Crossing Oceans - Review

Crossing Oceans

By: Gina Holmes

Published: April 26th 2010 by Tyndale House Publishers

382 pages

Genre: Adult, Christian Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Source: Amazon Prime Lending Library

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Goodreads description--Jenny Lucas swore she'd never go home again. But being told you're dying has a way of changing things. Years after she left, she and her five-year-old daughter, Isabella, must return to her sleepy North Carolina town to face the ghosts she left behind. They welcome her in the form of her oxygen tank-toting grandmother, her stoic and distant father, and David, Isabella's dad . . . Who doesn't yet know he has a daughter. As Jenny navigates the rough and unknown waters of her new reality, the unforgettable story that unfolds is a testament to the power of love and its ability to change everything--to heal old hurts, bring new beginnings . . . Even overcome the impossible. A stunning debut about love and loss from a talented new voice.

I might be stepping out on a limb here, but I'm going to give Crossing Oceans 5 Stars.

This was a different type of book from the genre I've been reading regularly, but no one can say I'm not willing to step out into a different genre. Sometimes I've found that the books I've liked the most are the ones I have the least to say about in my blogs (that's not always the case). Sometimes I just feel like the reader needs to experience the book for themselves. Just take my word for it. This is one of those books. I wasn't expecting much because it's not my typical genre, but I gave it a try as my first borrow from the Amazon Prime Kindle Lending Library--need to get my money's worth from that investment. And boy am I glad I did. I would have been willing to spend money on that one though.

This is a sad book. Let me go ahead and warn you up front. I didn't ever actually cry where tears spilled out and onto my cheeks, but my eyes definitely teared up a time or two. (I'm not the easiest person to make cry, but not the hardest either.) The reason why tears didn't actually fall is probably due to the fact that I'm not a mother yet. I'm sure if I had been I probably would have been bawling my eyes out.

Some of the plot seemed predictable which I normally really count against a book/author, but this book didn't suffer because of the predictability. It was heartfelt through and through, and I think that made up for any easily predictable moments. Ecclesiastes says "there's nothing new under the sun." And I really think this book shows the sacrifices we, as humans, as Christians, as mothers, are called to make in today's world. And while I might not experience something that's never been experienced before, I might not feel something that no one else has ever felt before, my circumstances, my experiences, my feelings all join together to make me unique. And that's why this book didn't disappoint.

Check out Crossing Oceans.

Updated: January 31, 2015