I love Karen Kingsbury’s books and this one was no exception. This book is somewhat of a prequel to the Baxter family series as it explains how John and Elizabeth, the patriarch and matriarch of the Baxter family, got together. It was a very sweet story of love and redemption, and is one more example of how God can take a difficult situation and redeem it for His good. The book also included the side story of Cody and Andi, and the issues from their relationship. I loved both characters, who were honest and real…Cody with his PTSD and Andi torn between trusting Cody and wanting to be with him. And of course, it was fun taking a peak into Ashley and Landon’s life. Ashley has been one of my favorites in the Baxter family, someone who is relatable, but who has also made bad choices. But like with her parents, God redeemed her situation for good. I love how the book showed the parallel between John and Elizabeth’s choices and those of Ashley’s. It seemed fitting that Ashley and Cole were involved in the telling of this love story.

This is part of The Baxter series. I’ve loved living my life within every single page of this lovely family. Like all families they have their ups and downs, troubles and woes, happiness and sad times.

But like most families they always find a way through.

This is the Love Story of a wonderful Christian family making their way in life.

So beautiful.

From the day they met, John and Elizabeth were destined to fall in love. Their whirlwind romance started when they were young college students and lasted nearly thirty years—until Elizabeth died of cancer.

So when John Baxter is asked to relive his long-ago love story with Elizabeth for his grandson Cole’s heritage project, he’s not sure he can do it. The sadness might simply be too great. But he agrees and allows his heart and soul to go places they haven’t gone in decades. Back to the breathless first moments, but also to the secret heartbreak that brought John and Elizabeth together.

At the same time, Baxter family friend Cody Coleman is working through the breakup of his complicated relationship with Andi Ellison. He is determined to move on when a chance sighting changes his plans—and heart. Can Cody convince Andi to give their love another try, or is it time for them to say goodbye for good?

As school comes to an end, Cole presents his report on the love story between his grandparents John and Elizabeth Baxter. It is a tale that touches the hearts of the entire family, and one that causes Cole to better understand his own beginning.

Whether you’re meeting the Baxter family for the first time or finding them all over again, Love Story will stir your heart and remind you of the generational impact of love and the eternal bond of family.

A wonderful read from an author everyone loves. Readers will enjoy meeting the Baxter family and the love story this entails.

I want to be a Baxter, and I'm sure that many Kingsbury fans can relate. The Baxters are a model family, yet throughout the years they have faced turmoil and hardship. This book tells the love story that started it all, through the memories of John as he tells how he met and pursued Elizabeth. The struggles the young couple faced only point toward God's redemption. KIngsbury writes with grace and her prose is easy to follow. I can't wait to read the next in this series!

If you’ve followed Karen’s Baxter family series, this book will take you back to a time when the eldest Baxters met and fell in love. For die-hard fans, this is a potentially satisfying opportunity to learn more as they follow their favorite characters into the past. Their love story is relayed through a retelling of their history, which unfortunately, I found unengaging.

When the present-day activity picked back up, there were many redundancies as we circled back to information we already knew. The pacing failed as the plot stalled. If I were reviewing this book for a new author, I would guess that the writer was trying to find his/her way and rewrote information as self-reminders during the process of writing.

The adult heroine’s POV contained juvenile thoughts that didn’t seem fitting for her age, so it was difficult to believe her as a character and root for her as the heroine. Coupled with telling and redundancies, the distant POV kept me from experiencing the emotion of the characters. I recall feeling deep emotion while reading some of this author’s earlier work, but this book did not hold my interest. I also felt this character's spiritual statements were trite.

I have read some of the books in this series, and it was interesting to reconnect with these characters—like visiting family friends. Readers will enjoy that comforting aspect.

While this book wasn’t for me, I still wish the author and her publisher the best.

Just a disclaimer before I delve into my review - I've only read the Bailey Flanigan series from Ms. Kingsbury and haven't read any other Baxter family books. I almost wish I had read at least some them prior to this book because I struggled to keep everyone's story straight. There are so many Baxter children and grandchildren in this book, not to mention the return of Bailey and Cody from Bailey Flanigan series, so I had to flip to the front of the book often to re-familiarize myself with the family tree and their stories. Those who have been following the Baxter and Flanigan families in Bloomington will love this book. It's a book filled with memories of the past and promises of the future.

