What do you think?
Rate this book
Return to the Shack: A Journey into Redemption
Not yet published
Expected 6 Oct 26How does life go on in the face of irreconcilable loss? How can the irredeemable find redemption? Unrivaled storyteller Wm. Paul Young leads us back to the great questions of human existence in this long-awaited sequel to one of the world’s most beloved and widely read books of the last twenty years - The Shack.
Ten years after the devastating events of The Shack , Mackenzie Allen Phillips is still living in the shadow of loss. Though life has moved forward, grief continues to haunt his family, his relationships, his faith, and his very sense of self. Nan, his wife, carries her own hidden sorrow. They are two people bound together by love yet often divided by pain.
On what would have been their daughter Missy’s sixteenth birthday, Mack and Nan confront the unthinkable when is asked to visit death row to speak with the serial killer who abducted and murdered her. In the stark silence of the prison, Mack encounters not only the brokenness of another human being but also the raw weight of his own anger, doubt, and disappointment with God. Where is God when unbearable suffering endures? How can a shattered heart ever heal?
In Return to the Shack, William Paul Young invites readers on a profound journey into the depths of grief, the complexity of trauma, and the surprising humanity of those we most fear. With honesty and compassion, he explores the devastating impact of mental illness, abuse, and violence, the strain of loss on relationships, and the staggering cost—and unexpected freedom—of forgiveness.
This long-awaited sequel dares to ask the hardest What does it mean to forgive the unforgivable? How do we live with God’s silence when our wounds cry out for answers? And can even the darkest prison and the most desolate wreckage of broken dreams become places where grace and redemption take root?
Both tender and unflinching, Return to the Shack is a story of pain, faith, and the relentless possibility of hope.
Ten years after the devastating events of The Shack , Mackenzie Allen Phillips is still living in the shadow of loss. Though life has moved forward, grief continues to haunt his family, his relationships, his faith, and his very sense of self. Nan, his wife, carries her own hidden sorrow. They are two people bound together by love yet often divided by pain.
On what would have been their daughter Missy’s sixteenth birthday, Mack and Nan confront the unthinkable when is asked to visit death row to speak with the serial killer who abducted and murdered her. In the stark silence of the prison, Mack encounters not only the brokenness of another human being but also the raw weight of his own anger, doubt, and disappointment with God. Where is God when unbearable suffering endures? How can a shattered heart ever heal?
In Return to the Shack, William Paul Young invites readers on a profound journey into the depths of grief, the complexity of trauma, and the surprising humanity of those we most fear. With honesty and compassion, he explores the devastating impact of mental illness, abuse, and violence, the strain of loss on relationships, and the staggering cost—and unexpected freedom—of forgiveness.
This long-awaited sequel dares to ask the hardest What does it mean to forgive the unforgivable? How do we live with God’s silence when our wounds cry out for answers? And can even the darkest prison and the most desolate wreckage of broken dreams become places where grace and redemption take root?
Both tender and unflinching, Return to the Shack is a story of pain, faith, and the relentless possibility of hope.
- GenresFictionChristian Fiction
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 6, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 10, 2026
I loved The Shack so I was excited to read the sequel. It was okay. It does have some cursing which I do not love. I do not agree with parts of the book biblically, but it is fiction.
Editing to add: a week after finishing this book, I am still being reminded of things that were not biblical. I feel like this book could give people a false sense of security. I do not recommend.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Editing to add: a week after finishing this book, I am still being reminded of things that were not biblical. I feel like this book could give people a false sense of security. I do not recommend.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
June 8, 2026
I was a little hesitant because The Shack left such an impact and the bar high for me. And I will say, I still prefer the original it just hit differently on an emotional level. But this book had a quiet, deep way.
It was like reading a story and more like sitting down for a real conversation about faith. The kind where you pause, think, maybe even feel a little challenged, but also comforted at the same time. It does not try to recreate the same experience as the first book, and I actually appreciated that. It leans more into unpacking ideas like forgiveness, identity, and how we see God and ourselves.
There were a few moments that honestly pulled me in and made me stop and reflect. Not in an overwhelming way, but in a gentle nudge kind of way. It is one of those reads that does not rush you, it just sits with you.
If you are open to something more thoughtful and reflective, it really does have something meaningful to offer. It felt steady, honest, and encouraging without trying too hard.
Return to the Shack definitely added something valuable to the initial storyline.
★★★★
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It was like reading a story and more like sitting down for a real conversation about faith. The kind where you pause, think, maybe even feel a little challenged, but also comforted at the same time. It does not try to recreate the same experience as the first book, and I actually appreciated that. It leans more into unpacking ideas like forgiveness, identity, and how we see God and ourselves.
