Still Time

by Maria Hoagland

What if your life all of the sudden changed and you were powerless to go back to the way it was?

Wife, mom, and now caregiver Alyssa can understand a little of what her confused mother-in-law is going through. A little.
Thrust into the chaos of her mother-in-law’s hoarding and forgetfulness, LDS church member Alyssa Johnston wishes she could retreat to a simpler time when her kids were small and almost anything could be fixed with a hug. But reassurance and a quick distraction no longer erase the pain of a missionary son who is struggling, a young teen who is bullied, or a daughter who is distant. As Aly’s own life and relationship with her husband plunge out of control, she wonders if her faith will be enough to keep her family—or herself—from falling apart. Still Time is a deeply moving story about a woman’s faithful journey into the next phase of her life. You will laugh with Aly, feel her sorrow, and see yourself in Maria Hoagland’s realistic, heartfelt portrayal of a woman’s struggle to keep her family safe and hold back time as long as she can.

A novel about duty and sacrifice, forgiveness and redemption.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Contemporary

334 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2014

About the author

Maria Hoagland writes about hearts, homes, and happily ever afters. Known for her fun and flirty sweet romance and women's fiction, Maria's novels make great book club choices. She's published over a dozen books including two Whitney Award finalists, and has no plans to stop writing any time soon.

When Maria is not working at her computer, she can be found combing used furniture stores or remodeling houses with her husband. She loves crunching leaves in the fall, stealing cookie dough from the mixing bowl, and listening to musicals at high volumes.

Reviews

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometime realistic fiction turns me off because I read to escape real life, but I can't stop thinking about this one. Alyssa (Aly) finds herself in a world that has turned upside down. Sacrificing everything to help her family, she finds herself learning a lot about people, life in general, and herself.

I could totally relate to some of this book. First of all, it starts out with Alyssa running an exercise class at the church. I do that! I knew right away that I would have some type of connection with her. My husband and I have talked about moving and seeing what this family went through made me realize how difficult it can be on the kids. I have a son who will be missionary age in less than two years now and even now he seems up and down--those struggles carry over, I'm sure. There were so many things that were similar to my life--crazy work and travel schedule for husband, distant teen daughter, picked on son, trying to balance church, motherhood, time for self, etc for the wife. Fortunately, my mother-in-law is perfectly fine, although she cared for her own mother-in-law who suffered from some health and memory problems (what a Saint!). I can't even imagine having to throw that into the mix.

I love how strong Aly becomes, yet she's far from perfect. The chapter titles were very fitting and all had to do with time. I loved how everything ended up--it was just right for the story.

Content: Clean!

[Segullah · Rating 3 out of 5]

till Time, by Maria Hoagland. Alyssa Johnston’s life is going pretty well–son on a mission, kids doing well with friends and school–when her father-in-law dies, and the family discovers that her mother-in-law needs live-in care. She uproots her family in order to care for her mother-in-law’s Alzheimer’s, while still managing the needs of her children and her husband. The book alternates between Alyssa’s voice and that of Ruth, her mother-in-law. I loved the passages in Ruth’s voice; they were my favorite part. Alzheimer’s is so very challenging, especially when it’s your mother-in-law and not your mother. As a member of the sandwich generation myself (my husband’s parents have lived in our home for thirteen years), I can relate to the tension of needing to care for children and parents. It’s rough. I think the reason I struggled with this book, though, was that I didn’t feel like Alyssa ever hit rock bottom. Yes, it was rough, but her problems, from challenges with Ruth to ones with her husband and children, got fixed too easily for me. I wrote about this years ago the first time I read for the Whitneys. There’s a deus ex machina inherent in LDS theology: we do believe that God will save us in our dark hours. If God saves a book character too soon, though, the book doesn’t work as well, and for me that was the case with Alyssa’s challenges.

[A.L. Sowards]

4+ stars, and that’s coming from someone who normally doesn’t like women’s fiction. This one was different enough from my life that it was interesting, but close enough to the experiences of friends and family members that it felt real.

Allyson and her family move from a small town in Texas to Boise, Idaho to help care for her aging mother-in-law. Taking care of someone with Alzheimers is hard enough, but her two kids still at home have some challenges adjusting to new schools and new friends at church, her son on a mission questions his faith, and she and her husband have a hard time fitting in. The author painted a realistic picture of a likeable, struggling family, and she did it without manipulating my emotions.

[Ranee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real life issues, where everything isn’t dealt with perfectly but people are trying their best at life. I was frustrated with some of the characters and would’ve liked to see more resolutions, especially at the ending chapters. Things were just thrown together as okay, it seemed like.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

PHENOMENAL WRITING!
You are quickly pulled into the story...wanting to know what happens next!

In life we have a beginning time, a middle time, and an end time..

It is in the middle time that Alyssa finds herself now...

The middle time of life....

AND the middle time of care-giving...

Still taking care of her children...and now taking care of her parent (her mother-in-law)

Life gets even crazier as she finds that her son is struggling, and she has to move her family to a new state with new schools, and her mother-in-law is showing signs of dementia and Alzheimer disease.

Wishing she could go back to a simpler time...

She realizes that this is her time to truly take care of her family...immediate and extended.

But that doesn't make this time and easy time.

Journey with Alyssa as she takes the time to anguish with the "pain of a missionary son who is questioning, a young teen who is being bullied, a daughter who is distant, a husband who is struggling, and a mother-in-law who is now hoarding and forgetting."

