I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and NetGalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Where The Road Bends is an emotional ride of a novel. We've all wondered at one point how we got to where we are, this novel takes a look at the decisions people made and where it took them.

Excellent read. 5 out of 5 stars.

How did you get to where you are now? Where the Road Bends is a story of discovering self and how our decisions have impacted our life. Set in the beautiful outback, the twists and turns in the road will leave you cautiously optimistic that these four friends might find a way back to themselves..better yet, they might find a new path that leads to a better destination. Pay attention to the people sent to help. You just might find One willing to sacrifice all He has for you.
I received a copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

How did I get here? Isn't that a question we all ponder at some point?

I enjoyed this book - a story of four college friends reconnecting in the Australian outback. While I enjoyed hearing about the four different main characters, I didn't really feel a connection with any particular one. I would have loved if Rawlings would have gone deeper with these characters and their issues/struggles, and would have given us more information at the end of the book on the changes each made in their lives.

The author did make me ponder which character I relate to, and the direction I want my life to go.

This was my first David Rawlings book, and I do plan on reading more. I also listened to a bit of the audiobook, which I enjoyed.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions in this review are my own.

This was an interesting read. I really liked the premise of the story and it definitely made me reflect at the end, especially with the author's questions. Books such as this can be extremely helpful to people who are trying to figure out who they are and where life has taken them.

I wonder how I would answer the questions the guides asked. How did I get to this point in my life and who am I really? I couldn't figure out who I related to more, but I'd say I was closer to Bree than the other three. I feel like the author should write an extra chapter so we can get a glimpse of where Andy might be. Is he still running? Actually his storyline really freaked me out. lol The whole story had a Twilight Zone feel to it.

I feel like this book is "new age" in the guides that come into the lives of the characters. I wasn't a fan of that part of it. I wish there would've been more of an element of Godly faith or being led in some way by the Holy Spirit. This is my personal opinion, but I feel like Thomas Nelson should start a new division(s) that's more secular and clean fiction. I think most people picking up a book published by Thomas Nelson are expecting more of a faith based, God centered story as opposed to the last few books I've read of theirs.

The story in and of itself definitely pulled me in and I read the book in a day because it was so different than most of my reads, but I'd consider it more of a secular New Age book rather than Christian Fiction.

I loved the plot of Where the Road Bends by David Rawlings! The story is fantastic! Four college graduates make a pact to meet in Australia fifteen years after their graduation. They each have hopes and dreams of where they are going in their lives. Fifteen years later they gather in Australia to go on a guided tour of the outback. They each learn things about themselves, that their choices have consequences and try to determine which life path they will travel each being led by a power greater than themselves who is prepared to pay their debt and is never far away.

I appreciated what the author was trying to do with the plot of this book but something about it didn't click for me. I generally like the trope of prior schoolmates reuniting for something and I didn't dislike it here, but the characters were just okay for me.
This is a book that some people will love but not especially easy for me to get into.
Thank you for the early copy.

#ThomasNelson #NetGalley #WheretheRoadBends

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK 

A college promise to the Australian Outback brings four friends together fifteen years later to go on this adventure. But was it as they all expected? Had each friend changed that much? You will find out in David Rawlings new book, Where the Road Bends.

This is a very interesting book, with interesting characters. Rawlings creates unique characters in Bree, Eliza, Andy, and Lincoln. Bree is kept wondering about a decision she made years ago, Eliza just isn’t sure where she wants her  life to go at this time, Andy wants to hide himself and everything else about him and his problems, and Lincoln is the happy one that is coming up on a big job change, but is he really that happy?  This journey to the Outback, which seems like the end of the world, was  exciting and intriguing, and Rawlings does an amazing job with the plot, because when you start reading, you don’t want it to end! I so much enjoyed digging deeper into the lives of these characters, as the story unfolds.

This is my third book by David Rawlings, and each one gets better. He has a unique way of telling a story, and you just want to come back for more with each book. This is such an enjoyable read that anyone will have fun reading it. I highly recommend Where the Road Bends!!

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.

So, Which of these Faces Is the Real Me?
Seriously. The characters in Where the Road Bends are four completely different people. And they’re all me.

Set in the Australian Outback, four college friends come together for a mini fifteen-year reunion to reconnect and see what’s become of their lives. Like that old Statler Brothers song, they all had their dreams, but life hasn’t turned out as they’d expected.

