The Songs That Could Have Been is the second book in Amanda Wen‘s outstanding Sedgwick County Chronicles series. This Wichita, Kansas set novel explores important themes including identity/worth and interracial relationships with its dual timeline plots set in the 1950s and the present day. Lauren has battled body dysphoria and bulimia, but has come out on the other side, until a meeting with a long ago summer love upends her structured world. Lauren’s grandmother, Rosie, is quickly losing herself to Alzheimer’s, but a secret romance from the past begins to merge with her present. Each story is well-crafted, but as a whole they make this novel sing. The book is mostly told in the third person, but Rosie’s first person recollections add a depth and poignancy to the narrative. There is also a naturally developed faith message that God is enough that runs throughout the pages.

While you can certainly read The Songs That Could Have Been as a standalone novel, I would not recommend that. Characters from the first book in the series, Roots of Wood and Stone, play a part in the second book. Besides, this series is too good to miss out on anything! Book three, The Rhythm of Fractured Grace, releases in February.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I purchased a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

The story of Rosie was fascinating to me. The author, Amanda Wen, used flawed people to show us how a very real God uses every situation to shape those who look to Him. Be aware that some of the themes of this story include eating disorders, alcoholism, and race relations. My favorite theme throughout this story is God’s guiding hand and divine plan for each person’s life. In the chance meetings and memories of this story I was reminded that nothing really happens by chance.

I loved this story from start to finish. The story drew me in from the first page and I could not wait to see what happened next with each character. The unfolding of Rosie’s story brought so many emotions with it. It was a story of forgiveness, second chances, grace and redemption. It is never too late for God to bring beauty from ashes and that was shown repeatedly in this beautiful story.

I had the privilege of being a member of the blog tour for this book for Kregel Publishing. I received a free copy of the book and was asked to read and give my honest opinion. ( )

The Songs That Could Have Been is a wonderful split-time romance novel with two touching love stories. One of them is the achingly beautiful story of Rose and Ephraim, a teenage white girl and her black male classmate, growing up in Wichita, Kansas in the 1950s. This is Christian romance so the hugs and kisses are very pure but author Amanda Wen stunningly portrays their longing to be together and the obstacles that they encounter. The modern romance story between Lauren and Carter is equally painful, as their past relationship threatens the possibility of them sharing a future. Much of their current connection centers around their efforts to discover the identity of the Ephraim who floats in and out of Grandma Rose's confused mind. Lauren's deceased grandfather was Orrin Spencer, so who in the world is Ephraim?

This story is a poignant reminder of growing up in the 1950s and Wen perfectly captures the mindset of that era. Oh, how I wanted Rose and Ephraim to be together but I could understand the ramifications of their romance during that time! I was amazed by the author's ability to voice the thoughts and concerns of Carter, Lauren, Ephraim, and both young Rose and Grandma Rose. I also admired her willingness to tackle the difficult subjects of Alzheimer's, eating disorders, alcoholism, and race relations.

There are many conflicts throughout this story but they are outweighed by Wen's extraordinary portrayal of love and redemption. Best of all, we are given the perfect ending! The Songs That Might Have Been is a must-read Christian fiction novel.

I received a copy of this book from the author and Kregel Publications. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts. ( )

This book was well worth the wait!! I am so impressed with the author’s ability to take several sensitive subjects and write about them with such respect and accuracy that you feel the emotions of the characters as they grapple with them. I really liked the characters in the novel, both past and present. They are engaging and I found myself invested in their stories. The characters each have their trials but there is also a message of hope in the story. There are a lot of relatable truths in the book, but my favorite was the theme of trusting God to help us through our problems. I do recommend reading Of Roots and Stone first but both books really are great reads. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. ( )

I love, love, love a second chance story! The Songs that Could Have Been is a beautiful story with themes of love, loss, grace, and redemption. I loved the spiritual truths sprinkled among its pages.

This is a unique dual time-period story. The contemporary story is of Lauren and Carter and their second chance to get romance right. The historical side, which adds so much heart and depth to the book, covers Lauren’s grandmother, Rosie and her high school sweetheart, Ephraim. What makes this rare is that Rosie is in both the historical side and the contemporary side of the story.

It was effortless to connect with these characters and sympathize with the struggles they endured. I rooted for them, I cried for them, and ultimately grew with them.

The author demonstrates God’s grace so well, and delves deep into issues of dementia, body image, alcoholism, acceptance, and more. Each of these characters are memorable and they’ll stay with me. I love when a story makes me feel so deeply!

Strong writing.
Beautiful storytelling.
Wonderful message.

Disclosure: #CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book. ( )