Is there 'STILL TIME' to keep everything "from falling apart?"

A FANTASTIC READ!
You will chuckle, weep, and rejoice with Alyssa and her family.

[Marianne Sciucco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still Time is an insightful novel that sheds light on the plight of "the sandwich generation," those among us working, raising children, and caring for a parent (or parents!) with Alzheimer's or other serious health concerns. Alyssa and her family relocate a thousand miles to take care of her recently widowed mother-in-law suffering with dementia. The family juggles many issues familiar to most of us: kids in high school, middle school, or church service, all with their own difficulties and frustrations; relocation and the changes inherent, including a new house, community, church, and employment; an aging, ill parent; and siblings unable or unwilling to share in the care of that parent. Ruth, her m-i-l, is uncooperative bordering on abusive, unaware of her condition and not sure why her son and his family are now living in her house or if she even wants them there. The characters are multidimensional, the dialogue and subplots believable, and the writing clear and uncluttered. Well done. I also learned a lot about the Mormon Church, which I haven't had much exposure to. Still Time is an excellent read for anyone curious about Alzheimer's or seeking validation of his or her role as caregiver.

[Stacy Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected; it was so much more! Although my children are still very young, I was still able to relate to Alyssa and her everyday struggles. I loved watching how she and her family grew and developed throughout the story. I was honestly sad when the book ended, because I wanted more. I wanted to know what was next for each character.

The first time the chapter switched point of view, I was admittedly turned off by it. I was comfortable being inside Alyssa's head. But as soon as I got used to hearing Ruth's thoughts, it took the book to a whole new level! And now I realize the story would not be nearly as good without it. I thought Hoagland did a phenomenal job describing the confusion and frustration of being a woman with dementia and Alzheimer's. The chapters told from her mother-in-law's point of view were so emotional and raw, I truly felt for her! This book was emotional and powerful! A fantastic read for any LDS woman who is struggling with anything in her life. Oh wait, that's all of us!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start by saying I really loved the titles of the chapters in this book, each a phrase about time, so clever! I love the characters in this book, Alyssa, or Aly, is really an amazing woman, willing to do what she knows that she needs to do for the woman who raised her son and she herself had called mom for many years. I really enjoyed the peeks into Ruth's mind as well, even though she was confused about the people and world around her. I can't imagine having to do what Aly had to, give up her whole life and move into Ruth's home to care for her day after day. All the worry and all the rejection when Ruth doesn't recognize her or her kids. There's also Aly's concern for her children one barely on a mission, one uprooted in her difficult high school years, and one as a junior high boy. I loved each of her children and rooted for them in the good times and bad. Maria Hoagland is a master at crafting characters that you care about in situations that feel real. This is a fun book that you won't want to miss!

[Charissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

LDS Women’s Fiction. The characters seemed so genuine to me as I read this story. I swear they could have been my next door neighbors, they were so real. This is a well-edited book about Alzheimer’s, hording, moms of missionaries, cross-country moves, taking care of the elderly, and fitting in at school. It follows the life of Alyssa who is juggling family, caregiving of her mother-in-law, finding her niche in a new town and neighborhood, and keeping her sanity. Time doesn’t allow her to be everything to everybody, but she works with the time she has and does a pretty dang good job. I really liked the characters. They were well-developed and super 'real.' The story is different than any other I’ve read, but was well worth reading. I highly recommend it, especially if you want to know more about dealing with someone with Alzheimer’s. The author did a great job delving into that subject and many others.

[Julia Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of Maria's books I have reviewed. It took me a while to get used to reading a book written in first person. In the end though, I felt like I could connect with the characters and the story well. 'Aly' was one brave woman to tackle taking care teenagers and her mother-in-law at the same time. It was nice to read that she had the same feelings and thoughts I would have had in those situations. She was far more patient than I would have been though. My favorite line from the book was, "If you let the Lord write the story of your mission, it will be a story worth telling." In the book they were talking about serving an LDS mission but I think that applies to life as well. If we dedicate our lives to the Lord our story will be a great one! I love discovering new Authors. I own Maria's other books as well and look forward to reading them soon!

[Teresa Hirst · Rating 5 out of 5]

The family who moves in just weeks to become caretakers to a mom and grandma with Alzheimer's has no idea that the crises ahead will come from multiple directions. Hoagland carries the reader through the realities of the day to day life of a caretaker with depth and understanding. I appreciated her characters who changed and grew as a result. A wonderful perspective to add to shelves of LDS fiction.

[Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably the lamest book I have ever read. The sentences were choppy, the story had no flow, I felt it started right in the middle of a cliff notes version. There is a misunderstanding in a family and a husband who skips church and some cookies are made and grandma has dementia. I can't even write a smooth review because the story was so disjointed. No language, no sex, no violence.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart-warming.

But characters and difficult issues were just glossed over. Also, it felt like she tried to tackle too much in too short a novel. There were a lot of good things and real struggles we deal with, often at the same time like in this story, but it just felt rushed and riddled with holes.

I think my favorite book about dealing with alzheimers is Still Alice.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story line - the many plots going on kept me interested. I didn't want to put it down. Best one yet!

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give only 2 stars for editing. My Kindle version was rife with errors.

[Lucinda]

2014 Whitney Awards finalist in the General category.