The Joy of Falling | Book Review, Excerpt + Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

Eva and Angela must learn to live again. One step at a time.

It has been fifteen months since Eva and Angela lost their thrill-seeking husbands in a scuba diving accident. Both women are trying to navigate their way through the grief, but neither one is making much progress. Angela is barely making ends meet, angry at her husband for leaving her to raise three children on her own. Meanwhile, Eva is stuck, unable to move forward after losing the love of her life and her source of inspiration.

But then Eva gets a life-changing phone call. Before Brent and Wes died, they had signed up for a race of a lifetime—an ultra-marathon in beautiful New Zealand. Eva begs Angela to run the race with her in their husbands’ place, and Angela finally agrees, hoping to finally understand her husband’s choices.

Training is exhausting, and the race is even more demanding. Their journey grows more complicated by the presence of two men—Marc is Brent’s best friend who is running the race with Eva and Angela, and Simon King is a writer who is covering their inspiring story. With every step, Eva and Angela must ask themselves questions that they haven’t had the courage to ask before. As the women literally put one foot in front of the other, they wonder: Is it possible to find their way forward in hope?

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: April 14, 2020

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christian Book

MY REVIEW

Having lost their husbands in a scuba-diving accident over a year ago, both Eva and Angela are still figuring out what moving forward without them should look like. A perfect opportunity to confront what is holding them back presents itself in the form of a New Zealand-based ultra-marathon, a race for which the men registered a week before their deaths. As Eva and Angela train to fill the spots of their husbands, the journey they experience moves them inwardly, in addition to outwardly, of course—and it proves to be worth every mile.

I know now that when I pick up a Lindsay Harrel book, I am going to venture into a story of women dealing with the tough parts of life, and she does it so well. In The Joy of Falling, Eva and Angela have different ways of handling their grief. Their interactions—with each other and others around them—are more than messy, at times, but the revelations sparked by the ultra-marathon and a change of scenery provoke necessary, hopeful growth. Harrel presents their full gamut of emotions in a way that feels real, and I wholeheartedly enjoyed the journey alongside her characters. (Oh, and because much of the story takes place in New Zealand, it offers an exciting adventure beyond the current limitations!)

★★★★.5

I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lindsay Harrel is a lifelong book nerd who lives in Arizona with her young family and two golden retrievers in serious need of training. She’s held a variety of writing and editing jobs over the years and now juggles stay-at-home mommyhood with writing novels. When she’s not writing or chasing after her children, Lindsay enjoys making a fool of herself at Zumba, curling up with anything by Jane Austen, and savoring sour candy one piece at a time.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

EXCERPT

Read the first few chapters now.

TOUR SCHEDULE

CelebrateLit