Member Reviews
Oh my goodness this story is so funny, yet heartbreaking at the same time. Mary Anne and Jethro both have so much going on under the surface, and it takes extreme measures to force them to deal with the deep feelings of hurt and disappointment. Anna is a force to be reckoned with as she and Felty support Mary Anne by camping out with her, and before she knows it, her act of defiance has taken on a life of its own. As the story progresses it goes beyond Jethro and Mary Anne, and we discover the role that family members played in their unhappiness and lost dreams as well. The best part of the story for me was when Jethro reaches a turning point, and he becomes desperate to do anything to keep Mary Anne in his life. I loved their slow process of healing and how they became stronger for it. Definitely a unique plot and stand-out story!
Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.
MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK
What a pleasure to return to Huckleberry Hill and my favorite matchmaking couple, Anna and Felty Helmuth. This time it is a little different with this duo. Instead of helping one of their grandchildren find love, this adorable couple helps one an already married granddaughter with her marriage. And they had to do a little roughing it in order to help.
I love this Huckleberry Hill Series by Jennifer Beckstrand. Each book keeps getting better and better. The story here is a bit of a clever twist on the way Mary Anne leaves her husband. It ends up involving the whole family, and yes, Anna and Felty was right there with them. And poor Jethro has the shock of his life. With a group of the best characters around, this beautifully written story with give you hours if entertainment and enjoyment. The entire book is just plain fun! It is impossible no to laugh at the humor throughout the story, especially coming from Anna and Felty. This couple is hilarious! I highly recommend that you check out Home on Huckleberry Hill, as well as the other books in this series, and join Anna and Felty as they help out their grandchildren. You never know who will be the next one on Anna’s list! I hope you love them as well as I did!
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
If you would ever read a book by Jennifer Beckstrand you will never be disappointed! She brings you right into the story where you have a wonderful feeling for her characters and her stories are so "family" real! This one will bring smiles at the shenanigans that go on. Loved it!
I was gifted a copy, no review was required. My review is voluntary.
As usual, Jennifer Beckstrand has written a book exhibiting her unique style of storytelling. I was delighted to once again catch up with my friends, Anna and Felty, two of my all time favourite characters. Every book by this author is filled to the brim with humor as well as a clear message. The Huckleberry Hill series is one that you just have to read! Laugh, cry, giggle, be amazed at the antics of this elderly couple.
The quirky characters are so well described that they immediately become your friends. Felty and Anna are such a unique couple . Anna continues in this new book pursuing her greatest desire in life , either to matchmake or at least make sure that every other married couple is as happy as she and Felty are. I fell in love with them in the earlier books and they just became better and closer friends. I can picture them clearly in my mind and can easily identify with all who have to deal with them. Mary Anne and Jethro have problems, she wanting a baby more than anything in the world, Jethro, seeming to care for everything else but that or his wife's feelings. Fishing is where his interest is focused. I must admit my sympathy lay with Mary Anne. Not having success in six years of trying to become pregnant is heartbreaking and would put a strain on any marriage. The resulting separation was one that was unique and full of mind boggling, funny situations. Jennifer Beckstrand has a fantastic talent of describing characters and situations resulting in side splitting laughter.
I love the way the Amish community comes together in good, bad, and questionable times. Togetherness was certainly a theme in this great book!! ( in a very unusual way!}
Definitely a five star book!! Don't miss it!! IN FACT DON'T MISS ANY OF THIS HUCKLEBERRY HILLS series!!
This book was provided by CelebrateLit. The thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own.
I just love Felty and Anna! They are so fun! I have not read all of their books but I’m slowly working my way through reading them. They’re so fun! This set of older grandparents are a hoot and will keep you entertained and laughing.
In this book, you meet Mary Anne and her husband Jethro. It’s a big misunderstanding but when they don’t talk about things each has their reasons. Mary Anne has decided enough is enough. Her husband doesn’t want to spend time with her so she’ll leave the house so maybe he’ll at least come home more often.
Meanwhile, Jethro things his wife is the best thing that ever happened to him!
Can Felty and Anna bring them back together and save their marriage before everyone finds out?
So much fun! You’re going to love this one and it’s going to keep you reading and entertained. Highly recommend not only this book but any by this author.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
I enjoyed Home on Huckleberry Hill, it was a different kind of love story in that it shows an already married couple who seem to be indifferent to each other and wondering whether the sparks of love will ever return. And to add to the complications they are Amish, which have some strict rules about a wife’s role in the marriage.
I liked watching Mary Anne and how she takes a stand against her husband’s indifference, as well as expectations, of her. While the measures she takes are drastic, it is also clear that ut us a step she needed to get back to the woman she used to be, as well as showing Jethor how much pain his indifference has caused her … to the point that she questins whether she loves him anymore.
