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A review by katemixon17
Return by Karen Kingsbury
3.0
Man. I am sad to say I will not be finishing out this series, and if you know me you know that's a pretty big deal, because I ALWAYS finish a series, even if I think it's awful.
Things I liked: okay, tbh I cried when Luke was reunited with both his son and his family. That got to me. It was two sweet scenes and the picture of redemption and restoration was beautiful. Also, Kari and Ryan's wedding. I cried then too. The end of the book just put me in my feels :')
Things I didnt: those three scenes were pretty much where my enjoyment of the book ended. One thing that I have found frustrating is the OBVIOUS opinions of Kingsbury and Smalley throughout the books. This has most clearly been seen in this book, because of the political and social opinions that Luke's character struggles to grapple with. I understand the picture they are trying to paint - being a college student myself, it can be difficult to hold to my Christian beliefs when others are fighting for my attention. However, just like I don't like when I read books that try to shove non-Christian beliefs down my throat, I don't like when Christians do it either. Let the events play out, and then leave me to consider my own opinions of those events. The constant "commentary" from the minds of the characters made it painfully obvious what the authors were trying to communicate, and it was annoying. Also, as they have done before, the "sinful" characters are depicted in the worst light. Either they are made to be completely evil or completely stupid, or a mixture of both. Not only is this inaccurate, but it makes those characters completely one-dimensional and essentially irrelevant. Kingsbury, in case you didn't know, non-Christians can be complex and even wholesome individuals as well.
Ugh. I'm done with this series. Next time I want Christian fiction (which I do still love btw), I'm going to Francine Rivers.
Things I liked: okay, tbh I cried when Luke was reunited with both his son and his family. That got to me. It was two sweet scenes and the picture of redemption and restoration was beautiful. Also, Kari and Ryan's wedding. I cried then too. The end of the book just put me in my feels :')
Things I didnt: those three scenes were pretty much where my enjoyment of the book ended. One thing that I have found frustrating is the OBVIOUS opinions of Kingsbury and Smalley throughout the books. This has most clearly been seen in this book, because of the political and social opinions that Luke's character struggles to grapple with. I understand the picture they are trying to paint - being a college student myself, it can be difficult to hold to my Christian beliefs when others are fighting for my attention. However, just like I don't like when I read books that try to shove non-Christian beliefs down my throat, I don't like when Christians do it either. Let the events play out, and then leave me to consider my own opinions of those events. The constant "commentary" from the minds of the characters made it painfully obvious what the authors were trying to communicate, and it was annoying. Also, as they have done before, the "sinful" characters are depicted in the worst light. Either they are made to be completely evil or completely stupid, or a mixture of both. Not only is this inaccurate, but it makes those characters completely one-dimensional and essentially irrelevant. Kingsbury, in case you didn't know, non-Christians can be complex and even wholesome individuals as well.
Ugh. I'm done with this series. Next time I want Christian fiction (which I do still love btw), I'm going to Francine Rivers.