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The Amish of Summer Grove #2
Fraying at the Edge
"Family, community, faith, and love. These "quilt blocks" sewn together made Ariana's beautiful life. When they are pulled to pieces, will anything familiar remain? The Old Order Amish life Ariana Brenneman loved vanished virtually overnight with the discovery that she was switched at birth twenty years ago. Now she's immersed in the Englischer world, getting to know her mother, and under the authority of her biological father, an atheist intellectual with resolute plans to expand Ariana's worldview. Only Quill Schlabach, a childhood friend living Englisch, can help steady Ariana's tilting ground between the two worlds, but can she trust him after so many betrayals? At the same time, Skylar Nash is forced to choose rehab or spend several months with her true relatives, the large Brenneman family and their seemingly backward life--no electricity, no technology, no fun. What the young woman can't leave behind is her addiction to illegal prescription drugs and deep emptiness from the belief that she doesn't belong in either family. New ties are binding Ariana and Skylar to the lives they were meant to have. Can they pray for the wisdom and strength they'll need to follow God's threads into unexpected futures? Fraying at the Edge is the second novel in The Amish of Summer Grove series"--
350 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 16, 2016
91 people are currently reading
727 people want to read
About the author
Cindy Woodsmall
68 books1,116 followersCINDY WOODSMALL is an award-winning, New York Times, and CBA best-selling author of twenty-five works of fiction and one nonfiction book. Coverage of Cindy’s Amish connections and her novels has been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal. She lives in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
October 31, 2016
Fraying At The Edge
Cindy Woodsmall
Received from Netgalley.
Ariana has been raised Amish and that was exactly how she planned living out her life until one day she learns her parents aren't really her parents at all. She was switched at birth with an Englisch baby. There was a fire at the time, lots of panic and confusion, and the babies were accidentally switched. Now it's twenty years later and the parents of the Englisch baby want the chance to get to know their biological daughter. So, in order to keep the midwife who delivered the babies out of jail, Ariana and the other woman, Skylar switch places for one year. FRAYING AT THE EDGE is the second novel in the Amish of Summer Grove series by Cindy Woodsmall.
Skylar Nash is being forced to choose rehab or spending a year with her biological family. Sky has a problem with prescription drugs on top of believing that she doesn't belong with either family. Will she be able to survive a world of no electricity, modern technology, or fun? To top it off, she is having a difficult time finding the pills she thinks she needs to survive. Meanwhile, Ariana is trying to stay true to her Amish faith while having every temptation laid down in front of her. Will either one of them be able to come to terms with all that happened and is still happening to them? After a year is up, will they stay with their biological families or return to the family that raised them?
Wow, FRAYING AT THE EDGE is an emotional roller coaster story. It is filled with very many themes including drugs and adultery. I have to admit that Quill is growing on me. He is a former Amish man who tries to help Ariana while she is with her biological family. He has lied to Ariana many times but he feels that he is doing it for her own good. Ariana doesn't want to reach out to him, but he is the only one who can help her. I'm so excited to continue this series as well as all the rest of Cindy Woodsmall's books that I haven't read yet.
Cindy Woodsmall
Received from Netgalley.
Ariana has been raised Amish and that was exactly how she planned living out her life until one day she learns her parents aren't really her parents at all. She was switched at birth with an Englisch baby. There was a fire at the time, lots of panic and confusion, and the babies were accidentally switched. Now it's twenty years later and the parents of the Englisch baby want the chance to get to know their biological daughter. So, in order to keep the midwife who delivered the babies out of jail, Ariana and the other woman, Skylar switch places for one year. FRAYING AT THE EDGE is the second novel in the Amish of Summer Grove series by Cindy Woodsmall.
Skylar Nash is being forced to choose rehab or spending a year with her biological family. Sky has a problem with prescription drugs on top of believing that she doesn't belong with either family. Will she be able to survive a world of no electricity, modern technology, or fun? To top it off, she is having a difficult time finding the pills she thinks she needs to survive. Meanwhile, Ariana is trying to stay true to her Amish faith while having every temptation laid down in front of her. Will either one of them be able to come to terms with all that happened and is still happening to them? After a year is up, will they stay with their biological families or return to the family that raised them?
Wow, FRAYING AT THE EDGE is an emotional roller coaster story. It is filled with very many themes including drugs and adultery. I have to admit that Quill is growing on me. He is a former Amish man who tries to help Ariana while she is with her biological family. He has lied to Ariana many times but he feels that he is doing it for her own good. Ariana doesn't want to reach out to him, but he is the only one who can help her. I'm so excited to continue this series as well as all the rest of Cindy Woodsmall's books that I haven't read yet.
October 11, 2016
When people see me reading an Amish novel and say - "oh, how sweet, that must be very calming."
THERE IS NOTHING CALMING ABOUT A CLIFFHANGER
WHERE IS BOOK 3??
THERE IS NOTHING CALMING ABOUT A CLIFFHANGER
WHERE IS BOOK 3??
December 18, 2020
Fans of Amish fiction will be hooked on this intriguing series. Can't wait for book #3!
April 10, 2019
This book was such a disappointment for me.
I loved the first book, The Ties that Bind. I gave it 5 stars.
Book 2 was very different.
For one thing, the writer did a horrible job of making certain things clear.
I've read and enjoyed other books written by this writer. I've never had an issue before.
If this book had been written by someone else and used Woodsmall's name; I wouldn't be surprised.
There were several times I had thought about not even finishing it.
Towards the end, I was bored of it.
And another thing, the ending was rushed.
I don't like the character of Quill at all.
It was pretty stupid for Nicolas to restrict contact with each other during the visit.
The families are to spend a year away from each other. Why the restriction?
Visits are one thing but no reason to restrict contact by phone.
When it was time for Ariana to go back to her Amish family, its only been 3 months?!
The book made it feel so much longer.
There I was, reading away, thinking its close to a year. Only 3 months. Wow.
This book felt so heavy and draining by the end.
Very much like a pair of soggy jeans.
Book 1 had mystery, secrets, and charm.
This book had secrets, but was missing the salt.
I really hope book 3 picks up everything I loved about book 1.
I want to read book 3, the final book in this series.
This book left me with such a sour feeling; it may be awhile before I read it.
July 22, 2017
Wow. FRAYING AT THE EDGE was an emotional read that I so was not expecting. I mean I should have been, I read Ties that Bind earlier this month. It was so emotional, with Ariana missing her family, being forced into a world she wanted no part of and having everything stripped away except a friendship with Quill that she didn't want. Likewise, Skylar, going from being a not exactly only child, but one with everything handed to her -- and a drug addiction, to being one of like a dozen children in a small house with a family that is dirt poor. How would either girl survive the culture shock?
Quill. Oh. My. Word. I am so in love with him. And Abram. They are both so wonderful, thoughtful, beyond awesome men. I am looking forward to reading Gathering the Threads (releasing next month, squeee!) so I can read more about them. And yes, I have my wants about how I want this series to end, but whether they go the way I want or not, I know I'll be engaged.
This is a series you will want to read in one sitting, starting at the beginning with Ties that Bind, Fraying at the edge, and Gathering the Threads, so you might want to start now at the beginning. I absolutely loved the first two books in this series. There is a reason why Ms. Woodsmall is one of my favorite Amish authors.
I was given a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Quill. Oh. My. Word. I am so in love with him. And Abram. They are both so wonderful, thoughtful, beyond awesome men. I am looking forward to reading Gathering the Threads (releasing next month, squeee!) so I can read more about them. And yes, I have my wants about how I want this series to end, but whether they go the way I want or not, I know I'll be engaged.
This is a series you will want to read in one sitting, starting at the beginning with Ties that Bind, Fraying at the edge, and Gathering the Threads, so you might want to start now at the beginning. I absolutely loved the first two books in this series. There is a reason why Ms. Woodsmall is one of my favorite Amish authors.
I was given a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
April 19, 2017
unique storyline. Book 2 of the amish of summer grove. Book 3 comes to publish this year in August.
This series has been a good reading experience. A story of two gals, thrown into totally different lifestyles; and how it changes their life and decisions.
This series has been a good reading experience. A story of two gals, thrown into totally different lifestyles; and how it changes their life and decisions.
July 26, 2016
This story reminds me of the authors’ first series titled Sisters of the Quilt. The thing I loved about the stories was the fact it took place mostly outside the Amish community. While reading that first novel, When the Heart Cries; I learned to expect the unexpected from this author. I loved that. The same holds true with The Amish of Summer Grove series. The story and characters have grabbed my heart and never let it go.
This is not your typical Amish tale. Far from it. If you didn’t read book one in this new series you will be brought up to speed by the author in the sequel, BUT you will have missed the richness of this story and the depths these families have been through and still agonize over their circumstances in Fraying at the Edge.
This author has a wonderful writing talent that quickly pulls readers into her books hook, line and sinker. In book one Ties that Bind, Skylar and Ariana discover at age 20, that they were switched at birth. Each family wants the chance to get to know their biological child. Nicholas (Ariana’s biological father) has threatened the Amish community with a huge lawsuit (and/or jail time for the nurse in charge) if they don’t comply with his demands. So Ariana goes off with her Englisch family and Skylar has the choice to submit to an inpatient rehab center OR to go to the Amish community in order to know her biological Mom and Dad. She chooses the Amish family. The author placed the reader inside the main characters shoes and had them looking at the world through their eyes. It was moving as both girls’ worlds are turned upside down and are plunged into a surreal one year experience.
Here’s a peek at the girls first impression of their new life. “Skylar had a lot to adjust to – new family, Amish rules by the silo full, no modern conveniences, and the frustration of living in a poor home. Every time she turned around, another pipe had broken, which meant someone had to haul water into the house so she could brush her teeth. …Who lived like this – no electric lights, washing clothes by hand even when the water worked…the hardest part of this ordeal thus far was the lack of drugs…All she could think about was a couple of tablets of Xanax, Ativan, or Valium. Anything to stop the incessant restless legs.”
Ariana was having a different kind of challenge. Who knew that making breakfast for her new family would cause so much chaos? Her biological mother’s husband Gabe looked at Ariana. He told the person on the phone to hold a minute. “He lowered the phone to his chest, “It’s the security system people. They said the emergency button inside the house was pushed. Is everything okay?”
“I..I guess,” Ariana shrugged. “As far as I know I was trying to turn on the stove.”
“The stove?” Gabe repeated.
“Dad ----Cameron rolled her eyes –“tell the guy all our secret code stuff, convince him the house hasn’t been invaded by body snatchers, and let him get back to the people who aren’t trying to figure out how to use electricity.”…”It’s a whole new world for you, isn’t it Princess Jasmine?”
“That’s enough Cameron.”
“What?”…You don’t think I’m being nice either, Dad? Ariana and Toto aren’t in Kansas anymore! Is anyone in this house surprised by that?”
