Faith, food, and family.

I connected personally with the protagonist on her journey after the divorce of her parents. The questions she has about herself and her relationships are thoughts most of us could relate to no matter the circumstances.

This thoughtful, inspiring read was a breath of fresh air and I would recommend anyone pick up this book.

I was provided an arc via NetGalley.

“You can either look at what you don’t have and yearn, or you can look at what you have and give thanks.”
“Work-the next thing-and butter conspired to heal all wounds.”
This was a fabulous book with so much packed within its pages: wonderful old German recipes along with sage advice and spiritual lessons.
I connected with the story because it authentically depicted the Lutheran faith and my German roots. The story was well plotted and paced. Nikki was a young woman who had experienced heartache and grew with the example of her Uncle Wes at the old family farm through the renovation of her ancestral farmhouse. She also gained spiritual insight from her Great Aunt Emma through emails as well as from a journal/recipe book written by her great grandmother.
Everything about this beautifully written book was special.
“Stories are the universal heart language. They bring together what is scattered.” “Seems family history is one of the most intimate object lessons we can receive.”
A fitting follow up to her debut novel. I want to read more from Sara Brunsvold.
*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Revell through Interviews and Reviews and NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*

DNF @ 45%

I feel as though I'm reading a different book than everyone else. I cannot seem to make myself care about the progression of this story 😭 Mrs Kip was my favorite book of 2022. I wanted to love this book as well, but it is just moving too slow for me. There are snippets of beauty, and I'm sure much wonderful truth. But I'm going to have to let it go for now.

I'm giving this a 3 star, because regardless of the ending this is the highest I would rate it just simply based on the pacing of the first half

To be honest, I really wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but from the moment I saw the cover and read the title, I knew I wanted to read it anyway. Thankfully this is one of those moments where judging a book by the cover absolutely paid off.

This story was absolutely beautifully. What could be better than a story about family, faith and food? It was a bit of a slower paced read than I typically prefer, but I found myself really enjoying it nonetheless. When Nikki finds herself needing a little break from life, she heads to her uncle's farm for the summer to learn more about the family that she really doesn't know much about. While there, she finds a notebook filled with family recipes and words of wisdom. She connects to her family and the community around her as she starts creating these recipes. One of the things that I really loved about this book is that we're not just reading about the dishes she is cooking--- but we're actually given the recipes too! Having German heritage myself, I certainly appreciated that and found a few recipes I want to write down and try with my family as well. While the story itself would have been enjoyable without this anyway, it definitely set it apart for me. I think food can be such a way to connect people, and this book was a beautiful example of that. It definitely touched on some more difficult moments but offered a great message of faith too.

If you enjoy Christian fiction, this is certainly one to check out.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All opinions are my own.

"A talented baker employs the pantry ingredients; a wise woman adds a divine one. With every crumble she shakes from her palm she pours a prayer from her lips. Each buttery seed is a petition for the souls who will partake in the bounty of her labor."

Sara Brunsvold weaves pieces of her own life experience into a fictional story that will bless, encourage, and convict us all to "do the next thing." Here are five things I absolutely adored about this new release:

📚 Nikki is an English teacher and a reader. Her desire to seek out stories about her family lead to healing and forgiveness. What at treat to have this book set in familiar territory -- beginning in Kansas City and branching out to the farming communities near Hannibal.

👨‍🌾 Her Uncle Wes is a godly man and a patient, loving mentor to Nikki when she flees to the family homestead for refuge.

🍳 The book Nikki finds is filled with family recipes and words of wisdom like the quote above -- anchored with scripture. Dishes like Hoppel Poppel (Egg Hash) come to life as Nikki works through the pain and confusion brought about by her parent's divorce and her father's remarriage.
Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

⛪ Church community is a key component in Redmont and an anchor of hope for the Eddner family. Worship and fellowship nourish Nikki and Uncle Wes consistently through the story.