One of the strongest elements in this book is the characterization of four very distinct personalities. David Rawlings manages to keep each of the characters unique and consistent while allowing for realistic growth as well. Though they’ve each grown in their own lives in the past fifteen years, when they come together the old dynamic reasserts itself, as happens when old friends get together. Rawlings does this with what appears to be effortless ease. Obviously not. It takes not only skill and vision but hard work as well to pull off that kind of consistency.

These characters pulled at me–gutted me, even.

I saw myself in the strengths and weaknesses of the characters.
In this, you see David Rawlings’ true writing greatness. It’s one thing to read a book and in it, you recognize your faults and how you might overcome them. It’s another for that same author to also show you your strengths–the things the Lord has given you as tools to overcome those same weaknesses.

The setting of Where the Road Bend is, of course, fabulous. Only someone who knows Australia could pull off a tour into the Outback as naturally and believably as Rawlings has. He somehow made this strange, unfamiliar place feel familiar and yet undiscovered at the same time. We’re treated to a realistic view of authentic Australia, including learning a new meaning for “pods,” what a road train is, and what can only be described as a sand hurricane.

But beyond five interwoven stories, people you come to care about enough that you find yourself screaming aloud when one does something fantastically stupid, and a setting that, as Rawlings himself says, “will try to kill you,” the spiritual truths are the true gem of this novel. Gentle, but firm, they’re chiseled into every page. Not once does he preach or wield them with a heavy hand. Instead, you’re confronted with truths you need to examine and given that opportunity.

Seriously, Rawlings has ensured that every book he writes is an “auto-buy.”

Recommended for readers who love a gentle, introspective story that packs a punch that hurts and heals at the same time.

I have some mixed feelings about this book. I thought it was an intriguing storyline – a bunch of “friends” getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere essentially, and basically coming to grips with the people the were, where they came from, and what they wanted to be in the future. It makes a reader reflect on their own circumstances, and how they could grow as an individual.

One thing I thought was weird was that it seemed like this group of friends wasn’t really friends anymore. I know they made a pact, but I think that it may have been a tad unrealistic that they would go together. It would have been fun to see the characters mysteriously end up in the same place, and then go through all they went through. I understand for some of the storyline purposes the reason they needed to be a little distant, I personally just didn’t prefer the execution.

Overall it was a fun story to read. The characters all had things they needed to learn from and grow from. The ending felt a little uncomplete, although I’m not sure if it’s because there is a future story, or perhaps the reader is supposed to make up their own ending? Either way, I think Rawlings fans will enjoy the story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved the way the author wrote about the Australian outback, it was like you were there. The story line about the four friends will make you stop and think about your life. This is a really enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you Thomas Nelson--FICTION via NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

To be fair, Where the Road Bends, by David Rawlings, is not my kind of book. Four college friends reunite fifteen years after graduation for a spectacular trip. I loved that the story was set in the Australian outback. I appreciated the mid-thirties need for reflection and assessment. I value self-evaluation, confrontation, and emergent growth. During this trip, each of the friends is swept away for a spiritual confrontation/test of their deepest weaknesses and fears. Each is provided, by divine intervention, with a spiritual guide to assist in the discovery. It was interesting, but not compelling. While I am sure the ending of the story was intentional and designed to provoke thought and reflection, I found it to be so abrupt and dissatisfying that I checked more than once to see if I had a complete copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#WheretheRoadEnds
#NetGalley
#ThomasNelson

Mr. Rawlings sure knows how to dig deep into the souls of his characters, weaving powerful and poignant and heart wrenching stories around them, weaving the tattered threads of each character’s story into a single compelling tapestry.
Four friends stuck in their journey in life. A reunion that, when planned, was to have been a joyous celebration of their successes and happiness in life. The reality that all were hiding their own truths and none were prepared to reveal their failures, both real and perceived.
Just as God uses dreams and visions and “strangers unaware,” so, too, does Mr. Rawlings take his characters—and his readers—behind the veil, to witness the deeply personal and spiritual moments of truth and revelation.
What once had been a tight friendship between the four, Eliza and Bree and Lincoln and Andy, was changed, morphed into an unrecognizable discomfort. As they journeyed to the depths of the Outback of Australia—an adventure and much-appreciated bonus for this reader—the four friends each stepped into a journey into the depths of their own soul.
The imagery, both of the Outback and of the inward visitations, was vivid and riveting, keeping this reader turning pages well into the wee hours.

