I’m so excited to be joining the First Line Friday linkup hosted by Hoarding Books and sharing from Erin Bartels’ newest book today! I absolutely loved her first book, We Hope for Better Things, that came out earlier this year (and is on Kindle Unlimited!). She truly has a gift for writing poignant, compelling stories. Here are the first line(s) from The Words Between Us:
“Most people only die once. But my father is not most people. He is a monster.”
The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels
The Basics
Title: The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels
Genre: Christian Contemporary Fiction
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
From the Back Cover: Robin Windsor has spent much of her life under an assumed name to avoid association with her infamous parents. She thought she’d finally found sanctuary running her used bookstore in quiet River City, Michigan. But when she receives an eerily familiar book in the mail on the morning of her father’s scheduled execution. Robin is thrown back to the summer she met Peter Flynt, the perfect boy who ruined everything. Why would Peter be making contact now? And why does she have a sinking feeling that she’s about to be exposed all over again?
With evocative prose that recalls the classic novels we love, Erin Bartels pens a story that shows that words – the ones we say, the ones we read, and the ones we write – have more power than we imagine.
My Thoughts
I don’t know how to put into words how much I love this book. The story, the characters, and the literary references are captivating. On the surface, it’s beautiful story about classic books and a small-town bookstore, but it’s also about so much more. It’s a story of young love, forgiveness, and second chances. It’s a story about the power of words – the words we say or don’t say, and the choices we make to lie or tell the truth.
Robin’s story is gradually revealed through alternating timelines, from her present as a bookstore owner to her past as a high schooler trying to reinvent her identity after a family scandal. As a teenager, she finds a friend in Peter; as he shares books with her, she begins to share her heart and secrets with him. His apparent betrayal sets her on the path to her present-day life as a slightly reclusive bookstore owner… until parts of their past start showing up in her mail. It’s a beautifully told story with a satisfying, if not a little bittersweet, ending.
The best books are the ones that make you feel; that draw you into the story, into the characters’ lives, so deep you feel like a part of them. They are the ones you can lose yourself in, and find pieces of your heart. This book celebrates those books, and is one itself. I was drawn in from the first page, and I didn’t want it to end! It’s definitely one to read slowly and savor.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Revell!
This one is on my to-read plan for next week. Can’t wait to dig into it!
I’m sharing the first line from One Final Breath at my blog but right now I’m reading WayFarer by Janalyn Voigt, so I’ll share that line first line with you. An indrawn breath alerted Kai.
Happy Friday.
This book sounds so interesting!!!!! Happy Friday!
On my blog today, I am featuring a nonfiction, Leveling the Praying Field by Donna L. Barrett. Since it’s my current read, I will share the first line in Chapter 4 here: When circumstances turn out the way a person asked in prayer, they’ll often say, “Prayer works.” Think of prayer as a telephone, a communication device. What really matters is who is on the other end of the line.
I hope you will have a wonderful weekend!
Happy Friday! My first line is from “Hold Me” by Alexa Verde:
“Aileen McKenzie might not make it.”
Happy Friday! Today on my blog I shared the first line from Shades of Light by Sharon Garlough Brown but I’m currently reading My Dearest Dietrich by Amanda Barratt so I’ll share the first line from chapter 7 here: “Like a rent in fabric formerly whole, the wake of her vater’s absence yawned wide and gaping.” Hope you have a great weekend!
Happy Friday!
Today on my blog I am sharing the first line from Finders Keepers by Sarah Monzon: https://christianfictiongirl.blog/2019/09/12/first-line-friday-101/. It’s such a good book. Currently, I am reading book 2 in the series, All of You, so I will share a line from there.
“England, 1944
The gangplank bounced under the weight of passengers disembarking the large transatlantic liner — a veritable Goliath to the small David-like tugboats dotting the harbor.”
Hope you have a great weekend. Happy reading!
Happy Saturday! I LOVED The Words Between Us! Today I’m sharing the first line from The Enlightenment of Bees by Rachel Linden: “The day my world crumbles I am dreaming about pie crust.”
https://moments-of-beauty.blogspot.com/2019/09/first-line-fridays-enlightenment-of-bees.html
I loved The Enlightenment of Bees! 🙂
Happy Friday! I’m sharing from Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Heather Day Gilbert on my blog today, so here is another line from the first page:
“I cozied up on my blue couch, setting my warm mug of Arabica coffee on the low table in front of me.”
Have a wonderful weekend!
My first line is from The Spice King by Elizabeth Camden
May 1900 Washington D.C.
Annabelle Larkin hadn’t meant to offend the world’s leading spice tycoon with her bold request, yet it seemed she had.