Moments We Forget – Beth K. Vogt – Thatcher Sisters #2 – Tyndale House Publishers – Published 7 May 2019

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Synopsis

Jillian Thatcher has spent most of her life playing the family peacemaker, caught in the middle between her driven, talented older sister and her younger, spotlight-stealing twin sisters. Then on the night of her engagement party, a cancer diagnosis threatens to once again steal her chance to shine.

Now, Jillian’s on the road to recovery after finally finishing chemo and radiation, but residual effects of the treatment keep her from reclaiming her life as she’d hoped. And just when her dreams might be falling into place, a life-altering revelation from her husband sends her reeling again.

Will Jillian ever achieve her own dreams, or will she always be “just Jillian,” the less-than Thatcher sister? Can she count on her sisters as she tries to step into a stronger place, or are they stuck in their childhood roles forever?

My thoughts

Moments We Forget is the second book in the Thatcher Sister’s series. Moments We Forget continues the story of three sisters, separated by grief and circumstances, slowly working on reconciling as they each face the ups and downs of life.

Jillian well knows her role as the middle sister – peacemaker, often the bearer of bad news and someone who knows not to challenge the spotlight-stealing older and younger sisters. But, Jillian has beaten breast cancer and she’s ready to get on with her life. Yet her newly formed marriage is struggling under two busy schedules, she can’t seem to keep up at work and the kitchen renovations that were meant to be fun are turning up endless problems. Even the book club she formed with her sisters to help them all keep in touch and get along seems destined to be one big fight. When life and circumstances get you down can these sisters be there for each other?

Moments We Forget isn’t exactly an easy book to read. Each of the sisters face some really tough challenges, from relationship breakdowns, the fallout of cancer treatments, and unemployment or changes in their work environments, to renovations, being forced to change their dreams for the future and all the little ways that life can throw unexpected curve balls. It’s sad and a little tough to read as these sisters face so many setbacks. The book doesn’t speed through the events, taking its time to cover the months that this story spans. Yet, Moments We Forget is also about standing together, finding and holding on to love and letting go when that’s the right things to do. It’s also about the journey to faith -also often filled with bumps and many questions.

Jillian, middle sister, cancer survivor, and newlywed, is the main protagonist of this story. Her story takes the bulk of the chapters in Moments We Forget and is written in first person. Her two sisters also have a few chapters spread throughout the story, written in third person, which neatly separates the sections. From the first book in this series, the lives of the three Thatcher sisters have been intertwined, even if they might not view it like that.

While Moments We Forget might have a hopeful ending, it’s clear that the Thatcher sisters still have more hurdles to face. As they face the challenges of life they are each working towards finding faith and a closer relationship with each other.

If you are looking for a thoughtful and carefully woven Christian contemporary novel about sisters and relationships, I can recommend the Thatcher Sisters series. It is perhaps best to read the books in series order to fully understand and experience the relationships between these three sisters.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

More information

Category: Adult fiction

Genre: Christian – contemporary.

Themes: Sisters, marriage, relationships, employment, cancer, renovations, faith, fertility.

Published: 7 May 2019 by Tyndale House Publishers.

Format: Hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook. 448 pages.

ISBN: 9781496427281

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