MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK 

I have been waiting to read this third book in The Amish of Summer Grove series. I loved the first two books in the series, though the first book had a very heartbreaking ending. But that part had to happen for the series to continue! Ariana Brenneman is back in her Amish home after her DNA dad let her come home earlier than expected. But she wasn’t the same Ari that left months ago. Living with her English family changed her in ways she never though possible. This didn’t go over well at all with her Amish parents and siblings, with them thinking their Ari would be back and everything would be as it was.

Watching the Amish folks and their actions about the change in Ariana was interesting, but yet I was so angry at her dad, the Bishop and preachers. Their attitude was horrible and was it really bullying instead of trying to get her to see the error of her ways? You and figure that out for yourself when you read the book. Though I really like this book, it didn’t have the same excitement as the first two books. I was surprised and pleased at how Ariana’s English dad treated her. And it was surprising that  she learned so much from him, and I really did too. And I can’t leave out Quill. From the beginning I have liked this guy, though I didn’t really understand him at first. He was an all around good guy!

Gathering The Threads is a really good name for this book because Cindy Woodsmall’s does a really good job of weaving all of the loose ends in this series together and writing a very nice ending that satisfies your soul. One that everyone can live with. I received this book from Blogging for Books  to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 55.

The concluding book of the Amish of Summer Grove series, Gathering the Threads, takes an already unusual story for "Amish fiction" and packs a powerful ending as the threads of this group of people thoroughly mended together by family, life, faith, and community are finally sewn together into one beautiful finality.
Interestingly, Gathering the Threads is also a story about an awakening to social injustices and a move to secure the protection of those abused in their homes. There is a need for change and a need for forgiveness.

And there is love or romance that is tenderly woven through and it is, of course, quite discrete and definitely a good, clean read.

While Gathering the Threads, can surely be read as a stand-alone book, it will be more enjoyable to read books one and two in the series.

What a wonderful book! It grabs you on the first page and doesn't let go. It is full of emotions and the way it is written, you can feel every one of them. I recommend the entire series to anybody that likes Amish fiction. This book will leave you with a book hangover. Thank you WaterBrook & Multnomah via NetGalley for the complementary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Gathering The Threads is a story of two women who find out they were switched at birth. One was Amish and one was Englisch. They switched when they found out who they where - what a story - you have to read that brings you up to now where you have Ariana's story and Skylar's story continuing on here and you are caught up in the intrigue of their lives and what they want to do with it. This is one engaging story of discovery. One that the characters learn that GOD is the Guiding Light in their lives if they truly want to follow it.

This is the third book in a series, but with the great introduction the reader quickly knows the characters. Caught in between two worlds, the Amish and the English world, two women have to find out what's important to them and how they want to live the rest of their lives.

After spending months away in the Englisch world, Ariana Brenneman is thrilled to be back in the Old Order Amish world but will her new mindset threaten to tear her family apart? Ariana's hidden apprehension causes her to rebel against her Daed's authority, who just cannot understand why his normally docile daughter is fighting with him. There is the dire possibility that seeds of unrest and rebellion might germinate to disturb the peace of the family. Ariana must find the true cords of love and understanding that bind a family and community together. Ariana is the Thread Gatherer. Life is like an antique heirloom quilt, split at the seams, with Ariana working on the frayed pieces, to remake the quilt and restore it to its original purpose once again. For Ariana, it is deeply satisfying to help people in need to start life afresh on a new footing. In doing so, she finally figures out who she is and what she wants in life. In the love of family, life is all about walking in love and finding one's own identity and true place in life. Ariana finally finds her true purpose in life.

This was book 3 of the Amish of Summer Grove. I have read the previous two books and so I didn't want to miss this one. So glad I didn't. The twists and turns of the two girls whose lives were changed soon after birth are very captivating and you will want to know how all things work out. I won't tell you, you'll have to grab yourself a copy, too!

I will tell you that I really enjoyed reading book three and that each of the girls learns some valuable lessons from the lives that they are now leading. It's a great book. You won't want to bypass this one!

I received an ebook copy of this book from NetGalley for my review. All thoughts are my own.

Cindy Woodsmalls Gathering Threads is the sequel to Fraying at the Edge. It focuses on the two women who were switched at birth (Ariana and Skylar) and at the age of twenty sent home to their birth families.
Ariana was raised in an Amish family and was forced to live with her mother and stepfather and also spend time with her atheistic father. Having been allowed to go home after three months, Ariana finds herself at odds with her Amish family while Skylar who kicked drugs and felt a part of a whole at the farm, is jealous of the attention that Ariana receives. Life seems difficult for both as they faced new challenges and hope to find permanent love. Faith, family, and friendships are tested before both women can stand on their own. A very good story with a variety of characters who contribute to the secondary adventures going on throughout the text. A terrific book!