👩‍🦳Aunt Emma! She spends time almost daily on the phone with Wes and counsels Nikki via email. What a delightful supporting character! Her bocce ball team is called The Lutheran Ladies of the Lawn (LLL) and they are serious competitors.

I truly did not expect that this second book to bless me as much as The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip, but it truly was another amazing read from Sara Brunsvold. Keep them coming!

Thank you to Revell and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When I saw Sara Brunsvold was coming out with a new book, I was excited. I enjoyed her first book, The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip and though I did not find this book as enjoyable, I did like the fact that there was recipes in it.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All words are my own.

A read that quickly became a page turner and made me really think.

Anger at there father, two sisters, and the feeling of helplessness, they want to be there for their mother, and she does move in with Heather, but Nikki is really struggling, and wow, I was surprised how far she went.

In the end she really went home, not to own but to her father's ancestors, and ended up staying with his brother, Uncle Wes.

All at once she dives deep into her heritage, so rich, and the local community. There are pictures, of her grandparents, and her Dad and Uncle, but there is so much more. People whom share there memories, and culture with her. Then there is the Lutheran Church, part of the family forever. She also stumbles on a book that is filled with recipes. We soon learn why the current family never tried these recipes, and could very well understand.

This is a story of determination, finding oneself, and the biggie forgiveness, and a strong love of family.

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

I loved this faith-based story about a young woman who is left reeling when her father leaves her mother for another woman. When she finds out dear old Dad marries the "other woman," she leaves her apartment without calling her long-time boyfriend and ends up driving to her uncle's farm in rural Missouri.

Needing time to deal with her feelings for her father and figure out her feelings for her boyfriend, the young literature teacher spends the summer on the farm with her uncle, delving into her ancestry.

I loved everything about this book - the characters, the history round World War I and how it affected German families in the U.S., the journal and its recipes, the faith that shines through during the story. I highly recommend this uplifting, thought-provoking book.

I received this Digital Review Copy from Revell Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review. This is that review.

Nikki’s parents’ divorce and the uncertainty about her parents’ relationship leave her feeling lost, and she goes to her uncle’s farm in a small Missouri town. She had no idea that this visit would heal her present and uncover a past of which she knew almost nothing.

During Nikki’s searches around her late grandmother’s belongings, she comes across an old notebook full of handwritten German recipes and wise sayings taken from the book of Proverbs. Interested, she takes these recipes to cook and invites locals to her family table to discuss the history of her town and her ancestors and maybe even mend relations with her lost father.

Nikki’s journey to connect with her roots soon turns into an engaging journey. Nikki can comprehend how her ancestors endured their agonies when each dish opens doors to stories of love, loss, and resilience.

Brunsvold’s writing style is convincing and poignant; it effortlessly brings the readers to the beautiful scenery of the Missouri farm. Descriptions of the food are mouthwatering, and it is almost impossible not to feel hungry when reading it. But the emotional depth of the story is what captivates. Brunsvold does a beautiful job of delving into themes of family, forgiveness, and the strength of faith as threads woven effortlessly into Nikki’s path of self-discovery.

Nikki’s character seems approachable and fleshed out, so readers can sympathize with her ordeals and celebrate her progress. She was determined to find a way to heal the past and have a better future, and her discovery of appreciation of her heritage and the way food connects generations may be inspiring.

“The Divine Proverb of Streusel” is a lovely story about perseverance, love, and the power of nourishment to cure a broken heart. It reminds us that sometimes, the most profound healing may come from the most straightforward actions, like sharing a meal and listening to the stories of those who came before us. I highly recommend this book.

I want to thank Revell and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this story and the recipes!

Nikki is a teacher at her wits end with her personal problems - her dad left them abruptly, her mom has to move out of their family home, her boyfriend is pushing for more than she's ready for, and then she sees online that her dad remarried. She takes off for a drive and ends up at her dad's family farm - a place he left at an early age. There she's comforted by the memories of her grandma and happier times. Her Uncle, Wes, is managing the farm and plans on remodeling the old farm house. Nikki decides to take a break from her life and stays the summer to help. She meets the townsfolk and learns stories about her grandma and family that help her heal. She cooks from an old German cookbook she finds and the recipes are awesome.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

This review is unlike any I have written before. I left out details of the story as other reviewers gave insightful descriptions. I am sharing instead three key components I feel set this book apart.