“I am, Ariana’s words were a growl…. I’m totally surprised by it. Shocked. Miserable. But it’s just funny to you, isn’t it?...Tell you what. You learn Gabe isn’t your Dad at all, and trade him for someone as difficult as Nicholas. You give up your comfortable life and put yourself, by yourself, in, I don’t know, maybe the Middle East, where the culture is totally disrespectful of you and all you’ve been taught to believe. Then we’ll talk about how nice you’ve been okay?”
Does that make you want to read more? Can you feel both girls’ anxiety, pain, loneness, despair? I like how one of Quill’s siblings explained the experience both girls were having. “You’re in a room of people who, in one way or another, had a high-magnitude earthquake hit their lives, Ariana…Quill had it the worst!”
This is why Quill was so helpful to Ariana. He was great at helping her navigate this strange new World.
Another aspect of this novel I loved is how naturally the spiritual thread is woven into this story. Just when the reader is totally invested in the novel and on the edge of their seat wondering what will happen next; I was stirred in my spirit and my heart by something I was dealing with and/or had dealt with in my own faith journey. That’s another thing I love about this authors novels. I can expected the holy spirit to working in my heart. That’s also unexpected on many levels and one of the main reasons I read Christian Fiction.
Quill teaches Ariana to listen to that still small voice inside of her. He says, “Never discount anything your senses are telling you, not at first. Let the information sink in, and trust your ability to reason out the truth. If you’re wrong, that will become evident soon enough. Usually when one part of us is telling another part of us what’s going on, it’s a gift from God. Use it. …Quill continues, “You know what you need? His eyes reflected hope. “You need a new view of the Heavens.”
“Of the Heavens?”
“Ari, our God is so much bigger than we can grasp. As children we saw him as if we were inside a snow globe and he was just outside it, on his throne out of sight, looking down at us. For those of us raised to believe in a jealous, angry God, we see him with a frown, scowling. And as all Amish know, being frowned on is one tiny step from being shunned.”
Ariana says when asked about life outside the Amish community, “The Englisch world was a mixture of fascinating beauty and deviant horror.”
This author brilliantly pens an engaging, heart-felt story where I instantly cared about these young ladies and their struggle. The other thing I adore about this novel is the well-tied humor. This novel spoke volumes to me as I read how everything these girls believed about live and themselves was being tested. They had to start picking up the pieces, of their shattered lives and discover who they really were and how God fit into all of this?
Fraying at the Edge would make a wonderful book club pick. I am a huge Cindy Woodsmall fan. I think this novel is her best yet. It’s a keeper and a must read novel.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Publisher through the Blogging for books site. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
This is not your typical Amish tale. Far from it. If you didn’t read book one in this new series you will be brought up to speed by the author in the sequel, BUT you will have missed the richness of this story and the depths these families have been through and still agonize over their circumstances in Fraying at the Edge.
This author has a wonderful writing talent that quickly pulls readers into her books hook, line and sinker. In book one Ties that Bind, Skylar and Ariana discover at age 20, that they were switched at birth. Each family wants the chance to get to know their biological child. Nicholas (Ariana’s biological father) has threatened the Amish community with a huge lawsuit (and/or jail time for the nurse in charge) if they don’t comply with his demands. So Ariana goes off with her Englisch family and Skylar has the choice to submit to an inpatient rehab center OR to go to the Amish community in order to know her biological Mom and Dad. She chooses the Amish family. The author placed the reader inside the main characters shoes and had them looking at the world through their eyes. It was moving as both girls’ worlds are turned upside down and are plunged into a surreal one year experience.
Here’s a peek at the girls first impression of their new life. “Skylar had a lot to adjust to – new family, Amish rules by the silo full, no modern conveniences, and the frustration of living in a poor home. Every time she turned around, another pipe had broken, which meant someone had to haul water into the house so she could brush her teeth. …Who lived like this – no electric lights, washing clothes by hand even when the water worked…the hardest part of this ordeal thus far was the lack of drugs…All she could think about was a couple of tablets of Xanax, Ativan, or Valium. Anything to stop the incessant restless legs.”
Ariana was having a different kind of challenge. Who knew that making breakfast for her new family would cause so much chaos? Her biological mother’s husband Gabe looked at Ariana. He told the person on the phone to hold a minute. “He lowered the phone to his chest, “It’s the security system people. They said the emergency button inside the house was pushed. Is everything okay?”
“I..I guess,” Ariana shrugged. “As far as I know I was trying to turn on the stove.”
“The stove?” Gabe repeated.
“Dad ----Cameron rolled her eyes –“tell the guy all our secret code stuff, convince him the house hasn’t been invaded by body snatchers, and let him get back to the people who aren’t trying to figure out how to use electricity.”…”It’s a whole new world for you, isn’t it Princess Jasmine?”
“That’s enough Cameron.”
“What?”…You don’t think I’m being nice either, Dad? Ariana and Toto aren’t in Kansas anymore! Is anyone in this house surprised by that?”
“I am, Ariana’s words were a growl…. I’m totally surprised by it. Shocked. Miserable. But it’s just funny to you, isn’t it?...Tell you what. You learn Gabe isn’t your Dad at all, and trade him for someone as difficult as Nicholas. You give up your comfortable life and put yourself, by yourself, in, I don’t know, maybe the Middle East, where the culture is totally disrespectful of you and all you’ve been taught to believe. Then we’ll talk about how nice you’ve been okay?”
Does that make you want to read more? Can you feel both girls’ anxiety, pain, loneness, despair? I like how one of Quill’s siblings explained the experience both girls were having. “You’re in a room of people who, in one way or another, had a high-magnitude earthquake hit their lives, Ariana…Quill had it the worst!”
This is why Quill was so helpful to Ariana. He was great at helping her navigate this strange new World.
Another aspect of this novel I loved is how naturally the spiritual thread is woven into this story. Just when the reader is totally invested in the novel and on the edge of their seat wondering what will happen next; I was stirred in my spirit and my heart by something I was dealing with and/or had dealt with in my own faith journey. That’s another thing I love about this authors novels. I can expected the holy spirit to working in my heart. That’s also unexpected on many levels and one of the main reasons I read Christian Fiction.
Quill teaches Ariana to listen to that still small voice inside of her. He says, “Never discount anything your senses are telling you, not at first. Let the information sink in, and trust your ability to reason out the truth. If you’re wrong, that will become evident soon enough. Usually when one part of us is telling another part of us what’s going on, it’s a gift from God. Use it. …Quill continues, “You know what you need? His eyes reflected hope. “You need a new view of the Heavens.”
“Of the Heavens?”
“Ari, our God is so much bigger than we can grasp. As children we saw him as if we were inside a snow globe and he was just outside it, on his throne out of sight, looking down at us. For those of us raised to believe in a jealous, angry God, we see him with a frown, scowling. And as all Amish know, being frowned on is one tiny step from being shunned.”
Ariana says when asked about life outside the Amish community, “The Englisch world was a mixture of fascinating beauty and deviant horror.”
This author brilliantly pens an engaging, heart-felt story where I instantly cared about these young ladies and their struggle. The other thing I adore about this novel is the well-tied humor. This novel spoke volumes to me as I read how everything these girls believed about live and themselves was being tested. They had to start picking up the pieces, of their shattered lives and discover who they really were and how God fit into all of this?
Fraying at the Edge would make a wonderful book club pick. I am a huge Cindy Woodsmall fan. I think this novel is her best yet. It’s a keeper and a must read novel.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Publisher through the Blogging for books site. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
July 17, 2018
Fraying at the Edge is the second book in The Amish at Summer Grove series by Cindy Woodsmall. Ariana Brenneman is 20 years old and recently learned that she was switched at birth at the birthing center she was born as a result of a fire that occurred the night she was born.
Ariana must live in the Englisch world with her biological family - her father is Nicholas and her mother is Brandi Nash, but they are not married. Nicholas doesn't believe in God and doesn't have any respect for the Amish culture or organized religion. On the other hand, Skylar Nash is the daughter that was switched with Ariana, and she is given the choice of staying with her birth parents (Lovina and Isaac Brenneman) or going to rehab due to her drug problem and rebellious behavior.
Skylar picks staying with the Brenneman’s and works in the café hoping it will provide a chance to see her boyfriend and drug dealer. Her birth mother, Lovina wants to get to know her, but Skylar is not interested. She feels that Nicholas and Brandi were glad to be rid of her and her birth family did not care enough to look for her.
My heart really went out to Ariana and to Skylar as each of them were forced to adjust to ways of life that are completely foreign to each young lady. It was great to see the closeness, respect and love that eventually formed between Ariana and her birth parents, and between Skylar and her birth family.
Ariana must live in the Englisch world with her biological family - her father is Nicholas and her mother is Brandi Nash, but they are not married. Nicholas doesn't believe in God and doesn't have any respect for the Amish culture or organized religion. On the other hand, Skylar Nash is the daughter that was switched with Ariana, and she is given the choice of staying with her birth parents (Lovina and Isaac Brenneman) or going to rehab due to her drug problem and rebellious behavior.
Skylar picks staying with the Brenneman’s and works in the café hoping it will provide a chance to see her boyfriend and drug dealer. Her birth mother, Lovina wants to get to know her, but Skylar is not interested. She feels that Nicholas and Brandi were glad to be rid of her and her birth family did not care enough to look for her.
My heart really went out to Ariana and to Skylar as each of them were forced to adjust to ways of life that are completely foreign to each young lady. It was great to see the closeness, respect and love that eventually formed between Ariana and her birth parents, and between Skylar and her birth family.
August 18, 2017
Love this cover! Oh goodness I always wonder what is our deal with loving the Amish, do you think it is 'cause they are so quiet and keep to themselves. I love their simple ways. I think we have so much busyness in our daily lives. I am new to Cindy's books. I love her style. Trying to decide which I love more book 1 or 2? A three book series. For me I've been easily pulled into this world and these amazing characters. I look forward to each book. I am reviewing this after I have read book 2 ... so I am curious where book 3 will take us. I have been super lucky to get these books from the publisher for an honest review and my thoughts. I will definitely be looking into more from Cindy. I only wish I had read her books before now. Funny how I have been so lucky to have found so many new authors to me lately, and they are all so different, in genres, style, it is all so awesome!! So love her writing style. But please know that Cindy doesn't do the light and airy side of the Amish ... she brings in a darker side. fear. Such a great read. Loved it!! Well done.
July 25, 2017
Fraying at the Edge is book two from Cindy Woodsmall's The Amish of Summer Grove series. I want to warn the reader that it would be best to read Ties That Bind first. I think it may be confusing if it has not been read yet.
