Member Reviews
Amy Clipston is one of my favorite Amish Fiction authors and these stories really tell you why - she can pack a big punch in a short amount of time. She writes characters that are easy to like, but also that go through trials that we can relate to. Amish Sweethearts is the perfect book to grab if you're looking for a bunch of sweet, Amish stories.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel and was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was a wonderful book of 4 Amish stories that will leave you feeling happy and satisfied! They are sweet, wholesome love stories with just the right amount of romance and mystery for a light read. This is exactly the kind of book I like to read when I'm weighed down by the stress, busyness, and heaviness that life gives us sometimes. I also really appreciated the faith in God and how it was presented within the Amish culture. I definitely would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, wholesome, good-feeling romance book that has belief in God woven through.
I received an E-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.
I really enjoyed these four sweet Amish romances! Each story found very talented young ladies as the main character. There was mystery, surprises and secrets that made each an interesting story with a sweet romantic ending.
I requested a copy through NetGalley, no review was required. My review is voluntary.
I have to say I loved this book, especially when the stories involved characters from previous series like the Kauffman Bakery series. Amy Clipston's writing is always spot-on, and she portrays real life happenings that could occur to any of us in a wonderful detailed story. The compassion, love, fear, and hope all make you feel like you are the one experiencing those things just like the characters in her stories. Four great novellas that will make you laugh, cry, and think...the way stories should be. Great writing as usual Amy Clipston!
God and Love combined in this sweet and faith filled book with stories to touch the heart, mind, and soul. I loved each one, for they were clean and touching. If you have not tried this author before, this is a perfect way to see her showcase of talent.
Amish Sweethearts is a great compilation of four well written tales by fabulous author Amy Clipston. This is a perfect place to start for someone who has never read this solid author and wants to see what the genre is like. A very enjoyable read
Amy Clipston always does such an amazing & detailed job with her Amish love stories, I first discovered her when I received a book from a friend and I have truly enjoyed reading her books.
Amish Sweethearts was a bit of an unexpected twist as it was not a novel but a small collection of novellas/short stories, each very well done with great and relatable characters going through the ups and downs of life. You laugh with them, cry with them, and cheer them on as they navigate their world. Looking forward to more of her books in the future!
Another fabulous Amish collection from the talented hands of Mrs. Amy Clipston! She is a talent in the Amish fiction world and I have yet to be disappointed by her work. She creates stories full of hope and love, longing and faith. The simplicity of the Amish life always draws me in and this book did just that.
We see a couple characters from other novella collections, but it was so nice to catch back up on them, along with Matthew and Lindsay and Tobias and Mariella. These sweet couples all shine in their stories and I loved coming back to them! It was like coming home to family after a long time away. I felt all their emotions strongly and loved watching the sweethearts all come full circle in their lives.
This is definitely a fantabulously done 4 star collection of inspiring, entertaining and captivating stories. If you are looking for a relaxing, heart warming collection of novellas about sweethearts and relying on the path that God puts before you, then grab this one up quick! You won't be sorry! I can't wait for another amazing hit from Mrs. Clipston!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Sweet romances that readers will treasure. Amy Clipston has created characters that become family, and friends to the readers. I really loved getting to read four novellas from Amy that I haven't read before, they were charming and rejuvenated my spirit. Love Birds was one of my favorite stories in the collection, I loved the title and I really liked Ellie in this story.
Love and Buggy Rides
Love and Buggy Rides Janie and Jonathan meet under a terrible accident. Jonathan is giving buggy rides to tourists when a car run into the buggy, hurting the several of the passengers. Janie being witness to this accident, realizes it is not his fault but is told by her father to stay out of the business of Englishers. It is when Janie and Jonathans relationship turns into something more deeper when she is forced to make a decision. I loved this story as well as it deals with what is the right thing and the tension it brings. It really displays on doing the right thing does not come automatically but with intentionality. This was a great story on integrity of the heart.
A Home for Lindsay
Matt and Lindsay have their whole future ahead of them. Matt is building a home for Lindsay on his sister's property anticipating the day that he will bring his bride home. However, with unforeseeable circumstances, he must abandon his plans and break the heart of the woman he loves. A story about what home really means and the relationships that make home.
Where the Heart is
Tobias Smucker left his Amish home to live with uncle in Florida. A recovering alcoholic, Tobias had to deal with his relationship with his father. It was a relationship that left Tobias in despair that led to his drinking. Now he has come back home to reconcile with the family that he hurt and to make things right. Coming back he comes to know his sister's best friend Mariella,in a different light. Mariella has always had a crush on Tobias but never let her feelings be known because of his sister. The relationship grows from friendship to more. It is this friendship that Tobias learns to deal with his father and find healing.
Mariella.
Love Birds
Ellie Lapp and her mother now live alone and must find ways to make ends meet after the recent death of her brother Seth. Ellie's father died years ago and to fill the void of his father, took the responsibility of making sure his sister and mother were well cared for. Seth's best friend Lloyd is helping with the family chores and with the family's loss, begins to see Ellie a new way. They form a friendship and they begin to share their fears and likes building a trust that naturally turns to love. With Ellie's new job at the gift store, she begins to look for new Amish made gifts to sell in the store. When she discovers Lloyd's talent of making handcrafted birds, she encourages him to sell the birds so that others might enjoy their beauty. When the fear of loosing her job takes over, a trust is broken. Can love overcome what was lost?
Each of these stories deal with loyalty, trust and facing your fears. At the root of each one is a faith in God that encourages anyone who struggles.
A Special Thank You to Zondervan and Nettgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
Missed the Mark
When I was given an opportunity to read one of Amy Clipston’s latest releases, Amish Sweethearts (not to be confused with Leslie Gould’s novel by the same name), I was excited – such and exquisite cover, and it’s Amy Clipston after all (and overall, I find her to be an entertaining author.) Amish Sweethearts is a collection of four novellas – two of which have been published before in other collections. While I found the two previously published novellas very satisfying, would the other two novellas make the collection feel…complete? You’ll need to judge for yourself.
Love and Buggy Rides (previously published in An Amish Harvest) tells the story of cashier Janie Lantz and buggy driver Jonathan Stoltfuz, both employees of Lancaster Souvenirs and Buggy Rides. An unfortunate accident allows their paths to cross...and perhaps creates a path towards love.
A Home for Lindsay tells Lindsay Bedford’s story. Lindsay is marking down the days to her wedding with Matthew Glick, and the new home Matthew is building for them. When Matthew breaks up with Lindsay, she’s bewildered and devastated. What’s going on?
Where the Heart Is finds Tobias Smucker returning home, seeking peace and restoration – especially with his father. Mariella, Tobias’s sister’s best friend, seems to be the key to his path of forgiveness and finding peace with his dad.
Love Birds (previously published in An Amish Market) follows Ellie Lapp, whose brother recently died. It’s now just Ellie and her mom. The community has rallied around them, but Ellie really feels a need to find some work outside of the home to make ends meet. Her brother’s friend, Seth, has been one of those helping out…but he also has a secret hobby – one that may help both Ellie and Seth heal in their grief.
I was given Amish Sweethearts in exchange for my honest review. While there are many Clipston novels that I love (if you haven’t read her Kauffman Bakery series, buy it now), this collection of novellas missed the mark. Both A Home for Lindsay and Where the Heart Is had very predictable, and rather boring, storylines. Additionally, both of these novellas mention characters from other writings, which may make the read confusing to a new reader. With having already read half of this book in other collections, the question then becomes: Would I pay money to read the other two? I can’t in all honesty say yes. But I’ll leave the decision up to you – what do YOU think?
Amy Clipston is an excellent writer of Amish fiction, and these novellas will not disappoint her readers in any way. Her books about the Amish always have an authentic feel to them. I loved the characters and storylines of each of these books. All the romances are sweet, clean, and inspiring. She always makes me feel part of whichever Amish community she has chosen to set her stories in.
