Loving--A Book Review

Title: Loving
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Published Date: 2012
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

***********************************

Synopsis:
(FROM CHRISTIAN BOOK.COM)    Bailey is planning a wedding and making decisions that will shape her future. Bailey enjoys the beginning of her new career and time spent with Brandon while Cody faithfully coaches his team on and off the field. But has she agreed to marry the right guy? Will she spend her life with Brandon Paul in Los Angeles, or will her heart draw her back to Bloomington, Indiana and Cody Coleman, her first love? Bailey has learned much and grown over the years, but the greatest challenges, the richest joys, and the deepest heartaches are still to come.


***************************************************************


My Take:
Karen Kingsbury is my favorite Christian author. This isn't something I hide; I make it quite known, as a matter of fact. I anxiously await every new release that she has and Loving was no exception. However, I would be lying if I said that it wasn't with a little trepidation that I waited for it to arrive. The third book in the Bailey Flannigan Series, Longing, made me slightly irritated. I did not like the blatantly obvious direction the storyline was going. Still, I wanted to see how the book would end. I'm glad I did, although several things did still upset me. 


Reading over reviews on both Amazon.com and Christianbook.com, I can understand why so many people left one star reviews. They felt cheated out of the ending they had come to expect, the ending that Karen had seemed to write books and series earlier. I get their disappointment. I'm not going to lie, I was a "Team Cody" girl (though man, I hate using the phrase "team whatever." Reminds me too much of Twilight) I loved his transformation, although there were some moments where he did not seem to realize that he had indeed changed. He seemed bogged down in the past. Still, I loved him more than I loved Brandon.


I struggled with the fact that by the time the series ended, it was an exact replica of Dayne and Katy, two other well loved characters in Karen's Baxter Family. Don't get me wrong, I like the story line; I just don't feel it needs to be repeated. And everything was, even down to the paparazzi chases and buying houses in Bloomington, Indiana. This series of books were inspired by Kelsey, Karen's daughter. It's a lovely homage, it really is, but in Loving, it seemed far too "autobiographical." It was as if she couldn't differentiate between fact and fiction anymore. All of a sudden, characters who had been portrayed one way for several years were all of a sudden different. None of it made any sense. Especially when it had been over five years in the making.

It sounds as if I hated the book. But I didn't. There was a lot of good in it. Truth be told, I would have loved more of Cody's storyline to be communicated (although I could have called who he got together with from a mile away) The wedding scenes depicted are beautiful, ones I dream of one day sharing with my own mother. I loved the parts involving a journal entry of Bailey's, when she felt compelled so strongly to pray for her future husband. We find out why....and it is beautiful. It might sound silly, but I also loved the dedication that Karen included to Kyle, her future son-in-law, at the beginning of the book. That is a precious thing that he will always carry with him.

I do believe that people are out of line when they express ire at Karen. They say she "robbed" them. I must disagree. Karen is the author; she can do what she desires with her characters. If she felt strongly to pair Bailey with Brandon, then so be it. It is nice to see that for her, every thing is wrapped up nicely. For those of us who "might" wish different things, we can still dream.

I'm glad to see that the story is at an end, though. I'm ready to see what new things Karen Kingsbury has has up her sleeve. I still trust her, though some say they don't anymore. And it all starts in June with the conclusion of the Baxter family. I'm excited for it! I guarantee you I will shed some tears.