There were a few moments that honestly pulled me in and made me stop and reflect. Not in an overwhelming way, but in a gentle nudge kind of way. It is one of those reads that does not rush you, it just sits with you.
If you are open to something more thoughtful and reflective, it really does have something meaningful to offer. It felt steady, honest, and encouraging without trying too hard.
Return to the Shack definitely added something valuable to the initial storyline.
★★★★
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Shack is my favourite book of all time. It first fell into my lap when I was a teenager, and it played a pivotal role in leading me down what would become a twenty-year path toward God, Jesus, and Christianity—something I had real problems with at the time, much like Mack, and for much the same reasons.
So I had mixed feelings going into The Return to the Shack. I was excited (it’s a sequel, and who doesn’t want that), but I was also anxious. What if it didn’t live up to the first? What if the story fell flat and somehow tainted my love for the original?
When I read the blurb, that anxiety only grew. It seemed to suggest that Mack had reset—back to his uncertainty about God, back to living in the all-consuming loss of his daughter, Missy—as if his weekend in the Shack had been undone. That felt especially jarring, given how the first book ends, with the Great Sadness gone and his life marked by a renewed sense of joy and connection.
Of course, I didn’t expect him to be completely free from the pain, but I did expect him to keep God at the centre of his life, his love, and his relationships—especially with his wife, Nan and his children.
The book opens much like the first, with Willie narrating through his journal, and it’s now years on from that weekend in the Shack—Missy’s 16th birthday. Despite being released almost twenty years after the original, it doesn’t feel like any time has passed. The pacing, tone, and reading experience pick up exactly where the first left off.
After finishing, I’m glad to say my doubts and fears were all in vain.
This book is equal to, and in some respects even surpasses, The Shack, which I didn’t think was possible. I read it in a single day; it’s raw, captivating, and had me in tears many times throughout.
I won’t include quotes or spoilers until publication, as per the publisher’s request, but I’ll come back and update this review once it’s released.
This is a book I’ll re-read 10, 20, 30 times, just as I have with The Shack. Why? Because each time I read Young’s work, I don’t just read it, I experience God through it. No matter how many times I return, there is always a sense of divine timing, of connection, and of things lining up in ways that point to God’s grace and sense of humour.
For example, I had an ’80s song stuck in my head all week, “Every Time You Go Away” by Paul Young (a smile-worthy synchronicity in itself). Especially the line, “every time you go away, you take a piece of me with you.” No idea why—I don’t listen to love songs. Then my mum, who also experienced the life transforming impact of The Shack back in 2007, told me about this new book. I reached out to the publisher that same day; they sent it across, and three quarters of the way through, I came across a moment where Loretta and Mack are singing this exact line of the song. God’s humour!
The ending of this book, without spoilers, was everything I hoped it would be and more. It makes you laugh, cry, and feel the love of God in every fibre of your being.
An incredible read, and my new favourite.
⸻
A NOTE ON THE CHRISTIAN BACKLASH
⸻
I want to wrap up this review by addressing some of the Christian criticism I often see directed toward The Shack, and already toward this book as well. It is something that confuses me, because the Trinitarian God, and the characters of God, Jesus, and Sarayu (the Holy Spirit) we meet in Paul Young’s writing, reflect the God of the Bible entirely.
If your understanding of God leans toward an angry, vengeful figure to be feared, then I would suggest that something has gone wrong in that understanding. Either the Bible has been misinterpreted, or too much weight has been given to misguided church traditions that emphasise fear where God is concerned. Phrases like “God loves you, but if you make Him angry, you’ll go to hell” distort the reality of God’s heart, and the truth of Christianity, which is about following Christ.
God has never sent a single person to hell; hell is the natural consequence of choosing separation from Him. Now, one might ask, “If God loves us as you say, then why does hell exist at all?” I was one such person long ago, and the answer is simple:
He loves us too much to force us into His presence, because love, by its very nature, must be freely chosen.
What is heaven, after all? It is not simply a place we go by making the right choices, but the fullness and embodiment of His love and presence. For hell not to exist would be to remove that freedom to choose Him, and that is something God will never do.
Judgement, then, is not merely something imposed externally, but something shaped by the state of our hearts. And where God does judge, and He does, He judges in love, not in punishment.
As someone who has read the Bible, studied the Hebrew and Greek texts, and spent years researching near-death experiences alongside academic journals, I have never encountered a portrayal of God that is fundamentally angry, vengeful, or hostile. Even the Hebrew word often translated as “fear” in the Old Testament is “yirah,” which carries the meaning of reverence, awe, and turning toward God, not fear in the modern sense of being afraid.
