Just 18 Summers - A Review

Published - March, 2014, Tyndale House Publishers

Author - Rene Gutteridge & Michelle Cox

Title - Just 18 Summers

Format - ebook, paper

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The death of Jenny Browning affected all those who knew her. As her husband and friends try to navigate the summer without her, they discover that Jenny's wisdom and her zest for life covered so many things. Butch is struggling to get used to this new normal of just himself and his young daughter. Beth and Larry are facing the changes of children growing up and leaving the nest. Charles and Helen are trying to figure out why their perfect family isn't so perfect. Tippy and Daphne are looking forward to the birth of their first child and are reading up on all things pregnancy related. Each of these people realize that Jenny's life touched them in ways that they never before thought about.

I wasn't too sure what to expect from this book as I'd passed it over for another title when it was offered to review. Yet I found myself drawn into the story very quickly. The book is told from the points of view of Butch, Beth, Larry, Helen, Charles, Tippy, and Daphne. And while they struggle to make sense of the world without Jenny, they each have to realize what is important. And they each realize that the ways in which they raise their children will have lasting impacts on the children.

This is a book I'd recommend to any parent. I'd recommend it to people who enjoy contemporary fiction as well. There are so many good truths in this book. But it all boils down to this - parents have just eighteen summers to mold and shape their children into responsible adults.

I read this book for pure pleasure as part of the Tyndale Summer Reading Program. Thanks to the Kindle feature that allows readers to loan Kindle books as I received this book as a loan from a friend. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating - 4 stars