Having not read the first book in this series, I found myself a little lost at times. There's a lot of characters in this story plus rabbit trails to go down. I found Leah to be very quirky and not easy to like. I admired her devotion to her brother but think she went overboard. The DNA search was quite complicated at times and hard to follow. I found Sebastian's job to be very interesting and a big plus to the story. I like the fact that faith in God was emphasized.

Any book by Becky Wade is a good one and worth reading. Her characters are unique but relatable. In Let it Be Me, Sebastian and Leah have gone through some circumstances most of us will never experience, but many of their concerns are things we all deal with. By the end of the book we see a lot of growth in both characters.

This is a great follow-up to Stay With Me. I think it's best to read the first book of the Misty River series so you'll know the characters from that book and understand the story of the 5 better. This one also has a mystery to it which really added to the story.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. This was a great book and I look forward to the next one in the series!

When I realized that the elusive woman of Sebastian's dream was the woman Ben had professed to be in love with for two years, my first thought was "uh-oh, that's going to be awkward". Ben and Sebastian are more than best friends, they're brothers.of the heart. And nothing destroys a friendship like someone of the other gender coming between them. But Becky did such a great job showing us how perfect Leah was for Sebastian and he was for her that you couldn't help rooting for them.

Let It Be Me brings us back to Misty Ruver where we reconnect with the Famous Five (the children who had been miraculously sheltered when they were trapped underground after an earthquake). It shows you why Sebastian became the deeply motivated and stoic person that he was. It also highlighted his loneliness and showed a different side of him when he found the right person to love.

Leah was a great character--the child prodigy turned high school math teacher who has custody for her younger brother. Leah's DNA result rock her world and had the potential to cause her to challenge her identify, but she came through with grace and  faith. I liked that Leah kept her faith throughout the process even when the enemy tried to tell her lies.

Sebastian and Leah teach us that our identity is not rooted in the family whose DNA we share or the people who raised us. While they have some impact on who we become and the characters we form, our identity should be grounded in Christ and what God says about us.

Let It Be Me is the second full-length book in the Misty River series and while it can be read as a standalone, it's so much more fun to read it in sequence.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publishers through NetGalley; a positive review was not required.

#BookReview: LET IT BE ME by Becky Wade

Have you read Stay With Me? This is book #2 in Becky Wade’s Mystery River Romance series but it can be read as a stand alone. It’s nice to get reacquainted with the characters from the first book. I have been looking forward to Leah and Sebastian’s story. Leah is a math prodigy and a bit quirky. She loves her brother, Dylan. Sebastian is a successful pediatric heart surgeon due to his determination. I enjoy their witty and fun conversations. I like Sebastian and Bens’ friendship. I love it when Leah asks them what they like and don’t like about each other. Leah is very straightforward like that. She is funny too and says things like this:

“When I say that I love you”, she continued, you can take that to the bank. I’m a mathematician and certainty is my currency.”

I don’t normally read a love triangle but it’s a Becky Wade book so it’s nicely done. Leah and Sebastian’s sweet love story is delightful but this book is more than their romance. There is mystery with regard to Leah’s birth. It tackles on topics like surgical matters of the heart, domestic violence, genealogy, loyalty and forgiveness.

I like the characters. Leah and Sebastian’s like and faith journey picked up towards the second half of the book. Their struggles are real. Unexpected circumstances and revelations can shake a person. There are so many quotable lines from their conversations with God and realizations. I cried with them. Trust in God. Surrender to Him. He never leaves us. I truly enjoyed this book and I look forward to Luke’s story. 4.5 stars

Thank you Bethany House for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Foster kid turned successful pediatric heart surgeon, Sebastian, and math prodigy turned high school math teacher, Leah, have struggles trusting each and God. Could Sebastian “accept a more complex truth? That the God who’d let his mother die was still sovereign, good, powerful, and involved?” Could he accept that no human being was going to be perfect enough to heal his scars? How will Leah deal with the life altering results of a DNA test? Could Leah accept that not everything can be logical like numbers?

This is book #2 in Becky Wade’s Mystery River Romance series....I’m looking forward to her next installment!

This is the first Becky Wade novel I’ve read, but it won’t be my last! This is the second book in the series, but I enjoyed it as a standalone.

This book is for those that enjoy a sweet romance filled with faith, transformation, and a few surprises along the way.

