Together with you

by Andrea Renee Cox

The premise for Together with You sounded promising, but I was disappointed by the first chapter. I didn't realize this book focused on the child that came from an affair. Yes, life is messy, but that doesn't mean I want to read about such promiscuity. Still, I tried to keep an open mind. While I enjoyed parts of this book (the innocent relationship between Taylor and Kyle, the growth and maturity of Eric, and the marine-life angle), it really came off as a dissertation on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and its various acronyms and relations. It also morphed into a thick debate on religion for the back third of the novel, which annoyed me simply for the fact that the nonbeliever was so pushy that his way was correct and the girl should just forget her morals and marry a nonbeliever. I couldn't buy into that, especially when he said he respected her faith. If he did, he wouldn't have pushed for her to go against a core piece of it.

I appreciate the author's heart for special-needs children. It's clear that Ms. Bylin cares deeply for them. A lighter touch on the material would have been more enjoyable to read, but I thought she did well creating the character of Penny. Very eye-opening and delightful, though challenging, girl.

I would try another of Ms. Bylin's books to see if a different theme lent itself better to her style of writing.

This is my unbiased and honest opinion.