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bethpeninger 's review for:
After the Leaves Fall
by Nicole Baart
I unknowingly read book three of this series last month so I'm backtracking a bit and reading books 1 and 2 this month. This is book 1. Although the books in this series could easily be stand alones. I enjoyed it. Baart has a lovely writing style.
In this first book we meet Julia DeSmit at age 16 when she has just lost her father. Her mother had left them 7 years prior so Julia is now parent-less. Fortunately she has her Grandma, a wise and wonderful woman. As Julia navigates a life without parents but being parented by her Grandma the reader travels with her through leaving God behind, boy relationships, and heading off to college. Once in college, on her own, Julia makes strides in trying to figure out who she is. What does she want to do with her life and who does she want to be? Her first semester proves to be tougher than she anticipates and she feels at loose ends with herself and her life.
Baart weaves a tale of Julia coming of age but since this is book 1 the reader gets to journey on with Julia in books 2 and 3 as she comes into her own for good. Since I have already read book 3 I really appreciated the peek into Julia's beginnings. Baart has done an outstanding job of developing Julia and her Grandma and the supporting characters. She even manages to give the reader a good sense of the absent mom and passed on dad. I'm looking forward to book 2 and allowing the story of Julia to be completed.
In this first book we meet Julia DeSmit at age 16 when she has just lost her father. Her mother had left them 7 years prior so Julia is now parent-less. Fortunately she has her Grandma, a wise and wonderful woman. As Julia navigates a life without parents but being parented by her Grandma the reader travels with her through leaving God behind, boy relationships, and heading off to college. Once in college, on her own, Julia makes strides in trying to figure out who she is. What does she want to do with her life and who does she want to be? Her first semester proves to be tougher than she anticipates and she feels at loose ends with herself and her life.
Baart weaves a tale of Julia coming of age but since this is book 1 the reader gets to journey on with Julia in books 2 and 3 as she comes into her own for good. Since I have already read book 3 I really appreciated the peek into Julia's beginnings. Baart has done an outstanding job of developing Julia and her Grandma and the supporting characters. She even manages to give the reader a good sense of the absent mom and passed on dad. I'm looking forward to book 2 and allowing the story of Julia to be completed.