The same loving pattern appears again and again in the NDE research. God the Father, and Jesus, are encountered as pure love, often described as standing in the presence of love itself, where condemnation has no existence. In the accounts where individuals encounter hell, there is a consistent awareness that what they are experiencing is not imposed by God, but a self-prescribed reality, reflecting the condition of their own hearts. And in those same accounts, when they cry out to God, the prayer is answered, no matter who they were in life.
The movement of God’s heart is always toward restoration, not rejection.
One line from The Shack that often draws criticism is when Jesus says, “I’m not exactly what you would call a Christian now, am I?” This is often misunderstood. Jesus is not rejecting Christianity, nor distancing Himself from it. He is pointing to a deeper truth: He is not a follower of the system built around Him, but the source of it. This challenges the human tendency to reduce faith to labels and words, rather than relationship and experience.
I also see Christians taking issue with the suggestion that God may continue working on those who choose separation from Him after this life (universalism). But this raises a simple question: does God’s love ever fail? Is there anywhere God’s love can’t reach? And if so, does that not make Him a limited God?
If a child chooses a destructive path, does a parent stop loving them, or stop hoping for their return? Of course not. Parental love does not work that way, and yet we are willing to entertain the idea that our capacity to love our own children is greater than God’s capacity to love His. It is, on the face of it, a foolish notion.
If you believe the Bible fully encapsulates God’s nature, and that He can be reduced to mere words on a page, I would suggest that this, too, is a misunderstanding. The Bible reveals God, but it does not contain Him. It is a window (a very small window at that), not the entirety of what it points to.
Just as no cosmologist will ever fully comprehend the complexities of the universe, we will never fully comprehend the complexities of God. And what He does beyond what is clearly revealed is not ours to define. What we are called to do is simpler: to rest in His love, to trust in His goodness, and to live in response to Him.
Words, after all, are limited. They are nothing more than symbols, open to interpretation, and often misunderstood. You need only look at the state of the world, today and throughout history, to see that. We have taken words and weaponised them. We argue, debate, defend, and divide over them, yet most often miss the truth they were pointing to in the first place.
Which is why, at the centre of Jesus’ teaching, experience matters. The truth of God was never meant to be purely intellectual. It is something to be lived, encountered, and known.
Jesus was clear when He said, “Those who have seen me have seen the Father.” If you want to understand what God is like, you need only look to Him. His life, His actions, and His willingness to love and forgive, even when it cost Him everything, reveal the heart of God more clearly than anything else.
And that is the God reflected in The Shack.
For those who struggle with that portrayal, I simply pray that you are able to lay aside any preconceived or misinterpreted ideas about who God is, and return to The Shack within your own soul, where you will find Papa waiting for you with open arms. God bless you all.
So I had mixed feelings going into The Return to the Shack. I was excited (it’s a sequel, and who doesn’t want that), but I was also anxious. What if it didn’t live up to the first? What if the story fell flat and somehow tainted my love for the original?
When I read the blurb, that anxiety only grew. It seemed to suggest that Mack had reset—back to his uncertainty about God, back to living in the all-consuming loss of his daughter, Missy—as if his weekend in the Shack had been undone. That felt especially jarring, given how the first book ends, with the Great Sadness gone and his life marked by a renewed sense of joy and connection.
Of course, I didn’t expect him to be completely free from the pain, but I did expect him to keep God at the centre of his life, his love, and his relationships—especially with his wife, Nan and his children.
The book opens much like the first, with Willie narrating through his journal, and it’s now years on from that weekend in the Shack—Missy’s 16th birthday. Despite being released almost twenty years after the original, it doesn’t feel like any time has passed. The pacing, tone, and reading experience pick up exactly where the first left off.
After finishing, I’m glad to say my doubts and fears were all in vain.
This book is equal to, and in some respects even surpasses, The Shack, which I didn’t think was possible. I read it in a single day; it’s raw, captivating, and had me in tears many times throughout.
I won’t include quotes or spoilers until publication, as per the publisher’s request, but I’ll come back and update this review once it’s released.
This is a book I’ll re-read 10, 20, 30 times, just as I have with The Shack. Why? Because each time I read Young’s work, I don’t just read it, I experience God through it. No matter how many times I return, there is always a sense of divine timing, of connection, and of things lining up in ways that point to God’s grace and sense of humour.
For example, I had an ’80s song stuck in my head all week, “Every Time You Go Away” by Paul Young (a smile-worthy synchronicity in itself). Especially the line, “every time you go away, you take a piece of me with you.” No idea why—I don’t listen to love songs. Then my mum, who also experienced the life transforming impact of The Shack back in 2007, told me about this new book. I reached out to the publisher that same day; they sent it across, and three quarters of the way through, I came across a moment where Loretta and Mack are singing this exact line of the song. God’s humour!
