Thursday, December 31, 2015

FALL READING CHALLENGE: The Word Game by Steena Holmes

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Description: Go inside the complicated world of sisterly relations, family secrets and unthinkable acts with this course by Steena Holmes. Past students are still talking about it!
Paperback: 207 pages


  • Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (November 3, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1503947130
  • ISBN-13: 978-1503947139


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    Synopsis: For overprotective parent Alyson Ward, any time her daughter, Lyla, is out of sight is reason to panic. So it’s a big step for her when she lets Lyla attend a sleepover at her cousin’s house. Comforted by the knowledge that her sister, Tricia, is the chaperone, Alyson does the one thing she never thought possible: she lets go and trusts that her daughter will be safe.

    But Alyson’s sense of peace is short lived. When Lyla comes home the next morning, she reveals something that could tear apart not only their family but also the entire community. Now, Alyson and Tricia must confront their painful shared past as they come together to help a little girl who they fear might be harboring terrible secrets similar to their own. Will the sisters be strong enough to face their demons in order to protect the child, even if it means telling their most private truths?


    Review: This book, at its core, is the story of four women: Ida, her grown daughters Alyson and Tricia, and their friend Myah. It's also about the daughters of Alyson, Tricia, and Myah, and about secrets that should never be kept. So much of this book hit home for me as I read through it---it resonated in my soul and heart due to my own life experiences.

    Each of the four women  is unique, and we get to read chapters from each of them throughout the book. In that way, we slowly pick up on things that the others might not know, which definitely adds to the tension of trying to put the whole story together.

    Steena Holmes is a pro at writing about complicated relationships. We get a look inside marriages, adult friendships, children's friendships, and parent-child relationships. We see how "family" can go so much deeper than blood relatives--and how far a sibling will go to protect another sibling (which is a reveal that quite literally took my breath away!)


    **I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

    Rating: Five stars

    About the author
     photo steena-holmes_zpsccfnue3z.jpg NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author - Steena is the author of the heart wrenching Finding Emma series. 

    Her latest novel - The Word Game will be released in November 2015.

    Steena Holmes grew up in a small town in Canada and holds a Bachelors degree in Theology.

    In 2012 she received the Indie Excellence Award. Holmes was inspired to write Finding Emma after experiencing a brief moment of horror when she’d thought her youngest daughter was missing. 

    She currently lives in Calgary with her husband and three daughters and loves to wake up to the Rocky Mountains each morning.
    ~
    Novels in her Finding Emma series:
    Finding Emma
    Dear Jack
    Emma's Secret
    Dottie's Memories
    Megan's Hope

    The Memory Child
    The Memory Journal

    Stillwater Bay Series:
    Before the Storm
    Stillwater Rising

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