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the_argumentative_bong's review
5.0
"John didn't know when it happened.
He'd always been in love with Caleb Fletcher.
It was his spirit he fell in love with first.
All of the rest came later."
This book broke me into a million pieces.
And then put them all back, painstakingly. Lovingly.
5 forever ⭐
He'd always been in love with Caleb Fletcher.
It was his spirit he fell in love with first.
All of the rest came later."
This book broke me into a million pieces.
And then put them all back, painstakingly. Lovingly.
5 forever ⭐
cindaren's review against another edition
5.0
I always love Lisa Henry's writing, and I appreciate that I often have an initial struggle with not knowing how "happily" the ever after will be, and reconciling that with realism and an appreciation for love that persists through endless storms. This one was hard to read at times but it was so good and I had to finish it in one sitting because I couldn't let Caleb go another night without some sort of... neither closure nor resolution describe it, but something like that.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
The Parable of the Mustard Seed by Lisa Henry is a poignant romance that is quite heartwarming.
Senior Constable John Faimu is struggling to balance his family life and his career. He works long hours and rotating shifts so he has little time left over to support his family as they regain their footing after suffering a loss. John is also committed to maintaining his friendship with Caleb Fletcher, the now twenty-three old man whom he saved from a cult eight years ago. John is an integral part of Caleb and his father Darren's lives as Caleb continues to battle the mental health issues he suffers from due to his many years with the cult. John's feelings for Caleb run much deeper than friendship, but he has no plans to act on them. Will Caleb change his mind when he finds the courage to confess his feelings for John?
John fears for Caleb's mental health after he learns disturbing information about some of the former cult members. Caleb has been in and out of mental health facilities over the years and he remains emotionally fragile. Despite Caleb's many ups and downs over the years, John has also been there for him and Darren.
Caleb is finally ready to assert some independence and act on his desire for a relationship. John overcomes his reluctance to act on his love for Caleb but he still harbors misgivings about the change in their status quo. What impact will a shocking discovery have on Caleb and his budding romance with John?
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is a tender gay romance with a wonderfully diverse cast of multi-dimensional and appealing characters and captivating storyline. Lisa Henry deftly handles Caleb's mental health issues with a great deal of sensitivity. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this heartfelt romance.
Senior Constable John Faimu is struggling to balance his family life and his career. He works long hours and rotating shifts so he has little time left over to support his family as they regain their footing after suffering a loss. John is also committed to maintaining his friendship with Caleb Fletcher, the now twenty-three old man whom he saved from a cult eight years ago. John is an integral part of Caleb and his father Darren's lives as Caleb continues to battle the mental health issues he suffers from due to his many years with the cult. John's feelings for Caleb run much deeper than friendship, but he has no plans to act on them. Will Caleb change his mind when he finds the courage to confess his feelings for John?
John fears for Caleb's mental health after he learns disturbing information about some of the former cult members. Caleb has been in and out of mental health facilities over the years and he remains emotionally fragile. Despite Caleb's many ups and downs over the years, John has also been there for him and Darren.
Caleb is finally ready to assert some independence and act on his desire for a relationship. John overcomes his reluctance to act on his love for Caleb but he still harbors misgivings about the change in their status quo. What impact will a shocking discovery have on Caleb and his budding romance with John?
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is a tender gay romance with a wonderfully diverse cast of multi-dimensional and appealing characters and captivating storyline. Lisa Henry deftly handles Caleb's mental health issues with a great deal of sensitivity. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this heartfelt romance.
suflet's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet romance and I would recommend it!
jenvile's review against another edition
4.0
You could lose them all in a heartbeat. You will die alone. You have no-one.
I’m on a Lisa Henry reading bender and I’m not stopping. This one was so different and I absolutely loved that our main character was an Australian-Samoan police officer. Also, as an Australian, I could appreciate so many little references in the story.