Ms. Kingsbury's writing, as always, is easy to read. She infuses faith and prayer into every aspect of her characters' lives. The storyline moves pretty fast and is split between John Baxter remembering his love story with his first wife Elizabeth and Cody Coleman and Andi Ellison finding each other again in the present.
The dialogue is mostly unique, sincere, and believable, though I had a hard time reconciling Cole at sixteen asking his grandfather and mother about their individual "love stories". My teenage boy is definitely not like that. Also the fame that many of the characters enjoy wherever they go - John Baxter as a physician, Ashley as an artist, Brandon and Bailey as movie stars, Dayne Mathew as a movie producer, Cody as a football coach - seems a bit too far-fetched. Still, there is plenty of heartache in the story and the book is quite enjoyable overall.

John and Elizabeth's story is indeed beautiful. Even though they've made plenty of mistakes, God's healing hand shines through their lives. I wasn't all that comfortable with his lingering in the past when he's currently married to another woman, but it's simply because I don't understand that aspect of love and marriage.
And Cody....I've been Team Cody since the first book of the Bailey Flanigan series. His strength, loyalty, and faithfulness shine through in all his actions. I was a bit surprised by the twists and turns his romance with Andi took....I mean, how much more could this guy take after all that's happened?!?! And even more surprised by some of the things he did and said to Andi because that seemed inconsistent with his character. It was nice to get to know Andi a little better through this book though her character seemed less developed than Cody's. Maybe it's because I haven't read any of the previous books where she and her family have center stage.

I won't go back and read all 18 of the Baxter books I haven't read (there are just too many of them) but will likely continue to follow the family in future books. Although the family seems almost too perfect at times, I've fallen in love with them and would like to see the kids grow up and find their own love stories.

I received a review copy of this book from Howard Publishing via NetGalley. I was not required to write a review or write a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

Karen Kingsbury's books are a true testament to Christian faith. Amazing story lines and characters. A book that will have you thinking at the end.

Karen Kingsbury remains one of my favorite Christian writers to date because she interweaves her stories and sometimes you'll see one character that you saw in another book. This book was a prime example of a well-written book. At times, it could be somewhat sad. I would recommend this to anyone who loves her work.

I was given an ARC from the publisher/author/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect anyone else's.

Karen Kingsbury once again hit a home run with this book. She has a wonderful way of telling the story so that the reader really feels apart of the book. Only problem--it ended too soon. Can't wait for the next one.

What a beautiful story! I haven't read any of the previous books but that didn't stop me from loving this book (and making me want to go back and read all the others). There was a great summary of previous events at the beginning of the book. I really appreciated this. While I did have moments where I couldn't keep track of the characters I just rolled with it and I don't feel like it took away from the story too much. The love stories in the book (of which there are many more than just one) are sweet and real. Romantic but not cheesy. There were issues and struggles like any other couple might go through in real life. I can imagine this being a movie. Reminded me a lot of Nicholas sparks books turned movies.
I received a digital copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This book is the latest story in the long running Baxter Family series by Karen Kingsbury. I grew up reading this series in middle and high school and was so excited to see that another book showcasing the Baxter family was coming out. To be honest, I put off reading it for a while because her books are heartwarming but sad at times too and I always cry at some point through them. I read the whole book in one sitting though, so it was a great story to pick up where things were left off.

This book is basically a walk down memory lane as Cole, one of John Baxter’s grandsons, has a school project and wants him to tell the story of how John and his first wife, Elizabeth met and fell in love. Their story wasn’t an easy one and the book follows along with him going back in time to remember. The second parallel story that is talked about is that of Cody and Andi, both of which are family friends to different members of the Baxter family. There were tears of sorrow and joy reading through this latest story from Kingsbury, and it looks like this isn’t the last Baxter story.

Karen writes about this family in such a way that I feel like they are friends of mine. If you haven’t read any of the books, please do. It helps to start at the beginning of the series for character development and dynamics between each other, but they could be stand alones too. This book, since there were many years between the series, offers a quick summary at the beginning to catch everyone up with all of the characters which was super helpful. Overall, a great read and can’t wait for the next book to come out.