I look forward to re-reading these stories again in the future. This book will remain in my “favorites” category.
What an amazing mix of stories from Amy Clipston. The story lines pull the reader into each one. The characters magical and like part of the family. Found myself cheering for each hero and heroine. Thank you for an amazing book.
These are four sweet novellas by Amy Clipston. They are short and fun reads and about couples finding each other and having things to overcome and handle. Enjoyed the stories including the one that I had previously read in a different format.
I enjoy her books very much and look forward to continue reading them.
I received an ebook copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.
My Review of A Reunion in Pinecraft: This novella makes me want to visit the Amish community in Pinecraft, Florida, although I think I would want to go at some time other than summer to avoid the humidity! This was a cute little story of two sisters who have an attraction to the same young man, which of course will make life interesting. Graham seems to see the benefits of spending time with the two sisters. Readers will be anxious to read to see what happens with this romantic triangle.
My rating for this novella is 5 *****
My Review of Summer Storm: I felt a great deal of respect for Jesse in this novella as he is honorable as he doesn't tell of his friend, Isaac's big mistakes. But he and Arianna pay the price when Arianna and Isaac's father forbid Jesse to continue his engagement with Arianna. Readers will want to see how this situation is resolved. Will Arianna and Jesse ever be able to marry or will their future be forever destroyed by Isaac's errors?
My rating for this novella is 5 *****
My Review of Lakeside Love: Wow!! I felt such empathy for Esther in this novella. She lives in the shadow of her beautiful, popular sister, Sarah, while they both share an attraction for Judah. Judah doesn't appreciate the special qualities that Esther possesses while she pines away for him. When the
good-looking, smart, and kind young Englischer, Rhett, arrives to stay in their home for the summer to learn about the Amish faith, the tables are turned and Esther is the favored sister while Sarah is the jealous sister now. But Esther only has eyes for one man and it's not Rhett. Readers will be turning pages as fast as possible to see how this sibling conflict is resolved. This novella by Kathleen Fuller is my favorite of the four featured in the collection!
My rating for this novella is 5*****
My Review of One Sweet Kiss: What is it about summer and romance? I felt quite nostalgic reading about this novella set in Texas as I had the privilege of living in Texas for three years. I didn't realize there were any Amish communities in Texas. Martha has had to assume a great responsibility for one so young when her mother dies and it is a challenge for her to allow Jacob into her heart. But he is determined to steal a kiss. Will they find a way to share a life together or will Martha saddle herself with the task of raising her siblings while forfeiting her own life?
My rating for this novella is 5 *****
My overall rating for this novella collection of four Amish romances is 5 stars. I highly recommend this collection to readers. I enjoy reading novellas as I can read one quickly when life is busy with so much activity.
I received an ebook of this collection from netgalley and Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.
It's almost Valentine's day and that is all I could think of when I first saw this mostly red cover with the title, "Amish Sweethearts."
If you're a fan of Amy Clipston, you'll be super pleased to know that this novella collection is all Amy! Every novella penned by Amy...every single sweet romance..all Amy! Holy ellipses abuse! Can you tell I'm a bit of a fan? Well, I am. It's true. I'm a shameless Amy Clipston fan so I was super excited to have the opportunity to read this novella collection.
First off, let me disclose that two of these novellas were previously published in other novella collections. However, we also get two new delectable Amish romances and trust me—you don't want to miss them!
Love and Buggy Rides(previously published in An Amish Harvest)
These characters were extremely well-developed. Often with a novella, I feel that the romance is rushed. This book had a nice flow. Though Janie and Johnathan fell in love rather fast—it was believable. Adorable even.
A Home for Lindsay
I have not read the Kauffman Amish Bakery series yet (It is on my TBR pile!) and this story is apparently a spin-off. Luckily, I wasn't lost and I was able to gather some of the backstory. This took care of the rushed romance trope that so often grates on my nerves with novellas. I wanted to strange Matthew a few times in this novella but I was happy with the ending so...all's well that ends well!
