Big Decisions

Lizzie Searches For Love #3

by Linda Byler

          Everything has led up to this moment in Lizzie Glick's life. All of her curiosity, concern, and dreams have pointed to this time when she must make some very big decisions. Will she join the church? Will she continue teaching? Will she marry Stephen? Questions and indecision as well as answers and certainty enter Lizzie's life in Big Decisions, the third and final novel in this series written by an Amish author and based on true life experiences.           Her sisters, Emma and Mandy, seem so certain that Joshua and John are their perfect matches. Does Lizzie really want to get married anyway? Does Stephen? Lizzie loves Stephen, but sometimes they disagree about everything, from their future to how to spend their Saturday afternoons. What happens if they get married? Can Lizzie find a way to respect Stephen's opinions without giving up too much? Lizzie thinks she's ready to join the Amish church. But she has so many questions. Can she really find happiness within her community?

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: Amish, Amish Fiction, Christian Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Fiction, Christian

345 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Linda Byler grew up Amish and is an active member of the Amish church today. Growing up, Linda Byler loved to read and write. In fact, she still does. She is well known within the Amish community as a columnist for a weekly Amish newspaper. Linda and her husband, their children and grandchildren live in central Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Maria Therese · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't remember the last time I read a book like this. One that frustrated me and I had to force myself to finish it.

Lizzie really annoyed me. She was actually really selfish and didn't seem to grow up or become more selfless over the course of three books. If I'm going to read three books about the same girl I'm going to want to see some change for the good in her, not the same selfishness.

EDIT:

I'm back with one last thing to say.

To be honest, I don't know how or why Stephen could marry her and put up with her worse than childlike selfishness. But there is one thing I learned from that. You can't expect your family to change for you and all your whims and fancies, sometimes you need to change yourself for them.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite book in the series! Loved the ending!

[Gisela Peters · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is honestly that worst series I have ever made myself read. The heroine is almost completely unlikeable, the pacing is way off, and basically, awful.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Quickie Review

An enjoyable Amish romance/drama...but nothing special.

Score: 3/5

[Misty · Rating 2 out of 5]

REally not all the great. But, I can't start a series and not finish. This book did a fast forward through Lizzie's adult life, and she came off as whiny and ungrateful. NOt a character that I really felt invested in.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lizzie is back to complaining and comparing herself to her sisters at every turn. I read this book with out taking much in. Hated the ending (skipped a ton of her life and rushed other parts) would not recommend it

[Andi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The issues from the first two books persist in this one, and get worse. The writing is amateurish in every respect: consistent typos and technical mistakes, abysmal pacing, no sense of narrative tension -- it's self-published and it shows. And worse than that, Lizzie is just not a particularly good or likable character. As the final book in the series, I was hoping to see some of her selfishness and immaturity smoothed out as she matures, but if anything it's even worse here because now she's a grown woman throwing temper tantrums at her husband. She's whiny, passive aggressive, and manipulative, and it's awful to read about.

And the story thread around the birth of her first child is deeply upsetting; she's suffering from what sounds for all the world like mild-to-moderate post-partum depression, and all the people she turns to for help tell her some variation on "it's not a big deal" or "just cheer up and get over it". Likewise with her reluctance to have a second baby; she had a bad experience the first time and is scared it'll happen again, and everyone around her says basically, "it wasn't that bad", "you're exaggerating", "just do it anyway and you'll be fine". And every time she has serious questions about her faith, everyone around her invariably ends up saying something along the lines of "I don't know, now stop asking questions". Because the best way to help people you love is definitely to invalidate their feelings and tell them they're silly for asking for help or reassurance.

So why two stars? Well, mainly for authenticity's sake. I mentioned in my review of the previous book that the author is an actual Amish person, which again is concerningly rare in this genre, so if you're looking for a glimpse of what life in an actual Amish community might look like, I'm more willing to trust this than most of the saccharine offerings pumped out by the evangelical presses. This book is also where Lizzie officially joins the church, so there are deeper and more explicit discussions of faith here than in the first two, which is obviously an important part of life in an Amish community and something I absolutely would not trust an evangelical author to handle fairly (the presentation of the Amish faith in a lot of evangelical-authored works, when included at all in any significant way, tends to be, shall we say, problematic). It's not a catechism, by any means, but it's certainly more than you'll get in most fiction.

But yeah, if you're looking for an engrossing work of fiction with an absorbing plot and engaging characters, this isn't the series you're looking for.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Linda Byler! I really liked learning about Lizzie. She was very realistic in her struggles.
Lizzie is at a crossroads in her life. She has many big decisions to make. Should she join the faith, should she marry Stephen, should she teach school. As she works through each of these decisions her faith in God is strengthened. She marries Stephen and starts a new chapter of her life. They struggle as all newly married couples do; finding a way to live with another person and putting their needs above your own. Then Lizzie has a baby and that opens up a new set of questions for her and Lizzie must put her faith in God to the test. She trusts God and lives a fruitful and satisfying life.

[Chanover55 · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I liked the story, Lizzie was the most irritating character I have encountered in a long time. She is childish, manipulative and I so wanted to see her have a "come to Jesus" moment! Her behavior was
never dealt with; there is a sudden 9 year jump where she is better behaved, when she turns 40. I enjoy this author but would not read thus series again; I was so frustrated with Lizzie. My parents would have adjusted my attitude long before I was a teen. Seems as if a visit from the Bishop was called for before she was baptized.

