Ruby in the Water

by J.P. Sterling

Amazon #1 BESTSELLING title by Author J.P. Sterling

Peter Arnold's fate was decided the day he was born, and now he will die unless he can find his life-saving cure.

When Peter, a teenage musical prodigy, collapses on the biggest night of his career, he receives crippling news and the prognosis is grim. Peter’s life changes forever when he learns a secret about his family history and it leaves him with only one option to save his life. Now he is racing to find a life-saving cure and time is short.

Ruby in the Water is a clean and wholesome, coming-of-age story about a boy who is forced to figure out his secret family history in order to save his own life.

Genres: Fiction

197 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does an excellent job of presenting this book in an empathetic and skilled way. Peter is a child who has had medical issues his whole life due to being born prematurely. These medical problems present themselves in his life in school making him the target of bullies and making it very hard for him to make friends in school. While in school he causes disruptions when over stimulated. The school tries to work with him and his parents but it's not a special education school and they just don't have the resources or time to devote to him. Before his mother is told he can no longer come back to the school without a thorough medical evaluation he discovers a place of solace. His comfort area is his music classroom at school. The teacher has an understanding heart and welcomes his musical curiosity for the piano. She also has the same drive he does for music and encourages him greatly. This is his smiley place at school his comfort zone. His mother is his best friend and is always there for him guiding him and comforting him whether it's a medical problem or he is overwhelmed by his surroundings and he needs to just "disappear" for a bit with his sunglasses on. His mother has other small children to raise but as exhausted as she is she always makes time for him. When he is kicked out of school as a five year old his music teacher contacts his mother and guides them to an advanced piano playing woman who guides him musically for many years, age five to his late teens. He starts to play professionally onstage during this time as well. Despite his success his medical issues still persist and there comes a time when he is told he will need a kidney transplant. Because of his blood type he is told there is a very low chance, only two percent chance of a donor being found. Now this book is a real whirlwind of things happening at the end that you're really not going to expect. Plausible, believable? I'm not sure but I have the second book in this series and am starting it right now to read conclusion because I just have to know how it ends. The second book is called, Lily in The Stone in case you'd like to purchase this one as well. Wonderful book, so well written!
Published February 9th 2017 by J.P. Sterling
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Leslea Wahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby in the Water by J.P. Sterling
This faith-based novel is about Peter, an incredibly talented musician, and his family. Despite his acclaimed talent, Peter’s life was not always easy. As a boy, he had difficulty fitting in at school and physically struggled with his cerebral palsy. The book begins as Peter collapses and is rushed to the hospital. As his parents anxiously wait for him to recover, their story is revealed through flashbacks and ends with an intriguing twist.
Anyone who has struggled to fit in at school or has had a child or sibling who faced such difficulties will be able to relate to this novel. Even though the book is about an older teen, most of the story is told through his parents’ memories. I found it a compelling way for the reader to meet and understand Peter. While told from a unique perspective, teen readers may find it interesting to see the story develop from the parent’s point of view.
I truly loved the message that not everyone is the same, and those differences actually make us who we are. Traditional learning environments may work for most students, but for many children, classroom settings can be a real struggle. Sadly, these students often feel that there is something wrong with them, which creates unnecessary heartache. I wish more schools could recognize that all children are uniquely created by God. We should celebrate the differences instead of trying to make everyone the same. One side note – there were quite a few mistakes in this book. I hope that the author takes the time to have this story professionally edited. It’s sad when such mistakes distract from such an intriguing story.

[Nicole*bookaholic* · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this was extremely slow. Not much going on in the beginning. A lot of flashbacks. But as it went on it got pretty good. Had a couple of turns I was not expecting. Good easy read.

[Christine Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Never Saw The Ending Coming

It's always an amazement to me when I reach the conclusion of a book and there's such a twist that I exclaim right out loud. This is one of those stories. I never saw it coming and was absolutely thrilled with the ending. I would love to see this made into a movie. It's got everything...hope, pathos, strife and love. The further I got into the book, the harder it was to put it down. This author has figured out what goes into a spectacular novel and has done it in spades. I tip my hat to you. Well done.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers
Only

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Rudy in the Water” provides the reader with characters that are easily likeable. Some characters enter unexpectedly and are gone just as fast. Others linger in the background, needing more development but the reasoning for that makes sense once you have finished reading. The flashbacks provide the framework for the brisk ending.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The author takes a subject rarely seen in books (at least from my perspective) and takes us on Peter’s journey. As a parent with several children, a work-a-holic physician husband, and a child with health and emotional problems, how do you handle or find the time for any more....when you discover that one of your children is extremely gifted....in an unusual way. When reading the book, I was a little frustrated that it took mom, Anne, and the school so long to realize what was going on with Peter and how to help him. Thank goodness that Peter had that one teacher who saw his talent and then did some follow through with his parents. The story evolves with real time happenings and flashback memories that brings the story to present. There are definitely some surprises in this book as Peter and his family come to grips with both his talent and health concerns. But the biggest surprise is well worth the wait... and I didn’t see it coming! I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only in return for an honest review, which this has been.

[Madison Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Big twist ending!

This story takes a huge left turn at the end of the story and leaves the reader wanting more without leaving it as a HUGE cliffhanger. I was worried as I read the last chapter that it would be, but instead was an amazing reveal.

The characters in this story are strong. Anne and Thomas have WAY too many kids, but they've always managed even with all of Peter's issues. I loved his connection to music and how it changed him.

I will say this book does get very religious toward the end so prepare yourself for some heavy "what if" type stuff, but it makes for a great twist. I'm excited to dig into the next book to find out what happens next!

[Stella Potts · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I had a hard time getting into this book simply because it is such a departure from my usual genre. But I stuck to it and I am so glad I did. Mostly flashbacks to tell the full story of Peter Arnold from kindergarten to young adulthood. But the story can be heart wrenching as well as portraying a family that loves with all their hearts. A Mother’s love will stick through every problem and situation. I loved this book even if it did end with a cliffhanger. Just makes me want to get started on the sequel really soon. This book was sent to me by the author/publisher with no requirement for a review. All views are my very own.

[Katie P (3HeartsAndAWish) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, emotional read. It took me two hours to read - one sitting. The characters were likable, but not very deep. The concept of the book was good, and I liked the flashbacks, but I feel like some of the flashbacks did nothing for me. The writing just skimmed the surface of the story. I would’ve liked chapters from the siblings point of view and more about the parents relationship. Some things weren’t well explained, they just happened and I was like ‘ummm ok’. The ending was abrupt and predictable, but a cliffhanger. I wanted an epilogue at least!!!!! I guess there will be a sequel? I need to know what happens!

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a complicated and unique story! I generally read romance, so this was a very different genre. The storyline bounces around a lot as the author refers back to the memories of most of the main characters for the majority of the story. The twists near the end were so out there, yet plausible, but I was not surprised at the very predictable ending. I would enjoy reading the next book Lily in the Stone, just for the closure of this story. It ended rather abruptly, and I would enjoy reading about how it continues.

[Stacey Wooten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Ruby in the Water. The story is told through a variety of view points and flashbacks which keep the reader interested. I would have loved if there could have been more time and expansion on fleshing out some of the characters, but the ending really got me. It was definitely a surprise and really tied the story together. Worth the read!

[Mike Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dont read much fiction. A good book with good characters and a surprise ending. I liked it a lot.

[Shelda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the author through Voracious Readers Only. This book was amazing!!! Start to finish I was totally hooked!!! Peter is an amazing character, who stole my heart! Definitely will read more from this author!!!

[Ila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept me on the edge throughout. Well worth the time to read it.

[Shanna Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and emotional

This book is so different from other books by Sterling but I love it. It's so beautiful and touching. You definitely feel the emotions of every character, each step of the way. I love that it ends on a slight cliffhanger, but still tells you what you need to know. It's my favorite way for books to end. Definitely reading the next one soon.

