Live Without You

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Victoria Lynn Designs. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts.

What's worth risking your heart?

That's a powerful theme in Sarah Grace Grzy's debut book, Live Without You. The characters face it many times throughout the story, but the reader does as well.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about Piper's and Ezra's journeys was the faith thread. For each character, it was a little different, but both grew well into deeper belief. That, in a story, always gives me great hope that such incredible spiritual growth is possible each day. Sometimes it feels like my own growth is by inches; other times, it feels bigger, stronger. It's especially nice to read books that deal with faith conquering fears, because I've personally lived that out and know just how strengthening it is – not because of my own strength, or the characters', but because of God's strength working in us. That was beautifully displayed in this book.

If you've followed my reviews for any length of time, you know I love it when the emotions of a story pull me in and refuse to let go. While I did not cry this time around, my emotions were still tugged in early. I'm not sure when they'll be released! At times it felt like a roller coaster – but that wasn't a bad thing this time! I loved the ebb and flow of certain emotions in this one, especially when the lovely banter came in to lighten up the mood, often at the perfect time.

The plot twists... oh, honey! They kept coming and surprising me. Hard to do, as I've read a TON of books and can “call” the majority of upcoming events in novels before they happen, but this author did a wonderful job of keeping me guessing. I don't know how many times my jaw dropped in shock at the next turn of events. I really appreciate the authors who can completely keep me guessing while remaining true to the characters and following a logical path to the surprises. That's some talent!

With the theme of risking one's heart, the author could have chosen a route of loose morals, but I really like that she kept the romance clean and sweet. It still felt so real too! That gave me such hope that romances that keep to God's standards of purity may still happen out in the real world, though they get harder to find every day. This story was a great example of how to respect the person you're interested in romancing while also respecting God and yourself. Morals don't have to be compromised in order to have a special relationship. In fact, the relationship in this story was made even more incredible because the characters stuck to their moral code and leaned on God's wisdom in how to proceed in their romantic journey. That, to me, is one of the sweetest and most real things about romance.

4.5 stars
I loved this story of hurt and healing! Piper is an endearing and memorable character (you just want to wrap her up and hug her until she doesn't hurt any more) and I couldn't wait to read about how she would finally let her walls down and trust God again. It hurt to think of her loss of her beloved brother and made me want a big brother of my own all the more (my older brother was stillborn and somehow I've always dreamed of what he would have been like).

So, in a nutshell, this book digs into all the emotions and yet offers sparks of humor (the kitten) and shades of beautiful new friendships (Miss Cecile is great!). It's a really good journey.