Sebastian met Leah once and hoped to find her again. He succeeds at his best friend’s work. When he discovers she’s the same girl his best friend has fallen hard for, it feels like he’s found and lost her all in the same day. 

I enjoyed following Leah and Sebastian’s journey along with a few twists along the way. The supporting cast of characters makes this novel even more delightful! This novel doesn’t gloss over the hard stuff in life, and I like that. One of the lines I loved was "You're going to have to accept that no human being is perfect enough to heal your scars."

I have the first book and the prequel novella in the Misty River series on my Kindle and can’t wait to go back and read those two!

Thank you, Bethany House and NetGalley, for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am new to Becky Wade books, but I am fast becoming a huge fan. Her books are so heartfelt, with some humor mixed in. When I'm in the mood for something light and entertaining, she's becoming a go-to author.

A huge thanks to Bethany House Publishers for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited to go back to Misty River again after devouring Stay With Me. This book starts with Leah taking a DNA test and getting unexpected results from the test and questioning everything including who she is.. Through Ben, she meets the one guy that will help her that she saved in an accident who won't stop thinking about her .. Sebastian is just the cutest sometimes so what I am saying is that Becky Wade gave us a love triangle *long sigh*. I enjoyed this book so much and did I mention Leah is good with math? Yes!?

This book tells the story of Sebastian and Leah. Sebastian was introduced in “Stay With Me”, which is part one in the series. This book can be read on its own, but I do think you’d enjoy it more if you read the first book because the same characters are present, with different ones playing a bigger role. Although this is a romance novel, it’s so much more than that. The author anchors the story by the issue of babies having been switched at birth. This thread allows the writer to bring in other topics such as abandonment, control, physical abuse, rebellious teenagers and unforgiveness, which she does beautifully. I love the well-developed and flawed characters, even if they get a little annoying at times. I also appreciate the christian values. I was excited to see that well into the story, I still had a lot of book to go. It is substantial, which is my favorite kind! The description of what the main characters are wearing every single time they see each other was a bit much and distracts from the story in my opinion. I had read “Stay With Me” (also one I’d recommend) and was not disappointed with this one. I’m looking forward to part three!

Thank you NetGalley and Bethany House for providing me with an ARC. I was not required to leave a positive review and all opinions are my own.

While I enjoyed the characters and thought that the story was well developed, it had just too much going on for me to really sit back and enjoy it. It seemed like every chapter there was some type of major conflict; a conflict that on its own could have probably carried this book. While I appreciate conflict and growth, this felt just too much.

That said, I feel like Leah's character was exceptionally developed and created. I use to work in special education and her speech and mannerisms had me questioning if the author intended for her have autism, or at least be on the spectrum, without actually calling it out. If so, I wish she would have called it out. As a group underrepresented in media I think that it would have been a great opportunity for inclusion and education of the disorder, while showing those unfamiliar with it that people diagnosed can live normal, happy, healthy lives!

While I did not pick this book up strictly for the Christian label, I was disappointed with the Christian content. I felt like the Christian aspects were too forced. The conversations with God felt inorganic and they felt more like an afterthought to fit the story into the Christian genre instead of truly being part of the characters lives.

While this book did not fit my personal preferences, I do think that others would enjoy it. For this reason I will not be sharing this under 4 star review outside of NetGalley.

This is the second book in this series of the survivors, Sebastian's story, and when you read this, survived he has.

This brilliant, kind man loves those that have embraced him as he grew up, and in paticular the Coleman family, and Ben. Now Ben wants the one woman that he has been attracted to, but his adopted brother comes first.

This woman is a brilliant math teacher, she is gifted, but at eighteen she began raising her eight year old brother, a lot of responsibility for a young woman, but she never looked back.

This story kept on giving, and you never will see the next one coming before it is time to open it.

I for one cannot wait to read the next survivor's story, they keep getting better and better!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.

I got this ARC from @beckywadewriter and was pretty pumped. Sure enough, this Christian romance did not disappoint and I read it in 1 morning.

Sebastian Grant, a pediatric heart surgeon has a hard time committing because of his past. His new friend Leah Montgomery asks for help with tracking her ancestry after receiving confusing results in the mail and sure enough feelings start to develop#! When Sebastian learns that his best friend also has feelings for Leah, things get complicated. It’s a quick read that has romance, family development and some mystery and I really enjoyed it!