Great ending for this series. Cindy Woodsmall did a wonderful job of presenting a difficult situation, babies switched at birth, and adding extenuating circumstances, one family is Amish and the other is not only English but fractured. Then she let the difficulties of such a scenario to play out in a plausible way. After spending their whole lives being raised in their respective environments they are suddenly subject to their new environments. So many heart rending situations but of course Cindy allows us to see God work all things out in a manner that brings Him glory.

DEFINITE Must-Read!

It’s been a rough go, having to wait for Cindy Woodsmall’s latest release, Gathering the Threads. It is the third and final installment of her Amish of Summer Grove series and I could not be happier. Woodsmall turns out yet another phenomenal novel, the cherry on the proverbial sundae.

Gathering the Threads picks up where Fraying at the Edge left off. Ariana has returned to her Old Order Amish community after her stint in the world. But she’s not the Ariana everyone remembers. She now has thoughts and opinions – opinions that do not line up with her church, and especially her family. Who is this new Ariana? How will she reconcile the two worlds that she now knows?

Skylar seems to finally be getting her life together – until Ariana returns to the Brenneman home. Where does SHE belong now? Can she make this transition and not fall off the wagon? How does Jax fit into all of this?

I was given Gathering the Threads in exchange for my honest review. It was stupendous! Definitely read the two other novels in the series before reading this one – you won’t be disappointed. Woodsmall tackles some serious issues in this novel. It is relevant, especially for the world in which we now live. I think this novel – more than almost any other I’ve read – would be especially poignant to those who are ex-Amish. The struggle is palpable. The author does a phenomenal job of pulling the readers in with her intricate storylines and complex characters. A definite must read.

Gathering the Threads, Book 3 in the Amish of Summer Grove series by Cindy Woodsmall, draws the series to a very satisfying close for all of the featured characters. Ariana Brenneman has cut her “year of living Englisch” short and returned to the bosom of her Amish family but can anything be the same? Skylar Nash still rebels against the Amish life she’s been forced into but, when push comes to shove, will she leave the one place she’s found love, acceptance and friendship and the one place she’s managed to clean up her drug habit?
This was such a great story-line. Three babies, born the same night in an Amish birthing center - two girls-one boy and a fire at the birthing center necessitates a total evacuation of the rooms. In the hubbub, the two girls are switched. One is sent home and raised in a very liberal Englisch home surrounded by wealth. The other is raised as one of nine children of Isaac and Lovina Brenneman and half of a set of twins. The family’s poverty prompts Ariana to do everything in her power to bring in more money. She and her twin, Abram, work outside the home, scrimping and saving to purchase a café in town. With help from their no-longer-Amish friend, Quill Schlabach, the two finally have enough to make the purchase. Just as that happens, another brother sees Skylar in a play and sees her amazing resemblance to their older sister. He enlists Quill’s help and Quill discovers the possible switch.
When Ariana’s Englisch parents learn that their daughter isn’t really their daughter, they threaten to sue the elderly midwife unless Ariana comes to live with them for a year. She acquiesces to save the midwife from jail. Three months in, she finally convinces her birth father that he’s attempting to brainwash her just like he’s been accusing the Amish of doing. She’s read books, gone to movies, seen plays and seen more of America than she’s ever seen before. Contrite, he agrees to send her “home” to her family, her fiancé Rudy and her café. Now that her world has been expanded, will she be able to submit to the authority of the men in her life? Will doing what’s right cost her everything?
The ending of this series was very unexpected, but very necessary for the entire community that the Brenneman’s were a part of. It was a lesson in the adage, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I loved that, even though Ariana was a good, Amish girl, she was still willing to stand by her principles and not allow those in power over her to dictate her actions. In the end, her actions shone a light on many things that were wrong and that had been handled wrong for many years.
As I said before, “Gathering the Threads” is book 3 in the Amish of Summer Grove series. I do not recommend reading only this one. The books are meant to be read in order and build on one another. As such, none of them would be considered a “stand-alone” novel. That said, the books are too good not to read the whole series. By the end, I was wholly invested in the lives of each of the characters and would encourage any Amish fiction lover to start with Ties that Bind, move on to Fraying at the Edge and tie things up nicely at the end with Gathering the Threads. You won’t be sorry you did!

