#NoGoodAsking #NetGalley



I really wanted to love this book.

Healing, healing family, sounds great.

I was unprepared for such heavy hitting hard subjects and really had to force myself to pick the book up again.
When things got too tense I put it down, and I struggled to pick it back up.

I did like the story more than the review is coming across..

If you like families, drama, and real life issues, and healing you will like this book.

My thanks to Netgalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such a heartwarming read! The Nyland family is a little broken, struggling to find their way forward together. Enter Hannah, a young girl who has lost her mother and is in an abusive situation. She is taken in by the Nylands for a few days until a foster family can be secured, and her presence and spirit allows them to find their way back. to one another. These are imperfect, struggling characters that feel familiar and you will cheer for them. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital copy for review.

This is a positive, heartwarming novel that occasionally veers into the predictable but which remains highly readable. Eric and Ellie have been in a rough patch in their marriage. Taking in Hannah, a young abused child, leads them to resolve issues they hadn't previously addressed. Don't worry- this doesn't get heavy but instead remains more of a going-forward sort of story. thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Choose this one if you'd like a good easy Christmas story.

Ellie and Eric Nyland have two children and recently moved them back to Eric’s childhood farmhouse in hopes of embarking on a life of new beginnings. The Nyland family has had their fair share of struggles, leaving everyone in the family stressed, broken, and craving a fresh new start. It’s immediately evident that Ellie and Eric’s marriage has grown stagnant and their relationship issues have only made matters for the entire family that much harder. On top of that, hurts from their past are still open wounds causing grief among everyone in the family. That is.. until they meet Hannah Finch.

One winter night, Eric stumbles across Hannah while driving down dark, lonely, dangerously freezing roads. She’s walking along the roads with barely any clothes on in the frigid, deathly cold weather. Because of his past as a former police officer, Eric brings out the old golden star badge as his instincts to help this young girl kick in. It is also because of his past in law enforcement that Eric immediately gets the feeling that something about this girl’s home life just doesn’t seem right. After his suspicisons are proved to be correct, Hannah is forced away from her home and left with nowhere to go just days before Christmas. Out of sympathy and obligation, Eric and his wife Ellie agree to let Hannah temporarily stay with them until Christmas is over and the social worker can find a more permanent home for Hannah. While Ellie finds herself eagerly counting the minutes until this strange girl leaves their home and family, she is shocked to discover the love she quickly grows for this young girl. Sometimes, people need other people to heal. Other times, certain people are put in your life to fill a specific void that you never thought could be filled. No Good Asking is a story about finding hope in the most unexpected ways and how, sometimes, what you think may be a burden ends up actually being a blessing in disguise.

I read a review on this book stating that it was like a Lifetime movie in book form. After just finishing reading it, I actually couldn’t agree more. But not one of those corny, terrible Lifetime movies that leave you wondering how in the world it was even approved for tv (which let’s be honest is like 95% of them..). It was more like one of those Lifetime movies that leave you feeling warm and happy thinking to yourself “Wait.. that wasn’t terrible. It was actually pretty good. Go Lifetime!

A refreshing, feel-good read that will be a perfect book to pair with fall and winter coming up!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

For whatever reason, the cover of this book stood out to me. Normally it's not something I would read since it sounds like a Hallmark/Lifetime Movie of the Week waiting to happen and I know how those can be.

I was somewhat surprised at a few things
1. Eric was orignally must more sympathetic than Ellie. Perhaps it has to do with him finding Hannah and discovering what went on.

2. Ellie's sudden desire to keep the girl sort of came out of no where. I can understand if things were going on that slowly brought them together but it really wasn't explanined in as much detail as I would have liked. While the book talks about the miscarriages and still births, there was no hint that maybe Ellie had a wall up about Hannah due to all that she has lost. Yes some books leave that to interpretation, but there was nothing in this all

3. I would have love to known more back story on Ellie and Eric. At times they both seemed a little meek and wishy washy.

A tricky book to review as the subject matter was so grim. I admit I found this hard to read despite the writing being so easy flowing and flitting easily between conversation and description. There's also a scene of animal cruelty which wasn't necessary in my mind - is it ever? - but in this case it didn't add to the story.
The poor girl in the story struggles from the start of the novel and it's no surprise given what we find out about her. Not sure Eric was the best person to find her at first given the make up and suffering of his own family. This book deals with many serious issues and that's what I found hard to deal with. One or two would have been more effective and less depressing in my view.

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

This book is literally a Lifetime movie in novel form. It is also the rare women's fiction novel in which the male characters are far more sympathetic than the female. The female protagonist does not what to help the abused orphan for no real reason, until she suddenly does, for no real reason. We don't get any backstory that would help us understand the characters' motivations for their selfish and bad choices. It was a relief when it was over.

Wow. Powerful. Frightening. Hopeful. Heartbreaking. Heartwarming. One of the most evocative, most moving books I've read. It wasn't always easy reading, but it was mesmerizing and unputdownable.