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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
The Baxters is a prequel to Karen Kingsbury's Baxter Family series... a series that has been around for many, many years. The Baxter family members have also made appearances in several of her other books. I have read a few of the books featuring these characters, and while the details are a bit fuzzy, I did find myself thinking that parts of this story seemed vaguely familiar to me. For me, this definitely served as a great reminder of who this family is and offered a bit of recap of some things... especially reading before the upcoming TV series, which I am quite excited to check out. While this is a prequel though, I'm not sure if I would personally recommend reading before the rest of the series. There were a few moments that I felt like might have been a bit of spoilers that were revealed in the other books--- which is great when you're reading after the fact, but I like those little surprises in the originals myself. Still, I absolutely adored this one. It was a quick pace with lots of family drama and a beautiful reminder of this imperfect family and their faith in God. It certainly had me wanting to go back and read even more about this family!
Overall, I found this to be a great read and one that will have us celebrating the love of the Baxter Family, whether it be for the first time or the most recent.
**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.
Overall, I found this to be a great read and one that will have us celebrating the love of the Baxter Family, whether it be for the first time or the most recent.
**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wow! I loved this book! So much faith content and so many real issues. I can't wait to slowly dive into this series.
inspiring
medium-paced
I loved this book and couldn't put it down. I have been a long-time fan of Karen Kingsbury and her writing, especially of the Baxters. The Baxter family is diverse in their personal beliefs, but as a family they hold to their core beliefs as well as intertwine in the most fascinating way that only we have the privilege of knowing besides John and Elizabeth Baxter as the leaders of the family. Although I enjoyed learning more about the stories of Kari, Ashley and Landon prior to the beginning of [b:Redemption|11433|Redemption (Redemption, #1)|Karen Kingsbury|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1406514548l/11433._SY75_.jpg|221844], I was expecting a bit more new information. Nonetheless, Karen Kingsbury has a unique talent of weaving stories together to pull the heart strings.
Here's the thing. This novel falls into two camps.
1.) You have read all of the Baxter books and, like me, keep reading each one Karen pumps out. Whether it is good or bad, we keep reading and feeding the money making machine. Because there are characters that we do indeed still love.
2.) You want to start the Baxter series and so, duh, this is a perfect place to start.
My issue is that the book LITERALLY took place in the span of a day. You want to talk money maker--talk about 300 pages where longtime fans really did NOT need to read. We knew all the details of Kari and Ryan and Tim, Landon and Ashley, Luke's cockiness, Brooke's questioning of her faith.....I cannot say that I learned anything new. In fact, I need to read the one series I love the best and REMEMBER my beloved family that way.
However, I will say that Karen Kingsbury knows her brand. And it worked. People read and will continue to. Just don't expect anything earth shattering. (But there's no Joel Osteen faith/ walking with angels moments so that's a plus!)
1.) You have read all of the Baxter books and, like me, keep reading each one Karen pumps out. Whether it is good or bad, we keep reading and feeding the money making machine. Because there are characters that we do indeed still love.
2.) You want to start the Baxter series and so, duh, this is a perfect place to start.
My issue is that the book LITERALLY took place in the span of a day. You want to talk money maker--talk about 300 pages where longtime fans really did NOT need to read. We knew all the details of Kari and Ryan and Tim, Landon and Ashley, Luke's cockiness, Brooke's questioning of her faith.....I cannot say that I learned anything new. In fact, I need to read the one series I love the best and REMEMBER my beloved family that way.
However, I will say that Karen Kingsbury knows her brand. And it worked. People read and will continue to. Just don't expect anything earth shattering. (But there's no Joel Osteen faith/ walking with angels moments so that's a plus!)
emotional
sad
slow-paced
I have followed this entire series. Reading these books are like visiting old friends. This was a quick read, and filled in some holes. Even though it's a prequel, it wouldn't have to be read first.
I read the prequel first before the full series, but now that I'm reading the first book Redemption there are many discrepancies between them which is confusing and frustrating. Not sure I will continue the series.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced