Excellent story line and character development, with romance and character transformation. Thoroughly enjoyable, light reading, with meaning woven through expertly.

I enjoy reading Suzanne Woods Fisher's books. Her Amish fiction is well-researched and light-hearted. Her contemporary fiction is truly compelling. Suzanne often takes on real world problems and then provides real world solutions to the problem while wrapping it in engaging fiction.

In this novel, the situation is undiagnosed ADHD and the overbearing grandmother who wants to "fix" the issue. Lydie has never held down a job, often getting fired the same day she gets hired. Her father's sister, the local doctor, needs a fill-in receptionist. Lydie wants to leave the Amish because she just doesn't fit in. Nathan loves Lydie and can't understand why she wants to jump the fence.

Lydie's aunt gets an inkling of what's going through her mind and how it works, because she suffered the same thing and understands why Lydie is so flighty. She goes to Lydie's dad, who is also the bishop of the community, and explains what Lydie is feeling and how she can use some techniques to overcome her lack of focus.

In a parallel story to the main plot, Nathan's father pits him against his brother, Mick, to see who will "win" the farm. Nathan wants to get back to organic farming instead of using chemicals all the time. He feels that the chemicals are leaching the soils of nutrients and causing some health problems. It's not until his mother is hospitalized with a severe asthma attack that his father concedes that the chemicals MIGHT have something to do with her issues.

When all the pieces are wrapped up and put together into a cohesive whole, the reader is loving Lydie for who she is and the reader is left satisfied with how things turned out also . Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a tidy desk with a full planner.

Revell Publishing provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Lydie Stoltzfus.is the Bishop's daughter. She is flighty and she can not keep a job. She never finishes things she starts. After she loses her last job her Aunt who is a doctor hires her. Her Aunt left the faith to become a Doctor and her mother does not speak to her for that decision. She has two friends who are brothers Nathan and Mick. Nathan loves Lydie and she loves him but she feels she is not good enough for him. Her and mick are suppose to leave the faith. As she works for Dok her Aunt recognizes symptoms of a disorder that she believes Lydie has. This is a beautiful story. Lydie's family love 's her and they want the best for her. I love the characters in this book and also the topic of the disorder. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read it and this is my own opinion.

I enjoyed this book very much. Lydia is the bishop’s daughter and always seems to be forgetting things and being late. It’s not until the bishop’s sister who is a doctor. She left the Amish community and was never baptized so she wasn’t shunned. She believes she can help Lydia and diagnoses her with ADHD. This book has it all forgiveness, second chances and romance. A delightful book. Thank you to NetGalley and Revell for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

I've never heard of the saying, "walking the beans" but the meaning: pulling the weeds before they take root is a perfect analogy for a Christian life. Lydie and people like her struggle everyday as others try to mold them to 'fit.' I loved prayerful mindfulness: tuning out the noisy, distracting static until the Lord's voice comes through loud and clear. Lydie is a charming, unique character who will touch readers in a special way. I loved that the characters all had flaws in which readers can relate. Lots of good messages. Recommended!

I really liked this book, it showed that Amish people have disorders and personal conflicts just like anyone else!
Lydie was a 19 year old Amish girl who couldn't hold a job, forgot what she was doing, but she was a talented artist and she had a good heat and loved people. Lydie was so tired of failure that she wanted to leave the Amish life and start over as an Englischer. Her childhood friend, Nathan, loved Lydie for herself, but Lydie needed Nathan's brother Mick to help her transition to English life.
What will Lydie do - leave the Amish or trust her aunt and other friends to solve her issues?

Lydie Stoltzfuz, the bishop’s daughter, has always felt like she did not fit in anywhere. She is contemplating leaving the Amish for living an English life, but is not quite ready to do so yet.

She has a terrible time keeping a job and seems to botch everything she tries. When her English Aunt Ruth (Dok) has her do temporary work as a receptionist in her medical office, her aunt realizes that Lydie has a problem and works with her to work through these challenges.

Will Lydie be able to overcome these challenges and choose to stay Amish, or will she decide to leave? Will her relationships improve, or continue to be disasters? Will she find her place within the community and develop a loving relationship she wants?

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this and give my opinion.

I always find joy in reading books by Suzanne Woods Fisher, especially her Amish fiction good. I was excited to find out that she had another one releasing and jumped at the opportunity to read Anything But Plain. I was not disappointed. I believe this may be my new favorite by her. I adored Lydie’s story so much. I liked watching her grow and finding herself all throughout. There are great reminders and lessons to be learned within the book, as well. I loved it.