'Gathering the Threads' ends where 'Fraying at the Edge' left off as the third book in the Amish of Summer Grove series. If you have not yet read the first two books then I must insist that you do. The story builds on each beginning book. It might be doable as a standalone but I highly discourage it! Seriously, read the series! Ariana is back in Summer Grove where she always thought she wanted to be and Skylar, for now has decided to remain as well. But, it's not all sunshine and roses as Ariana tries to navigate the life she thought she always wanted with her newfound understanding of life from the outside world.

I truly grew to love Skylar, until about page 226. She dog-eared a book. The love was over. I still liked her but who does that?!? I like that she knows herself enough to know that she doesn't know herself at all. I respect that she finally finds herself and knows that while she will never be Amish she also can never go back to who she was and then finds the perfect way to blend those together. The trips, as Skylar has come to refer to herself along with Ariana and Abram, have all grown through this experience. The entire family has grown and that spills over to their community. Abram found his voice, literally and figuratively. He's no longer the retiring shy young man he started as. He found his voice and he found his future. Honestly he is one of favorites and I'd love to see the rest of his life sometime.

Ariana however, she tries my patience. At first I was clueless as to why she was so dang attached to that phone but I get it. It wasn't the phone but what it represented. She put herself, her family, her community and me through a lot of trouble for a stinkin' phone. Seriously, I'd decided she was Skylar in reverse and I really couldn't stand her. She was petulant and whiny and I was over it. Eventually it all made sense but geez she was still a bit over the top. This book, this entire journey, did not end how I anticipated and at first I wasn't certain I was OK with how it turned out. I had to sit and stew it for a bit. Eventually I came to terms with how it all turned out and actually respected and appreciated that sometimes hard choices aren't as hard as them seem, nor as easy as they appear. I came to be OK with the conclusion though obviously want no need more. I'd like to see the stories of the supporting characters to continue on another time in another book. Or even another series.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Cindy Woodsmall and WaterBrook & Multnomah Publishing. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Gathering the Threads is an intense and thought-provoking look at the life of Ariana, who in one moment had her whole life changed. She always grew up thinking she was Amish and that her parents were her parents. Fate changed this when she found out she was switched at birth. She was then thrust into the Englisch world quickly and without preparation. She was expected to change her thoughts, beliefs and even her appearance to suit her birth parents. This world was not for her and she could not wait to return to her old life.

Little did she know what an impact that small exposure would have on her life! She began to question her Daed and her elders in the Amish community. She craved freedom, independence and support as a woman. She still holds true to her love and belief in God but she questions the mad made decisions and rules that govern her community. It is this questioning that begins to have her blacklisted in the community. She refuses to cave into the roles that men have created for the women instead she quotes the word of God to back up her beliefs.

The other young girl who was switched at birth, Skylar, goes through her own transformation as well. At first she hates all things Amish – the lifestyle, the clothes, the culture and way of life. She slowly begins to appreciate the beliefs, the focus on family and their love and support of each other. She grows mentally and emotionally and it is beautiful to watch.

Both of these young girls grow as women and strong advocates of others, community and family all within the belief of love, family and forgiveness. They go through so much both individually and together as a family but somehow they pull through. Their experiences in both cultures helps them grow and learn to respect each other.

Gathering the Threads is a truly beautiful book of growth, hope, family and community. It uses scripture to help us understand God’s love for us, family and our greater role in the community around us.

Cindy Woodsmall did a wonderful job of bringing us into this Amish family and taking us on the journey of the two daughters. I felt myself wishing I could help, crying when they cried, frustrated when they were frustrated. I can identify with finding out who you really are. What are your beliefs and not just because your family believes one way. Stretching oneself to obtain the goals that are set before you. Thank you WaterBrook Multnomah and Netgalley for the advanced copy for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the first two of the series.

GATHERING THE THREADS is the third and final book in this series, and I highly recommend readers read the books in order, starting with Ties that Bind and Fraying at the Edge.

Ariana is back with the Amish - in person - but the Englisch world has left some gulfs between her old world and her new one. Bridges need to be built but whether Ariana is truly accepted in her old home remains to be seen. The bishop, preacher, and deacon seem against her and preach about her sins -- as if it was her fault she was reunited with her biological parents.

I absolutely LOVED Gabe. He is a total sweetheart, kind, considerate, and so calm. He loved his family with everything he had in him, but was called to sometimes do dangerous jobs.

Ari broke my heart, struggling to fit into both worlds, and yet stay true to herself. But who is she? Will she ever find her place?

I couldn't put this book down and read it in spurts across two days. I loved this entire series. Highly recommended. Don't miss GATHERING THE THREADS.

I received this book free. All opinions are my own.