Fraying at the Edge is a wonderful sequel and I was happy to catch up with the characters. I have always loved Ari and now Skyler has started to grow on me. The two women were thrown into unknown worlds and certainly had their struggles adjusting. Which is the main focus of this book. The ending had quite a cliffhanger that I did not expect at all. I cannot wait to pick up the next book in the series, Gathering of the Threads, to see what happens next.
Highly recommended.
100 stars.
This book came from my own personal collection. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Fraying at the Edge is a wonderful sequel and I was happy to catch up with the characters. I have always loved Ari and now Skyler has started to grow on me. The two women were thrown into unknown worlds and certainly had their struggles adjusting. Which is the main focus of this book. The ending had quite a cliffhanger that I did not expect at all. I cannot wait to pick up the next book in the series, Gathering of the Threads, to see what happens next.
Highly recommended.
100 stars.
This book came from my own personal collection. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
July 7, 2020
Ariana has been raised as old order Amish when she discovered that she had been switched at birth and her birth father threatens to sue an old midwife if she and her sister don’t agree to switch places for a year. Ariana has a hard time getting used to the English way of life and starting to realize that the bishops and her father’s rules don’t have much to do with faith. Skylar has a hard time living as the Amish and the feeling that her father has pushed her out of the house for Ariana.
May 19, 2017
Fraying at the Edge is the exciting second installment in the The Amish of Summer Grove series by bestselling author, Cindy Woodsmall.
If you've not yet picked up a book by this author, you should. Cindy Woodsmall really has a way with character building and I promise you that even her supporting cast of characters are very well fleshed out.
If you enjoy a good "Switched at Birth" tale and you're a fan of Amish fiction, this one isn't going to disappoint you at all. You'll see the struggle that Ariana faces as she tries to get to know her English family and deals with a lot of culture shock. I know that we don't think about how shocking it is to see a girl dressed in skimpy clothing or even if we see a commercial or a billboard for something like cigarettes or alcohol. To a sheltered Amish girl, all of those things would feel like a demonic assault.
Likewise, imagine the culture shock for a young woman who comes from a broken home, addicted to drugs and used to all the comforts of the world to find herself in an Amish home with no access to her drugs, television or other amenities.
My heart went out to both of these young ladies. Honestly, I'm so torn with how I want things to turn out. I want to see Skylar remain clean and I would like to see Ariana stay close to her Amish family and her birth mother. Her birth father is a bit snooty so I'll have to wait to see if something profound happens for me to actually like the guy.
The only thing that really bothers me is that I have to wait until August or September to read the next installment. I want to know what's going on and it's going to drive my daughter and I insane. Yes, the book is really that good!
This book offers real thought about topics like adultery, drug addiction and even sensitive topics such as what God may expect of us when growing our families should we suffer from health conditions. Most of all, it will challenge you to stop thinking of God as some dictator in the sky that is looking down on you with hate and condemnation. Through the characters you will begin to look at Him as a Father that looks down on us with love and compassion.
I highly recommend this book and this author. Be sure to check out book #3 in this series that is set to be released on August 15,2017
Gathering the Threads (The Amish of Summer Grove #2) by Cindy Woodsmall
Series: The Amish of Summer Grove
Published by Crown Publishing Group on August 16th 2016
ISBN: 9781601427021
Genres: Fiction, Amish & Mennonite, Romance, Contemporary, Christian
Pages: 352
After three months of draus in da Welt, Ariana has returned to Summer Grove, the Old Order Amish community where she was raised for twenty years, and life with her Brenneman family. Skylar Nash, the Englisch-raised young woman is working in Ariana’s café while getting to know her birth family and their Plain way of life. Skylar's time in Summer Grove has changed her outlook, just as Ariana has grown to see her personal faith in God in a different light than the manner she was taught while growing up. Both women will have to make decisions about their paths— and Ariana must decide what role her childhood friend, ex-Amish Quill Schlabach, will play in her life.
Gathering the Threads is the third and final novel in the Amish of Summer Grove series.This review was originally posted on A Simply Enchanted Life
If you've not yet picked up a book by this author, you should. Cindy Woodsmall really has a way with character building and I promise you that even her supporting cast of characters are very well fleshed out.
If you enjoy a good "Switched at Birth" tale and you're a fan of Amish fiction, this one isn't going to disappoint you at all. You'll see the struggle that Ariana faces as she tries to get to know her English family and deals with a lot of culture shock. I know that we don't think about how shocking it is to see a girl dressed in skimpy clothing or even if we see a commercial or a billboard for something like cigarettes or alcohol. To a sheltered Amish girl, all of those things would feel like a demonic assault.
Likewise, imagine the culture shock for a young woman who comes from a broken home, addicted to drugs and used to all the comforts of the world to find herself in an Amish home with no access to her drugs, television or other amenities.
My heart went out to both of these young ladies. Honestly, I'm so torn with how I want things to turn out. I want to see Skylar remain clean and I would like to see Ariana stay close to her Amish family and her birth mother. Her birth father is a bit snooty so I'll have to wait to see if something profound happens for me to actually like the guy.
The only thing that really bothers me is that I have to wait until August or September to read the next installment. I want to know what's going on and it's going to drive my daughter and I insane. Yes, the book is really that good!
This book offers real thought about topics like adultery, drug addiction and even sensitive topics such as what God may expect of us when growing our families should we suffer from health conditions. Most of all, it will challenge you to stop thinking of God as some dictator in the sky that is looking down on you with hate and condemnation. Through the characters you will begin to look at Him as a Father that looks down on us with love and compassion.
I highly recommend this book and this author. Be sure to check out book #3 in this series that is set to be released on August 15,2017
Gathering the Threads (The Amish of Summer Grove #2) by Cindy WoodsmallSeries: The Amish of Summer Grove
Published by Crown Publishing Group on August 16th 2016
ISBN: 9781601427021
Genres: Fiction, Amish & Mennonite, Romance, Contemporary, Christian
Pages: 352
After three months of draus in da Welt, Ariana has returned to Summer Grove, the Old Order Amish community where she was raised for twenty years, and life with her Brenneman family. Skylar Nash, the Englisch-raised young woman is working in Ariana’s café while getting to know her birth family and their Plain way of life. Skylar's time in Summer Grove has changed her outlook, just as Ariana has grown to see her personal faith in God in a different light than the manner she was taught while growing up. Both women will have to make decisions about their paths— and Ariana must decide what role her childhood friend, ex-Amish Quill Schlabach, will play in her life.
Gathering the Threads is the third and final novel in the Amish of Summer Grove series.This review was originally posted on A Simply Enchanted Life
August 12, 2016
I began this book unaware that this is the middle of a 3 part series. Which really is more like one novel split into 3, than what I would expect to be a traditional series. For that reason, because I was missing an obvious beginning to this book, it took me a very long time to not only figure this story out, but the myriad of characters retelling the story from their perspective. I usually don't find that works well, but as the book progressed, I came to recognize them, and their part in the overall story. Understanding that if you read the first book 'Ties That Bind', then you will already have become familiar, and this would be a non issue. Overall the plot is solid, and it left me asking many questions as I read. The awesome complication of discovering you had been switched at birth and everything you knew to be safe, secure and real, suddenly changed - and lets face it our families and those relationships are the very core of our identity and belief system. To find out you did not grow up with your birth parents, but belong in a completely contrasting community such as the Amish and vice versa, is mind blowing. How would you deal with that? Everything would be unfamiliar. The girls are now 20 years old, which, I find this age too old, to make this story believable. I felt like 16 or 17 would have been a better age, though to have Arianna be on the edge of getting engaged, that would have caused a problem. A significant relationship could still have been written into the story. I just kept thinking to myself, 'seriously? At 20 years old you will allow your situation to be dictated like that?' Many 20 year olds have moved out, living in college, working or married. Not responding like children being forced for legal reasons to relocate to their birth family.
I enjoyed the way the 'switched at birth' concept explored and Cindy approached it in a sensitive way. I grasp from looking at the genre of books she writes, that she is well researched in the Amish faith & way of life. I don't think the way she writes is consistently favorable to the Amish people. Its obviously a vastly different way of living and practicing of the Christian faith than many of us choose to, but still their religious right to do so. Unhurried and set at a natural pace, this middle segment of the story of Arianna & Skylar develops in a realistic way, both of them thrust into living - seemingly without a choice, an alien lifestyle. Small details, for example when Arianna attempts to bake with 21st Century appliances, and sets off the home alarm system, and for Skylar the simple loss of running water, something that we all so readily take for granted - brought out a richness to the story.
I prefer the books I read to have a solid ending and this one did not. It reminds me of when movies try to create sequels or trilogies and end on cliffhangers, its really annoying and I dislike that even more in books. I may or may not seek out this final book in this series, my 3 star rating is the indication that I don't want to pick up a book and realized I've missed a significant part of the story, and finish 300+ pages with it incomplete. The concept and plot is 4 star.
I received the ARC 'Fraying at the Edge' by Cindy Woodsmall from Blogging for Books & WaterBrook Multnomah in return for my honest review.
I enjoyed the way the 'switched at birth' concept explored and Cindy approached it in a sensitive way. I grasp from looking at the genre of books she writes, that she is well researched in the Amish faith & way of life. I don't think the way she writes is consistently favorable to the Amish people. Its obviously a vastly different way of living and practicing of the Christian faith than many of us choose to, but still their religious right to do so. Unhurried and set at a natural pace, this middle segment of the story of Arianna & Skylar develops in a realistic way, both of them thrust into living - seemingly without a choice, an alien lifestyle. Small details, for example when Arianna attempts to bake with 21st Century appliances, and sets off the home alarm system, and for Skylar the simple loss of running water, something that we all so readily take for granted - brought out a richness to the story.
I prefer the books I read to have a solid ending and this one did not. It reminds me of when movies try to create sequels or trilogies and end on cliffhangers, its really annoying and I dislike that even more in books. I may or may not seek out this final book in this series, my 3 star rating is the indication that I don't want to pick up a book and realized I've missed a significant part of the story, and finish 300+ pages with it incomplete. The concept and plot is 4 star.
I received the ARC 'Fraying at the Edge' by Cindy Woodsmall from Blogging for Books & WaterBrook Multnomah in return for my honest review.
September 6, 2016
Life could not have changed more dramatically for either Ariana Brenneman or Skyler Nash. In this sequel to "Ties That Bind," the two twenty-year-old women who discovered they were switched at birth are now trying to fit in with their biological families. Ariana has agreed to leave her Amish home for a one-year trial period in exchange for her father not suing the midwife who made the mistake, while Skyler chose a year with her Amish family rather than going to rehab for a drug addiction.
Ariana has a sincere desire to do her best in getting to know her new family, but she is quickly overwhelmed by all they ask from her. Her biological father is an atheist who challenges the beliefs she was raised with, and he gives her a 'bucket list' of experiences she can pursue in order to earn points towards a visit with her boyfriend. The title of this book perfectly describes the confusion and self-doubt Ariana goes through as she navigates the changes that have been thrust upon her.
