This!!!

This is one of the best book I have read about endings and beginnings. Especially when we navigate them with them help of God.

I loved the story. The characters flew off the page. They became like kin to me. Their struggles tore at my heart and their success were mine too. Sherri was the heart of this book for me. How even in pain she was able to bring hearts back together and shine the love of Christ was mind-blowing. Her faith in God was just so beautiful to read. Her heart to forgive and move on was outstanding and inspiring. I was so glad and emotional to see how Daniel and Kristen’s marriage turned out. I was rooting for them even though at some point I was getting frustrated with them.

This book is a story of love, forgiveness, kindness, and family. I love how the author did not make it morbid but in simple but profound ways portrayed the love of God and the redemption that comes with it even in the most dire situations. There is always hope! The book echoed that.

I listened to the audio book, and the narrators did an amazing job. They made the book so enjoyable.

I received a copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion.

Bring tissues when you listen to this!! Such relatable characters. So moving. Sister stories ALWAYS hit hard!

The Year Of Goodbyes & Hello's

By Kelly Irvin

Audiobook:- 11 hours and 57 minutes

Narrators:- Jessica Holtan & Jeremy Childs

Book:- 352 pages

![[Pasted image 20240402154812.png]]

In a novel inspired by the author's own cancer experience, two sisters seek a new balance in work, family, and love when one receives a diagnosis that sets the clock ticking.

Determined to save Sherri's life, Kristen drops everything to guide her sister on the harrowing cancer treatment journey. When she's unable to balance the strain of caring for her patients, being a wife and mother, and her frantic efforts to save her sister, Kristen's carefully balanced life crumbles, starting with her marriage. Desperate to regain her footing, she vows to rebuild her broken relationships . . . as soon as she's sure Sherri will beat the odds stacked against her.

Review...

Thank you Net galley for an advanced Arc of this book.

I received the audiobook and the story was very well written with multiple POVs & we follow their life's while they both go through allot of life struggles... following the sisters was interesting & also heart touching in places (Especially the sister who finds out she has cancer ) her story and journey is both heartbreaking but also inspiring with how positive she is during all she is going though. The other sister though the Doctor has become blind to everything ( or blindsiding what's really happening ), she see's what is happening to her marriage but she keeps making excuses for making her husband second best ( Last priority ) even though he tries to think positive he finally gets to a point where he faces facts and she is still not understanding what her actions are doing.

It is heartbreaking to see a marriage on the verge of becoming destroyed by actions not being dealt with ( the woman putting her career before everyone in her life) ...
in situations like this there is only so much a person can give with feeling like they will break and we see this in the book and also feel it though the great narrations done by Jessica Holtan & Jeremy Childs and though out listening to the characters I had moments where i even shouted out (WAKE UP WOMAN UR DESTORYING UR MARRIAGE ) I really got emotionally attached to the story and could not put the book down for long without picking it back up.

for me this book was a 4.5 stars ![[Pasted image 20240404202327.png]]

This is an emotional story of two sisters, Kristen who is an oncologist and Sherri who just found out she has ovarian cancer. I really enjoy books by Kelly Irvin and this one is no exception. Just know the topics may be hard to read about but it's definitely as great as her other books.

I tend to prefer women narrators, so it was easier for me to listen to Jessica Holtan than it was Jeremy Childs.

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

Publication date: 5 December 2023

This book deals with cancer and includes some family drama with it.

There are two parts going on in this book and the story rotates between characters. Kristen's sister Sherri finds out she has cancer and Kristen, being an oncologist wants to help her every step of the way. Then there's Kristen's husband Daniel that is feeling their marriage fall apart because she seems more devoted to her job than him. That is the whole plot in a nutshell. It is very simple, but seems to drag through the day to day drama quite a bit.

There is the faith aspect of this book that I don't think fits well. It seems that those parts were just inserted to be there so it came off a bit preachy. The overall theme and lessons can stand for that part alone without the extra dialog.

I enjoyed this book, but didn't feel the emotional connection I was hoping for. It's a rough topic, so I was hoping for a bit more glimpses or bright spots.

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.

Wow, what a story. It read like a memoir and was very interesting to listen to. It pulled at the heart strings and felt like a very real depiction of what cancer is like within a family. Prepare your heart, but read it anyway!