The imagery. I was drawn into deftly delivered descriptions. Simple phrases revealed backgrounds and possibilities in ways I had not read before. Tall praise as we often hear there is nothing new under the sun. Yet in The Divine Proverb of Streusel, “The sun pulled the covers over its head.”

Distinct characters. Voices. Personalities. Actions. The reader can imagine physical descriptors yet knows who is speaking. No tags needed. These are characters that pop into your mind and park RVs for a long visit. They travel with you long after you close the back cover. Just as I wish I could spend an afternoon by Mrs. Kip’s side, what a joy it would be to chat with Aunt Emma and cook in the kitchen with Nikki’s great grandma.

The Structure. Not a high-speed car chase or a desperate escape over the Swiss Alps. The Divine Proverb of Streusel is everyday life - in real time. The reader discovers how God grants forgiveness in less than an instant, without hesitation. Whereas we in our humanity can take an age to forgive. This story reveals the truth in a realistic journey about receiving and giving grace.

I was overjoyed to receive an advanced copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley because I adored The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. Then, a friend gifted me a book at Christmas that had a similar storyline but was general market fiction. This gave me an opportunity to view and consider the juxtaposition of life with and without God at the center. Due to evaluating these stories side by side, I realized what a wise choice this author made in constructing the flow of The Divine Proverb of Streusel. I am grateful for this book and others so full of faith that there is only one choice, for it to overflow into our hearts.

A few favorite quotes:

“The directness drew her eyes to him. At first, irritation showed back. Then, slowly, a surrender. Like she was caught in a searchlight and too tired to run.”

“Mother only wanted to share the pieces of herself that she felt could help Ann the most. That’s what every parent wants.”

“Nothing that we despise in other men is inherently absent from ourselves. We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or don’t do and more in the light of what they suffer.”

“This world gives enough reasons to fret. Be not one of them. Be the help.”

Having read the story of Mrs. Kip, I was excited to pick up another book by this author, but enjoyed it less...it just wasn't what I was expecting. Nikki's dad has suddenly up and left the family, divorcing and then remarrying another woman in a short span of time. She retreats to her uncle's farm to lick her emotional wounds, and while away discovers an old cookbook. These recipes, along with meeting community members, give her a connection to her ancestral ladies. There are themes of faith, family, and forgiveness, but mostly it's a story of self-discovery and forgiveness.

Family, faith, forgiveness, and doing the next thing.
I enjoyed how this book centered around recipes, something I am always drawn to, and tradition.
It was an easy, heartwarming read.

The Divine Proverb of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold is a story of family, faith, healing, and restoration. Nikki Werner’s anger and hurt over her parent’s divorce drives her to seek peace at her uncle’s farm in Eddner, Missouri. While helping to clean out her grandmother’s house, she discovers her great grandmother Lena’s cookbook filled with recipes from her German heritage and proverbs of wisdom from her grandmother that tie in with a proverb from the Bible. The characters are well developed and dynamic. I loved Joyce, the neighbor and baker who has patiently been trying to get the attention of Uncle Wes for years. Joyce comes along side Lena and mentors her while she tries the recipes in her great-grandmother’s cookbook. Together they discover the healing power of cooking and forgiveness. Thank you NetGalley and Revell for an advance copy of this e-book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the author’s first book about Mrs. Kip, this one not as much. In this advance reader’s copy, a page is reserved for a family tree, which will help. Sorting out who the characters were confused me for the first couple chapters.
Nikki Werner’s dad divorced her mom and quickly remarried without informing them. Nikki is understandably distraught, but runs out on her boyfriend and winds up in her dad’s hometown, asking to stay with Uncle Wes, whom she hardly knows. He’s cleaning up the family home and she finds a notebook written by her great-grandmother, full of proverbs and German recipes. The cooking sessions calm her heart
I like the adventure of learning about her grandparents and great-grandparents and how they shaped the lives of Nikki and her immediate family.

