Friday, June 01, 2007

IF WE LISTENED by Jenna Bayley-Burke




IF WE LISTENED is one of my favorite stories...and today I received another great review...so good I wanted to share! 5 Angels from Fallen Angel Reviews!

Rachel and Evan Hansen have been surprised by their daughter, Julie,and her boyfriend, Nathan. The young couple has announced their plan to marry. Understandably, Rachel and Evan have some very definite ideas about the news. They know what young love feels like; they're not so old that they don't recall how Julie feels. But they know, too, how a decision like this can impact young lives. Their daughter's behavior brings back memories of the way they eloped when they were younger.



If We Listened by Jenna Bayley-Burke is a timeless story about aserious topic. The decision to marry or not is one to be weighed carefully at any age. Any parents in this situation would have concerns. I liked it that this was realistic in its portrayal of thesubject. Ms. Bayley-Burke didn't try to gloss over the bigger issue,the marriage of two young adults. The dialogue between Evan and Rachel is compelling and realistic. Aside from the fact that the story is seamless and engaging, this exchange of thoughts and memories between the parents is what I like best about this story.Through their reminiscences, the reader sees how their decision tomarry affected their lives. This is a touching, tender story and I honestly loved it. I am looking forward to reading more from this talented author.



....not only is it a great review...it is so well written! I know,that is an author thing...this story has been getting good reviewsall along, but this is the best yet.

"Ms. Bayley-Burke is able to paint a vivid picture of a tough decision and the results of them. She also shows the choices you may make in life affect how you end up conducting yourself with your children. I felt the story was believable since many people elope to escape the stress of planning a wedding. It was a wonderful story and very heart felt." -- 4 cups from Coffee Time Romance

"A delightful little read. One that made me think. The dedication also made me smile." --4 champagne glasses, Cocktail Reviews

"Ms. Bayley-Burke did a nice job of working believable characters into a realistic situation and still pull off a mini-story in such short a length." - Wild Child magazine, 3 cats

3 comments:

Allie Boniface said...

Congrats on the terrific review! Sounds like a great story!!

Marianne Arkins said...

Wonderful reviews! Congratulations.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful review. Congrats!