath and not needing to breathe again. I left myself behind and joined their lives.

           

Now that is good storytelling…

            

This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the author for my copy to review.

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More about the novel...

Does a second chance at life and love always involve surrender?
 
A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa,  she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.
                                      
So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight.
 
As stubborn as he is handsome, Ian won’t give up easily. His family’s business depends on his success in Peaks. But as Ian pushes to seal the deal, he wonders if he has met his match. Robin’s gracious spirit threatens to undo his resolve, especially when he discovers the beautiful widow harbors a grief that resonates with his own.
 
With polarized opinions forming all over town, business becomes unavoidably personal and Robin and Ian must decide whether to cling to the familiar or surrender their plans to the God of Second Chances.