I am giving Anything But Plain five stars. Fans of clean romantic Amish fiction will want to pick this one up. As always, I will be eagerly awaiting for future releases by Suzanne Woods Fisher.

I received a paperback copy of Anything But Plain from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

"God does not see you for what you are but for what you can be."
This is such a heart touching story. Lydie is so different, and everyone seems barely able to tolerate her many irritating traits. Everything is her fault. She messes up all the time and absolutely cannot keep a job. Her father, David, is the bishop. He is so busy with a second wife and younger children it just isn't possible to keep a close watch on his nineteen-year-old daughter, but he tries.
Then his mother comes to town. She is determined to fix this mess of a child. Lydie has another new job, this time as receptionist for her aunt's office. "Dok" sees something in the young woman and wants to help her too.
In the meantime, the neighbor's sons who have been friends with Lydie since childhood have a challenge going on that is wearing on that family. Nathan is in turmoil because his childhood friend Lydie has pushed him away. He can't understand what is happening. He doesn't know what his father has been up to either. He is pitting him against his brother Mick.
I like the story so very much. The author who is well loved for her books about fictional Amish families focuses on the possibility of a challenge in life that can be disruptive and discouraging for a family to deal with. Obviously well researched, Fisher brings to life a lovely character who tries her hardest and never feels she belongs or can live up to anyone's expectations of her. She is such a loveable character, and her daily challenges are so believable. The author easily makes me come to care about her immediately.
I received this advanced reader's copy from the publisher and NetGalley. This is my own personal opinion about it. I hope the story continues on in another book. This is such a good story and I want more.

I read a lot of Amish books and it always delights me when I find topics about in an Amish book that i have never read about before. I enjoyed reading about Lydia and how she didn’t realize she has ADHD until aunt who left the Amish to become a doctor, diagnoses her. I also found the comparison of organic and chemical gardening to be informative and something to think about. The author, Suzanne Woods Fisher definitely held my attention and I enjoyed how she incorporates that God still loves us even though we are not perfect. Anytime I find a good quote in a book, I write it down as a reminder. Suzanne had t h is quote in her book-“God does not see you for what you are. God sees you for what you can be.” I highly recommend this book.

All words and opinions are my own. I was given a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

Lydie doesn't feel like she fits in with her Amish community. Suzanne Woods Fisher always tells a good story and this is no exception, really enjoyed the story.

I think that this is the best quote ever!
A perfect reminder that God cares even though we aren't perfect.
"God does not see you for what you are. God sees you for what you can be."
Fisher definitely kept the wows coming from every page in this story and made me sort of snicker at the same time if that's possible.
There's just no way to satisfy everyone but I thought that certain people got their just.
I'm hoping that the Stoney Ridge series never ends because it feels like home to me. I really loved my visit here and meeting Dok. She was my favorite and Lydie fell next in line.
I stayed up til 6 am to finish this novel and I felt that Fisher has done a fantastic job with the subject at hand.
Did I lose sleep? Of course I did! But it was oh so worth it and I loved the subject at hand and the Amish view on it.
There were some shady things going on in this novel that I didn't like but it has to happen in order to make the story interesting. I want say what they are because I don't want to give it away.
There wouldn't be anything that I would change about this novel. I truly loved every minute of it and I was sad when I finished it. I will say the ending was satisfying. I'm not not just saying because it really was!
Oh and no one is perfect including Perfect Patsy lol!
Highly recommended!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is an interesting read. I know there are many Amish groups and this story sounds like it’s written to move towards a more open viewpoint.
Having been raised under a patriarchal controlled environment, I have dealt with the reality of being unable to get real help for health issues. Certain groups of people just can’t have depression, ADHD, chronic pain and more. There is something spiritually wrong with you if you struggle.
While I believe some things are greatly over diagnosed, narrow minded thinking hurts people.
I was disappointed with some things in the storyline. Boundaries must be set within families when control tactics are out of hand.

A beautiful story about a young Amish girl who feels like a square peg in a round hole, and how she learns to love who God created her to be.

This felt different than many Amish fictions I have read in the topics that it covered, which include ADHD and organic vs chemical farming, mindfulness and self acceptance. A lovely story which I couldn’t put down, all the characters were real and relatable, and I just love Lydie. This story encouraged me to look at my “mistakes” in a new light and to celebrate the unique way God created me!