Meanwhile Skyler is determined to be as insolent and difficult as possible towards the Brennemans, feeling like her parents disowned their troubled daughter in exchange for a chance to bring home a brand new innocent one. She believes she can still find suppliers to keep her drug habit going, and as soon as she can manage it she plans to run away. Yet as she unwillingly helps around the farm and in the cafe Ariana that bought just before finding out about her heritage, something begins to change inside Skyler. If this is what working together and truly loving others looks like, maybe she could begin to accept the love and care the Brennemans are offering.
We also continue following Quill, the former Amishman who helps families who want to leave the Amish community. Having facilitated Ariana and Skyler reuniting with their biological families, he is the last person Ariana wants to reach out to, but he is also the only one who can help her make sense of all she is thinking and feeling.
I greatly enjoyed the second book in The Amish of Summer Grove series. Cindy Woodsmall has a way of drawing you in with characters you can't help but cheer for.
I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.
This review originated at http://reviewsbyerin.livejournal.com
Ariana has a sincere desire to do her best in getting to know her new family, but she is quickly overwhelmed by all they ask from her. Her biological father is an atheist who challenges the beliefs she was raised with, and he gives her a 'bucket list' of experiences she can pursue in order to earn points towards a visit with her boyfriend. The title of this book perfectly describes the confusion and self-doubt Ariana goes through as she navigates the changes that have been thrust upon her.
Meanwhile Skyler is determined to be as insolent and difficult as possible towards the Brennemans, feeling like her parents disowned their troubled daughter in exchange for a chance to bring home a brand new innocent one. She believes she can still find suppliers to keep her drug habit going, and as soon as she can manage it she plans to run away. Yet as she unwillingly helps around the farm and in the cafe Ariana that bought just before finding out about her heritage, something begins to change inside Skyler. If this is what working together and truly loving others looks like, maybe she could begin to accept the love and care the Brennemans are offering.
We also continue following Quill, the former Amishman who helps families who want to leave the Amish community. Having facilitated Ariana and Skyler reuniting with their biological families, he is the last person Ariana wants to reach out to, but he is also the only one who can help her make sense of all she is thinking and feeling.
I greatly enjoyed the second book in The Amish of Summer Grove series. Cindy Woodsmall has a way of drawing you in with characters you can't help but cheer for.
I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.
This review originated at http://reviewsbyerin.livejournal.com
December 8, 2016
I somehow missed the first book in this series and like most of Cindy Woodsmall's stories this is a continuous series where major elements play out over the course of all three books. So, if you are looking for closure, you won't find it until book three comes out. But having said that, this time round the author has done something fabulous -- she's included a brief overview of the story so far at the beginning of this book. So I was able to read that and then dive right into Fraying at the Edge without any trouble. That's a brilliant perk that I hope more authors who write serial type series adopt. Plus she has included a comprehensive who's who list of characters at the back of the book. So you can definitely dive into this story right now if you don't want to play catch up with Ties that Bind first.
And what a captivatingly convoluted novel! My emotions were all over the place as I got deeper into the story. Both Ariana and Skylar are displaced and totally out of their element. I think Skylar got the better deal -- though she wouldn't agree with me. She's all gnarly and rude and completely self-centered at the beginning but a bevy of siblings are pretty hard to ignore and they slowly begin to wear her down. But she feels abandoned and lost and is just beginning to find herself by the time this book winds down. I feel like there's a possibility for romance in her future and I'm anxious to see how that plays out. Plus Skylar is at a crossroads and I have no idea what she's going to do next.
Ariana -- oy -- I spent most of the read feeling furiously indignant on her behalf. Her biological father is...gah!...words cannot express how I feel about his tactics. Manipulative. Conniving. Major superiority complex. Watching how that relationship plays out and how it influences Ariana kept me an emotional pretzel for the whole read! But again, I have no clue as to what she will do next. Two men interested in her -- one Englisch, one Amish -- and she's not certain where she belongs.
A complicated story with promises of much more to come. Can't wait until book three comes out...and hope it's soon!!!!
And what a captivatingly convoluted novel! My emotions were all over the place as I got deeper into the story. Both Ariana and Skylar are displaced and totally out of their element. I think Skylar got the better deal -- though she wouldn't agree with me. She's all gnarly and rude and completely self-centered at the beginning but a bevy of siblings are pretty hard to ignore and they slowly begin to wear her down. But she feels abandoned and lost and is just beginning to find herself by the time this book winds down. I feel like there's a possibility for romance in her future and I'm anxious to see how that plays out. Plus Skylar is at a crossroads and I have no idea what she's going to do next.
Ariana -- oy -- I spent most of the read feeling furiously indignant on her behalf. Her biological father is...gah!...words cannot express how I feel about his tactics. Manipulative. Conniving. Major superiority complex. Watching how that relationship plays out and how it influences Ariana kept me an emotional pretzel for the whole read! But again, I have no clue as to what she will do next. Two men interested in her -- one Englisch, one Amish -- and she's not certain where she belongs.
A complicated story with promises of much more to come. Can't wait until book three comes out...and hope it's soon!!!!
June 30, 2017
This was a totally amazing book! It was worth the wait! It had a delay in printing and I thought I'd never get it!
I really didn't think the whole thing was fair that the girls were taken out of their surroundings and put into different ones that each had to adjust to.
Arianna is a girl with guts and determination to do anything that her real father wants so that she can come back home Like me, she loves her adopted family and I don't really think she likes change very well!
Skyar is also in a place she'd rather not be! It takes someone in her real family to make her see some sense and see that her family does really love her in spite of all that she does to them.
I didn't like Nicholas because he's a hard butt. it's his way or not at all! He's responsible for all the mess and upheaval in the girls lives.
Brandi really tries to connect with Arianna and dies succeeds somewhat better than Nicholas does.
I really like Cameron Arianna s half sister. At first they butt heads a lot until something happens and then they start getting along. She is the fun loving and adventurous type and loves annoying her parents! I think most children love to annoy their parents.
Will Arianna and Rudy get back together at the end of Ariannas adventure outside the Amish faith and Will Skylar stay with her Amish family or will she return to the English world in which she raised in?
I really didn't think the whole thing was fair that the girls were taken out of their surroundings and put into different ones that each had to adjust to.
Arianna is a girl with guts and determination to do anything that her real father wants so that she can come back home Like me, she loves her adopted family and I don't really think she likes change very well!
Skyar is also in a place she'd rather not be! It takes someone in her real family to make her see some sense and see that her family does really love her in spite of all that she does to them.
I didn't like Nicholas because he's a hard butt. it's his way or not at all! He's responsible for all the mess and upheaval in the girls lives.
Brandi really tries to connect with Arianna and dies succeeds somewhat better than Nicholas does.
I really like Cameron Arianna s half sister. At first they butt heads a lot until something happens and then they start getting along. She is the fun loving and adventurous type and loves annoying her parents! I think most children love to annoy their parents.
Will Arianna and Rudy get back together at the end of Ariannas adventure outside the Amish faith and Will Skylar stay with her Amish family or will she return to the English world in which she raised in?
January 20, 2017
Fraying at the Edge is book two in The Amish of Summer Grove series by Cindy Woodsmall. Wow this is a wonderful piece of Amish fiction with a twist. Cindy draws the reader into the story hook, line and sinker right from the very start. This is a story that deals with love, faith, heartache and betrayal. Will Ariana Brenneman be able to get her Old Order Amish life back? You need to read this book to find out for yourself what happens to Ariana. I received a complementary copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion. 5 stars!
September 9, 2016
Always enjoy Woodsmall. Looking forward to the next in this series.
October 4, 2016
Loved this book!
November 23, 2017
THIS SUMMARY/REVIEW WAS COPIED FROM OTHER SOURCES AND IS USED ONLY AS A REMINDER OF WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT FOR MY PERSONAL INTEREST. ANY PERSONAL NOTATIONS ARE FOR MY RECOLLECTION ONLY
**
You'll see the struggle that Ariana faces as she tries to get to know her English family and deals with a lot of culture shock. We don't think about how shocking it is to see a girl dressed in skimpy clothing or even if we see a commercial or a billboard for something like cigarettes or alcohol. To a sheltered Amish girl, all of those things would feel like a demonic assault.
Likewise, imagine the culture shock for a young woman who comes from a broken home, addicted to drugs and used to all the comforts of the world to find herself in an Amish home with no access to her drugs, television or other amenities.
How will this turn out. I want to see Skylar remain clean and I would like to see Ariana stay close to her Amish family and her birth mother. Her birth father is a bit snooty so we will have to wait to see if something profound happens for me to actually like the guy. Although he did let Adrianna come home after 3 months instead of the whole year
This book offers real thought about topics like adultery, drug addiction and even sensitive topics such as what God may expect of us when growing our families should we suffer from health conditions. Most of all, it will challenge you to stop thinking of God as some dictator in the sky that is looking down on you with hate and condemnation. Through the characters you will begin to look at Him as a Father that looks down on us with love and compassion.
**
This author has a wonderful writing talent that quickly pulls readers into her books hook, line and sinker. In book one Ties that Bind, Skylar and Ariana discover at age 20, that they were switched at birth. Each family wants the chance to get to know their biological child. Nicholas (Ariana’s biological father) has threatened the Amish community with a huge lawsuit (and/or jail time for the nurse in charge) if they don’t comply with his demands. So Ariana goes off with her Englisch family and Skylar has the choice to submit to an inpatient rehab center OR to go to the Amish community in order to know her biological Mom and Dad. She chooses the Amish family. The author placed the reader inside the main characters shoes and had them looking at the world through their eyes. It was moving as both girls’ worlds are turned upside down and are plunged into a surreal one year experience.
Here’s a peek at the girls first impression of their new life. “Skylar had a lot to adjust to – new family, Amish rules by the silo full, no modern conveniences, and the frustration of living in a poor home. Every time she turned around, another pipe had broken, which meant someone had to haul water into the house so she could brush her teeth. …Who lived like this – no electric lights, washing clothes by hand even when the water worked…the hardest part of this ordeal thus far was the lack of drugs…All she could think about was a couple of tablets of Xanax, Ativan, or Valium. Anything to stop the incessant restless legs.”
**
Wow. FRAYING AT THE EDGE was an emotional read I read Ties that Bind and loved it, couldn't wait to get this one and next one is available. It was so emotional, with Ariana missing her family, being forced into a world she wanted no part of and having everything stripped away except a friendship with Quill that she didn't want. Likewise, Skylar, going from being a not exactly only child, but one with everything handed to her -- and a drug addiction, to being one of like a dozen children in a small house with a family that is dirt poor. How would either girl survive the culture shock?
Quill. He is absolutely wonderful. And Abram (twin of Skylar'). They are both so wonderful, thoughtful, beyond awesome men.
**
You'll see the struggle that Ariana faces as she tries to get to know her English family and deals with a lot of culture shock. We don't think about how shocking it is to see a girl dressed in skimpy clothing or even if we see a commercial or a billboard for something like cigarettes or alcohol. To a sheltered Amish girl, all of those things would feel like a demonic assault.
Likewise, imagine the culture shock for a young woman who comes from a broken home, addicted to drugs and used to all the comforts of the world to find herself in an Amish home with no access to her drugs, television or other amenities.
How will this turn out. I want to see Skylar remain clean and I would like to see Ariana stay close to her Amish family and her birth mother. Her birth father is a bit snooty so we will have to wait to see if something profound happens for me to actually like the guy. Although he did let Adrianna come home after 3 months instead of the whole year
This book offers real thought about topics like adultery, drug addiction and even sensitive topics such as what God may expect of us when growing our families should we suffer from health conditions. Most of all, it will challenge you to stop thinking of God as some dictator in the sky that is looking down on you with hate and condemnation. Through the characters you will begin to look at Him as a Father that looks down on us with love and compassion.
**
This author has a wonderful writing talent that quickly pulls readers into her books hook, line and sinker. In book one Ties that Bind, Skylar and Ariana discover at age 20, that they were switched at birth. Each family wants the chance to get to know their biological child. Nicholas (Ariana’s biological father) has threatened the Amish community with a huge lawsuit (and/or jail time for the nurse in charge) if they don’t comply with his demands. So Ariana goes off with her Englisch family and Skylar has the choice to submit to an inpatient rehab center OR to go to the Amish community in order to know her biological Mom and Dad. She chooses the Amish family. The author placed the reader inside the main characters shoes and had them looking at the world through their eyes. It was moving as both girls’ worlds are turned upside down and are plunged into a surreal one year experience.
Here’s a peek at the girls first impression of their new life. “Skylar had a lot to adjust to – new family, Amish rules by the silo full, no modern conveniences, and the frustration of living in a poor home. Every time she turned around, another pipe had broken, which meant someone had to haul water into the house so she could brush her teeth. …Who lived like this – no electric lights, washing clothes by hand even when the water worked…the hardest part of this ordeal thus far was the lack of drugs…All she could think about was a couple of tablets of Xanax, Ativan, or Valium. Anything to stop the incessant restless legs.”
**
Wow. FRAYING AT THE EDGE was an emotional read I read Ties that Bind and loved it, couldn't wait to get this one and next one is available. It was so emotional, with Ariana missing her family, being forced into a world she wanted no part of and having everything stripped away except a friendship with Quill that she didn't want. Likewise, Skylar, going from being a not exactly only child, but one with everything handed to her -- and a drug addiction, to being one of like a dozen children in a small house with a family that is dirt poor. How would either girl survive the culture shock?
Quill. He is absolutely wonderful. And Abram (twin of Skylar'). They are both so wonderful, thoughtful, beyond awesome men.
July 31, 2017
Fraying at the Edge
Amish of Summer Grove #2
By Cindy Woodsmall
For twenty years Ariana knew she was a Brenneman. And she was as Amish as she could be with her certainty that whatever those in authority said was the truth. But in an unexpected twist, she discovered that what she knew to be true was not as black and white as she had always believed. Her parents weren't her birth parents and she had no siblings. And the beliefs she had always held in highest regard were being attacked to her face and she wasn't allowed to be who she had always been. And worse, another young woman, a Skylar Nash was supposed to be living the life she had had. But Ariana was willing to be separated from the people she knew and loved to protect them from the man she had discovered was her biological father.
Meanwhile, Skylar is having issues of her own - no technology of any kind, banishment to the 18th century, sharing a bedroom, and no access to pills (to help her cope). And to top it all off the Brenneman's aren't that happy to see her thanks to her not being their precious Ariana. And they expect her to work like the rest of the family. But the Brenneman's is better than her other option rehab. But Skylar's biggest issue is that her not parent parents were more than eager to throw her over for a chance at a better daughter.
For both Ariana and Skylar life has just become so confusing as they struggle to make sense of who they are with their switched at birth identities revealed. And Ariana's siblings are having to find their new place without Ariana around to carry the load and make things better. The one hardest hit with the change is Abram - Ariana/Skylar's twin. And then there is Ariana's just purchased cafe that the Brenneman's are left with operating after two weeks of Ariana's guidance. Can we just say potential disaster in the making?
As Ariana and Skylar both confront the changes that life has just thrown at them they both have choices to make. And these choices could either make or break them. And for Ariana, her only hope of holding onto what makes her who she is is if she can withstand the pressures that Nicholas is placing on her. And to do that she will need to reach out to the one person who knows what she is going through - Quill Schlabach. But can Ariana trust someone who left the faith and broke her heart five years ago? And can she hold firm to who she is while being made to take part in a world she never wanted to know? And can Skylar use this separation from the world to get her life straightened out and get clean?
This the second book in the Amish of Summer Grove series continues the theme of family and familial ties. But this time it focuses more on what makes an individual a part of a family is it blood ties, the ties of rearing, or is it a decision made of the heart? And the back and forth between Ariana and Nicholas on matters of faith and belief makes for some interesting exchanges and Quill's insights offer even greater insights.
This book is both intriguing and thoughtful. But if you haven't read book 1 Ties that Bind you have to read it first! Much of this book would lose something without the backstory provided in book 1, though there is a The story so far... synopsis to refresh the reader's memory if needed. This is an excellent book that examines life and how circumstances play a part in our lives but the biggest influence on anyone is the choices they make. I highly recommend this book and anticipate the concluding book in this series Gathering the Threads which is releasing on August 15, 2017.
I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Amish of Summer Grove #2
By Cindy Woodsmall
For twenty years Ariana knew she was a Brenneman. And she was as Amish as she could be with her certainty that whatever those in authority said was the truth. But in an unexpected twist, she discovered that what she knew to be true was not as black and white as she had always believed. Her parents weren't her birth parents and she had no siblings. And the beliefs she had always held in highest regard were being attacked to her face and she wasn't allowed to be who she had always been. And worse, another young woman, a Skylar Nash was supposed to be living the life she had had. But Ariana was willing to be separated from the people she knew and loved to protect them from the man she had discovered was her biological father.
Meanwhile, Skylar is having issues of her own - no technology of any kind, banishment to the 18th century, sharing a bedroom, and no access to pills (to help her cope). And to top it all off the Brenneman's aren't that happy to see her thanks to her not being their precious Ariana. And they expect her to work like the rest of the family. But the Brenneman's is better than her other option rehab. But Skylar's biggest issue is that her not parent parents were more than eager to throw her over for a chance at a better daughter.
For both Ariana and Skylar life has just become so confusing as they struggle to make sense of who they are with their switched at birth identities revealed. And Ariana's siblings are having to find their new place without Ariana around to carry the load and make things better. The one hardest hit with the change is Abram - Ariana/Skylar's twin. And then there is Ariana's just purchased cafe that the Brenneman's are left with operating after two weeks of Ariana's guidance. Can we just say potential disaster in the making?
As Ariana and Skylar both confront the changes that life has just thrown at them they both have choices to make. And these choices could either make or break them. And for Ariana, her only hope of holding onto what makes her who she is is if she can withstand the pressures that Nicholas is placing on her. And to do that she will need to reach out to the one person who knows what she is going through - Quill Schlabach. But can Ariana trust someone who left the faith and broke her heart five years ago? And can she hold firm to who she is while being made to take part in a world she never wanted to know? And can Skylar use this separation from the world to get her life straightened out and get clean?
This the second book in the Amish of Summer Grove series continues the theme of family and familial ties. But this time it focuses more on what makes an individual a part of a family is it blood ties, the ties of rearing, or is it a decision made of the heart? And the back and forth between Ariana and Nicholas on matters of faith and belief makes for some interesting exchanges and Quill's insights offer even greater insights.
This book is both intriguing and thoughtful. But if you haven't read book 1 Ties that Bind you have to read it first! Much of this book would lose something without the backstory provided in book 1, though there is a The story so far... synopsis to refresh the reader's memory if needed. This is an excellent book that examines life and how circumstances play a part in our lives but the biggest influence on anyone is the choices they make. I highly recommend this book and anticipate the concluding book in this series Gathering the Threads which is releasing on August 15, 2017.
I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
June 30, 2017
I can't imagine leaving behind my entire family and moving in with complete strangers, at least to you, but one's you've learned are now your biological parents. To go from living as an Amish young woman to know having to enter an English home is what some might label as culture shock. You're entire way of living is drastically changed and all your hopes and dreams for the future are now placed on a temporary hold for a year. That is what Ariana Brennerman and Skylar Nash are both having to endure.
Ariana Brennerman believed she was the twin of her brother Abram only to learn that she was switched at birth by the midwife when she and Skylar were born in an Amish birthing center and thrust into the same carrier during a fire that same night in an effort to rescue them. For twenty years, they have both lived a life that now is about to be abruptly changed as both sets of parents have asked for time, a year, to spend time with their biological daughters. Ariana was set on preparing to marry Rudy, and now she learns that the entire large Brennerman family is not really her biological family and even worse that she isn't Abram's twin sister.
For Skyler Nash, living in an English world dealing with a prescription drug addiction as a way of dealing with her set of parents who apparently want nothing to do with her, since learning that they have a daughter with a better track record than she has displayed. Both girls will be faced with the challenges of trying to fit into vastly different worlds with parents who want nothing more than to get to know them. Skyler just wants her next drug fix and finding out a way to leave the Amish family and run off with her boyfriend. For Ariana, she has to come to terms with learning that she was conceived out of wedlock when her mom had an affair with a married woman, something she doesn't believe the Amish community and elders will forgive her for. Now she is faced with learning more about the Amish faith from an outsider looking in and seeing God for who He really is. Is it possible the Amish have it all wrong and if so, can she ever go back to her Amish roots and the man she left waiting for her?
I received Fraying At The Edge by Cindy Woodsmall compliments of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers. In the second novel of The Amish of Summer Grove series, I found myself really seeing things from both woman's perspective and seeing the difficulties in dealing with the choices they were faced with. Perhaps the one character I found myself truly admiring the most was Quill Schlabach, her childhood friend who had gotten stuck in the middle with keeping some things confidential to those he made agreements with. What a tough place to be. I don't think I could have kept those great of secrets especially if I knew I would hurt the person I was holding them from once they were revealed. Of course that would all come back to him and it does. Thankfully Ariana's faith is what gets her through some tough obstacles her English parents throw her way and now as in the first novel, this one ends with a bit of a cliff hanger ending, making me wish I had the third one, ready to read. The best part of this series, is the opening on this novel provided the reader with a short overview of what Book 1, Ties That Bind, was about for those who had to wait long months before this one was available. Now waiting on Gathering the Threads, and this will be a nail-biter for me. I just have to know how this will turn out. Once again, couldn't stop once I began this one because I needed to know how it would all play out. For me, that is the ear-mark of a true 5 out of 5 stars novel.
