Once Upon a Buggy by Shelley Shepard Gray is a story about forgiveness. I thought the story was well-written with realistic, developed characters. The characters suited the story. I like that this story is different from other Amish novels. A barn fire has caused so much pain, bitterness, guilt, and tension. I could certainly relate to May’s actions during the fire. We never know how we will react to a situation until we are in it. Friendship, family, love, guilt, and forgiveness are the main themes. I enjoyed the stories ending. It is one that made me smile. Once Upon a Buggy is the second book in The Amish of Apple Creek series. It can be read as a standalone, but I do recommend Happily Ever Amish. I like that we get to see how our relationships affect those close to us (family and friends). It can even have a negative impact on a community. I liked the cover of the book. It really suited the story plus it is an eye-catching image. There is humor sprinkled throughout the story thanks to some quirky alpacas. I found their behavior to be amusing. It was interesting learning about alpacas and their temperaments. Once Upon a Buggy is a thoughtful and emotional tale with a ferocious fire, a lost love, temperamental alpacas, feuding families, and finding forgiveness.

“There was nothing like a wayward alpaca to act as a reality check.”

While not a purist retelling of Beauty and the Beast, there are several elements in Once Upon a Buggy that will appeal to fans of that fairy tale, including me. Carl may be physically scarred and the obvious ‘beast’ archetype in this story, but May carries just as many scars on the inside from her guilt over the same fire that drove her and Carl apart and created a rift between their once-friendly families. In fact, this story paints a vivid picture of how bitterness and unforgiveness can make you ugly on the inside, no matter what your outside looks like – and I’m not referring to May here but rather to Carl’s father. Conversely, Shelley Shepard Gray also shows how beautiful reconciliation & restoration can be, namely through a secondary romance that made my love-story-loving heart happy.

And what’s a fairy tale without animals that have almost-human personalities and help work things out?? Oh how I loved the alpacas in Once Upon a Buggy – all named for Santa’s reindeer. The way May talked to them as though they were real people made me smile often, and they usually stole every scene they were in. The author gave each of these supporting animal-characters a larger-than-life personality that quickly endeared them to me, and I think other readers will agree with me, too. The role they play in breaking down some of the walls these families have figuratively built up is also fun to watch.

Bottom Line: Wayward alpacas. A outwardly scarred hero. An inwardly scarred heroine. Two feuding families. Two pairs of star-crossed loves. Storms within and without. All the ingredients for a romance with hints of both Beauty & the Beast and Romeo and Juliet. In Once Upon a Buggy, Gray once again has written a story that will engage your heart from beginning to end. More than one romance will capture your interest, and the sweet themes of forgiveness and faith may just help heal some readers’ heart-scars too. And let’s just admit it – the alpacas are hands-down the stars of this show. Be prepared to be delighted in more than one way as you visit the Amish of Apple Creek again, once upon a buggy.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Once Upon a Buggy is a feel good read that had me turning the pages. I enjoyed everything about this book. The main character at the age of seventeen was burned in a barn while visiting the heroine who was sixteen at the time. . He left to get treatment and didn't come back until six years later. There are feelings of guilt and pain on both sides with a terrible feud between the two families. However, I love how it all worked out. This author is one of my favorites and I always enjoy her books. This one included.
*I received a copy of this book by the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

What I liked best about this was that it was sweet and a tiny bit spicy (Amish spicy lol) but also very, very realistic. Carl and May were childhood sweethearts separated by a traumatic event and the inevitable repercussions. After six years apart they meet again, but even if their feelings for each other are fundamentally the same, neither they, nor their lives, are.

I really appreciated the author's respect for the reader when she didn't make everything simple and tidy. People are complicated. Emotions are messy. Sometimes things don't change quickly, or ever, and we learn to live with it. Still, these characters are easy to root for and while their second chance will take a lot of honesty and growth, it's a very enjoyable ride!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Thought provoking

I enjoy Ms Grey's books, along with most of the Amish genre. This one is a bit different; it's not just a sweet romance. It covers a lot-- forgiveness, aftereffects of tragedy, belief and acting on your beliefs. The characters are very understandable and the plot is well developed. Not literary fiction, but much more though provoking than typical for this genre. I really enjoyed the book!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me an e-arc via netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

I am enjoying the fairy tale romance stories that Shelley Shepard Gray is creating within Amish Fiction. Once Upon A Buggy is a sot of Amish Beauty and the Beast type of story. It gave me all the feels, and I am excited for the next in the series (and I hope there are many more to come).
In this story, we meet May Schott and Carl Hilty. The two have been friends throughout their childhood, being best friends with the hopes of becoming romantically involved. The only thing between them is a horrific tragedy (barn fire) that leaves one devastatingly burned and the other unable to forgive the circumstances.
How will the two overcome their past and move forward together? Shelley Shepard Gray weaves such beautiful tales, and this is one I could not put down. Do yourself a favor and jump into reading this series!

Shelley Shepard Gray is an incredible writer who brings us books of forgiveness, love and understanding. Once Upon a Buggy shows us that searching for forgiveness may not always be easy. However, once found, we can each find our new footing and path. Will May and Carl be able to work through bad feelings and regrets to find the love they lost? I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

This book is so good. It's a beautifully written story that is full of emotions and learning how to forgive. Mary and Carl's story is heartbreaking yet heartwarming as they both deal with things that happened in the past. This is a book you don't want to miss.
U received a complimentary copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read book 1, but I will now. This book captured my attention from the start. It was a poignant story of a young man, Carl Hilty, who was badly injured in a fire. The story of Carl, his family and friends will touch your heart. There is a strong forgiveness theme in this story and how holding bad feelings can ruin many lives.
I really was happy that I read this book! I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

May Schott and Carl Hitty lived next door all of their lives and are best friends. She would do anything to change the day Carl was burned. After Carl left Apple Creek to have surgeries, May waited and prayed for the chance to ask for his forgiveness. Six years later, Carl is coming home after living and working in the city as an Englisher.

