The young Amish woman, Phoebe, knows everyone thinks she is a bit odd. After all, she can't read or write and is a bit clumsy. We do learn the most likely reason for her issues.


Widower Seth Beiler is in over his head. He has his five orphaned brothers to take care of, along with his business and their farm. He had someone helping him until she broke her wrist; now, he needs another housekeeper.

Phoebe is asked to come help out at Seth's farm, and despite her misgivings, she takes on the job.

This story is set just after Thanksgiving and during the rest of the Christmas holidays. While Phoebe is taking care of the brothers, she gains a lot of confidence and brings a lot of joy to this family. During these few weeks, Phoebe and Seth learn to care about each other, yet they don't show it until it is almost too late.

This excellent novel is filled with humor, joy, and a big helping of learning about Amish life. I'm looking forward to reading the next novel in this trilogy (?), and I'm assuming that it will be about the next oldest brother, Levi.

*ARC is supplied by the publisher Forever/Grand Central Publishing, the author, and NetGalley.