I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the premise was interesting. The characters were well written and likable. There were certain times during the story that I wanted to hit Todd because he makes some seriously stupid mistakes, a sure sign that he and his story felt real to me. I think this book touched on some things that a lot of people tend to avoid talking about, some of them definitely do need to be talked about. Thanks to Ryan Rapier for a well written, fun and cute story!

3.5 stars

Let me just start out by saying that this is an LDS fiction book. There are religious elements throughout and some LDS specific things that some people outside of this religion may not understand. The author does a good job of explaining though.

I'm not sure what I expected when I started reading this book but I can honestly say this book wasn't what I was expecting. I was mostly pleasantly surprised. :)

It isn't too often that I come across a whole book from the male point of view. This book deals with a lot of hard topics, not usually expressed from the male character standpoint. Especially in the LDS world. It was interesting and I really did feel pulled in by the story going on.

Todd has a lot of weighty issues to deal with. The loss of his wife has left him despondent and depressed. Finding himself a single father is overwhelming. He has three children struggling and needing their father. Combine that with social struggles, family relationships that are somewhat strained and friends who mean well, and Todd is almost in over his head. Heading to therapy wasn't his choice, but he knows he needs help.

I really felt for Todd and his struggles. They seemed real and identifiable. I enjoyed the journey of his healing process. This was a long book- over 400 pages- and by the end it started to feel really long. But I still enjoyed it from beginning to end. It was interesting and engaging. It had a bit of every kind of struggle in it so everyone who reads it will be able to identify at some point or another.

I wanted to like this book, and some parts I actually did like--namely the author's sarcasm and humor. But the overwhelming LDS themes and mentions made this book such a turn-off for me.