The reunion is not how May imagined it. May is left speechless, feeling overwhelmed of seeing her best friend. Carl is stone-cold and silent. May thinks Carl hates her.

Carl decided to return home, hoping to reconnect with his family and May. May doesn't appear to want anything to do with Carl.

Their bond was cute, growing up together, and their friendship blooming into love. I enjoyed revisiting Apple Creek, and I was so happy that May and Carl had their happy ending! What a sweet Amish romance! Shelley Shepard Gray does not disappoint.

Once Upon a Buggy is a modern-day Amish Beauty and the Beast story, and. it's the second book in the Apple Creek, series by Shelley Shepard Gray.

May Schott and Carl Hilty grew up on farms next to each other and have been long-time friends. One tragic day, the barn they are in is hit by lightning and goes up in flames. While they both get out safely, due to Carl, Carl is badly burned. After numerous surgeries and therapy, Carl is healed enough to work in Cleaveland--as an Englisher! Returning to Apple Creek six years later to visit family and friends, what will he find? Will he and May be able to renew their friendship and perhaps, become more than friends?

This was an enjoyable read with a heavy emphasis on forgiveness.

#NetGalley provided an advanced e=copy of this book to me. All opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

#OnceUponaBuggy #NetGalley.

4 Stars

May and Carl captured my heart from the beginning. Their bond started off as childhood friends that grew into feelings. Tragedy during their teens caused many years without them speaking or seeing each other. This book was so touching and heartfelt. I enjoyed being taking back again to Apple Creek, Ohio and being introduced to some new name.

I was definitely surprised, but happy with the ending.

** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was heartbreaking and also a very heartwarming read. The story begins with a tragedy. And then deals with all the repercussions. A long time of physical and emotional healing, anger, blame, broken relationships, broken friendships, self esteem issues and so much more. An ending I did not anticipate! Very well written. Shelly Shepard Gray is always a must read for me and this did not disappoint.

First of all i want to thank Netgalley, Kensington Books, and Shelly Shepard Gray for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Once Upon a Buggy.

This is the second book in the Amish of Apple Creek, I did not read the first part but will be doing so soon. I know that this one can be read as a standalone. I really enjoyed the storyline of this book, the characters were very believable and you just couldn't help but get into the story. A book about a young couple facing a tragic accident in a barn fire and then their families not speaking to each other anymore. It was a story of forgiveness and also a story about how community come together when times get tough. The story of Carl Hilty and May Schott will be one i won't forget anytime soon.
I highly recommend this book to all my amish book lover readers.

May and Carl were in a burning barn and were left with scars and angst. Feuding families are not helping either, but their younger siblings have fallen in love and need their help. Liked this one, and enjoy the interaction with the alpacas too. Would recommend.

I adore fairy-tales and I love Amish fiction. So an Amish retelling of a fairy-tale has my interest. I was hooked from the start.. The beast being a badly burned man trying to help his friend and girl he loves.

It's also a story of forgiveness. Forgiving yourself. Forgiving family. Forgiving your neighbor. All good practices to keep.

If you're looking for a sweet Amish romance, Shelley Shepard Gray never disappoints. With a well-rounded, and relatable cast of characters, and some quirky alpacas, the reader is quickly pulled in to the story. A few parts felt a bit rushed, such as the ending, but this is an enjoyable romance. Themes of faith, guilt, and forgiveness are key, and the family dynamics may resonate with some readers. It's part of a series, and I look forward to the next installment.

May and Carl were best friends with a budding romance until a unfortunate fire that sent Carl away for long term treatment. May wrote, prayed and hoped to hear from Carl, she needed his forgiveness. After six years he returns to Apple Creek but May Schott's reunion is all but what she desired. His silence leaves her thinking that she was right about her feelings. Carl had came back to see if May could look beyond his wounds and accept him as his is. He started a new life, living more English, having a purpose and accepted with scars. Everyone else knows May and Carl still love each other and belong together but can they find the forgiveness and acceptance from each other. I received an advanced copy from the publisher and my opinion is of my own.

I read Once Upon a Buggy (Book 2 in The Amish of Apple Creek Series) in one a lazy evening on my patio. It was the perfect spring read and it was quick and enjoyable. I always love Shelley Shepard Gray's books and this was no exception. This is Carl and May's romance and it was a difficult one for them since they had been apart so long after the barn fire they had been in as teenagers. They have a lot to let go of and forgive and understandably it takes a while for them to come back together. Their siblings also have a sweet romance. I'm hoping there will be a book 3 as well!


Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 28 March 2023.

A story that will pull on your heart, young teenage love, fear, and a barn fire. This is the beginning, and the end, but not with teenagers.

This is a story of forgiveness, of others and yourself, and also living your faith, and some really need lessons here.

There are a lot of family dynamics, and one family ends up with not one but two they need to deal with! Rather like God telling them to forgive!

Soon you'll be absorbed in Amish daily life, and here you will need to know about alpaca's and there stubborn personalities, and their cute names! There is also healing, and storms! You will be page turning for answers.

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