This book was not what I expected, but I absolutely loved it. I read it in one setting. I had expected a usual story about changes and lots of happy endings, but this was more than that. It was about faith, family and forgiveness. All of which is exposed in the relationships involved with cooking and working. I received this as an arc from NetGalley without pressure for an honest review, and I have just ordered my own copy to keep and share.

I loved the author’s previous book and was very much looking forward to this one. I struggled a bit to engage with the plot. A promising start of a difficult divorce/abandonment. But then the story centers on the main character reminiscing upon/with relatives that she seemed to barely know (an uncle, a grandmother) and it just did not draw me in. It was more self-discovery than story, and perhaps that was an expectations issue on my part.

It did wrap up nicely with a message of not hardening our hearts towards those who hurt us and it has a ton of faith elements naturally worked into the story.

All in all, an enjoyable, quiet read.

The book was a little slow for me at first, but once I got a few chapters in I couldn't put it down. Sara has a beautiful way of creating authentic characters with flaws and weaving Biblical truths in her writing. This book was one I didn't know I needed-- just as the main character was wrestling with forgiveness and healing within her family, I have been as well. This book softened my heart toward a family member in my own life, extending grace and understanding in this season. Also, being of German descent myself, I loved the historical context of settling here as immigrants and the recipes that my family may have prepared as well. I felt a kindred connection to this book! Great read.

10 ⭐️
Why did this book end? I honestly could have kept reading this book forever.

No cursing
No romance (well maybe like a SMALL part) but no kissing, nothing

This story was just beautiful. There were times I left like I was reading a devotional- with the amount of wisdom that was shared from Nikki’s grandmother. This was good and deep.

The character development was just AMAZING. I even loved Aunt Emma, who was only introduced via email & phonecall. That’s how rich and great the characters were.

The story line developed so well. Nikki went through so much and worked through a lot in this book. I loved the willingness to say yes to hard things and press in when she didn’t understand why.

This is not my last book from this author. I will prob go and read every one of her books now.

Thanks to NetGalley and Revell for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I couldn’t resist this title – and the book pretty much matched my expectations. I was intrigued by the premise of Nikki Werner learning about her family heritage through the old recipes she discovers in her grandmother’s book. Among the handwritten German recipes are words of wisdom and encouragement from Grandma Ann for women like herself, living during and right after World War I. Cooking these recipes gives Nikki a first-ever real connection to the women who had labored in that small galley kitchen before her.

Nikki is spending her summer vacation on her uncle’s family farm in rural Missouri to adjust to the disturbing fact of her parents’ recent divorce, and to deal with her feelings of abandonment by her father. She’s also trying to decide how she feels about her significant boyfriend, Isaac.

During this summer, family members as well as people in the community share family stories with Nikki. She discovers her heritage, and the stories provide a healing salve. The author explains how “stories are the universal heart language. They bring together what is scattered.”

The stories, as well as cooking her grandmother’s recipes, help Nikki to learn her family history, and this education has a way of putting her life into perspective. “Cooking has a magic to it. The taking of opposing raw things and step by step shaping them into something new and unified. Discordance is chopped, sautéed, and stirred away, until a melodious creation simmers in the pan.”

The book contains themes of family, faith, forgiveness, and redemption. Many of the characters have a sense of faith, which gives the novel an added dimension.

The one thing that bothered me was that while Nikki was a high school teacher, so is at least in her mid-twenties, her character seemed to think and act more like a teenager. And the other characters treated her like one, too. (Her uncle, parents, sister, aunt, church members, even her boyfriend – pretty much everyone). As I was reading, I had to keep reminding myself she was an adult.

Despite this aspect, overall I enjoyed this heartwarming novel of family and forgiveness. If you’re looking for a small-town redemptive story that has a cooking theme combining faith and a bit of romance, this is the book for you.