I loved the plot of the book. A grown woman with an empty nest discovers she has a twin sister given up for adoption at birth and travels to Australia to find her. I got a little dragged down in the wordiness at the beginning and the whole reason for giving up the child was hard to believe. But falling in love made the story worth it.

Lily Winter is just entering a new season of life. She's recently widowed and her only child has just started college. When she goes to visit her emotionally distant mother, she is beyond shocked to hear the news that she has an identical twin sister living in Australia. While Camille had been given up for adoption, her parents had chosen to raise Lily as their own.

Anguished over all the years of missed sisterhood, Lily braves the unknown and takes off on a search in the Land Down Under. Armed only with the knowledge that Camille lives in Melbourne and attends St. Paul's Cathedral, Lily hopes it will be enough to lead to a reunion. The day of her arrival she meets a curious man named Marcus, who has self-exiled himself from his home in the States. Although a little wary of his quirky ways, Lily agrees to accept his help. Feeling a relationship with Camille will somehow fill a void in her life, Lily must also face the reality that searches can lead to very different results than the one anticipates.

"Winter in Full Bloom" is a novel that tackles many, many emotions. With family issues at the heart of this novel, I knew it would touch on sensitive subjects. If I had known just how many, I might have skipped over it. That would have been a mistake. Anita Higman touches on all of them beautifully, gracefully. Although very real and ugly things must be addressed and dealt with, she never leaves one without the hope that God can restore all things. A few of the things addressed in this story are abandonment, parental neglect, abuse, responsibility for the accidental death of loved ones, persecution, spousal unfaithfulness, rape, unwanted pregnancy, divorce, and bitterness. Yes, it's a frightening list! Can God really work to heal hearts so fragile from the beatings of this life? Is there a way for restoration to come where so much devastation has been known? Absolutely! Lives are forever changed when these things come into them. It's where our brokenness takes us that determines whether we will be completely destroyed or if we'll find a way in God's strength to fully bloom again.

Novels that tackle heavy subjects with such grace are an amazing gift. I truly enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone who has dealt with disappointing family relationships or wrestled with wondering if God can renew and restore us after hardships. He can! Thank you, Anita, for reminding us in such a gentle yet powerful way.

I received an advance reading copy from LitFuse in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.