[Jessica Blackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Wow

I did NOT see this novel ending like it did. I have no words to express how I felt about this one. Whether you believe in abortion or not, you need to read this. I promise, you will see things differently. Thank you to the Author for this amazing story!

[Cora Vee Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just Wow!

I was intrigued from the beginning and hated to put it down for a minute. Each segment reveals more of the amazing story of the miracle of a life. This is well written and certainly intriguing.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in return for an honest review.
I loved this book, I thought it was well written and and a great story. I’m so glad the author decided to write a sequel because to leave it hanging would have been an very frustrating way to end things. Thank you.

[Tina Shea · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[J.P. Sterling · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎧Available in Audio!🎧
Free on YouTube
Narrated by Rachel Brandt!
https://www.youtube.com/c/JpSterling

[Tabatha Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

I loved this story, it has twists that catch you by surprise. I am so glad I found this author and her awesome books! Highly recommend!! A+++++

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (7/13/2023)! 🎁

[Heather Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clean read about a child piano prodigy. Told from multiple points of view. Addresses incomplete abortions and cerebral palsy.

[Grace Donahue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come check out more of my reviews of clean wholesome books at:

https://gdonahue23.wixsite.com/books/...

I received a complimentary copy of Ruby in the Water from J.P. Sterling, but my review of her book is entirely my own. This was a great novel that dealt a lot with family relationships, disabilities, and pro-life messages. The beginning of Ruby in the Water was a little slow, but it got a lot better the farther in you go, and the ending was unexpected and amazingly interesting. Most of the book is told from the mom's point of view when Peter was a kindergartener and his difficulties with his disabilities. But then Peter finds his love of the piano, and his talents are found by a slightly weird musician who helps him with a new career. I thought it was interesting that the book was told mostly in flashbacks instead of the standard way of moving with the story as if it's happening right now. I would say that Ruby in the Water was a Catholic book even though it was not mentioned a lot. The family goes to church on Sundays and has great faith in God. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and so did my brother Michael, and I hope you do too!

Things to mention: The book is spotless until the end where it starts to deal a lot with pro-life and abortion issues. I don't want to give away too much of the book, but a baby was aborted and saved. There are no details about the abortion, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

[David Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby in the Water is one of those books that's hard to classify when you first read it. On one hand, it's a wonderful coming of age story for the novel's main character. Though at the same time it is also a well told narrative about family, unconditional love, and coming through even the most difficult of hardships. Sterling is able to imagine, and bring the reader into the lives of the characters; so much that, by the end you truly care about what happens, and some may even feel like part of the family. The author also builds the characters so that they are layered enough to be real people, not simply caricatures that exist inside a book. Making this story feel more like a cleverly written memoir rather than a work of fiction.

However, why I truly enjoyed Ruby in the Water is none of these aforementioned things that make the book great. The reason that I'll be buying a hard-back copy of this book (when it comes out), and it will be sitting on my shelf at home, is because this is a story about the difficult choices we all have to make in life. This is an unflinching look at the relate-able beauty and darkness of the human condition as told through the innocent eyes of a mother and son. This concept is what makes me want to read the book again, and truly gives the novel a life of it's own.

[PelicanFreak · Rating 2 out of 5]

The gorgeous cover sucked me in, I'll admit.
The opening did have me intrigued and there was a bit of action early on but... it soon flatlined.
The poor grammar and lack of punctuation at times ended up being too much of a turn off for me to get through it so, unfortunately this was a DNF for me.
I do have a hard time getting past poor grammar/ lack of editing. My thought is, if the author couldn't be bothered to put the effort into it, why should I spend my time on this over all the other books out there? Unfortunately the content didn't suck me in enough/ keep me engaged enough to get past the poor editing. I think if I wasn't so distracted by the lack of editing, I'd have been interested enough to finish.

So - overall 2 stars for lack of effort on the author's part.
But gorgeous, professional cover.
From what I could tell, the characters seem fairly well-developed.
There's definite potential in this author.