Where the Heart Is
If you've read Summer Storm which is included in An Amish Summer novella collection; you'll be happy to see that this novella is about Arianna's brother, Tobias. If you haven't read An Amish Summer, that's okay! You'll still be able to follow along. This novella was my favorite in the collection. I loved revisiting characters that I already had formed an attachment to.
Love Birds(previously published in An Amish Market)
I loved rereading this novella! I first read Love Birds in 2016 when it was included in An Amish Market. I loved these characters so much. Lloyd and Ellie were adorbs—yes, I said adorbs...again. I'm making quite a habit of that. But, it's true, these are lovable characters. The best thing? Lloyd and Ellie knew each other their whole lives. No insta-love! Amy does such a great job of pulling together novellas in a way that doesn't feel as if the romance is completely rushed and trope-y...is that a word? Probably not, but I'm using it anyway.
I loved this novella collection and would recommend it to fans of Amish fiction. This book would be such a cute Valentine's Day gift for a fan of Amish romance.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by The Publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. All opinions are my own.
I don’t usually read Amish fiction, mainly because I have too many Mennonite friends to really want to read Amish fiction, if that makes any sense? However, I have read Amy Clipston’s Amish fiction series and I have to say, she really does write them well!
This is the first novella collection that I’ve read, and I enjoyed it a lot! In particular, I enjoyed being able to put the book down whenever I finished a novella, instead of reading all the way through.
Each of the stories had a nicely developed backstory, and the storylines also moved very well. None of the stories really felt like insta-love, despite being novellas, which is something I appreciated, since so often Amish fiction straight up feels like a romance novel, where the entire point of the book is for them to fall in love, and nothing happens to prevent that. Clipston’s books don’t do that, and I really like that.
Also, the Amish in her books weren’t exactly your stereotypical Amish: they are more real, and although I don’t doubt that there are aspects that aren’t as accurate as they could be, they are more real than a lot of Amish fiction I’ve read.
Overall, I really really liked these stories! I was very impressed with the pacing of them, and how they didn’t feel rushed despite being novellas.
My Ranking-
7/10
Things I liked-
Although they are all novellas, the stories didn’t feel like insta-love–they are all very well paced
How the stories tie to other series that she’s written!
Cute romance stories!
There were all good backstories and not quickly summarized
Clean wholesome reads
Accurate to Amish lifestyle (modern day Amish lifestyle), as far as I can tell
I like reading novellas more than I thought! I liked getting to put the book down after every novella
Things I didn’t like as much-
There are some scenes where I was a little uncomfortable with (guy with girl) scenes: nothing scandalous but I wouldn’t be in those scenes myself
Like I’ve seen, I’m not always a fan of romance, so I’m docking a point just because of that
Slightly stereotypical Amish love stories (but that’s the topic of it all so like)
Amish Sweethearts contains four novellas that are good reads: Love and Buggy Rides (previously published in An Amish Harvest), A Home for Lindsay, Where the Heart Is, and Love Birds (previously published in An Amish Market). The very first book that I read of Amy Clipston's was A Life of Joy way back in 2012. That is when I became a fan of her writing! It is no wonder one of my favorite stories from Amish Sweethearts is A Home for Lindsay, which has characters from A Life of Joy. I would also include Where the Heart Is in that favorites list. In each novella the characters need to get themselves together. The reader gets to see the journey of them discovering God's best for their lives and also finding love. Each novella can be read easily in one sitting. I enjoyed this collection of sweet romances. I was provided a complimentary review copy of this book. 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 255.
Four stories set among the Amish. Short novellas that are quick and easy to read. I liked how each story was based on friendship.
Amy Clipson is an amazing storyteller...AMISH SWEETHEARTS is a warm, cozy and sweet read. Enjoy it. Five Stars!!