Let it be me 4.5
What a great addition to the Misty River series! I can always count on Becky Wade’s books to be well written and thoughtful. This one is no different. There are spiritual lessons of love, God’s goodness and miracles.
Leah Montgomery relates to the world through math concepts. She is often awkward at personal relationships, direct, abrupt, and a highly intelligent math genius
Sebastian Grant is a gifted, caring surgeon. (The surgery details were fascinating). He is a loner, a hard worker and driven. He is one of the survivors of earthquake. Leah is ‘his angel” that Sebastian met when he wrecked his car in an accident and couldn’t forget.
Both are unique characters, with insecurities, control issues and come from challenging backgrounds. I imagine writing them - especially Leah was a challenge. Their interactions were formal, both in their conversations and banter. I enjoyed this aspect, as it was so different.
This story showed love in many forms and the importance of family or making a family of friends, related or not. And the love and wisdom from Ben’s family was the glue that held Sebastian and the story together.
Leah never really knew what ‘being in love’ was
It also has possibly the best ‘first kiss’ scene ever!
I am anxious to see in the coming books how Leah and Sebastian navigate the challenges ahead.
Thanks you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own.

'Let It Be Me' is a powerful, evocative read that frankly left me stunned! As in "what just happened here?" stunned. No, there wasn't excitement leaping off every page and yet one could feel the electricity in every relationship, conversation, and situation from beginning to end.

Leah Montgomery is a math genius and high school teacher who oozes confidence. She has everything under control and doesn't need a man to fulfill her life. Or so she thinks. Sebastian Grant, a brilliant pediatric heart surgeon, has an empty hole in his ticker that no one can fix. Or so he thinks. A relationship between the two of them is totally off-limits because of their devotion to a mutual friend. Or so they think.

What an inspiring story of loyalty and love between lifelong friends—rife with witty, laugh out loud moments and somber, tear-filled ones as well. I would be remiss not to mention the mystery intertwined surrounding Leah's birth and the shocking revelation I didn't see coming! Well done, Becky Wade!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own and I received no monetary compensation.*

Let It Be Me is a richly textured novel, with depth and emotion. I think it might be Becky Wade's finest yet--and that's saying a lot. Leah Montgomery is the perfect balance of humble genius and devoted sister. Sebastian Grant is brilliant in his own right, swoony, sweet, and strong. I loved the layers Wade wove into the story, including the questions about when is it best to *not* tell someone the truth? When would the truth cause more harm than good? What does one do when they have that knowledge? Tough questions to wrestle with. Readers will be taken on a surprising ride through the pages of Let It Be Me. I received an advance copy of this novel for my honest review. All opinions stated are my own.

Becky wade is one writer that I always pick up when I want those complex characters and a great love story.
Let it be me definitely has characters that are unique and very well written.
I was nervous going into this book because of my avoidance of love triangles. The author handles this difficult trope very well though!
I really enjoyed Sebastian, I really loved his dedication to the little ones he was a doctor for, and his pursuit of Leah was really sweet.
Despite me being terrible at math I did find Leah relatable in the way she was responsible and devoted to her brother.
In some ways I have mixed feelings about this book. One of my pet peeves is when authors add in the things that are popular or viewpoint that are all abuzz in the world now but these view points are are sometimes come from a place that stands in opposition to things that I feel Christianity should not support.
This is a personal preference that I have. I appreciate when books tackle hard subjects, but I get a bit annoyed when these things filter into Christian fiction and are not addressed for what they are.
I am personally over the vilification of all gun owners and the support of people who do not stand up for the rights of the unborn.
Okay.
The romance was sweet and had it's own unique style.
This just wasn't the book for me.
I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgally. All opinions are my own and honest.

I love everything about this story! Brilliant, intelligent, quirky, and slightly awkward Leah reiterates why I love math geniuses. She’s going to tell you exactly what she thinks with an endearing sense of humor, without trying to be humorous, which is what makes it even more humorous! Sebastian is bold, direct, and untouchable and for the first time, meets a woman who can handle his iron façade. There are so many witty barbs, blunt observations, and moments of discovery as they both have to find the courage to expose their heart.
Becky Wade is the master of knowing when to pull in your emotions to the point of breathtaking tension and then providing sweet release at just the right time. I could not put this book down and wholeheartedly recommend it to all lovers of real, gritty yet sweet, contemporary, inspirational, romance fiction. I received a copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

Gulp! My heart was in my throat as I read...this book touched me way down deep.
I just love this series by Becky Wade! These stories about the kids on a mission trip and were trapped in a building during an earthquake...it's neat to hear their stories and have the opportunity to know each one of them.