[Beth Withers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third and last of the Lizzie series written by a member of an Old Order Amish community. I've stated in reviews of the first two books that they come across as YA books which I didn't think they were intended to be. As i was looking at some information on Amazon, I found that the audience is indeed young adults. I still was aggravated with Lizzie's immaturity through much of the book, but the story wraps up nicely. Again, I enjoyed reading a book that was told by someone who lives the life of an Amish woman.

[Barbara Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely Interesting

This the last of 3 books . This one stretches the story out as Lizzy grows and matures in her faith and in her thinking. She really changes her feelings about having children after her 2nd child is brithed with a Midwife. This women and her unmarried sisters treat Lizzy like a queen and she feels very different about the birth experience. They also show her how to relax as she breast feeds this child. The last 4th of the book brings everything to a great conclusion. Wonderful Series.

[Ann Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series was only mildly entertaining. Lizzie was self-centered and annoying. It was tedious to read about her selfish thoughts and actions, her decision to question everything and change, and then to start all over again with her back to square one. It easily could have all been written in one book, or less!

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a pleasant woman but she suffered the most from her immaturity. I see glimmers of growing up on this last book but she really makes life difficult for herself and her husband. She is a very realistic person, i can believe it’s based on a real person.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this author's style, but the premise of this trilogy bothered me. A girl raised in a wonderful Amish family would not be a narcissist who acts so entitled and dramatic. It would not be tolerated.

[Anne Willoughby DeSart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, seems that Lizzie grew up. A great story and I like the way it gave you more of her life than just a love story.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful story with Amish background

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t read the first two books of this series but this book can be read as a stand-alone book. I enjoy reading books about the Amish and this one did not disappoint.

[Jennifer Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw some growth, but geez Lizzie is still so annoying.

I did appreciate the depiction of her struggles with motherhood. It’s not an easy task!

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sorry I have to dnf this book. The writing feels stilted and I just can’t get into the story.

[Linda V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always good reading - typical Amish story

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series but the author rushed to finish it the last few chapters. I think one more book would have better completed the series.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good characters

[Barbara Blindauer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know what the author’s point was in this book, but she made Lizzie a spoiled brat. I finished the book just to see if it got better. It didn’t

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big decision about happiness and love!

[Linda Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the third in the series. It was pretty good- I liked seeing how the storylines wrapped up.

[Deb · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not like the main character.

[Andrea Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very different kind of Amish story. Why? Lizzie isn't 100% good all the time, and she has a lot of questions. She also is really a bit of a shrew with her husband. It is hard at times to believe that they managed to be married with the way she nagged him, however, her character is oddly refreshing. Most Amish stories are so full of everyone being perfectly pious, that this lovable curmudgeonly stubborn girl/woman is quite the change.



Big Decisions it the third and final book in the Lizzie Searches For Love series, and it definitely made me want to go out and find the other books. What is even more interesting about the author, is that she is Amish! So of all the books out there about the Amish, this one really gives the proper perspective of a young Amish girl.



The pacing of the story was a bit off at times though. It almost felt like we were rushing through Lizzie's life to get to another point, especially when it came to her two pregnancies, but that could have a lot to do with the author's ...erm...Amishness.



I would love to see an Amish book that dealt with intimacy between the hero and heroine, but I guess that crosses the line of Christian fiction.



The best part about this "Lizzie" book is her relationship with Stephen. It isn't a grand passion, or at least it doesn't seem that way. These two are two stubborn peas in a pod, and it is fun to watch them continuously clash. Lizzie is truly the most stubborn female ever written!



This is a fun read from the Amish fiction genre. I'm glad I found it at my local YMCA.

[Christina Santo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, though it made me a little sad at the end. I would gladly read books about the time between Lizzie being 20 and 40. I'd also like to know all of her children's names. Her and Stephen were so infuriating at times, I couldn't stand it. This is because they were fighting bout things that I thought were stupid. It was cute of Stephen to bu Lizzie the expensive water set. I have a really random question about Stephen. Is he black or something because Lizzie kept saying about how dark Laura was and that she was like Stephen? The scene with the bobbies was one of my favorites. It kind of upset me that he waited so long to ask Lizzie to marry him. Personally, I thought they could have lived somewhere not on Lizzie's Dat's land. Is it mean that I kind of like Emma and Joshua better? I feel bad about it. I'm not sure what to say. It made me sad, and I kind of want more...!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I have read the end of the series and I am sad, to say the least. I would love to hear more of Lizzie's life!!!! I have followed this series from the beginning, waiting patiently for each new book. I just love Lizzies character and personality. She is a little spunky for a Amish girl and that is what has made her life story interesting to me. I would love to hear an announcement that she will write a new series about her life as it is now . I am sure there have been some interesting happenings since we ended this story. It is a beautiful story for the younger reader as well to get integrated in reading Amish fiction. I recommend this book to any and all , you wont be disappointed.
By the way, the recipes are fantastic!!!!!!

[April Suter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author lives an Amish life so the writing is authentic and meaningful. It jumps around a bit. Lizzie finally gets her love Stephen and many other grown-up stuff like a house an a family. It is hard to accept some things, especially when you want things to go your own way, but Lizzie learns as she grows up as an adult to except life and think more of others, and worry less. She is the third daughter and her dad has MS.
Favorite line: page 179--"Well, it's the way God intended, ......He didn't mean for us to be tied to our mother's apron strings after we reach a certain age. Nature, the animals, everything God created, has its times and seasons. Birds leave the next, baby calves are weaned, and on and on."
345 pages