Ariana Brennerman believed she was the twin of her brother Abram only to learn that she was switched at birth by the midwife when she and Skylar were born in an Amish birthing center and thrust into the same carrier during a fire that same night in an effort to rescue them. For twenty years, they have both lived a life that now is about to be abruptly changed as both sets of parents have asked for time, a year, to spend time with their biological daughters. Ariana was set on preparing to marry Rudy, and now she learns that the entire large Brennerman family is not really her biological family and even worse that she isn't Abram's twin sister.
For Skyler Nash, living in an English world dealing with a prescription drug addiction as a way of dealing with her set of parents who apparently want nothing to do with her, since learning that they have a daughter with a better track record than she has displayed. Both girls will be faced with the challenges of trying to fit into vastly different worlds with parents who want nothing more than to get to know them. Skyler just wants her next drug fix and finding out a way to leave the Amish family and run off with her boyfriend. For Ariana, she has to come to terms with learning that she was conceived out of wedlock when her mom had an affair with a married woman, something she doesn't believe the Amish community and elders will forgive her for. Now she is faced with learning more about the Amish faith from an outsider looking in and seeing God for who He really is. Is it possible the Amish have it all wrong and if so, can she ever go back to her Amish roots and the man she left waiting for her?
I received Fraying At The Edge by Cindy Woodsmall compliments of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers. In the second novel of The Amish of Summer Grove series, I found myself really seeing things from both woman's perspective and seeing the difficulties in dealing with the choices they were faced with. Perhaps the one character I found myself truly admiring the most was Quill Schlabach, her childhood friend who had gotten stuck in the middle with keeping some things confidential to those he made agreements with. What a tough place to be. I don't think I could have kept those great of secrets especially if I knew I would hurt the person I was holding them from once they were revealed. Of course that would all come back to him and it does. Thankfully Ariana's faith is what gets her through some tough obstacles her English parents throw her way and now as in the first novel, this one ends with a bit of a cliff hanger ending, making me wish I had the third one, ready to read. The best part of this series, is the opening on this novel provided the reader with a short overview of what Book 1, Ties That Bind, was about for those who had to wait long months before this one was available. Now waiting on Gathering the Threads, and this will be a nail-biter for me. I just have to know how this will turn out. Once again, couldn't stop once I began this one because I needed to know how it would all play out. For me, that is the ear-mark of a true 5 out of 5 stars novel.
July 24, 2017
Fraying at the Edge (2016) by Cindy Woodsmall is the second novel in The Amish of Summer Grove series. This novel comes in all forms including eBook, and is 352 pages in length. With a full-time job and a five-year old at home, this novel took me four days to read. I received a copy of the novel from WaterBrook Press; all opinions expressed in this review are my own. I give this novel 5 STARS. This novel is a Contemporary Amish novel.
I very much enjoyed this novel. The action is fast-paced, the conflicts are exceptionally well written, and the characters are genuine!
The main characters in this novel are Ariana, Skylar, and Quill, and the narration switches between the three of them. Of the three characters, I feel the most for Ariana. Ariana has been raised Amish for the past 20 years. Now, her biological father, Nicholas, is forcing her out of what she knows in an attempt to de-Amish her. Nicholas uses every secular thing he can to persuade Ariana to rethink God, the Bible, and her strict Amish order. I felt horrified for Ariana as she was being forced to do things she didn't feel comfortable with. Nicholas gives Ariana a bucket list of things to do before he will let her back to her Amish family. One of the mandates is for her to go to a bar. She isn't even 21! And, she has no life skills to protect her from bar patrons. Thank goodness for Quill who does save the day, but this really made it hard for me to respect Nicholas. He is so adamant to prove that his atheistic beliefs are the only beliefs that he forgets to see Ariana as his child and puts her into some seriously scary situations. Over the course of the novel, Ariana does reassess herself as a woman and as a daughter of God, BUT she holds fast to her relationship with God, which helps her overcome her earthly father's seemingly harsh dictates. I really, truly loved this the most about Ariana.
One minor character I loved in this book is Cameron. Cameron is Skylar's stepsister, now Ariana's. Cameron is smart and witty and sarcastic. At first, this rubs Ariana the wrong way because Cameron is sort of making fun of Ariana's "backward" ways. Ariana stands up to Cameron, and they eventually become really close. I hope this relationship continues in the final book because I really found Cameron to be a sweetheart! She becomes a helper to Ariana, which makes navigating in this scary modern world a little less intense for Ariana.
There is so much to talk about with this book! I stopped my husband in his tracks a few times to discuss many of the various topics this book brings up. One issue I really appreciated about this book is the need for strong faith and learning how to suss out fact from fiction. When you have a true faith in God, you can truly overcome anything because you are able to lean into God in all times. Ariana overcomes her conflicts with her earthly father because she truly loves God and knows that He is there to comfort her. Once she realizes this she is able to stand up for herself and decide what is true, what thinking needs to be changed, and what beliefs she absolutely must hold fast to no matter what anyone says. I genuinely appreciate Ariana's journey throughout this novel. It reminds me a lot of my own walk with God, and the things I have had to overcome to get to the point where I am today.
This novel is beautifully written. The characters are excellent, and what they all go through definitely pulls at the heartstrings. I highly recommend this novel, and look forward to book three in the series.
I very much enjoyed this novel. The action is fast-paced, the conflicts are exceptionally well written, and the characters are genuine!
The main characters in this novel are Ariana, Skylar, and Quill, and the narration switches between the three of them. Of the three characters, I feel the most for Ariana. Ariana has been raised Amish for the past 20 years. Now, her biological father, Nicholas, is forcing her out of what she knows in an attempt to de-Amish her. Nicholas uses every secular thing he can to persuade Ariana to rethink God, the Bible, and her strict Amish order. I felt horrified for Ariana as she was being forced to do things she didn't feel comfortable with. Nicholas gives Ariana a bucket list of things to do before he will let her back to her Amish family. One of the mandates is for her to go to a bar. She isn't even 21! And, she has no life skills to protect her from bar patrons. Thank goodness for Quill who does save the day, but this really made it hard for me to respect Nicholas. He is so adamant to prove that his atheistic beliefs are the only beliefs that he forgets to see Ariana as his child and puts her into some seriously scary situations. Over the course of the novel, Ariana does reassess herself as a woman and as a daughter of God, BUT she holds fast to her relationship with God, which helps her overcome her earthly father's seemingly harsh dictates. I really, truly loved this the most about Ariana.
One minor character I loved in this book is Cameron. Cameron is Skylar's stepsister, now Ariana's. Cameron is smart and witty and sarcastic. At first, this rubs Ariana the wrong way because Cameron is sort of making fun of Ariana's "backward" ways. Ariana stands up to Cameron, and they eventually become really close. I hope this relationship continues in the final book because I really found Cameron to be a sweetheart! She becomes a helper to Ariana, which makes navigating in this scary modern world a little less intense for Ariana.
There is so much to talk about with this book! I stopped my husband in his tracks a few times to discuss many of the various topics this book brings up. One issue I really appreciated about this book is the need for strong faith and learning how to suss out fact from fiction. When you have a true faith in God, you can truly overcome anything because you are able to lean into God in all times. Ariana overcomes her conflicts with her earthly father because she truly loves God and knows that He is there to comfort her. Once she realizes this she is able to stand up for herself and decide what is true, what thinking needs to be changed, and what beliefs she absolutely must hold fast to no matter what anyone says. I genuinely appreciate Ariana's journey throughout this novel. It reminds me a lot of my own walk with God, and the things I have had to overcome to get to the point where I am today.
This novel is beautifully written. The characters are excellent, and what they all go through definitely pulls at the heartstrings. I highly recommend this novel, and look forward to book three in the series.
August 5, 2017
'Fraying at the Edge' picks up where 'Ties That Bind' left off with Ariana trying to figure out life in the English world while Skylar is feeling abandoned and disgruntled in the Amish one. If you haven't read the first book I highly suggest you do! I seriously can't imagine being in either girls shoes. And of course, not having to wait a year for the book to release is just a side benefit of the taking some time off. Gotta find the silver linings right?
Finding out she was switched at birth and really doesn't belong to the big Amish family she's always known. Now that her biological dad has found out, made a few threats, and arranged for her to spend a year with her English family it's not going quite the way everyone hoped it had. Not by a long shot. The guy is a jerk to the nth degree and in all caps. He is so against every single thing that Ariana values that he frequently crosses the line from 'broadening her horizons'. She's 20 years old and her English bucket list' includes go to a bar and bonus points for have a drink. Seriously? 'I'm such a great dad (who helped sorta raise an addict mind you) and I'm gonna ask my new child to drink illegally.' I wanted to hate him. I really did, however... I don't like him but I grew a tiny soft spot for him. He is so desperate to redo Ari's life that he makes all the same mistakes he made with Skylar. I like that he took a step off his high horse and allowed for a give and take with Ariana. I think they both realized that they could have a conversation and that they didn't have to agree. He's still a jerk, but a more human jerk. Brandi and even Cameron were changed, for the better, by their time with Ariana as well. I feel like even Ariana was changed, for the better, by her time with the English. The Amish, may not agree once she's home.
Skylar was the antithesis of Ariana in every single way. In the English world she was a pill popping rebellious entitled young adult that didn't care the consequences of her actions because it wasn't her fault right? In the Amish world she was withdrawn, withdrawing, and angry. So very angry. Her English family didn't want her anymore. Her Amish family was beyond the realm of understanding and loved Ariana so much that she didn't belong there either. And her boyfriend stopped sneaking her in pills. Consistency and love can go a long way. A lot of consistency. A LOT of love. A smidge of understanding and a boat load of patience. Somewhere along the way Skylar opened her heart just a tiny bit. She stepped into Ariana's dream (the cafe) and stepped up to help out the family. Her biological family. She learns a lot about love, and family and herself. She learns to actually take responsibility for life and others. And when she's given the opportunity to go back to the life she grew up with she's not ready.
I loved this story. I need to read the next story to know where the girls end up. How their situation fills out. And thanks to the book hiatus I don't have to wait at all. Well, through the other other's in the TBR pile but that's not a year, it's like a week.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Cindy Woodsmall and WaterBrook & Multnomah Publishing. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Originally published at https://fizzypopcollection.blogspot.c....