I found it interesting that the bishop that Jethro brings out to talk to Mary Anne seems to understand why she is doing what she is doing. However, Jethro is annoying when he refuses to admit his own fault in everything that is going on. It was interesting that the reason the community was in an uproar is because people did not want other wives to become disconted with their lives and get ideas.
I also enjoyed seeing Mary Anne’s grandparents showing their support as well as gelping Mary Anne and Jethor work through their issues. I also liked watching Jethro grow as a character, especially when he realizes that he is just as at fault for his struggling marriage, as Mary Anne is and does everything he can to win her heart again.
This novel shows the importance of good communication, and not taking your spouse for granted, as well as being allowed to work through grief properly after a traumatic event. Home on Huckleberry Hill is a light read, but it also covers a few heavy topics throughout. I am definitely looking forward to checking out more of the books in this series! 4/5 Stars.
What a fabulous read! It is a joy to visit the Helmuth family again! The author weaves important lessons about faith and marriage during a painful season of a young married couple and Anna and Felty’s attempt to reunite them. The story brings laugh-out-loud moments, heartbreaking disagreements, and how each character looks deep within to determine, “Lord, is it I?”
Mary Anne and Jethro have been married six years. Despite the growing canyon between them since the tragedy of four years earlier, Mary Anne prepared a special anniversary dinner. Instead, Jethro came home from work long enough to gather his new $400 fishing pole, tell her to not wait up, and go fishing with his buddies.
Mary Anne has had enough. Enough of Jethro’s absences. Of him loving his new fishing rod more than her. His complaints about her spending money or time on what he considered frivolous, such as getting a special cheese or making rosettes in the radishes. Once they adored each other, but she no longer even likes him, as he keeps her from doing anything that brings her joy.
Mary Anne hates camping. She doesn’t have anywhere to go, though, so she borrows her Jethro’s tent, cot, and sleeping bag and camps in the woods. She borrows a few things from the house, such as the table next to his comfortable chair, pots and pans, and a lantern. First, Jethro noticed that Mary Anne didn’t make his coffee or breakfast the next morning. He found a very sad note from her which included that she borrowed $200 from his money jar. He did not even understand that she had left! Not until he came home that evening and found other things missing from his house. Things that he considers his, since he earns the money. He finally found the tent Mary Anne set up in the woods. How dare she?
Mary Anne knows she must get a job and a small apartment before autumn. She borrows another tent to set up her sewing machine and quilt frames to earn money, also. The next night, Jethro brings Bishop Yoder! In his wisdom, the bishop tells the story of Jesus and the disciples on that Passover they celebrated when Jesus said He would be betrayed and killed, and each of the disciples asked “Lord, is it I?” Mary Anne graciously takes the blame for everything, and an irate Jethro feels she is right.
When Mary Anne’s grandparents, octogenarians Anna and Felty Helmuth, heard what happened, they borrow a small tent and join her in the woods as a show of their love. Soon, more relatives join them. As the hilarity begins that only her grandparents can bring, the angry words and actions between the couple multiply until it is certain they will never be able to bridge the gap, even when Jethro recalls just how much he loves his wife.
I absolutely loved this novel! I was happy to join the Helmuth’s again where almost anything can happen when Anna sets her skills to matchmaking skills. I appreciated the lessons about love and forgiveness despite several uncomfortable “ouch” moments. Yes, it is at great expense to Mary Anne and Jethro to navigate through their pain and hear what each other’s truth Is, even when hope seems gone. I highly recommend this novel and series to anyone who appreciates Amish Christian fiction that teaches through laughter and tears, scripture and action.
From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Celebrate Lit, and this is my honest review.
Oh my! Get ready for some Amish fireworks! This book moves quickly and is riveting. Well developed characters who go through some rough times, but are about family, kept me turning pages quickly.
First, I have to say that I love Anna and Felty. They make me laugh with their antics and attitudes, and yet are so endearing that I would love to have them as grandparents. They truly do show what family is all about. Mary Anne and Jethro learn a lot from them and grow as a couple.
Beckstrand teaches some lessons throughout, about the give and take of marriage, and dealing with hard situations. But it’s done with humor and warmth. I loved this book! If you enjoy Amish fiction I highly recommend Home on Huckleberry Hill.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.
Home On Huckleberry Hill by Jennifer Beckstrand is a Christian contemporary Amish novel. This is Book #9 in the author’s Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill Series. Many old friends made an appearance in this quirky, fun book.
This is the story of Amish married couple Jethro and Mary Anne Neuenschwander. They have had some sadness and disappointments in their marriage. Their lives are drifting apart instead of closer together. Mary Anne does something drastic and Jethro retaliates.
Author Beckstrand is a favorite of mine. I know I will receive a Christian message, a well thought and researched book, and a bit of humor. Her Huckleberry Hills series has some wonderful characters, including Felty and Annie. They are a large part of this book as they make a show of solidarity with Mary Anne.
The life lessons are like precious gems in this story. The main one is about marriage and love. Gossip, forgiveness, submitting, hope, and trust are also beautifully illustrated. Talking about issues and hurt is essential, and the author shows how situations can blow up without being open and honest.
I did become frustrated with all of the bickering. There was so much negativity in this book that I wanted to give up on it a time or two. I am glad I persevered. The message is really lovely and uplifting.
I highly recommend this Amish Christian book. It is especially a good book for a married or soon to be married reader. Everyone will enjoy it. The rating I give it is 4 out of 5 stars.
This was a book I could hardly set down. I was really impressed with the way the author was able to inject so many humorous situations into the entire story, while also painting a picture of a marriage in trouble and a wife with a broken heart and spirit.
The awakenings of the main characters in this story was heart touching. Jethro was incredibly unlikable to me for the first portion of the book. He allowed his self righteousness and embarrassment, along with the prodding of the men of his district, to just make things worse and worse with his wife. However, I loved when Jethro’s eyes began to open to his true feelings and to the part he had played in causing so much pain in Mary Anne’s heart.
Mary Anne had a few of her own awakenings throughout the book and it was sweet to watch as she processed all that had happened in her marriage, received support from family, and began to realize the changes that were taking place in her husband. I really enjoyed this story!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Wow! Every time I come back to The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series I remember exactly why I love it. HOME ON HUCKLEBERRY HILL had me sitting right at Felty and Anna’s kitchen table scheming with them as they try to help their grand daughter, Mary Anne Neuenschwander. Felty and Anna are one of my all time favorite couples in Amish fiction. No one can crack me up like these two can. The situations they create is quite hysterical and I always find myself laughing out loud. Not to mention the things that Anna cooks that everyone thinks is just horrible but they never say so as they would hurt her feelings. One that I can’t seem to get out of my head is potato raisin asparagus casserole. I mean, can you even imagine? Haha
Mary Anne and her husband, Jethro, are having marital issues. When Jethro forgets their anniversary and went fishing with his friends, Mary Anne decided to move out…into a tent in their backyard Anna never gives up on these two but not in a mean way. She just keeps trying to push these two together and your heart will swell with love for her. She is such a dedicated grandmother. HOME ON HUCKLEBERRY HILL is filled with twists and turns, some I never saw coming, but I loved every one of them.
In HOME ON HUCKLEBERRY HILL I loved Jethro and Mary Anne, the primary characters but also fell in love with all of the secondary characters as well. Every one of them has an important part to play in this heart warming story and even though I wanted to reach in and smack one or two of them every now and then, they all weaseled their way into my heart. I truly hope Anna and Felty don’t run out of grandchildren to play matchmaker for. I would love to see this series continue for at least twenty more books. That’s how much I enjoy Jennifer Beckstrand’s writing!💜
I love Anna and Felty and the way they interact with people! What a fantastic group of characters and a wonderfully woven. This is an entertaining Amish story from beginning to end. Love, love, love this book!
When Jethro forgets their sixth anniversary, Mary Anne can't take it any longer. And thus begins a humorous and heartwarming adventure!
I loved this story from the very start. Mammi and Dawdi are so cute and so funny! Their whispers in the grocery store start rumors as they set out to help Mary Anne and Jethro in their marriage. When Mary Anne moves out of the house and into a tent, they show their solidarity by moving into their own borrowed tent!
I love the way this elderly couple meddles so kindly. Mammi is so funny with all her attempts at cooking that she thinks turn out so well but which end with less than desirable results. Cabbage lasagna?? Eew!
Jethro is quite dense. And at first, I didn't care for him. He was so self-centered he never saw the pain poor Mary Anne was in or how his method of dealing with grief and attempting to help her was interpreted. And yet, I began to love him more and more as he began to have the courage to stand up against the (terrible!) advice from his family and the community. And as he began to fall back in love with his wife again.
There were so many laugh-out-loud moments in this story!! One of my very favorite parts was when Jethro suggested he and Mary Anne go to town for bacon-maple doughnuts early in the morning and the adventures they had in their attempt to get there in the fastest possible way. I was only surprised that he didn't cite this as another example to prove that he wasn't boring!
In addition to the laughter, the story also dealt with real heartbreak sensitively. The balance between the humor and the hurt was perfect, with neither one overdone.
If you enjoy humorous romance with relevant life-lessons, even if you are not a fan of Amish fiction, I encourage you to read Home on Huckleberry Hill!
Home On Huckleberry Hill by Jennifer Beckstrand is the most charming contemporary Amish novel that will make you smile and leave you feeling good.
I always know that when I pick up a Jennifer Beckstrand novel, I will be in for a real treat. There are always wonderful, warm characters that move into my heart. I love her Huckleberry Hill residents of Felty and Annie – octogenarians who have a huge heart for others, a playful sense of humour, and a tendency to match-make. They say some outrageous things that are picked up as gossip and taken as truth. “Gossip is like a bag of feathers” and once it is out there, we cannot gather it in. It is important not to gossip and spread rumours. We must guard against it.
The main focus of the novel is a marriage that is floundering. The reader learns about love. “Love isn’t a feeling… Love is something we do.” We need to work at the love in our marriages to keep them alive. Within the novel, we witness love in action. There are many different types of love but only one word that covers all… we have the love in a marriage, in a family, in a community and we have the love of God.
If we love someone, we want the best for them. We must put aside our selfish nature and live a life of selfless love. If a marriage is stale, we need to go back and remember what it was that made us fall in love with that person.
Sometimes the past holds painful memories. We see the pain caused by miscarriage and infertility, and the damage caused when we keep silent and brush the pain under the carpet. We risk becoming two lone ships on painful voyages if we do not open up and become vulnerable.
We need to trust in God. “It wasn’t easy… to put his life in Gotte’s hands.” God will never let us down. He did not promise us a trouble-free life but He did promise to never leave nor forsake us. Do not equate His silence with His absence.
Home On Huckleberry Hill was so delightfully amusing. There were some serious themes but a wonderful light air to the whole novel. It was a totally charming read.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
HOME ON HUCKLEBERRY HILL is the ninth book in this series, but they all stand-alone. The grandparents are in each book as well as Mammi's wacky cooking combos and disasters.
The story is filled with humor. Some is funny and some roll-your-eyes puns. Ms. Beckstrand is a talented, slap-stick writer with plenty of cutesy phrases.
This is not my favorite book by this author. The drama and misunderstandings dragged on a whole lot longer than my patience lasted. I wanted to bop both Mary Anne and Jethro upside the head. Thankfully, both characters did listen to the very wise bishop's advice, even though it took a book for them to understand.
Felty was a wise husband and grandfather.
If you like Amish romance overflowing with humor, you will love HOME ON HUCKLEBERRY HILL and any of the other books in this series.
I was given an ecopy free. All opinions are my own.
Huckleberry Hill has become a home away from home for me. I love revisiting Annie and her husband, Felty. She loves her family and will go to extremes to support them. This story demonstrates their overwhelming support for their granddaughter, Mary. They will be so supportive to the point that they will experience fires, spiders, out houses and a runaway motorhome.
Mary is going through some tough times. She takes drastic measures to survive. But her husband, Jethro, doesn't understand. It doesn't take long for both of them to dig deeper and discover what they need to do. It demonstrates how important it is to LISTEN...really listen to your partner. Communication is the key.
It is so important to be able to communicate face to face. It is so easy to misinterpret someone's behavior in today's world with texting and Facebook. Hurt feelings need to be addressed. It can fester until the relationship completely breaks down.
Home in Huckleberry Hill was entertaining. It was a joy to read.
I received this free from Celebrate Lit to review.
This was such a unique Amish book!
I loved the synopsis of the book; it is part of the reason I originally wanted to read this book. It turned out to be a great story, with a storyline I had never read in an Amish book before. Women everywhere want to be heard and loved for who they are, the Amish women are no different; it is just harder for them to show it. Jennifer Beckstrand explained the situation very well and made everything seem very plausible. She also did a great job describing the setting, the characters and their emotions. Jennifer Beckstrand really crafted a very good story about communication, forgiveness and second chances. With a little quirkiness thrown in, the Home on Huckleberry Hill is sure to be an interesting and fun read for everyone. I truly enjoyed this book.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Humor mixed with adventure will have you wanting to finish the book to find out what happens. Jennifer never disappoints with her books.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for providing me this free book in exchange for an honest review.*
This book is the ninth in the series, so I kind of went in a bit blind, however, I don’t think it hindered my experience at all!
Felty & Anna are your traditional meddling grandparents except they’re actually fairly decent at the matchmaking schemes they set up for their grandkids. In this book, they aren’t seeking to find a mate for a grandchild, but they are trying to reconcile a married couple’s issues
There were some actual laugh-out-loud moments and the sweet heartstring tugging you can expect from an Amish work.
Truly loved it!
I love all the Huckleberry Hill books. Love Anna and Felty and how they interact. I think it's so sweet how Felty always eats whatever Anna cooks when no one else will. Her cooking leaves much to be desired, but Felty doesn't mind because he can't taste anything anyway!