Just Look Up
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Average rating5
15
Ratings1
Average rating5
After tirelessly climbing the ranks of her Chicago-based interior design firm, Lane Kelley is about to land her dream promotion when devastating news about her brother draws her back home—a quaint tourist town full of memories she’d just as soon forget. With her cell phone and laptop always within reach, Lane aims to check on her brother while staying focused on work—something her eclectic family doesn’t understand. Ryan Brooks never expected to settle down in Harbor Pointe, Michigan, but after his final tour of duty, it was the only place that felt like home. Now knee-deep in a renovation project that could boost tourism for the struggling town, he is thrilled to see Lane, the girl he secretly once loved, even if the circumstances of her homecoming aren’t ideal. Their reunion gets off to a rocky start, however, when Ryan can’t find a trace of the girl he once knew in the woman she is today. As he slowly chips away at the walls Lane has built, secrets from his past collide with a terrible truth even he is reluctant to believe. Facing a crossroads that could define his future with Lane and jeopardize his relationship with the surrogate family he’s found in the Kelleys, Ryan hopes Lane can see that maybe what really matters has been right in front of her all along—if only she’d just look up.
Reviews with the most likes.
I really connected easily with these characters and enjoyed every moment of this story. I've known people who felt like Lane did...an outsider in their own family. Not just any family to feel alone in, either—five kids and many honorary kids, because her parents had huge hearts and wanted to help all sorts of people. But Lane is so different, and all she can see are the differences, and the pain of having been teased in school mercilessly (and her mother doesn't think the teasing was that bad, because her mother is determined to think well of everyone).
It's tender, heartfelt books like this one that make me keep reading contemporary fiction. I've never enjoyed contemporary to quite the same level as historical, but every now and then there's one that just fills up my heart and warms it all through. This is a delightful story, and I loved spending time with Lane, Ryan (“Brooks”), and (most of) the whole colorful cast of side characters. For now it's a stand-alone, but I hope Courtney Walsh will consider returning to this cozy small town for another story at some point! (Edit, 9/2017: It is now listed as #1 of a series. So happy!)
Anyway, Ryan, a veteran, has his own issues to think about, including an alcoholic father and a best friend in a coma in the hospital. He was deployed when Lane's life fell apart and he hadn't kept up with her much before that. To me, I didn't connect emotionally with him to the same degree as to Lane, partly because he was further along the road to healing, and she had so many more things to work through in the present. But he was a great hero, and he showed so many great hero qualities.
I liked it that both characters are already Christians, and though there wasn't tons of Christian-y stuff in the book, it's to the point and enjoyable. While you couldn't accuse it of being preachy, it's clear where the characters are in their beliefs and that they grow to be more dependent on God through the course of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley for a free review copy. Positive review not required.
Featured Series
3 primary booksHarbor Pointe is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2017 with contributions by Courtney Walsh.
