I love Lillard's books and the Well's landing series. This book is just a no for me. I think ti tries very hard to deal compassionately with issues of intellectual disabilities. And I think it is written from a warm and loving place. I have no doubt that a Plain community would support it's members. But I just could not buy this story. Down Syndrome men are sterile so all the talk of babies coming is misleading. I can't imagine a Plain community allowing a marriage (something they take really seriously) between people with limited understanding of the concept and without the ability to procreate.

All my social work and nursing instincts were on fire reading this. It's certainly sugar coated version of events. I believe the parents were actually kind and correct. For me a sour note in a great series.

Jenna suffered a brain injury when she went swimming, hit her head on a rock, died and was revived. As a result, she took longer to process information than most people, and her Mom was very protective of her. When she was 19, her family moved from Kansas to Oklahoma to start a new life.
Buddy had Down Syndrome, but he helped his family on the farm, he went to school and graduated later than the other kids, and he was a nice person.
Jenna and Buddy went to church, saw and liked each other, but their families were not happy about their children seeing each other, but they had other plans...

One of the sweetest love stories I have read. Love can be found in different situations. Judgement and worry from family and friends could hurt this new love between two special people. Through determination, faith, love and trust, Jenna and Buddy face obstacles and learn how to overcome. I enjoyed this story very much. I received a complimentary copy of the book. No review was required.

This is one of the sweetest Amish romances I’ve ever read. This story is told from the first-person viewpoints of Jenna and Buddy, Jenna almost drowned when she was little girl, and now her mother refers to her thought processes as “simple”. Buddy was born with Down’s Syndrome. Both Jenna and Buddy are loved, cherished, and protected by their families. But although Buddy and Jenna may not think the same way a “normal” person does, doesn’t mean that they aren’t capable of living the full life that God has for them. Now they have to convince their families that not only are they capable of living that life, they want to live it together as a married couple.

I adored Jenna from the beginning of this book. She realizes that she’s different from others, and has never thought that she would have a boyfriend or get married. But after she meets Buddy, she begins to believe that God may possibly have a wonderful plan in store for them. Jenna is a truly loving and caring person, and Buddy deeply wants to be the one taking care of Jenna. There were scenes between them that were just too sweet for words. I loved the way the Amish community was portrayed as to the love and care they extended to Jenna and Buddy, and they way they rallied around them to help them.

This book highlights the value that God places on each individual. Amy Lillard has given us a beautiful couple in this book, and I’m hoping we’ll see more of them as this series continues.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.