This was super angsty, super painful and traumatic but the HEA was worth it which is interesting because I’m usually a tear-jerking sad ending type of gal. I whizzed through this one and I didn’t want to put it down. I really appreciated that the main conflict of the story wasn’t love, rather, love made them both stronger. I also really liked the family ties and bonds in this story - without it, John wouldn’t have been who he was.
I’m dropping a star because I do wish that we had more time on page to develop John and Caleb’s relationship. I understand that a lot of it was from the 8 years off page but at times it did feel out of no where and sudden. I also felt that the monologues were a little too repetitive and it was difficult to really get where Caleb’s growth came from or even if there was growth at all. Or maybe that’s the point - we shouldn’t always be expected to grow... sometimes things stop us and that’s okay.
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this one with Lisa’s amazing as usual writing and the fantastically fleshed characters and story.
I’m on a Lisa Henry reading bender and I’m not stopping. This one was so different and I absolutely loved that our main character was an Australian-Samoan police officer. Also, as an Australian, I could appreciate so many little references in the story.
This was super angsty, super painful and traumatic but the HEA was worth it which is interesting because I’m usually a tear-jerking sad ending type of gal. I whizzed through this one and I didn’t want to put it down. I really appreciated that the main conflict of the story wasn’t love, rather, love made them both stronger. I also really liked the family ties and bonds in this story - without it, John wouldn’t have been who he was.
I’m dropping a star because I do wish that we had more time on page to develop John and Caleb’s relationship. I understand that a lot of it was from the 8 years off page but at times it did feel out of no where and sudden. I also felt that the monologues were a little too repetitive and it was difficult to really get where Caleb’s growth came from or even if there was growth at all. Or maybe that’s the point - we shouldn’t always be expected to grow... sometimes things stop us and that’s okay.
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this one with Lisa’s amazing as usual writing and the fantastically fleshed characters and story.
the_argumentative_bong's review against another edition
5.0
"John didn't know when it happened.
He'd always been in love with Caleb Fletcher.
It was his spirit he fell in love with first.
All of the rest came later."
This book broke me into a million pieces.
And then put them all back, painstakingly. Lovingly.
5 forever ⭐
He'd always been in love with Caleb Fletcher.
It was his spirit he fell in love with first.
All of the rest came later."
This book broke me into a million pieces.
And then put them all back, painstakingly. Lovingly.
5 forever ⭐
aster1123's review against another edition
4.0
Very tough, emotional topics written extremely well. The sensitivity and empathy Lisa Henry shows in writing these characters is amazing to me. This felt very real and authentic to me, very relatable. There's no magic cure-all to make everything perfect, just real people making real loving connections and trying to do better and find happiness and peace. Highly recommend.
jooke's review
2.0
2.5*
Book chosen because I like the narrator of the audio version.
So the message of this story and its general outline was nice and also the background details like johns Samoan roots, but the writing rather poor and the repetition bored me almost to death. So I guess I must have been in love with the accent and lilt of Glenn Loyd's voice to have finished this audiobook.
Book chosen because I like the narrator of the audio version.
So the message of this story and its general outline was nice and also the background details like johns Samoan roots, but the writing rather poor and the repetition bored me almost to death. So I guess I must have been in love with the accent and lilt of Glenn Loyd's voice to have finished this audiobook.
reacamon's review
3.0
Omg this was full of angst.
I believe sometimes is good that a book get some of it, but this just hurt too much. And despite this one have a HEA, I don't feel it like one, because Caleb still has his traumas and even though the book ends, he is not recovered, he just has a boyfriend.
I had the constant feeling that the book wasn't going to end well, and even though it did, I couldn't fully enjoy it.
Objectively I do believe is a good book, but I like reading books where my boys have a full happy ending.
I believe sometimes is good that a book get some of it, but this just hurt too much. And despite this one have a HEA, I don't feel it like one, because Caleb still has his traumas and even though the book ends, he is not recovered, he just has a boyfriend.
I had the constant feeling that the book wasn't going to end well, and even though it did, I couldn't fully enjoy it.
Objectively I do believe is a good book, but I like reading books where my boys have a full happy ending.