About the Book
Author: Kimberly Banet
Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction, Women’s Christian Fiction
Release Date: May 7, 2024
Sixteen-year-old Sam Keller has lived in foster homes and group homes most of his life and has long ago given up on the dream of a stable, forever family. Adults have always let him down, and so has God, and he has no use for either.
John and Abbie Grayson are a respected, successful couple in their fifties with two grown children. They live in their dream home in Franklin, TN, an idyllic suburb of Nashville, where John is a successful college basketball coach, and Abbie works part-time at their local church. But Abbie feels something is missing from her life and convinces John they should become foster parents.
Their worlds collide when Sam is placed in the Grayson home for a few days. Days turn into months, and Sam thrives with the Graysons and allows himself to dream of a forever family, while John and Abbie realize the teen has found his way into their hearts.
As the Graysons begin to investigate the possibility of adopting Sam, an evil agenda emerges, and a secret past is revealed. Nothing short of a miracle can save Sam from a harrowing ordeal and keep the Grayson family together.
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My Review
This is an engaging exploration of foster parents and a teen trapped in the foster system. It was heartbreaking to read about Sam, mistreated by his father, unsure of his future as he is placed in yet another foster home. He feels constant tension as he knows he could be moved to another home at a moments notice. We also experience the feelings of the Graysons as they navigate understanding a troubled teen in their first foster experience as well as the potential pain of loss if Sam is taken away. The novel contains a strong faith element but also explores the issue of how God could allow Sam to experience such pain.
This is an emotion packed novel. Be sure to have your tissues close by as you read. There is a clear gospel message contained as characters must trust God in difficult situations.
My rating: 5/5 stars.
About the Author
Kimberly was married to the love of her life, Jeff, from 1988 until his passing in December, 2024. Together they raised two children, Nicole and Brandon.
Kimberly lives in beautiful Starlight, Indiana, with her two fur babies, Daisy and Winnie.
More from Kimberly
My debut novel, Just Another Home, was released in 2024. It’s about a teen in the foster care system, Sam, who is placed with a couple in their fifties, John and Abbie. Something most people don’t know about Just Another Home is that the setting of the story, Franklin, Tennessee, was not just some random town I chose for the backdrop of Sam’s story. Franklin is a place I’ve visited many times and is near and dear to my heart.
In 2015, our daughter and son-in-law moved to Franklin, a little over three hours from our home in Indiana where my husband and I have lived all our lives. We visited frequently. We loved the small-town, rural feel of Franklin, with its rolling fields and farms and the scenic beauty of the nearby Natchez Trace Parkway. It also satisfied everything we wanted in a small city with its unique shops, boutiques and locally-owned restaurants on Main Street and nearby Cool Springs.
My favorite things about Franklin, though, were the great family weekends we spent there. The memories of one weekend in particular always makes me smile. We attended the Dickens of a Christmas Festival on the square in downtown Franklin. It was just one of the many festivals they have there, but the one I love the most.
It was a blustery, cold day for Middle Tennessee. The high was only 30 degrees and snow flurries were flying. With coffee in hand, we braved the downtown streets and met all our favorite Dickens characters—Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and Tiny Tim, among others. There were vendor booths, and a giant, beautifully lit Christmas tree in the square. It was a beautiful, Christmas-like day with our whole family together in the same place at the same time. When we got too cold to walk anymore, we ducked into a pizzeria to have lunch and warm up. Then we finished the day at our favorite local bookstore there, Landmark. This mother’s heart was full.
Does all of this sound familiar? If you’ve read Just Another Home, it does, because this exact story is played out as Sam attends the Dickens Festival with his foster family. It’s the first time he is genuinely happy since he can remember. He can enjoy the day with them without having to fight for survival or worry about what tomorrow brings. For once he is free and his heart is not troubled.
Kind of like this momma’s heart, having her whole family in the same place at the same time.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, April 25
Stories By Gina, April 26 (Author Interview)
Simple Harvest Reads, April 27 (Author Interview)
Fruitfully Planted, April 27
Artistic Nobody, April 28 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 29
The Bookish Ledger, April 30 (Author Interview)
Fiction Book Lover, May 1 (Author Interview)
Books Less Travelled, May 2 (Author Interview)
Life on Chickadee Lane, May 3
History, Hope & Happily Ever After, May 4 (Author Interview)
Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, May 5 (Author Interview)
Guild Master, May 5
Vicky Sluiter, May 6 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, May 7
For the Love of Literature, May 8 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kimberly is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a signed copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://gleam.io/HlylC/just-another-home-celebration-tour-giveaway
(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)
6 comments:
Sounds great
What is your favorite space to do your writing?
I liked the review.
Thanks for sharing!
This sounds like a great book! Ty for sharing!
This would be a book that would interest me since we have some adoptions in our family.
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