This was a heartwarming debut novel. I did, however find it to be rather slow moving and it read like a young adult novel at times.

If I wasn't told this was a debut novel before reading it, I never would have guessed. Powner writes with such depth, care and attention to detail. This was a masterpiece.

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

This was a sweet story. Gerrit Laninga is now forced to seek his farm at the age of sixty-three and doesn’t know what to do with himself now.
Fifteen year old Rae Walters has doubts about The Plan, a plan for high school to get her into law school to follow in her father’s footsteps.
They meet and befriend each other and find they needed each other. Its unexpected. It really was a sweet story which i enjoyed!

This is a beautifully written albeit sad story of an older man who, after loosing his family farm that he had worked on all of his life, has to find himself, and rediscover his family. While doing so we’re led through how much his job took from not only him, but his children, his wife, and his understanding of the way life is.
I really enjoyed this book & am so glad I was able to receive it as an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This debut by Katie Powner produced a story filled with second chances, rebuilding broken relationships but most of all a story about forgiveness.

I delayed reading this book too long. At first I did not really think I would enjoy a book about a friendship between a 63 year old and a 16 year old, but I was wrong and enjoyed it very much. The innocence of Rae played a big role in breaking down the walls of Gerrit and assisting with him mending broken relationships.

I enjoyed how animals, like the dog Daisy, also broke down walls from a few characters.

There was also a few LOL moments, caused by the inner thoughts of Gerrit and the antics of Bernard the Rooster.

Gerrit Laninga doesn't know what to do with himself after being forced to sell off the family farm that he labored on his whole life. He realizes that a lot of life happened while he was tending to the farm and the livestock, is it too late to make amends?

15 year old Rae Walters has had her whole life planned out for as long as she can remember. The intense pressure to succeed starts to get to her. A powerful story of friendship, second chances, and what matters most.

From the very beginning I was drawn in by the characters, and at first glance Rae and Gerrit are as different as can be. Gerrit has spent so much of his live pouring himself into the farm that he missed out on being present in the lives of his wife and children. He is a gruff, socially awkward man suddenly exploring a new chapter in his life. I liked how Rae pulled him out of his shell, and pushed him out of his comfort zone. Taking him with her to volunteer and meeting Morgan. Rae is an intelligent young woman so eager to please, but terrified of failing. I loved her heart for others.

Overall, this is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Realistic characters, heart-tugging and emotional, this is a book that is captivating in it's remarkable everyday situations. I can't believe that I put off reading it for so long! Highly recommend!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I chose to read this book because I thought there would be farming or gardening in the story (based on the title and the cover) but the main character Gerrit actually sells his farm in the very first chapter. He basically retires and takes up learning to cook as a retirement hobby. Most of the story deals with how Gerrit had always put the farm and his cows first, even before his wife and children, and how he is now having to work through those severely damaged relationships since he isn't farming anymore. Gerrit is incredibly grumpy, tired from a lifetime of farmers' hours, and plagued with guilt over some things from many years ago. He seems miserable for the entire length of the story and truly seems awful to be around.

The story is good. I would have liked it better if Gerrit would have shown some improvement in his outlook and attitude earlier on. Gerrit spends the beginning of his retirement realizing how poorly he treated everyone he loves, and he spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to make it up to them. He works on his relationship with his immediate family, which is nice. He also becomes friends with a few local teenagers after reluctantly volunteering in a community afterschool program. Even though Gerrit makes strides to become a better person, this change moves painfully slow. Near the end of the book, he is still exhibiting a poor attitude and an unwillingness to forgive more than one person. Of course, he has changed by the time the book is completely finished, but the ending was very fast compared to the rest of the story in terms of character and relationship development.

This book read young and felt like a debut. It was a good story, but I wanted more emotional involvement with these characters. In the absence of farming or gardening, and in the absence of any real sense of development in Gerrit's character, it just didn't "wow" me. I'm keeping my eyes open for Katie Powner's future books though. I like the way she presented this story without a romance in it. That doesn't seem to happen very often.


I would like to thank Bethany House Publishing for sending me a review copy via NetGalley. These opinions are my own.

Once again, I've come to the end of a book and I wasn't ready to say goodbye it. The setting, the characters, the relationships; I want to meet these people and spend time where they are. I'm not ready to let go! What an amazing story of growth - and a great reminder that growth comes no matter the age. If you're alive you can grow, expand, move. It's never too late or too early! Two different people in different walks of life - and yet, are they, really?

Old man Gerrit is in the middle of a crossroads. He's worked his whole life on the farm tending to the animals and really pushing everything else to the side. Now he's forced to sell the farm and has no one by his side. He's compromised his health and his relationship with his two grown children. When sweet Rae Walters makes her appearance into Gerrit's life it's a very unlikely friendship, but one they both need. As a teen Rae has enough pressure put on her just being a teenager, but her parents add to that by having high expectations for her future. She wants to concentrate of passing her driving test but so scared to fail. With each day that passes Rae feels more alone and misunderstood. Old man Gerrit is equally feeling alone and understands the pressure of following in the families footsteps as he wanted his children to one day take over the farm. The two will become unlikely friends and help each other make some very decisions.

This is the fourth and final book in the Verity Kent series. This is the first book I’ve read in the series . . . and by the author . . . but it works well as a standalone. I am not a big fan of books set during the time during and immediately after WWI, but I found the storyline to be interesting. The characters are well developed and you will enjoy traveling through the pages with Verity and Sydney. This is a good book to read if you enjoy historical mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is a new to me author. Great read! Looking forward to reading more books by them. Highly recommend!