This is Sebastian's story, and he's probably the one I'd disliked the least, when I read the earlier books. But that's because I hadn't understood him.

It is also Leah's story, and what a story she has! I really enjoyed reading this story line, although it did strike me as a bit unlikely...but then, what else makes a good story but something that is not so likely to happen?
Leah gets some surprising results when she takes a DNA test, and is on the search for her history. She is one determined individual, and I really enjoyed seeing her process as she searched for answers, wanting clues to solve this little mystery.
One thing that is very constant throughout this story is Leah's fierce love for her younger brother. She's been responsible for him ever since her own teen years, and even through the rocky times they face in this book, they have a strong sibling bond.

Leah's beliefs are challenged, and I loved watching her grow and become a better, stronger person because of some of the things she faced.

Realistic characters with some real life drama, and a bit of sweet romance thrown in....this is one amazing story!

Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Leah Montgomery chose to become her little brother’s legal guardian over her dream of academia. She gave up a full-ride scholarship in math and started teaching math instead. At 18. Ten years later, she works hard to handle her little brother’s teen years with grace and understanding, but an unexpected result on her DNA test has her searching for clues to her true identity.

As a math prodigy, she has her life mapped out, and her map doesn’t include a romantic relationship. But when she bumps into the man she helped after he wrecked his car, she may have to recalculate.

Sebastian Grant grew up in foster care. When an earthquake trapped him and four other kids from Misty River in a building during a mission trip to Ecuador during middle school, life changed forever. Ben Coleman, one of the other Miracle Five, and his family took Sebastian under their wings. Sebastian, now a pediatric heart surgeon, comes home to Misty River and the Colemans whenever he can.

For months Sebastian has dreamed about the angel he fell in love with at first sight when he wrecked his car, but he forgot to ask her name. He hopes one day, he’ll find her.
When he recognizes her voice at a local high school event, he realizes the woman who helped him, and the woman Ben wants to date are the same woman.

When Leah asks for his help untangling her mysterious past, Sebastian agrees, thinking he’ll remain neutral and loyal to Ben. But Sebastian’s good intentions and Leah’s life calculations haven’t taken into account the pull they feel for each other.

Why I Loved This Book

In this second Misty River Romance book, Wade creates a delightfully quirky character in Leah. Her responses to Sebastian’s efforts to go on a date made me laugh out loud. The author creates drama, humor, mystery, and romance in the fictional town of Misty River—along with a side helping of sweet community. Readers don’t need to read the first book in the series in order to enjoy Let it Be Me. Characters from the first book make cameo appearances, and a character from the third book has a teaser scene or two.

Fans of Irene Hannon’s Hope Harbor series will fall in love with Misty River and the Miracle Five.

Becky Wade is one of those select authors whose books I will run out and buy/read pretty much ASAP. "Let It Be Me" is another case in point as to why.

I work in the healthcare/computer-software industries, so was particularly fascinated by Sebastian's job as a pediatric heart surgeon. Wade brings the hospital world to life through his day-to-day activities, that's for sure--the good, the bad, and the super challenging. (And, can I just say I adore the name "Sebastian"? His character immediately went to my shortlist of fave characters with that name, right up there with Seb in "La La Land" and, okay, real-life examples in Sebastian Stan [MCU's Bucky Barnes] and Sebastien of Il Divo.)

And, holy cow, Leah and her whole entire story arc. Just ... wow. Her pursuit of the truth of her history, and how to deal with it and potential ramifications, is just...huge, in more ways than one. Wade writes it masterfully. Loved it.

Fantastic, fantastic read. It's helpful to read the series' installments in order, but if you happen to pick this one up without reading the first (as I'm usually wont to do, LOL, but actually didn't this time!), it'll catch you up nicely. It also provides a nice little segue into the next book, featuring Luke from the "Miracle 5." Can't wait!!!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.