The ending of this book, without spoilers, was everything I hoped it would be and more. It makes you laugh, cry, and feel the love of God in every fibre of your being.
An incredible read, and my new favourite.
⸻
A NOTE ON THE CHRISTIAN BACKLASH
⸻
I want to wrap up this review by addressing some of the Christian criticism I often see directed toward The Shack, and already toward this book as well. It is something that confuses me, because the Trinitarian God, and the characters of God, Jesus, and Sarayu (the Holy Spirit) we meet in Paul Young’s writing, reflect the God of the Bible entirely.
If your understanding of God leans toward an angry, vengeful figure to be feared, then I would suggest that something has gone wrong in that understanding. Either the Bible has been misinterpreted, or too much weight has been given to misguided church traditions that emphasise fear where God is concerned. Phrases like “God loves you, but if you make Him angry, you’ll go to hell” distort the reality of God’s heart, and the truth of Christianity, which is about following Christ.
God has never sent a single person to hell; hell is the natural consequence of choosing separation from Him. Now, one might ask, “If God loves us as you say, then why does hell exist at all?” I was one such person long ago, and the answer is simple:
He loves us too much to force us into His presence, because love, by its very nature, must be freely chosen.
What is heaven, after all? It is not simply a place we go by making the right choices, but the fullness and embodiment of His love and presence. For hell not to exist would be to remove that freedom to choose Him, and that is something God will never do.
Judgement, then, is not merely something imposed externally, but something shaped by the state of our hearts. And where God does judge, and He does, He judges in love, not in punishment.
As someone who has read the Bible, studied the Hebrew and Greek texts, and spent years researching near-death experiences alongside academic journals, I have never encountered a portrayal of God that is fundamentally angry, vengeful, or hostile. Even the Hebrew word often translated as “fear” in the Old Testament is “yirah,” which carries the meaning of reverence, awe, and turning toward God, not fear in the modern sense of being afraid.
The same loving pattern appears again and again in the NDE research. God the Father, and Jesus, are encountered as pure love, often described as standing in the presence of love itself, where condemnation has no existence. In the accounts where individuals encounter hell, there is a consistent awareness that what they are experiencing is not imposed by God, but a self-prescribed reality, reflecting the condition of their own hearts. And in those same accounts, when they cry out to God, the prayer is answered, no matter who they were in life.
The movement of God’s heart is always toward restoration, not rejection.
One line from The Shack that often draws criticism is when Jesus says, “I’m not exactly what you would call a Christian now, am I?” This is often misunderstood. Jesus is not rejecting Christianity, nor distancing Himself from it. He is pointing to a deeper truth: He is not a follower of the system built around Him, but the source of it. This challenges the human tendency to reduce faith to labels and words, rather than relationship and experience.
I also see Christians taking issue with the suggestion that God may continue working on those who choose separation from Him after this life (universalism). But this raises a simple question: does God’s love ever fail? Is there anywhere God’s love can’t reach? And if so, does that not make Him a limited God?
If a child chooses a destructive path, does a parent stop loving them, or stop hoping for their return? Of course not. Parental love does not work that way, and yet we are willing to entertain the idea that our capacity to love our own children is greater than God’s capacity to love His. It is, on the face of it, a foolish notion.
If you believe the Bible fully encapsulates God’s nature, and that He can be reduced to mere words on a page, I would suggest that this, too, is a misunderstanding. The Bible reveals God, but it does not contain Him. It is a window (a very small window at that), not the entirety of what it points to.
Just as no cosmologist will ever fully comprehend the complexities of the universe, we will never fully comprehend the complexities of God. And what He does beyond what is clearly revealed is not ours to define. What we are called to do is simpler: to rest in His love, to trust in His goodness, and to live in response to Him.
Words, after all, are limited. They are nothing more than symbols, open to interpretation, and often misunderstood. You need only look at the state of the world, today and throughout history, to see that. We have taken words and weaponised them. We argue, debate, defend, and divide over them, yet most often miss the truth they were pointing to in the first place.
Which is why, at the centre of Jesus’ teaching, experience matters. The truth of God was never meant to be purely intellectual. It is something to be lived, encountered, and known.
Jesus was clear when He said, “Those who have seen me have seen the Father.” If you want to understand what God is like, you need only look to Him. His life, His actions, and His willingness to love and forgive, even when it cost Him everything, reveal the heart of God more clearly than anything else.
And that is the God reflected in The Shack.
For those who struggle with that portrayal, I simply pray that you are able to lay aside any preconceived or misinterpreted ideas about who God is, and return to The Shack within your own soul, where you will find Papa waiting for you with open arms. God bless you all.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I was gifted this ARC of Return to the Shack by Wm. Paul Young by Netgalley and Worthy Publishing in exchange for my honest review if I so choose to provide one.