I did not expect to love Katie Powner's The Sowing Season, but it was a wonderful read. In general, I don't enjoy stories that jump around from different storylines or times, but this was put together so well and in a way that did not lose me in transition. The characters were lovable and you couldn't help but cheer them on. I'll definitely be looking to read more from Powner in the future!

I received The Sowing Season by Katie Powner as an ARC from NetGalley and became engaged with the story from the first few pages. Unfortunately my download of the ARC was not optimal and resulted in missing sections. Luckily, Katie was kind enough to offer to send me a copy of the book and I am so thankful.

As a debut novel, this book was fantastic! It took me from laughing to crying, and all the emotions in between. The themes of the novel are relatable to all and really made me think about my own life and the way I want to treat other people. Katie also has a way of bringing her characters to life. They were all engaging in their own way, some I wanted for my best friend, and some not so much. The story kept me engaged up to the very last page, and I wanted it to continue.

I feel both men and women, from young adult on up, would enjoy this book. It will definitely has a real impact on your life and relationships.
Thanks again for coming to my rescue Katie Powner!

A compelling story between an older gentleman after he is forced to sell his family's farm and a young teenage girl both lost and disoriented at the same time in their lives. The older gentleman Gerrit is at lose ends after having too much time on his hands after the sale of his family farm...a farm he's spent every day of his life working at and even came between him, his wife and children. He decides to learn to cook and spends a lot of time antagonizing his neighbor over an issue that happened much earlier in their lives.

The teenage girl Rae succeeds at everything in her life but is assured she will fail at driving. She also has a "plan" that her parents expect her to follow without deviating from it, which includes not dating. Rae volunteers at a church community center mentoring/tutoring students that are struggling in school and need a place to go after school due to difficult home lives.

After Gerrit discovers Rae has used his barn as an escape the two strike up a friendship out of their loneliness and struggles to fit into life. Gerrit is like a grandfather to Rae and Rae gets him to start to think about others and become involved in mentoring at the church community center where he meets a young man Morgan, who is the same age as Rae but has a difficult home life.

The two along with their family and some of Rae's friends learn a lot of lessons about life, the plans God has for them and how important it is to have family and friends to support and be supported by you along the way. I enjoyed the story though would have liked a bit more at the end as I feel Gerrit's story was tied up fairly nicely but Rae's was left much more open ended than I would have liked. I do recommend this author as a new author and hope to see more from Katie Powner in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this book. My review is not influenced by the receipt of this ARC.

I am definitely going to go against the majority. I wanted to like this story. Katie Powner is a gifted writer. Her characters and settings are developed thoroughly. I felt great sympathy for the protagonist who has spent his life working to provide for his family. Powner also creates a very relatable mid-life marriage.
I have to admit that I did not finish the book. I had trouble with a sixty-something man hanging out with a fifteen year old girl. I accept this may be my issue and not any reflection on Powner' s exceptional skill.

I loved this one by Katie Powner! The richness of the setting, the depth of her characters and their struggles had me completely immersed in the story.

Sometimes I come across a Christian Fiction book that has no romance in it. I enjoy those books especially! Sowing Season was one of those. I found it a very sad book at first, and was very glad to find that the tone improved as I read on.
Gerrit has been working all his life on the family farm, and knew his destiny was to keep it going. The problem was that he couldn't. Eventually, he had to sell it—and then he didn't know what to do with himself. Worse, he came to realize that his wife was ready to leave him, and his children didn't want anything to do with him. He had never had time for them, and now they didn't have time for him.
At the same time, Rae was dealing with her own struggles. Her life had been laid out for her for as long as she could remember, and she was committed to the Plan. There was no time for anything frivolous in her life—but she needed a friend! At this point in her life, she and Gerrit met. Could they help each other? What about the other people in their lives who needed people? Could the two of them help others, as well? What about the neighbor with whom Gerrit has a feud—what will happen with the two of them?
I found this book quite thought-provoking. It vividly shows the importance of taking time with the people we love. If I don't spend time with my children when they are young, for example, they may not want to spend any time with me when they are older. It was heart-breaking to watch Gerrit come to the realization that he didn't even know his wife and children anymore, and see what he had done to them. If you can handle books with little or no romance, and a very serious theme, you may well enjoy Sowing Season.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Gosh, heck, and golly are each used a time or two. Otherwise, this book is very clean.

This is such a sweet story! The strength is in the main characters, sixty-something Gerrit and teenager Rae. Both characters are so clearly drawn and nuanced, and I felt like I really knew them! I especially loved Gerrit's story arc as he slowly realized how he had hurt his family (while doing what he thought he needed to do to care for them) and tried to make amends.

The Sowing Season is one of those novels that draws you in and keeps you thinking about it after you've turned the final page. It's a novel that I think anyone - male, female, young, old - could enjoy.

The Sowing Season was a good read. I would like to read more by this author in the future. Four stars.

I loved this story! The characters are well-rounded and so full of life! Gerritt has retired from a lifetime of dairy farming and has no idea what to do with himself. With his marriage falling apart, what is Gerritt to do with his life?

Fifteen-year-old Rae's life has been laid out for as long as she can remember. Everything she does is to help her accomplish The Plan. What happens when she gets tired of The Plan?

When Gerritt and Rae meet, great things are about to happen! How much can these two do to help each other and those around them?

I highly recommend this story for those looking for a feel-good story and contemporary Christian fiction.