Finding out she was switched at birth and really doesn't belong to the big Amish family she's always known. Now that her biological dad has found out, made a few threats, and arranged for her to spend a year with her English family it's not going quite the way everyone hoped it had. Not by a long shot. The guy is a jerk to the nth degree and in all caps. He is so against every single thing that Ariana values that he frequently crosses the line from 'broadening her horizons'. She's 20 years old and her English bucket list' includes go to a bar and bonus points for have a drink. Seriously? 'I'm such a great dad (who helped sorta raise an addict mind you) and I'm gonna ask my new child to drink illegally.' I wanted to hate him. I really did, however... I don't like him but I grew a tiny soft spot for him. He is so desperate to redo Ari's life that he makes all the same mistakes he made with Skylar. I like that he took a step off his high horse and allowed for a give and take with Ariana. I think they both realized that they could have a conversation and that they didn't have to agree. He's still a jerk, but a more human jerk. Brandi and even Cameron were changed, for the better, by their time with Ariana as well. I feel like even Ariana was changed, for the better, by her time with the English. The Amish, may not agree once she's home.
Skylar was the antithesis of Ariana in every single way. In the English world she was a pill popping rebellious entitled young adult that didn't care the consequences of her actions because it wasn't her fault right? In the Amish world she was withdrawn, withdrawing, and angry. So very angry. Her English family didn't want her anymore. Her Amish family was beyond the realm of understanding and loved Ariana so much that she didn't belong there either. And her boyfriend stopped sneaking her in pills. Consistency and love can go a long way. A lot of consistency. A LOT of love. A smidge of understanding and a boat load of patience. Somewhere along the way Skylar opened her heart just a tiny bit. She stepped into Ariana's dream (the cafe) and stepped up to help out the family. Her biological family. She learns a lot about love, and family and herself. She learns to actually take responsibility for life and others. And when she's given the opportunity to go back to the life she grew up with she's not ready.
I loved this story. I need to read the next story to know where the girls end up. How their situation fills out. And thanks to the book hiatus I don't have to wait at all. Well, through the other other's in the TBR pile but that's not a year, it's like a week.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Cindy Woodsmall and WaterBrook & Multnomah Publishing. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
Originally published at https://fizzypopcollection.blogspot.c....
February 19, 2017
Two babies, switched at birth. One is raised Amish and the other is raised by her unmarried mother with very little input from her father. What happens when the switch is discovered and both families want to get to know their “real” child?
Fraying at the Edge is book two in the Amish of Summer Grove series by Cindy Woodsmall and it picks up seamlessly where Ties that Bind left off. Nicholas Jenkins, Ariana Brenneman’s biological father, has forced Ariana to leave the only home she’s ever known by threatening a lawsuit against the aging midwife who mixed up the two baby girls. Forget the fact that there was a fire in the birthing center and that one of the births was a set of twins. Nicholas, an atheist and free thinker, cannot stand the fact that his daughter was raised in such a cloistered religious community. He sees his demand as more of a rescue from a cult than an unfair disruption of Ariana’s life.
Skylar Nash, the other girl in the mix-up, grew up believing she could do whatever she wanted because her parents didn’t really care about her. They were too busy fighting each other to notice what she was doing. When she is caught with drugs in her system, her parents issue an ultimatum: rehab or live Amish for a year with your “real” family. Feeling abandoned by the only family she knows, Skylar decides to try living Amish – all the while, plotting ways to get drugs and planning her escape. Arriving on the Brenneman doorstep, she discovers that not only does she have parents who love her sight unseen but she also has 9 – count them – 9 siblings and one of them is her twin! Skylar can leave her electronics behind; she can even leave her phone behind but can she survive without her drugs? Does she even want to?
Will Ariana be able to withstand Nicholas’ constant badgering about why her faith isn’t valid? What happens when she begins to see that some of the things she was brought up to believe appear to be simply dictates of men who enjoy having power? When the time comes to return to Summer Grove and her fiancé, Rudy, will she return unchanged or will the ties binding her to the life she was supposed to live prove too strong?
Cindy Woodsmall weaves so many stories into one cohesive whole it’s an amazing thing to see! Fraying at the Edge is no exception. On the surface we have the two parallel stories of Ariana Brenneman and Skylar Nash. Then she throws in the story of Quill Schlabach and his brothers; Abram Brenneman and Cilla Yoder; Quill and Ariana; Quill and Frieda, Ariana’s best friend; sisters, Susie, Martha and Salome. There are so many characters it can be confusing keeping them straight but each story adds to the richness of the whole. With each story comes a little more understanding into the motivations behind some of the actions.
I can’t wait for the conclusion of the Amish of Summer Grove, Gathering the Threads, coming in August 2017. I definitely recommend this series but I also recommend that the books be read as a series beginning with Ties that Bind, moving into Fraying at the Edge and finishing with Gathering the Threads. While they can be read separately, the first two finish with something of a “cliff-hanger” and I think you miss a lot of the relationship nuances if you don’t read all three books in order. Cindy Woodsmall has moved into my “MUST READ” category and, so far, this series proves why!
I received this book free from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.
Fraying at the Edge is book two in the Amish of Summer Grove series by Cindy Woodsmall and it picks up seamlessly where Ties that Bind left off. Nicholas Jenkins, Ariana Brenneman’s biological father, has forced Ariana to leave the only home she’s ever known by threatening a lawsuit against the aging midwife who mixed up the two baby girls. Forget the fact that there was a fire in the birthing center and that one of the births was a set of twins. Nicholas, an atheist and free thinker, cannot stand the fact that his daughter was raised in such a cloistered religious community. He sees his demand as more of a rescue from a cult than an unfair disruption of Ariana’s life.
Skylar Nash, the other girl in the mix-up, grew up believing she could do whatever she wanted because her parents didn’t really care about her. They were too busy fighting each other to notice what she was doing. When she is caught with drugs in her system, her parents issue an ultimatum: rehab or live Amish for a year with your “real” family. Feeling abandoned by the only family she knows, Skylar decides to try living Amish – all the while, plotting ways to get drugs and planning her escape. Arriving on the Brenneman doorstep, she discovers that not only does she have parents who love her sight unseen but she also has 9 – count them – 9 siblings and one of them is her twin! Skylar can leave her electronics behind; she can even leave her phone behind but can she survive without her drugs? Does she even want to?
Will Ariana be able to withstand Nicholas’ constant badgering about why her faith isn’t valid? What happens when she begins to see that some of the things she was brought up to believe appear to be simply dictates of men who enjoy having power? When the time comes to return to Summer Grove and her fiancé, Rudy, will she return unchanged or will the ties binding her to the life she was supposed to live prove too strong?
Cindy Woodsmall weaves so many stories into one cohesive whole it’s an amazing thing to see! Fraying at the Edge is no exception. On the surface we have the two parallel stories of Ariana Brenneman and Skylar Nash. Then she throws in the story of Quill Schlabach and his brothers; Abram Brenneman and Cilla Yoder; Quill and Ariana; Quill and Frieda, Ariana’s best friend; sisters, Susie, Martha and Salome. There are so many characters it can be confusing keeping them straight but each story adds to the richness of the whole. With each story comes a little more understanding into the motivations behind some of the actions.
I can’t wait for the conclusion of the Amish of Summer Grove, Gathering the Threads, coming in August 2017. I definitely recommend this series but I also recommend that the books be read as a series beginning with Ties that Bind, moving into Fraying at the Edge and finishing with Gathering the Threads. While they can be read separately, the first two finish with something of a “cliff-hanger” and I think you miss a lot of the relationship nuances if you don’t read all three books in order. Cindy Woodsmall has moved into my “MUST READ” category and, so far, this series proves why!
I received this book free from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.
July 4, 2017
This book is from a series of books in the (Amish of Summer Grove) this is number two in that group. You don't have to read the first book in the series, as the reader is brought up to speed pretty quickly. The first book does really flesh out all of the characters and the fun part of this series is that for the most part of the two books so far, they aren't really as much about Amish characters as they are about how they are brought up and their belief system which is challenged when Ariana and Skyler find they are switched at birth, Ariana has to go live with her natural family or the father will sue the woman involved in the switch accident, and so she agrees to live as an English person for a year.
Her sister or the girl who was brought up as her for all of those years has gotten into drugs and she really doesn't want to take part in the switch back, but she has a choice go live with her natural Amish parents or go to a rehabilitation center to get her drug problem under control. Boy do these girls run into problems living as they never have before!! Ariana has to leave behind a boyfriend/ soon to be fiance and the cafe she bought to run.
I was given this book in exchange for a fair review which is what I have done above through the publisher WaterBrook Multnomah. The following is the description of this book as found here on Good Reads.
"Family, community, faith, and love. These "quilt blocks" sewn together made Ariana's beautiful life. When they are pulled to pieces, will anything familiar remain? The Old Order Amish life Ariana Brenneman loved vanished virtually overnight with the discovery that she was switched at birth twenty years ago. Now she's immersed in the Englischer world, getting to know her mother, and under the authority of her biological father, an atheist intellectual with resolute plans to expand Ariana's worldview. Only Quill Schlabach, a childhood friend living Englisch, can help steady Ariana's tilting ground between the two worlds, but can she trust him after so many betrayals? At the same time, Skylar Nash is forced to choose rehab or spend several months with her true relatives, the large Brenneman family and their seemingly backward life--no electricity, no technology, no fun. What the young woman can't leave behind is her addiction to illegal prescription drugs and deep emptiness from the belief that she doesn't belong in either family. New ties are binding Ariana and Skylar to the lives they were meant to have. Can they pray for the wisdom and strength they'll need to follow God's threads into unexpected futures? Fraying at the Edge is the second novel in The Amish of Summer Grove series"
Her sister or the girl who was brought up as her for all of those years has gotten into drugs and she really doesn't want to take part in the switch back, but she has a choice go live with her natural Amish parents or go to a rehabilitation center to get her drug problem under control. Boy do these girls run into problems living as they never have before!! Ariana has to leave behind a boyfriend/ soon to be fiance and the cafe she bought to run.
I was given this book in exchange for a fair review which is what I have done above through the publisher WaterBrook Multnomah. The following is the description of this book as found here on Good Reads.
"Family, community, faith, and love. These "quilt blocks" sewn together made Ariana's beautiful life. When they are pulled to pieces, will anything familiar remain? The Old Order Amish life Ariana Brenneman loved vanished virtually overnight with the discovery that she was switched at birth twenty years ago. Now she's immersed in the Englischer world, getting to know her mother, and under the authority of her biological father, an atheist intellectual with resolute plans to expand Ariana's worldview. Only Quill Schlabach, a childhood friend living Englisch, can help steady Ariana's tilting ground between the two worlds, but can she trust him after so many betrayals? At the same time, Skylar Nash is forced to choose rehab or spend several months with her true relatives, the large Brenneman family and their seemingly backward life--no electricity, no technology, no fun. What the young woman can't leave behind is her addiction to illegal prescription drugs and deep emptiness from the belief that she doesn't belong in either family. New ties are binding Ariana and Skylar to the lives they were meant to have. Can they pray for the wisdom and strength they'll need to follow God's threads into unexpected futures? Fraying at the Edge is the second novel in The Amish of Summer Grove series"
February 9, 2018
This is the second book of the Amish of Summer Grove series by Cindy Woodsmall. Because of their close relationship with each other, it's best to read book 1 before you read this second one. In the first book, An Amish mother has had nagging doubts about her child since she was born. There were small things that pointed to the possibility that her baby girl was switched accidentally at birth with another baby girl being born at the same time to an Englisch mother. Yet in spite of these feelings, she kept it to herself until her daughter was 20 years old.