This beautiful book took me on a very emotional and thought provoking journey and I imagine that it will do the same for all it's readers in a completely different way for everyone. I had read The Shack back in my 20's and loved it! I shared it with friends well before Goodreads or NetGalley or Facebook even existed in my life or at all and it carried an impact that will not be forgotten.
So naturally I was excited to be given this wonderful opportunity to be apart of the early readers of it's follow up novel, but was very nervous after reading the single review that shed it in a disparaging light. So I waited and began to see more positive feedback and all I can say is WOW!! I don't know how he did it but this was probably the most insightful and inspiring book about Love and Forgiveness, Freedom and self repair and a hundred other topics that speak right to your soul that I have ever had the honor and pleasure of reading!!
I want every one that I know and love and don't know and don't love to read it! Wm. Paul Young has created a piece of wisdom in this book that I feel blessed to now have woven into my existence and I will be sharing this upon its upcoming release with my tribe and beyond! My Eyes are open to the "healing kisses of grace". And I will do my very best to trust the Ripples!
Thank you to Worthy Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC and MOST OF ALL Thank you to Wm. Paul Young for a true Journey into Redemption!!
This beautiful book took me on a very emotional and thought provoking journey and I imagine that it will do the same for all it's readers in a completely different way for everyone. I had read The Shack back in my 20's and loved it! I shared it with friends well before Goodreads or NetGalley or Facebook even existed in my life or at all and it carried an impact that will not be forgotten.
So naturally I was excited to be given this wonderful opportunity to be apart of the early readers of it's follow up novel, but was very nervous after reading the single review that shed it in a disparaging light. So I waited and began to see more positive feedback and all I can say is WOW!! I don't know how he did it but this was probably the most insightful and inspiring book about Love and Forgiveness, Freedom and self repair and a hundred other topics that speak right to your soul that I have ever had the honor and pleasure of reading!!
I want every one that I know and love and don't know and don't love to read it! Wm. Paul Young has created a piece of wisdom in this book that I feel blessed to now have woven into my existence and I will be sharing this upon its upcoming release with my tribe and beyond! My Eyes are open to the "healing kisses of grace". And I will do my very best to trust the Ripples!
Thank you to Worthy Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC and MOST OF ALL Thank you to Wm. Paul Young for a true Journey into Redemption!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"heaven and hell are not places, but
orientations to Love. When you turn toward Love, you
experience life, freedom, and joy. When you turn away
from Love, you experience hell"
I read The Shack a good number of years ago. I would consider myself an atheist but I always have read books to get a glimpse into the minds of people who don't think like me. I loved the bravery of confronting those questions atheists often throw at people of faith
.'well if God is real why does he allow the terrible things that happen?' Of walking us through exactly why the Christian God could feasibly exist whilst terrible things continue to happen.
Did it change my mind? No it didn't. Did it help me understand why many people of faith find such peace and comfort from it? Yes.
I was very excited to be offered the ARC of Return to The Shack which confronted an even bigger question - how could a person find forgiveness for another who had taken their most precious thing? Could you forgive the killer of your child? This book walks us through how Mack and Nan grapple with this impossible task. I found the story moving and interesting - on the edge of saccharine sometimes maybe but even then I understand if you are trying to write about the Love of a God for his creations, sometimes it's going to feel a bit much.
I really resonated with a lot of what this book has to say on how we treat ourselves and others. I remain an atheist but will always be a believer in love.
If you liked The Shack then I think there's a really good chance you'll love this too.
orientations to Love. When you turn toward Love, you
experience life, freedom, and joy. When you turn away
from Love, you experience hell"
I read The Shack a good number of years ago. I would consider myself an atheist but I always have read books to get a glimpse into the minds of people who don't think like me. I loved the bravery of confronting those questions atheists often throw at people of faith
.'well if God is real why does he allow the terrible things that happen?' Of walking us through exactly why the Christian God could feasibly exist whilst terrible things continue to happen.
Did it change my mind? No it didn't. Did it help me understand why many people of faith find such peace and comfort from it? Yes.
I was very excited to be offered the ARC of Return to The Shack which confronted an even bigger question - how could a person find forgiveness for another who had taken their most precious thing? Could you forgive the killer of your child? This book walks us through how Mack and Nan grapple with this impossible task. I found the story moving and interesting - on the edge of saccharine sometimes maybe but even then I understand if you are trying to write about the Love of a God for his creations, sometimes it's going to feel a bit much.
I really resonated with a lot of what this book has to say on how we treat ourselves and others. I remain an atheist but will always be a believer in love.
