Abby's Journey
Published February 14th, 2017 by Lake Union Publishing
Paperback, 238 pages
This is the follow-up book to Steena Holmes Saving Abby. Here is the link to read my review on Saving Abby.
Twenty-year-old Abigail Turner has only known her mother, Claire—who died shortly after she was born—through letters, videos, postcards, and journals. Abby’s father, Josh, has raised his precious daughter himself, but his overprotectiveness has become stifling. Abby longs to forge out on her own and see the world after a childhood trapped indoors: she suffers from bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which means a case of the sniffles can rapidly escalate into life-threatening pneumonia.
But when Abby’s doctor declares her healthy—for now—her grandmother Millie whisks her away to Europe to visit the Christmas markets that her mother cherished and chronicled in her travel journals. Despite her father’s objections, Abby and Millie embark on a journey of discovery in which Abby will learn secrets that force her to reevaluate her image of her mother and come to a more mature understanding of a parent-child bond that transcends death.
*Spoiler Alert*
While reading Abby’s Journey you can not imagine my disappoint regarding how ineptly written this sequel is compared to the initial novel which was an enjoyable read. For everything the first book possessed which, you can read about in my blog posting, this novel predominantly lacked. Consequently, the plot basically was a flop devoid of the ability to retain the reader's (me) zeal towards the story. So what scads of things have transpired since Claire lost her fight with cancer twenty years ago? Not much of anything. Let me explain in better detail why I felt so let down. Abby, written as an immature 20-year-old if no age was written I would have assumed she was in her early teens. Children who are born with life long illnesses are usually more evolved than their age group. Therefore, besides her goal of going on her trip to Europe 🏰 does she have any other intentions for her life? Whereas, Josh's life basically became extinct with his only goal consisting of hovering over Abby. I feel bad giving only negative opinions regarding the book so far. Occasionally, positive traits did occur in the plot. For instance, Abby retraced her mother's steps while in Europe 🏰, therefore, gaining a deeper insight into her mother's life. This is a quick read and please do not let me deter any other individuals from reading this novel. Nonetheless, it is possible my expectations were too high since in the first book Claire and Josh were more evolved characters including a more developed plot. Is this the final book with Abby and her father Josh living out their days together or will she become self-reliant in book three?
Steena Holmes grew up in a small town in Canada and holds a Bachelor's degree in Theology.
In 2012 she received the Indie Excellence Award. Holmes was inspired to write Finding Emma after experiencing a brief moment of horror when she’d thought her youngest daughter was missing.
She currently lives in Calgary with her husband and three daughters and loves to wake up to the Rocky Mountains each morning.
Steena Holmes’ TLC Book TOUR STOPS:
Tuesday, February 14th: Book Mama
Wednesday, February 15th: Just Commonly
Thursday, February 16th: Kritter’s Ramblings
Monday, February 20th: A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, February 22nd: Suzy Approved
Monday, February 27th: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Wednesday, March 1st: Girl Who Reads
Thursday, March 2nd: I Brought a Book
Friday, March 3rd: Not in Jersey
Monday, March 6th: Book Dilettante
Wednesday, March 8th: Chick Lit Central – author guest post
Thursday, March 9th: Readaholic Zone
Friday, March 10th: Stranded in Chaos
Monday, March 13th: Thoughts on This ‘n That
Tuesday, March 14th: Bibliotica
Wednesday, March 15th: Books a la Mode – author guest post
Thursday, March 16th: An Accidental Blog
Friday, March 24th: Mom’s Small Victories
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book for the tour.
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