Ariana, growing up in a close-knit community suddenly learns she was born to non-Amish parents. In the discovery process, a DNA test was done and it was discovered the other girl, also a 20 year old college student, was not related to the parents she grew up with. A decision is made, mostly because of the stubborn belligerence of Ariana's birth father who insisted she come and spend a year with his family or he would sue the Amish midwife who delivered both babies. Skylar, the other daughter born to Amish parents but reared in the Englisch world, was also wrenched out of her comfortable world and into a very foreign Amish world where she must give up her phone, electricity, money, bank accounts her education (and unfortunately, her drugs) to live with the Brennemans.
The key words in this book are turmoil, upheaval, confusion, unhappiness, and struggle. Skylar now has 9 brothers and sisters and countless nephews and nieces, and not a moment of quiet. She hates working, and her attitude is a major stumbling block to forming any relationship with her new family. In the meantime, Ariana is confused by a father who claims he does not believe in God, hates the Amish way of life, and thinks he can win her over through books and arguments. Angst is a mild term for what these two girls experience over a period of several months. I could barely put the book down since every page was full of unknowns and struggle.
The parts I liked best were where both Skylar and Ariana have to dig deep into themselves to re-arrange who they thought they were and wanted to be. The process was gradual, painful, but there were turning points that were encouraging. This is a book that will make you think as well as feel. In my opinion, this series is the absolute best that this author has written so far. Her soap opera like writing style brings out uncertainties and helps us question life in the very best ways possible. I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series.
Ariana, growing up in a close-knit community suddenly learns she was born to non-Amish parents. In the discovery process, a DNA test was done and it was discovered the other girl, also a 20 year old college student, was not related to the parents she grew up with. A decision is made, mostly because of the stubborn belligerence of Ariana's birth father who insisted she come and spend a year with his family or he would sue the Amish midwife who delivered both babies. Skylar, the other daughter born to Amish parents but reared in the Englisch world, was also wrenched out of her comfortable world and into a very foreign Amish world where she must give up her phone, electricity, money, bank accounts her education (and unfortunately, her drugs) to live with the Brennemans.
The key words in this book are turmoil, upheaval, confusion, unhappiness, and struggle. Skylar now has 9 brothers and sisters and countless nephews and nieces, and not a moment of quiet. She hates working, and her attitude is a major stumbling block to forming any relationship with her new family. In the meantime, Ariana is confused by a father who claims he does not believe in God, hates the Amish way of life, and thinks he can win her over through books and arguments. Angst is a mild term for what these two girls experience over a period of several months. I could barely put the book down since every page was full of unknowns and struggle.
The parts I liked best were where both Skylar and Ariana have to dig deep into themselves to re-arrange who they thought they were and wanted to be. The process was gradual, painful, but there were turning points that were encouraging. This is a book that will make you think as well as feel. In my opinion, this series is the absolute best that this author has written so far. Her soap opera like writing style brings out uncertainties and helps us question life in the very best ways possible. I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series.
August 17, 2017
I loved this fascinating book! Talk about a culture shock for both girls! Ariana goes from a loving, very conservative family and community to angry parents who want to throw her in the deep end of Englisch life. I really felt for Ariana and her confusion and angst about dealing with everything. I loved how she had to work through the legalism and understand why is she doing the things she's doing. Why does she obey the Ordnung? Did God really command them to do or wear certain things or not do or wear them. Are we questioning what we're told by our pastors and others in authority and measuring it against the Bible, not just taking their word for what God said or meant. I could relate to her struggle with being judgmental. Sometimes it's hard to see people do certain things that are wrong morally or even just seem stupid to you and not judge them. However, only God has the right to judge. I used to see things as more black and white, just like Ariana, but as I've gotten older I see the gray more and more. There was also a situation she got herself into because she was too naive and Quill had some great advice about not being too nice to someone who was trying to use you so that you aren't using your good sense or being wise. I really enjoyed Cameron, her step-sister; she was pretty funny and brutally honest. Skylar was a bit hard to take as she was struggling with her addiction and wasn't particularly pleasant to be around. I also felt sorry for her, however, to go from a pretty easy life to one of such physical labor and none of the entertainment she was used to. I liked getting the different viewpoints of Quill, Ariana and Skylar. I liked seeing Ariana grow both as a person and in her spiritual life and also see how her relationships with her family and Quill evolved. You definitely have to read the first book in the series before this one, though there is a handy summary of the first book at the beginning of this one. There's also a glossary and a list of main characters. I highly recommend this book if you like Amish stories or just a unique tale of two girls trying to find where they belong.
I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review.
July 3, 2017
Being the second book in a series, this review is bound to have spoilers for the first book so read with caution if you tend to dislike spoilers like I do.
The third and last book in this series comes out next month so this is the best time to get and read the first two books both of which I highly recommend.
Fraying at the Edge continues the story started in the previous book beginning right as Ariana and Skylar are learning about the lives they were meant to have been a part of. Switched at birth, Ariana grew up Amish when she was supposed to have grown up in an American broken household, while the vice versa is true of Skylar. Ariana experiences going to movies and malls, cutting her hair, wearing colorful clothing, driving a car, and going on a cultural road trip all for the first time while coping with whether she is going against the very literal faith she grew up learning in the Amish community. She also has to learn to love her birth father who is an atheist constantly trying to prove her faith wrong. Meanwhile, Skylar is coping with her drug addiction and losing faith in living life as the Amish lifestyle gently shows her another side to life.
The part that stuck out the most to me was the character development. Through Woodsmall's relaxed and simple writing style, the story played out dramatically in the minds of her characters. Ariana learns how to reconcile her faith with the positive and negative truths she finds in the real world, which is something powerful that we go through everyday as Christians. Skylar starts to find unconditional love in an unlikely place, while her Amish twin, Abram, finds friendship even amidst his rejection from the first book. I look forward to seeing the end result of their journey as it concludes in Gathering the Threads.
Additionally, as Ariana explores the normal world, I love the references to pop culture such as the Disney movies she watched. It makes the series feel more like it is really happening here in our time and part of the world especially for those who have not seen Amish Country or horse and buggy firsthand.
The third and last book in this series comes out next month so this is the best time to get and read the first two books both of which I highly recommend.
Fraying at the Edge continues the story started in the previous book beginning right as Ariana and Skylar are learning about the lives they were meant to have been a part of. Switched at birth, Ariana grew up Amish when she was supposed to have grown up in an American broken household, while the vice versa is true of Skylar. Ariana experiences going to movies and malls, cutting her hair, wearing colorful clothing, driving a car, and going on a cultural road trip all for the first time while coping with whether she is going against the very literal faith she grew up learning in the Amish community. She also has to learn to love her birth father who is an atheist constantly trying to prove her faith wrong. Meanwhile, Skylar is coping with her drug addiction and losing faith in living life as the Amish lifestyle gently shows her another side to life.
The part that stuck out the most to me was the character development. Through Woodsmall's relaxed and simple writing style, the story played out dramatically in the minds of her characters. Ariana learns how to reconcile her faith with the positive and negative truths she finds in the real world, which is something powerful that we go through everyday as Christians. Skylar starts to find unconditional love in an unlikely place, while her Amish twin, Abram, finds friendship even amidst his rejection from the first book. I look forward to seeing the end result of their journey as it concludes in Gathering the Threads.
Additionally, as Ariana explores the normal world, I love the references to pop culture such as the Disney movies she watched. It makes the series feel more like it is really happening here in our time and part of the world especially for those who have not seen Amish Country or horse and buggy firsthand.
August 9, 2017
When last we left our heroines, both were overcoming stresses of their new situations. Arianna is living with the people who raised Skylar, and Skylar is living with the people who raised Arianna. Living in the Englisch world is beyond a challenge for Arianna. Her biological father wants her to learn to live in the world, question it, and embrace it. He has no belief in God and wants to tear down hers. He not only wants to change her inside, but outside as well. He wants her hair cut, her clothing totally changed, and her attitudes changed. He writes a bucket list for her and expects her to fulfill it as a condition to returning to her Amish family.
For Skylar, the Amish world is totally backwards, and living by their rules is going to drive her to the looney bin. She thinks she can hide her drugs and her habit, but Lovina, Skylar's biological mother, is wise to to Skylar's actions.
In the interim, Arianna's sisters and her twin are running the cafe with mixed results. To save her sanity, and to have access to a phone, Skylar pitches in to help with the cafe. After her last drugs run out, Lovina confronts Skylar and forces her to detox, but stands beside her to help her through the withdrawal.
Arianna feels pushed into a corner to fulfill the bucket list, even though much of it goes against her conscience. When Arianna's friend, Quill, finds out what all is on the list, he confronts Ari's biological father and explains to him what loving a child is all about. I think that is my favorite part of the book.
One thing about Cindy Woodsmall's series is that she sometimes leaves her characters hanging off the metaphoric cliff and makes her readers wait until the next installment. Fraying at the Edge does exactly that, but it's still worth five stars, two thumbs up, and a cup of coffee, a scone, and a bucket list.
My thanks to Waterbrook/Multnomah for allowing me to read and review this book.
For Skylar, the Amish world is totally backwards, and living by their rules is going to drive her to the looney bin. She thinks she can hide her drugs and her habit, but Lovina, Skylar's biological mother, is wise to to Skylar's actions.
In the interim, Arianna's sisters and her twin are running the cafe with mixed results. To save her sanity, and to have access to a phone, Skylar pitches in to help with the cafe. After her last drugs run out, Lovina confronts Skylar and forces her to detox, but stands beside her to help her through the withdrawal.
Arianna feels pushed into a corner to fulfill the bucket list, even though much of it goes against her conscience. When Arianna's friend, Quill, finds out what all is on the list, he confronts Ari's biological father and explains to him what loving a child is all about. I think that is my favorite part of the book.
One thing about Cindy Woodsmall's series is that she sometimes leaves her characters hanging off the metaphoric cliff and makes her readers wait until the next installment. Fraying at the Edge does exactly that, but it's still worth five stars, two thumbs up, and a cup of coffee, a scone, and a bucket list.
My thanks to Waterbrook/Multnomah for allowing me to read and review this book.
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