It can be difficult to see a series come to an end, but what a way to end it! This was such an unusual Amish tale really, and lately that is the kind of Amish books I have been looking for. I will say this – if you haven’t read the first two installments, you may be a little confused. The author did a great job in summarizing them in the beginning of this book, but let’s face it – you’ll want the whole story to connect with the characters.

We all have things we have to face when growing up. We make decisions that will have lasting effects on our lives. Ariana and Skyler had huge decisions to make here. Would they stay with what they knew, or go to the world they thought they needed to be in. Such an emotional rollercoaster, and really not just for the main characters. This decision affects to many people in their lives! Ms. Woodsmall has beautifully woven a story of friendship, following God, and how sometimes making the right decision can be extremely difficult.

While I am sorry to see their story end, perhaps we can see these lovely characters in other series to come in the future. Cindy Woodsmall has always been an author I have enjoyed reading, and this book is no exception to that rule. I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved it even though I was sad to see the series end!! Very happy with the way things turned out

It's sad to see the conclusion of The Amish of Summer Grove series. This series was different from other Amish since it has a good deal of the English world seeping into the story line. Both Ariana and Skylar's lives were turned upside down by the revelation about the fire at the birthing center. The author did a great job with each character seeing and dealing with issues in a productive manner. Looking forward to the next book by Ms Woodsmall. Highly recommended!

Gathering the Threads

Cindy Woodsmall


GATHERING THE THREADS is the third and final book in The Amish of Summer Grove series. I really enjoyed the first two but this one, I loved. I couldn’t ask for a better wrap up to a series than GATHERING THE THREADS and Cindy Woodsmall captivated me from the very beginning and never let my heart go until the very last page. I love the way Ms. Woodsmall combines the Amish world with the Englisch world and this beautiful and emotional story is exactly why.

Ariana has returned to her Amish community after living with her Englisch dad for three months. There was a fire on the day she was born and she was switched with another baby who was raised Englisch but is really Amish. Skylar, the other baby, is twenty, just like Ariana, and she has been living with her Amish family while Ariana was with her Englisch family. Skylar isn’t going to be joining the faith that her real family is living in, but she learns many many lessons from them and the way they live. GATHERING THE THREADS has Ariana questioning her faith and the way everyone just accepts whatever the bishop says even if they don’t agree with him. While she was away, she learned a lot about social injustice and helping women and children who are in abusive situations. Ariana wants to teach the Amish women about this and feels it’s time for a change in their faith.

My emotions were all over the place while reading GATHERING THE THREADS and one minute I was happy and smiling and the next, my heart was breaking. I felt bad for Ariana and felt as if the whole community was ganging up on her at times. Will Skylar take the plunge and give up her worldly ways? Will Ariana give up her Amish faith and become an advocate for abused women and children? Will Rudy learn to love the changes in Ariana? Will Quill finally confess his true feelings for Ariana? So many questions and when you read GATHERING THE THREADS you will get all the answers! While you can read this heartbreaking story as a stand alone, I would suggest reading all three in order so you can get all the background on all of the characters.

Gathering The Threads by Cindy Woodsmall is a delightful Amish romance with a wonderful, warm, welcoming feel to it. It is the third book in the Amish Of Summer Grove series but can be read as a stand-alone as I hadn't read the first two books.
The main themes are the search for identity and to belong. "She needed to understand who she was." Being raised Amish, spending time with the Englisch and then returning to the Amish community certainly creates mind confusion. Some things such as mobile phones which bring freedom are not easily surrendered. However, the Englisch love of money contrasts with the value the Amish put on family. "Spending money was the... answer for a lot of emotional upsets."
Family matters. Family is blood ties, those who have raised you and anyone you feel a connection with. Family love you, support you and discipline you.
There are also the topics of bullying versus exerting authority. Where does one end and the other begin? A misuse of power raises its ugly head in the novel. "Just because people think they're right doesn't actually make them right, and that's true whether they are a minister or a Daed."
Conflict between the Word of God and the Ordnung arises. The Ordnung was written by men. It is their rules. The Bible is God's instruction manual to us. We all have access to God's Word. We do not need a Bishop to put his interpretation onto God's Words. The reader is reminded of the truths in Revelation, that we are to add nothing to nor take anything from God's Word.
Helping the weak and vulnerable is key in the novel. We are all charged to 'look after the widows and orphans.' A community should be the responsibility of all. Aiding others is a priority, sometimes even at the threat of personal safety.
Grace covers us all. "We are made worthy by grace... not judgment or expectations from the church. God never intended us to stand in judgment over one another. Abuse by those in areas of influence rears its head in the story.
I really enjoyed Gathering The Threads. It was a great read and my first by Cindy Woodsmall. I shall be hunting out many more by her.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.