A Broken Kind of Beautiful – My Review

If time and my other responsibilities had allowed me, I could have easily – and rather happily – curled up on the couch and read this novel completely through in one sitting. The characters drew me in from the first chapter, the storyline already intriguing and surprising. I realized quickly that I had not stepped into a fictional world after all and the story before me was going to be a very real and very raw telling of issues that we all face in real life.

Readers of A Broken Kind of Beautiful follow along beside a handful of loveable, but fallible characters each trying to hide behind their own walls of insecurities, scars, and presumptions. Their pasts look different and their journeys often conflict with each other – and get them into plenty of trouble too – but the various lessons are united well under one great theme.

The story grew and expanded very naturally, almost as if it breathed along with me. Whether it was a sweet moment between friends and family or a pulse-beating page of deception and downright fear, you will care for the fate and happiness of these people. You don’t have to be a model for a magazine to understand Ivy’s inner turmoil. Nor do you have to know every detail about cameras and photography to feel the heavy weight of Davis’ decisions on your shoulders. You become a part of them anyway.

I particularly liked how the side characters played huge roles in adding layers to the plot, especially in showing God’s unfailing, forgiving love to reach the broken in this story.

The author beautifully crafted a story that each of us, I believe, can relate to in one way or another. While we watch Ivy and Davis – and the rest of the South Carolina crew – deal with issues such as regret, expectations, pride, shame, impatience, and lack of faith, readers can’t help but apply lessons to their own lives and will undoubtedly find themselves growing along with them.

I loved the cover. The story. And the honesty of the author brave enough to write words that both break and heal your heart. I hope you get to read Ivy and Davis’ story and I hope you share in the delight of what they discover in the end – about themselves and a loving God who knows us and calls us by name.

This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the author for my copy.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Sometimes everything you ever learned about yourself is wrong.

Fashion is a fickle industry, a frightening fact for twenty-four year old model Ivy Clark. Ten years in and she’s learned a sacred truth—appearance is everything. Nobody cares about her broken past as long as she looks beautiful for the camera. This is the only life Ivy knows—so when it starts to unravel, she’ll do anything to hold on. Even if that means moving to the quaint island town of Greenbrier, South Carolina, to be the new face of her stepmother’s bridal wear line—an irony too rich for words, since Ivy is far from the pure bride in white.

If only her tenuous future didn’t rest in the hands of Davis Knight, her mysterious new photographer. Not only did he walk away from the kind of success Ivy longs for to work maintenance at a local church, he treats her differently than any man ever has. Somehow, Davis sees through the façade she works so hard to maintain. He, along with a cast of other characters, challenges everything Ivy has come to believe about beauty and worth. Is it possible that God sees her—a woman stained and broken by the world—yet wants her still?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Katie Ganshert graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree in education, and worked as a fifth grade teacher for several years before staying home to write full-time. She was born and raised in the Midwest, where she lives with her husband, their young son, and their goofy black lab, Bubba. When she’s not busy writing or playing or reading or snuggling, she is obsessing over the paperwork and the waiting that comes with adoption. She is the author of the Carol Award winning and Christy nominated Wildflowers from Winter and Wishing on Willows. You can learn more about Katie and her books by visiting her website or author Facebook page.

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Katie shared this video on her website and I love it. I just recently heard it for the first time and then when I listened to it through the eyes of this story, it meant even more to me. I hope it blesses your heart too.

Be sure to stop back in on Tuesday as I sit down and have a chat with Katie Ganshert as we celebrate with her the release of A Broken Kind of Beautiful. You won’t want to miss the GIVEAWAY she has planned!