Stay with Me

This was my first Becky Wade book. I now understand why so many people love it. This book was intense. Maybe the fact that my husband was in rehab last year made it more so; I don't know. But I understand. I understand why Sam doesn't trust her. I understand why he needs to search her things. I understand why he has so many misgivings. I also understand Gen's need to be "perfect." I understand her need to feel like she has to work to pay God back. My dad was a pastor. I understand that pressure. I don't think I'd ever really paid attention to what this book was about before. It's about addiction. And forgiveness. And grace. And mercy. And unrelenting love. And I'm not talking about between two people. This book was soul-wrenching. I didn't want to stop reading, yet it was so intense that I had to take a break between chapters. There were also humorous moments to break up the intensity. I love that Natasha's living a year of Jane Austen (if I could get away with it, I would, too!). And I love that she's terrible at knitting, but continues to do so, because it's Austen-esque. I also rather enjoyed reading Sam's Australian accent. To myself. In my head. Because I don't speak in accent unless it's southern. This is a book that I will need to get in hardcopy, and not just on my kindle. This book was wonderful, and I look forward to reading more of her writing.

The best way to describe Stay With Me is to say it’s a gloriously, lovely book. I have read all of Becky Wade’s books, but I can say this is one of her best if not the best. I refrain from saying it is the best because I still think My Stubborn Heart and True to You are two of the best books ever written in the Christian Romance genre, so I am going to put Stay With Me in a three-way tie. Wade has created these beautiful rich characters in her latest that will stay with you for a long time. I laughed out loud throughout, totally enjoyed the little mystery in the story, and fell in love with Sam Turner. At the end of the book, I literally wept, not because it was sad, but because it was such a beautiful story. Gracious, I still get a little choked up just thinking about it. There aren’t enough stars for this book. It is absolutely fantastic. I received and ARC, but I have ordered the paperback for my personal library.