If you liked The Shack then I think there's a really good chance you'll love this too.
June 12, 2026
I was overjoyed to read Return to the Shack, as The Shack is one of my all-time favorite books.
Set ten years after Missy’s death, the novel lays bare the grief and trauma that Mack, Nan, their children, and even Willie have endured in its aftermath. One of the book’s most compelling questions challenges readers to consider how they would react if their child’s murderer wanted to meet. Could you forgive them? Could you even bring yourself to see them?
I appreciated that none of the characters are portrayed as perfect in either their thoughts or actions, and that the story reflects the growth, struggles, and realities that have unfolded over the past decade. God and Jesus remain strongly present throughout the book, although they are not as prominent as they were in The Shack. Instead, Return to the Shack focuses more deeply on interpersonal relationships and explores when and how we connect with God and one another to navigate life’s challenges. The character of J is so complex that at times I found myself sympathizing with him.
Wm. Paul Young did this sequel justice. The story had me laughing, crying, and questioning how I would handle the seemingly impossible choices facing Mack and Nan.
A must-read. ★★★★½
Thank you to Wm. Paul Young, Worthy Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Set ten years after Missy’s death, the novel lays bare the grief and trauma that Mack, Nan, their children, and even Willie have endured in its aftermath. One of the book’s most compelling questions challenges readers to consider how they would react if their child’s murderer wanted to meet. Could you forgive them? Could you even bring yourself to see them?
I appreciated that none of the characters are portrayed as perfect in either their thoughts or actions, and that the story reflects the growth, struggles, and realities that have unfolded over the past decade. God and Jesus remain strongly present throughout the book, although they are not as prominent as they were in The Shack. Instead, Return to the Shack focuses more deeply on interpersonal relationships and explores when and how we connect with God and one another to navigate life’s challenges. The character of J is so complex that at times I found myself sympathizing with him.
Wm. Paul Young did this sequel justice. The story had me laughing, crying, and questioning how I would handle the seemingly impossible choices facing Mack and Nan.
A must-read. ★★★★½
Thank you to Wm. Paul Young, Worthy Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I would like to thank NetGalley and Worthy Publishing for the privilege of reading this advanced reader copy.
I read this book in one sitting and it left me pondering in self reflection.
Return to the Shack unfolded like an to sit with parts of myself I usually keep hidden. Its reflections caused me to slow down enough to notice the places where old hurts still live and where I still carry unforgiveness as a kind of armor.
The book’s message on forgiveness was grounding. It reminded me that forgiveness isn’t a gift offered to the one who caused the wound, but an opening to heal my own heart. It is the choice to release what keeps us bound, to release the grip of pain that no longer serves us. That truth settled in slowly, like a gentle reminder I didn’t know I needed.
The theme that love is ultimately stronger than evil felt less like a promise and more like a reality waiting to be lived in. A love that persists, that transforms, that wins not by force but by presence.
It nudged me toward questions I’d avoided and softened places that had hardened over time. More than a companion to The Shack, it became a space to pause, to consider, and to remember that healing often begins with the courage to see oneself clearly.
I read this book in one sitting and it left me pondering in self reflection.
Return to the Shack unfolded like an to sit with parts of myself I usually keep hidden. Its reflections caused me to slow down enough to notice the places where old hurts still live and where I still carry unforgiveness as a kind of armor.
The book’s message on forgiveness was grounding. It reminded me that forgiveness isn’t a gift offered to the one who caused the wound, but an opening to heal my own heart. It is the choice to release what keeps us bound, to release the grip of pain that no longer serves us. That truth settled in slowly, like a gentle reminder I didn’t know I needed.
The theme that love is ultimately stronger than evil felt less like a promise and more like a reality waiting to be lived in. A love that persists, that transforms, that wins not by force but by presence.
It nudged me toward questions I’d avoided and softened places that had hardened over time. More than a companion to The Shack, it became a space to pause, to consider, and to remember that healing often begins with the courage to see oneself clearly.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Mack Phillips visits the serial killer who abducted and murdered his daughter. When these two profoundly damaged men meet Mack is forced to revisit his anger and disappointment with God
Thank you to NetGalley and Worthy Publishing . My review is voluntary.
This book is a sequel to The Shack You don’t need to read The Shack before starting Return to the Shack, as the key points are summarized. However, reading it first might give you more context.
The reader is drawn in by the prospect of watching a meeting between a victims and a perpetrator of a crime. They may well have pondered the question, could I face the person who harmed me, what would I say, what would I feel ? Such meetings is highly emotionally and this drives the action of the novel forward
The novel investigates; living life in the face of loss, the redemption of the irredeemable and dealing with gods silence. Difficult and confrontational questions are asked but no easy answers are offered. The book will appeal to all those interested in these questions both Christian or otherwise as it can be approached from a theological or philosophical stance.