Mrs. Kingsbury never disappoints! I always look forward to reading her books as she is one of my favorite authors. In Love Story, readers revisit the beloved Baxter family and learn all the details of John and Elizabeth's love story. And what a special love story it is! John and Elizabeth deal with heartbreak, but lean on God and each other to get them through the hard times. Readers also get to hear from some of our favorite characters including Andi, Cody, Bailey, and Brandon. I was especially excited that Bailey was in this book and I hope we get a new Bailey series in the future! Thank you, Mrs. Kingsbury, for writing your Life-Changing Fiction, and it is just that. So many people have been inspired by your work, including myself.

Young Cole Blake is given a school project where he is to write about a member in his family heritage. He chooses John Baxter, his grandfather, and asks him about how love came to be between John and his first wife, Elizabeth. This opens up a rich history of this love relationship, as we time travel to the beginnings of the Baxter family.
Kingsbury being a master author, she shows the good, the bad and the ugly about the Baxter characters and friends, making their imperfections as real and as visible as possible. Through this narrative choice, we get to see great character development and overall, the redemption of God's grace. This was a smooth read and it held my attention throughout the entire story. Highly recommended.

Karen Kingsbury never disappoints! With her God given talent, she has woven a beautiful love story filled with all the emotion she is known for. Her books are inspirational, making each of us want to be a better person and reminding us all of the things that are most important in life. Filled with faith and the love of family, this book is another great work of art that no one should miss.

Love story

This is a love story of past and present and of more than one couple but mainly of John Baxter and his late wife Elizabeth. Love the Baxter family and have read a few of them but you don't have to read the whole series to enjoy this book. I received an advanced copy of the book from NetGalley.

"Love Story" , a perfect title for this book which tells of not only the love of John and Elizabeth but also of the love they had for God. I would recommend this book to those who have followed the Baxter family and those who are just being introduced.. Enjoy!!

I fell in love with Karen Kingsbury books just as I fell in love with the Baxter family. If you have not yet read any of her books about the Baxter family, you can start here and be just fine, her books fill you in on any part you may have missed in previous books. However if you are like myself and have read most, if not all of this series of books about the Baxter family here is another great one.

There are over twenty, (yes, twenty) books around the Baxter family. some may wonder how anyone can write so many books about one family and they not get boring, well read this series and you will see. You will fall in love with the entire family even their family friends. You will laugh, cry and maybe find yourself in one or more of the characters in one of these books.

This book takes you to the very beginning, to a love story about the Baxter family parents. There is heartache, struggles, finding God and so much more.

Kingsbury has a unique style, each chapter may be from a different characters perspective and in this book some are even taking you back into the past. There are typically more than one main focus throughout the book, but as a reader you are not lost.

I love the way her characters are flawed, they are very much life like. I am so glad to hear more from the Baxter family and hope there are more to come.

Awesome! I began this book wondering if it would be mundane. You know, like when it's time for a movie to end--no more sequels as they can't hold you interest anymore. Not the case here, at all! Loved this story of the Baxter family. Even if you haven't read any of the previous ones, you should read this one!
John Baxter tells he and Elisabeth's love story to their grandson, Cole, who is doing a heritage assignment for a class at school. In this story, is young love, grief, great pain and sorrow, and best of all, finding Christ.
Also, in this story, is Cody and Andi's love story who have had two broken engagements, but still deeply love each other. Very touching.
Wonderful, wonderful story of family, hope, love, despair and redemption.
I was given an ecopy of this to read by the publisher, Howard Books and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Love Story by Karen Kingsburg is the book that ties up unanswered questions from the previous books in her series about the Baxter's. In this book the reader learns the full story of John and Elizabeth Baxter. The reader learns how the couple met and fell in love. The reader learns how the Baxter's first child was born out of wedlock and that Elizabeth was sent away as a result. The reader learns that Elizabeth was forced to put the baby up for adoption. 

I personally have not read the other stories in this series about the Baxter family and as a result I spent most o the book confused. I would recommend reading the other books to know what has happened so you as the reader will not be utterly confused. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Howard Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read about the Baxters from their very first debut. After a couple of spin off series, I stopped following the story, but was intrigued when I found this title. I was able to pick the story back up and follow the story line without feeling as if I had missed information and I was able to fully enjoy where the story resumed. As always, Karen Kingsbury offers true to life, vibrant characters who each had a part to tell without overwhelming the reader. I was challenged in my view of life while still enjoying the magic of getting lost in an amazing story.