ROBIN’S FEATHERS
FOUR FEATHERS

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day-on-Saturday, #TRD, Book Review Triple Header #1, Where the Road Bends, David Rawlings

Where the Road Bends is a character driven allegory in which we meet four former college friends who made a promise at graduation to meet in the Australian Outback 15 years later. When you’re young and fresh out of college, you have lots of dreams and plans. One thing most of us plan is not losing touch with our closest friends. But, inevitably, we go our separate ways and get on with our lives. Thanks to social media, we may keep in touch or at least like each others’ status updates. However, that closeness we once felt is gone. And that’s exactly what’s happened with Lincoln, Eliza, Bree and Andy.

Eliza and Bree are the only two who’ve somewhat kept in touch. Yet, even they don’t really know what’s going on in each other’s lives. They’re like we are: they share what they want us to see. Do any of us really show our true selves on social media? Rarely.

As I read, Where the Road Bends, I could relate with the fears the characters had…fears of the truth coming out. That social media shine fades in “real” life. Andy doesn’t even have a social media presence. Yet it’s Andy who is the most fearful about his friends learning his secret.

From the book’s synopsis, I figured that the storm that scatters the friends and the guides that lead them would be focus of Where the Road Bends, and it is. I could understand the spiritual significance of these journeys. However, if I weren’t a Christian, I wouldn’t have understood that one of the journeys is especially significant nor would I have gleaned spiritual insight. If the guides had been reflections of Christ, I think this would have made a great impact. Since this book’s genre is Christian fiction, I wish the journeys would have been more of a Christian spiritual journey rather than a spiritual journey of self discovery. I still would have enjoyed the book for the well written story, but I’m not sure that it would lead me to Christ.

Where the Road Bends is an intriguing and enjoyable novel that shows us we all have the ability to change. If you look at your life and find you’re not where you want to be or you’re not happy, take the bend in the road that leads to where you want to be.

Where the Road Bends wasn't my favorite David Rawlings book, but it was still very relatable and thought-provoking (and fun).

I found myself facing my own fears and decisions right alongside the characters and thoroughly enjoyed exploring Australia with them. I certainly could relate to Breezy and Elise both.

If you've ever found yourself aiming for a target to the exclusion of all else, running from your fears and your hurts, or caught up in an addiction and blame game, you will probably enjoy this book. If you have college friends you've made a reunion pact with, you might find this particular reunion fun.

I can't quite put my finger on why I had a harder time with this one, other than the number of snakes.

I received a copy of the book through NetGalley, and chose to review it here. all thoughts are my own.

I see what you are trying to do there. That's how I felt reading this. I have seen others do it. A group of four college friends meet 15 years in the future. The outback is their reunion. Why not? A place with all kinds of things that can kill you. Where else?

So they all meet and they all have baggage. Eliza and Lincoln are successful but unhappy. Total cliches. They have it all, except happiness! Bree has a family. She also has no career. Because we all know you can't have both. And then Andy is a mess. They each enter the outback for a tour, not a trip to find themselves. No walkabouts. That is made painfully clear over and over by the guides. It happens anyway. They come out of a sandstorm in different places. Each is led on a small journey to find themselves and figure out where they went awry. As a casual reader, I cold have told them. Nothing new was really exposed in these visions.

I swear I've read this short story and seen this episode of The Twilight Zone. Basically, there was nothing new here. I get it. Nothing is really new. It is all influenced by what we experience. But this adds nothing new. It was a quick and easy read. It was entertaining enough. Nothing really groundbreaking.

Four good friends in college are about to go their separate ways. They plan to meet up again in 15 years to share their successes in life. Ah, how I remember those happy days of excitement for what the future can bring, with a bit of anxiety thrown in about going out on your own.

15 years pass and they all get together for a trip to the Australian Outback, none of them where they had really planned to be, or at least not very happy with where they have ended up. There's a lot of bickering as truths start to come to light. And then when a chance storm blows them all over the place and they have to find their way back. Of course, "finding their way" takes on multiple meanings, as they are trying to find their way back to their original campsite and each other, as well as finding their way again in their own lives.

I admit that it took me a little while to get into the story, but I kept moving along. I loved the descriptions and lessons about Australia and the culture, sort of crushing some of the stereotypes that we have here in America. I learned some new things! And the second half where they were all finding their way back was a little difficult to follow, as their stories kind of ran together. But at the same time, it got me thinking and reflecting on my own life since college, the path that I am on currently, and how that matches up with what my expectations had been back then. I guess it was kind of happening anyway, as it periodically does. But this book brought it back to the forefront again.

The author does include some reflective questions in the back, not as a homework assignment, per se, but as a guide in case you are also having some of those same thoughts that I was having while I was reading. This was an interesting way to get you to reflect on your life and how something bigger is guiding you along the way.

Thank you to Prism Book Tours and the publisher for fulfilling my review request. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars

Fifteen years and roads diverged separate four college friends in Where the Road Bends. Now, they are fulfilling a pact they made in college.

As with previous books by David Rawlings, each of these people is meets a supernatural stranger who acts as a guide of sorts for them. I enjoyed some elements of this book, but others were lacking.

With the exception of Bree and Eliza, these four people haven’t stayed connected which makes the entire trip seem a little contrived. And I was a tad disappointed with the characterization of each of these friends as I felt they could have been explored more. I had a hard time connecting with any of them.

However, Rawlings paints a vivid picture of the Australian outback that transports you to the ruggedness the land both beautiful and deadly.

He also poses the question of how we respond to the unexpected and unforeseen bends in the road in our lives. Do we adapt? Do we stall? Do we run and hope our problems don’t catch us? How we respond to life when it goes off rails is the mark of where our foundation of beliefs lies, and without a compass, we are often lost.



Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Four school friends re-unite for a trip to Australia and a chance to catch up with how sparkling their lives have been in the intervening years.

At first this novel seemed like an amiable enough millennial drama, a little gauche and clumsy in its transitions but with some promise. It seems that their trip to the Australian outback is instead going to turn quite dark and each of the four must claw their way back to safety, competing with all the things out there that want to kill you like the lack of water, the heat, the wildlife etc.

Overall the characters were quite well drawn, but the book struggles to find intent. Spiritual journeys? A mystery? Some spooky surrealistic drug trip? Half way in, you're still not quite sure.

A little more research into the setting wouldn't have gone awry (ie kangaroos eating gum leaves, flights etc). Not sure what the point of this drama was, as the four finding their way back to 'themselves', if you will, seemed a bit limp. No eureka moments, just some vague directions from spiritual guides and a lot of blundering around out there in the outback.

Bree, Eliza, Lincoln, and Andy had big dreams when the graduated from college, and they agreed that, fifteen years later, they would take a trip to the Australian Outback together, basing this on the original project on which they first met freshman year. Bree’s dreams of being a famous singer had collapsed around her, though she loved her daughters and husband very much, she felt unfulfilled. Eliza’s career had taken off exponentially since graduation, and she had been offered a CEO position running her own fashion line. Lincoln was a successful stockbroker in San Francisco, going through a bitter divorce, and hoping against hope that he and Eliza could rekindle their college romance, while Andy was on the run from huge gambling debts, looking for the next win that would allow him to pay everything off and start fresh.

Their adventure started out well, but they all awakened in strange and dangerous locations, far from their campsite and alone, forced to recognize the issues they were dealing with and search their hearts for a solution.

While reading Where the Road Bends, I was reminded that we are often provided with the tools we need to navigate our world, and we may not recognize what we need even though it is right in front of us. I appreciated the message in this book, that it was a gentle nudge instead of a knock on the head. This was a fascinating read that captured and held both my attention and my heart.

This is not a normal genre for me which will probably impact my review. I enjoyed the book and the setting in Australia but didn't connect well with any of the characters. But no matter what we read or who we are, we all come to a point in our lives when we wonder how we got to where we are in life.

The novel starts on college graduation day when four friends decide that they will meet in Australia in 15 years to find out about each other's lives. When they meet 15 years later, none of them are happy with their lives or what they've accomplished of those college dreams.

Lincoln is a stock broker and has just been promoted to a top level of management. He has never been able to find the woman of his dreams because that woman has turned him down in college but she is one of the four friends on this trip, so maybe he can still make it happen.

Eliza has a high level fashion job and has just been offered a job as CEO but isn't sure that she wants it. She is no longer content with her job or her life.

Bree is the happiest of the group and loves her husband and children but can't get over a huge disappointment from her younger days.

Andy is the least content with his life. He is hiding his life from his friends and plans to start a new life in Australia and start over.

These four friends haven't talked to each other as a group in 15 years and they end up being taken to a camp in the middle of nowhere in Australia. They have all changed in the last 15 years and aren't happy with their lives or the lives of their friends. What happens in the camp, gives them the possibility of changing their lives but they’ve already traveled far down the road of life and course-correcting to become the people they were meant to be won’t be easy.

If you enjoy religious fiction with a strong message, give this one a try.