Thank you to NetGalley and Worthy Publishing . My review is voluntary.
This book is a sequel to The Shack You don’t need to read The Shack before starting Return to the Shack, as the key points are summarized. However, reading it first might give you more context.
The reader is drawn in by the prospect of watching a meeting between a victims and a perpetrator of a crime. They may well have pondered the question, could I face the person who harmed me, what would I say, what would I feel ? Such meetings is highly emotionally and this drives the action of the novel forward
The novel investigates; living life in the face of loss, the redemption of the irredeemable and dealing with gods silence. Difficult and confrontational questions are asked but no easy answers are offered. The book will appeal to all those interested in these questions both Christian or otherwise as it can be approached from a theological or philosophical stance.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
As a Christian, it’s hard not to read and review a book like this through the lens of biblical truth and personal conviction. If I’m looking at it purely as a work of fiction, it was an enjoyable read—well written, with a unique style. I really liked the POV of a friend retelling the story in a journal-like, third-person way. The prose is captivating, and the author definitely has a poetic way with words.
That said, since this falls under Christian fiction, a few things didn’t sit right with me. The language caught me off guard at times—not excessive, but enough to feel out of place for the intended audience, especially the use of God’s name in vain. I read plenty of fiction that includes rough language, but this one felt different given the context.
More importantly, the theology is where I struggled. The author leans into the idea of universal restoration (that all will ultimately be reconciled to God), which doesn’t align with my personal beliefs. That made some parts difficult to fully engage with, even though there were also moments that reflected beautiful and relatable biblical truths.
Overall, I can appreciate the writing and storytelling, but I had some hesitations from a faith perspective. ⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the ARC and chance to give my honest opinion!
That said, since this falls under Christian fiction, a few things didn’t sit right with me. The language caught me off guard at times—not excessive, but enough to feel out of place for the intended audience, especially the use of God’s name in vain. I read plenty of fiction that includes rough language, but this one felt different given the context.
More importantly, the theology is where I struggled. The author leans into the idea of universal restoration (that all will ultimately be reconciled to God), which doesn’t align with my personal beliefs. That made some parts difficult to fully engage with, even though there were also moments that reflected beautiful and relatable biblical truths.
Overall, I can appreciate the writing and storytelling, but I had some hesitations from a faith perspective. ⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the ARC and chance to give my honest opinion!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I've read The Shack multiple times over the years, and it's one of those books that seems to speak to you differently depending on the season of life you're in. Because of that, I was excited—but also a little hesitant—to pick up Return to the Shack and thank you to NetGalley for my early reader copy.
I'm happy to say it was a great read.
Rather than trying to recreate the original story, this book takes many of the themes from The Shack—God's love, healing, forgiveness, grace, and relationship—and explores them in a deeper, more conversational way. It helped me revisit some of the questions and truths that made the original so impactful while offering additional perspective and reflection.
This is definitely a slower, thoughtful read rather than something you rush through. I found myself highlighting passages and pausing to think about them long after I finished the chapter.
4.5 stars for me overall as it was a meaningful companion to a story that has stayed with me for years. If The Shack impacted you, I think you'll find a lot to appreciate here as well.
I'm happy to say it was a great read.
Rather than trying to recreate the original story, this book takes many of the themes from The Shack—God's love, healing, forgiveness, grace, and relationship—and explores them in a deeper, more conversational way. It helped me revisit some of the questions and truths that made the original so impactful while offering additional perspective and reflection.
This is definitely a slower, thoughtful read rather than something you rush through. I found myself highlighting passages and pausing to think about them long after I finished the chapter.
4.5 stars for me overall as it was a meaningful companion to a story that has stayed with me for years. If The Shack impacted you, I think you'll find a lot to appreciate here as well.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Advanced copy received from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review
3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️
The Shack is one of my all-time favorite books, I absolutely loved it. I did enjoy this book, but I think I was expecting a little more from it due to my love of the first book. More of what I’m not really sure, but just more of something. During Mack’s journey, we are introduced to 3 inmates in Death Row that he sits down with before his meetings with J commence. We learn at the end of the book that those 3 Death Row inmates are real people: Terry, KB, and Akil are their real names and the stories they tell are truly theirs. As someone with a criminal justice background, it was also interesting to me to see the ins and outs of the prison, FBI ongoing, etc.. I enjoyed hearing from J’s side and the emotions he expressed as that isn’t typically something shared in a book including murder. As Loretta the waitress says, “We never know the whole story, so why not love all the time?”.
