Super sweet story of these two people learning to be a family. Told in a lot of flashbacks. ( )

Simply elegant and luminously crafted this story of the family that finds us amid life and takes us in at a time of great loss. This story will remind you that there is good in this world! ( )

Simply elegant and luminously crafted this story of the family that finds us amid life and takes us in at a time of great loss. This story will remind you that there is good in this world! ( )

I really enjoyed this story. The book was a quick, easy read and I knew from the beginning that there was a ‘big reveal’ coming. This made me want to both rush through to find out the ending, and still want to go slowly because I wasn’t ready for it to end!

I liked the characters in the story; Wanda — the social worker who pulled some strings to get the placement she thought best served the child, Jason — the uncle turned father who had a rough start but became the father his niece needed, and Harvey — the young girl who tragically lost her parents and grew into a compassionate, successful adult!

In this story Harvey, the adopted daughter of her Uncle Jason, is living in Paris and hosting Jason for the week of Father’s Day. She has put together a gift box of memories which will culminate in the big reveal. Each day Jason removes and unwraps an object symbolic of the events of Harvey’s childhood. They spend quite a bit of time in their memories, and we get to see both Harvey’s perspective and Jason’s perspective. It’s interesting to see how they don’t always have the same perspective, and how Harvey’s perspective has evolved through the years.

While I really enjoyed this book, the only thing that did marr it for me a bit was the ending. I wasn’t surprised by the ending as I had expected it in a way but didn’t see how it could happen. But I was left a little confused about who knew what and when did they know it. And who knows what now? I would have liked to have seen another chapter or two clarifying this, as well as discussing the repercussions of the big reveal to both Harvey and Jason.

This will make a great book club selection with discussion topics of the meaning of family as well as Harvey’s discovery. I was not able to find a reader’s guide but you book club will have no trouble finding things to discuss.

This book review is included in a tour by TLC Book Tours. I was provided a copy for review purposes. ( )

I LOVED this---but I want just a little more time for both Harvey...and her father....and for the reader. I want that question mark at the end to be filled in with a big heart!!! Touchingly told. Now I really want to read more by this author! ( )