I LOVED this audio! Cancer patient and onocologist who just happen to be sisters....
Let's start with Kristen - I could barely stand her!!! She managed to alienate every single person that loved her - excpet Sherri. I get it - everyone and everything could "wait" until she had more time... Until they couldn't/wouldn't. I don't recall if I KNEW that this was christian fiction when I selected it - but I REALLY loved the faith aspect of this story. Sherri had it and Kristen didn't. The characters were well fleshed out. While I didn't like Kristen (until the very very end lol) I totally understood how she came to be who she was and was actually able to have a little empathy for her. I would totally recommend this to anyone - I honestly gave it 5 stars and Kelly Irvin is an author that I will actively seek out. Bless Daniel - he literally has the patience of Job (no religious pun intended lol). He loved her. The end. Thank you to Netgalley, Kelly Irvin and Thomas Nelson for and advanced readers copy of this fabulous book in exchange for an honest review. This book was narratated by Jessica Holtan and Jeremy Childs; they did an AMAZING job and look forward to listening to them in the future

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/141799954-the-year-of-goodbyes-and-hellos

Such a bittersweet book. I was actually happy with how it ended and the message that it sent was really good. Sometimes things in life have to unravel for us to be able to see them clearly and put them back together. The faith based piece of this one made me like it even more- such a fresh breath of air compared to a lot of what is hitting the market these days.

🌀Synopsis
Sherri and Kristen are typical opposite sisters and over the years they’ve grown apart. Now, everything is changing though. Sherri has been diagnosed with cancer and Kristen steps in to help.
Kristen is the more controlling and organized sister. When she hears about Sherri’s diagnosis, she takes charge. Helping with appts, giving her a place to stay, and even taking her to see their long lost dad.
Through this story both sisters have a lot to learn. Sherri is learning to live on borrowed time and she’s essentially teaching Kristen the lessons that lie within that. Kristen realizes there’s more to life than being organized and having the “perfect” look.

This wasn't for me. At all. It wasn't described as Christian fiction, but it should be. I'm an atheist, but I usually enjoy the portrayal of religious characters and beliefs when it's done well. Alas, this wasn't the case. Redundant and predictable, with a couple of interesting plotlines that, unfortunately, ended up disappointing me. I'm sure that someone who deeply believes in the Christian God might find this more enjoyable than I did, but it wasn't for me.

The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos is a lovely story of love and loss, and even though it's beautifully written, it's a very difficult read at moments.
This book covers so many important topics - illness, sisterly love, loneliness in marriage, loss in different forms - but as I've said, it's written in a lovely way.
What I didn't particularly like is the amount of details of Sherri's hospital visits, but even though the personal preference is not to read about it, I think it's good that people understand even that aspect of cancer treatments.
Also, I must say that even this book is classified as Christian Fiction, and that is not the genre I ever read, I didn't find it overwhelming or overused - the faith and god element was written well into the Sherri's story.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc.

This book was one of those ones that you have to just stop and think on a while once you complete it. The author takes on a powerful topic, cancer, and weaves a story surrounding it that doesn't shy away from some of the nitty gritty of the disease and its impacts on those in and around the disease. I LOVED that the main characters were middle aged, as there aren't as many stories in this age group within Christian Fiction. The story switches between three different perspectives- Sherri the patient, Kristen the sister, and Kristen's husband. I wasn't sure how I would like that shift, but the author did it beautifully. The different emotions and struggles, highs and lows, successes and failures that each of the main characters, and really the supporting characters, experienced was so eye opening. As a mother to a child with life-threatening heart issues, I fully appreciate how well the story told gives a picture of the ugly side of cancer while still creating a book that is enjoyable and readable. That is truly an art in itself. When I discovered the author wrote this fiction work from her own experience with cancer, it opened my eyes to why the authenticity of it all.

Overall, a powerful book that I highly recommend.

I received an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest reveiw.

Two sisters who have already faced one of the hardest moments in life, the death of their mother from cancer, are now faced with one helping the other fight her battle against cancer. Written by someone who continues to fight ovarian cancer herself, this story encompasses so many harsh realities. It also encourages women to listen to their own bodies and to advocate for themselves with medical professionals when they know something is not right.

📖: The Year of Goodbyes & Hellos
✍️: Kelly Irvin
🎙: Jessica Holtan & Jeremy Childs
⭐️: 4 of 5
🎧: 5 of 5
💬: " Like Scarlett O'Hara, I'll think about it later"

Troupes & Themes:
- Multiple POVs

Trigger/Content Warnings:
- Cancer
- Death

Although cancer is a difficult topic, this novel beautifully follows the journey of one sister's illness and the others' efforts for a cure. Although this story focuses on sisters Sherri and Kristen, it all shows how this awful disease affects one's entire family. It was heartbreaking yet gripping. Once I started, I couldn't stop. Full of family, faith, acceptance, and forgiveness. This is one I will carry for a while.
Thank you, NetGalley, Harper Collins, and Thomas Nelson, for the opportunity to listen and review this advanced copy.

I think this is the most real and raw Christian fiction book that I’ve ever read. I’m so impressed by the myriad of topics that were covered, and how well the author did it. Topics such as family, love, forgiveness, infidelity, parenting, divorce, illness, grief, faith, community…it really is a wide scope that is covered in only maybe a one year time frame (aside from flashbacks).

As for the plot, we are mostly following two sisters, Sherri and Kristen, as they face Sherri’s recent cancer diagnosis. As Kristen is an oncologist, it adds an interesting twist to the story. And the relationship between the sisters is so strong and beautiful despite their many differences. There are many other characters as well, as the story covers how an illness ripples out to affect the family and community around them. Each main character was so complex and multidimensional, I felt like I knew and understood them, even through their flaws.

The audiobook was read very well, and the narrator change for Daniel was done well, and his viewpoint was a great addition to see another side to the events of the story.

Overall this was definitely a 5 star book for me. From the writing to the topics to the characters and plot…completely well done. Tears were shed, but such is life. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and Zondervan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start by saying that if you are susceptible to crying, you may want to wait until after Christmas to read this one…You could’ve just wrung me out…I was a sopping mess…multiple times. 😕

The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos by Kelly Irvin.

This story revolves around two sisters, sisters who have depended on each other for years, after the loss of their Mom at a young age…

The older sister, Sherri, basically raised the younger one…they grew up, got married, and she became a kindergarten teacher with several kids of her own. She has a strong faith in God, Family and Love…

The younger one, Kristen, grew up to become an oncologist…and a very good one at that. The only problem is that her job just might be taking up ALL of her time… But, after all, she is seeing people at the absolute worst moments of their lives…and sometimes she is ALL they have.
She is married to a wonderful, kind, sweet and patient architect, Daniel, and has two daughters of her own.

We follow these two through the daily hassles of life and love and balancing the two…until a cancer diagnoses looms…and then they are inseparable through the course of planning and treatments….and life. Church and prayer play a big part in this novel…and with good reason.

Daniel plays a big part in this book too…going through all of this with his wife and sister-in-law…and being in the background…all the time. It’s a very tough part for him to play…especially with his wife’s work schedule/life.

The realizations, the actions, the thoughts and the depth of feelings portrayed in this one really hit home for me, as I lost my Mom to Breast Cancer many years ago. I felt like the characters were REALLY experiencing all of this, and it felt like you were right there with them.
I can’t tell you how many times I just broke out SOBBING while reading/listening to this. It is THAT powerful! Be sure to stay tuned for the authors note at the end. It all made sense after that…
Ms Irvin…God Bless you on your journey. 🙏🏼🙏🏼 🙏🏼 And, keep the faith.

5+ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me!
Brought out all the feels for me…and then some.
But again, maybe hold off on reading until after the holidays…and have tissues nearby…

#TheYearOfGoodbyesAndHellos by #KellyIrvin. Narrated by #JessicaHoltan and #JeremyChilds.

Thanks to #NetGalley, #HarperCollinsChristianPublishing and #ThomasNelsonFiction for an ARC of this audiobook which was released on December 5th.

Follow me for upcoming previews and reviews on Goodreads, FB @ #BookReviewsWithElaine or IG @ #BookReviews_with_emsr.

Thanks for reading along with me! 📚📖

“You appreciate holidays so much more when you truly in your gut realize there’s no guarantee we’ll all be together for another one. People know that, yet they still take it for granted.”

Determined to save Sherri’s life, Kristen drops everything to guide her sister on the harrowing cancer treatment journey. When she’s unable to balance the strain of caring for her patients, being a wife and mother, and her frantic efforts to save her sister, Kristen’s carefully balanced life crumbles, starting with her marriage. Desperate to regain her footing, she vows to rebuild her broken relationships . . . as soon she’s sure Sherri will beat the odds stacked against her.

Unlike her sister, Sherri Reynolds has worked to cultivate balance in her life. Her children, her job as a teacher, and her strong faith keep her grounded—until her diagnosis sends her spiraling into the scary world of what-ifs and unknown outcomes. Sherri faces the agonizing realization that family history may be about to repeat itself. With the clock ticking, she’s determined to use whatever time she has left to heal old wounds and restore relationships.
Together, the sisters are forced to reexamine their priorities, address the still tender wounds of their childhood, and delve more deeply to discover what it means to live each day to its fullest.

This book was so emotional and had so many great messages and themes in it: forgiveness, priorities, acceptance, love, and above all, family. Reading this is like peeking in the window of a family home and watching as they receive devastating news and attempt to navigate that without falling apart and destroying themselves. I was utterly engrossed in this story. With dual narrators, the audiobook really packed an emotional punch. I couldn’t listen fast enough! They each brought such emotion to the characters. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and the author for the ALC.

The Year of Hellos and Goodbyes is a book about the lives of two sisters. One is an oncologist the other is a school teacher. The teacher gets diagnosed with cancer, so we see that evolve throughout the book and how their live’s change.
I just don’t think I was the intended audience for this book. Not to place an age demographic on it but I would say closer to what the characters in the book are, 45-55s. That isn’t me. I’m sure it’s a great book, just unfortunately not for me.
I do want to thank NetGallery for allowing me to read it.

This book ripped my heart right out of my chest and made me cry so much. My heart ached but I didn’t want it to end. I fell in love with all of the characters. The story was told with three points of view, sisters Sherri and Kristen, and Kristen’s husband, Daniel. The sisters lost their mother to cancer and Sherri then got diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Sherri was my favorite sister while Kristen was not a fan favorite for me. She was too focused on her career and not her family.
Cancer is not a topic I like to read about, but Kelly Irvin used her own cancer experience to take you on an emotional and faith filled journey. I have read many of her Amish books so that is why I decided to check this out. And I’m glad I did!
Many thanks to the author, Publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

In a Nutshell: A contemporary Christian drama focussed on an extended family whose life turns upside down after a cancer diagnosis. The Christian elements are more progressive than conservative, which is fine by me but might not work for conservative believers. One of the main characters is annoying. Overall, a decent read, but not a memorable one for me.

Story Synopsis:
Kristen is a workaholic oncologist who gives her all to her patients, even if it comes at a cost to her personal life with husband Daniel. But when her elder sister Sherri is diagnosed with stage-IV ovarian cancer, Kristen is ready to put everything on hold to ensure that her sister gets the best chances of recovery. Yet again, Daniel feels ignored.
Sherri is a happy kindergarten teacher who has always lived her life making healthy choices. A divorcee, she loves her kids and grandkids. With the cancer diagnosis, she feels the pressure of having a limited time with her loved ones and the pain of giving up the job that means so much to her.
Post the cancer verdict, Kristen and Sherri are determined to make the best of the time Sherri has left and to prolong her good health as much as they can.
The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Kristen, Sherri, and Daniel.



Bookish Yays:
😍 It was refreshing to see middle-aged characters in the lead. Kristen is 48 and Sherri is 52. The problems they face are the ones typical of that age, and their behaviour also matches their character age.
😍 Sherri is an amazing character, despite having some personality flaws. (Which go to make her even more real.) I loved how practical she was about the whole cancer thing, fighting against the disease but still trying to be prepared for any eventuality.
😍 The sibling bond between the sisters is amazing. As the title indicates, the story is set over a year, and this year turns out to be an eventful one. All through, the sisters come close to each other and help each other in myriad ways.
😍 I love that Daniel is given his own voice. It would have been so easy to turn this woman-dominated story into a typical tale of siblings bonding after traumatic news. But Daniel’s perspective acts as the voice of balance, and also offers an external view on the happenings that Kristen is blind to.
😍 The medical details seemed very true-to-life and authentic, though only medical professionals might be able to gauge the accuracy of the same.
😍 The initial setup shows Kristen as the sister to envy, with her happy marriage, wealthy husband, big home, and flourishing career. Time shows that material wealth does matter and it is the divorcee and relatively poorer Sherri who lives a more fulfilling life. This was subtly but well done.
😍 The author's note at the end was very touching. She is a grade-IV cancer survivor, and it is her own medical ordeal that inspired her to pen this novel. I love her advice about listening to our body, even if our doctor suggests that nothing is wrong.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 This is a Christian contemporary drama. The pros of the Christian representation are mainly in how Sherri uses her faith to guide her through her health issues, and how Kristen, who isn’t religious, grows in faith. On the other hand, this book has a few elements not common in this genre. There’s infidelity and divorce, both of which aren’t what conservative readers will appreciate. There are also a couple of irreverent references to God.
😐 Kristin and Sherri both have adult children. Sherri’s children are very easy to relate to, as their characters are sketched well. However, Kristin’s children are written in a one-dimensional manner.
😐 Daniel’s character earns a lot of sympathy for the way he is treated by Kristen. He seems to have a lot of patience and his breaking point seemed very realistic. However, the Pilar connection was predictable and irritating.
😐 I enjoyed the medical theme and the comments about the expenses related to health scares, treatments, and clinical trials. I also liked the focus on faith, work-life balance, and family dynamics. But I didn’t enjoy the inclusion of themes that weren’t connected to the core topic. Politics and racial discrimination simply didn’t fit into the storyline, then why wave those flags here? Overload of social commentary is never fun to read.

Bookish Nays:
😒 Kristin’s character was very tough to connect to. I get that she was a busy oncologist, but she was taking her family, especially her husband, for granted. After a point, “I’ll try better” has no merit if the intention isn’t followed by action. The justification that anything is acceptable as long as your goals are noble is silly. Her turnaround in the book is also too abrupt.
😒 The track about Kristin and Sherri’s estranged father suddenly making a reappearance and being accepted after only minimal hesitation feels farfetched.
😒 There’s much stress on how Daniel’s architecture firm develops environmentally friendly structures and how important it is to think in terms of sustainability. And yet the main characters smoke numerous cigarettes, throw away leftover or uneaten food, and leave lights on in houses. You can’t be environmentally conscious only in one avenue and ignore everything else.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at nearly 12 hours, is narrated by Jessica Holtan and Jeremy Childs. I did like both their narrations, but didn’t love them. As there are two female characters using the first person, having only one female narrator is a bit confusing, even though she tries a subtle variation in her pitch for each character. She does give a personality to the two sisters with her performance, but she sounds much younger than the age of the characters. In case of the male narrator voicing Daniel, the advantage is that his voice suits Daniel’s age, actually sounding like a man in his late forties or early fifties. However, his speaking style was a bit too lulling for my ears. Also, he doesn’t narrate the female voices in a different tone, so his narration sounds monotonous at times.


All in all, this novel definitely has some strong pros. But Kristen’s character and some of the themes made it tough for me to enjoy it more than I did.
A decent one-time read, recommended to women’s fiction readers. Will definitely work better if you read it with your heart than with your head. If you are picking this up for its Christian elements, better if you are a liberal or progressive Christian.

3.5 stars, rounding down because I didn’t enjoy the narration that much.

My thanks to HarperCollins Christian Publishing and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

EXCERPT: My sister, Sherri. when was the last time I'd talked to her? She texted me on New Year's Day from her son Cody's house in Fayetteville, where she was spending the holidays. We used to talk more, but time seemed to get away from us - or me. I glanced at my smartwatch. Ten thirty. She should be sitting crisscross on the rug in her kindergarten classroom in Kerrville, reading The Little Blue Truck to her students. Or trotting in a single-file line to recess. Her life a a teacher had always struck me as idyllic. Not fair, I knew, but so hopeful and full of tomorrows. She gave her students the key that opened the door to a lifelong love of reading. What a gift.

Know yr busy but need to talk. When u can

Tonight? She went to bed so early, and I worked. I stabbed a response with my rapid-fire index finger.

Will try to call you on lunch break. are u on cafeteria duty today?

Not at school. in car. Doctor's office parking lot.

The hair on my arms prickled. A cold breeze wafted over me that had nothing to do with the overactive AC. My older sister had always been the picture of health. She loved Zumba, Billy Blanks Tae Bo, and spin classes. Her weight was perfect for fifty-two, likely so were her cholesterol and blood pressure. Last year she finished fourth in the San Antonio Rock'n'Roll Marathon's female fifty to fifty-five age division.

Why? whats up? are u sick?

Suddenly lightheaded, I waited, staring at the little twitching bubbles that meant she was typing a response.

not sick. have cancer.

ABOUT 'THE YEAR OF GOODBYES AND HELLOS': Two sisters work to heal lingering childhood wounds and seek a new balance in work, family, marriage, and love when one receives a diagnosis that sets the clock ticking. Determined to save Sherri’s life, Kristen drops everything to guide her sister on the harrowing cancer treatment journey. When she’s unable to balance the strain of caring for her patients, being a wife and mother, and her frantic efforts to save her sister, Kristen’s carefully balanced life crumbles, starting with her marriage. Desperate to regain her footing, she vows to rebuild her broken relationships . . . as soon she’s sure Sherri will beat the odds stacked against her. Unlike her sister, Sherri Reynolds has worked to cultivate balance in her life. Her children, her job as a teacher, and her strong faith keep her grounded—until her diagnosis sends her spiraling into the scary world of what-ifs and unknown outcomes. Sherri faces the agonizing realization that family history may be about to repeat itself. With the clock ticking, she’s determined to use whatever time she has left to heal old wounds and restore relationships. Together, the sisters are forced to reexamine their priorities, address the still tender wounds of their childhood, and delve more deeply to discover what it means to live each day to its fullest.

MY THOUGHTS: Firstly, I would like to thank author Kelly Irvin for writing this book. It cannot have been an easy task as she has written it since being diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer, the seven years since her diagnosis being her 'research' period. She says in her acknowledgements that every appointment, every blood draw, every scan, every surgery and every healthcare provider she came in contact with served as fodder for the big and small details needed to accurately and authentically write Kristen's and Sherri's stories. And it shows. Kelly Irvin is obviously a very strong person, and I would like to thank her for sharing her story with us through this novel.

Secondly this is a book that every woman (and man) needs to read. We need to be more aware. We need to learn to listen to our bodies. We need to be our own health advocates and not bow down to our doctors whom we presume to know more than we do. They do know more than we do, generally. They just don't know our bodies like we do.

I was blessed to receive both a digital and an audio version of this novel and made great use of both formats. It is an emotional read, and definitely not an easy one. We are all touched by cancer in one form or another and, like with Kristen and Sherri, everything else going on in our lives doesn't stop because of it. Some relationships fracture, some are mended. Some people adjust their lives to encompass what is most important to them, some don't. Some people die, some don't.

I loved that we see the full story from both the perspective of the patient (Sherri) and the Oncologist (Kristen). This is an emotionally complex story involving not only the relationship between the two sisters, but a historical marriage breakdown on Sherri's part, a widening rift in the marriage of Daniel and Kristen, infidelity, Sherri and Kristen's estranged father coming back into their lives, the difficulties in achieving a work/life balance as a health professional, and the birth of a new generation into the family.

The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos is an important book. The characters are realistic and relatable, the story both devastating and hopeful.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheYearofGoodbyesandHellos #NetGalley

I: @kelly_irvin

X: @Kelly_S_Irvin

THE AUTHOR: Kelly Irvin worked in public relations for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department for 22 years before retiring earlier this year. Kelly has been married to photographer Tim Irvin for twenty-eight years. They have two children, four grandchildren and two ornery cats. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories, read books by her favorite authors, and looks forward to visits with her grandchildren.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins Christian Publishing, and Thomas Nelson Fiction via NetGalley for providing both a digital and an audio ARC of The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos by Kelly Irvin for review. The audiobook is superbly narrated by Jessica Holten and Jeremy Childs. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.