3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️
The Shack is one of my all-time favorite books, I absolutely loved it. I did enjoy this book, but I think I was expecting a little more from it due to my love of the first book. More of what I’m not really sure, but just more of something. During Mack’s journey, we are introduced to 3 inmates in Death Row that he sits down with before his meetings with J commence. We learn at the end of the book that those 3 Death Row inmates are real people: Terry, KB, and Akil are their real names and the stories they tell are truly theirs. As someone with a criminal justice background, it was also interesting to me to see the ins and outs of the prison, FBI ongoing, etc.. I enjoyed hearing from J’s side and the emotions he expressed as that isn’t typically something shared in a book including murder. As Loretta the waitress says, “We never know the whole story, so why not love all the time?”.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I read The Shack years ago and was profoundly moved. I didn’t think Young could write an adequate sequel. I was wrong.
This book shows the depth of God’s grace and forgiveness for those who have sinned. We want to put child predators into another category of sinner than the rest of us “good people.” This book opens your eyes to the sin within us all and the goodness of the worst of us.
The author established relationships with prisoners on death row in a Kentucky prison. He got to know the church within the walls. Men who are known only for their worst deeds but who have been redeemed. It shows the cruelty of our system of imprisonment that does not account for the possibility of change.
This book is deep and moving. I found myself in tears on several occasions. The theology is thought provoking, if not traditional.
This book shows the depth of God’s grace and forgiveness for those who have sinned. We want to put child predators into another category of sinner than the rest of us “good people.” This book opens your eyes to the sin within us all and the goodness of the worst of us.
The author established relationships with prisoners on death row in a Kentucky prison. He got to know the church within the walls. Men who are known only for their worst deeds but who have been redeemed. It shows the cruelty of our system of imprisonment that does not account for the possibility of change.
This book is deep and moving. I found myself in tears on several occasions. The theology is thought provoking, if not traditional.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book again plumbs the depths of tragedy, pain, loss, punishment, forgiveness and love. People have been struggling to balance those since Job; and the answers in that scripture are not answers that are satisfying. Likewise, this book lays bare the struggles of humans in terms we can relate to. It does not offer any simple answers, but does suggest both that what we do in this life matters and that God’s love is larger than we can express or even understand. I was not as comforted by this book as I was by The Shack, but perhaps the point was to lay bare the ways in which we all fall short in loving one another.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was not at all what I expected. I had such high hopes for it because I loved The Shack. It was nice to read about the children as adults and their lives but the story overall was not good. I was surprised by the profanity in the book especially when the heavenly being used profanity. It’s almost as though all of the beautiful things that happened in The Shack and the closeness to God The Shack made you feel, this book erases much of it. It seems as if a different author wrote this book. I do not recommend this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When I saw this book on the ARC I knew I had to read it! I read the shack so many times so seeing that there was a follow up to the book I knew I needed it! This story is about Mack and J. Mack was the father of Missy who went missing and later found murdered in the first book. J was the one that made missy die. J tells the FBI that he will let them know where 3 other missing kids are if he can be interviewed by Mack. Will Mack be able to save these missing bodies and bring them home to there parents to bring them closure in time?
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Return to the Shack by Wm. Paul Young is sequel to the well-acclaimed The Shack, in a miraculous story of forgiveness and redemption. This is such a deep book that everyone needs to experience personally. Quite a moving book which demonstrates the love and mercy of God to everyone of us, both those who consider themselves righteous and the worst of the worst sinners.
I got the ARC from Worthy Publishing | Worthy Books via Netgalley. This is my honest review
I got the ARC from Worthy Publishing | Worthy Books via Netgalley. This is my honest review
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I was so happy to see this author wrote the sequel to The Shack. I'm not a super spiritual person but these books make me feel good. Nice closure in this book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I enjoyed The Shack, but this one was not written by the same author. The language was not appropriate for this type of book. The Theology was not in line with my thoughts and beliefs, but you may really enjoy it.
I am really sad because the first book was much better.
I am really sad because the first book was much better.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I appreciate NetGalley and Hachette for providing this digital copy to me. This was an amazing book, and a good follow-up to the original story "The Shack". Possibly not quite as emotional as the first one for me personally, but just as compelling and gripping.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This continuation of The Shack about revange, redemption, justice and forgiveness will challenge your believes in more than one way. You may not share the authors opinions about The Moment, but it will certainly make you think.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Net Galley for an early addition. This book was life changing! I loved the first book, but this one was on a whole different level!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An absolutely moving, emotional must-read for all who have read ' The Shack '. Within the pages, there is much to think about during the reading and beyond. Extremely highly recommended.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My heart has been forever changed by this book.
If you loved The Shack, you need to read this.
If you loved The Shack, you need to read this.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews