I enjoyed very much book 1. Saving Abbey.

And although this one is very touching and the writing and ending is immaculate, I still think book 2 was unnecessary but that’s my opinion.

nicely done family story with a good female character with a great "twist" of chronic illness added into it!
If you want a nicely written story, give this a try!

This was the sequel to Saving Abby, and I honestly thought this book was a little unnecessary. Once I finished Saving Abby, I never felt like I needed to know more. That said, though the beginning of this sequel fell a little flat for me, the ending was touching.

Loved this book
Didn't want it to end
Highly recommended

I loved reading what Claire left for Abby, and Abby's Journey... both through Europe (boy, was I hit with a bit of WANDERLUST myself!), and her self discovery!

Abby's Journey, the sequel to Saving Abby, chronicles the story of the sacred child that Claire was determined to save, at the greatest cost of all. Abby, born prematurely, suffers from a lung condition that stops her from living a "normal life". Instead, under constant protection from her father, she's often either sick in the hospital, or being watched over by the anxiety-riddled father that once lost the love of his life and refuses to lose his daughter, too.

This story, told from multiple points of view, carries on Claire's legacy and allows the reader to see inside the mind of each character. Through letters written by Claire to her family, the reader is allowed, even further, into the mind and emotions of each of the characters.

Though the stories each have a different tone, they are both filled with adventure. While we get to see Europe through Claire's sad and grieving eyes in the first novel, we get to see it again through the naive and adventurous eyes of Abby as a young adult.

So, as it was Claire's wish to be a mother, it is Abby's wish to know her mother. And there is no love like that of a mother and daughter. Charming and romantic, heartbreaking and exciting, these stories are compelling and exceptionally written.

Abby’s Journey is the sequel to another novel by Steena Holmes, Saving Abby, but while the first book does provide context, it’s not necessary to read one in order to enjoy the other.

In many ways, Abby’s Journey is a typical coming-of-age story. Yes, the title character is twenty, not a teenager, but she’s lived a sheltered life as the combined result of life-long health issues and a doting widowed father. Still, she’s taking control of her own life for the first time, and watching the way her interactions with people and the world change is really fascinating.

Overall, this is a gentle story… a family drama with Abby at the center, punctuated by letters written by her dead mother, Claire, in the months before Abby was born. The characters all feel very real, especially Abby, her best friend/godmother Sam, her father, Josh, and her grandparents. (I had a great aunt named Millie, so seeing that name was especially heartwarming for me.)

I loved the use of letters, blog entries, and postcards within this story, even though it wasn’t really an epistolary novel, and I truly loved the way Holmes’s contemporary writing style is both accessible and very vivid.

More than reading a novel, I felt as though I was taking Abby’s journey with her, following her footsteps first into her snowy back yard, and later, onto a plane and to Germany during the tradition pre-Christmas festivities.

Goes well with hot chocolate and pfeffernüsse cookies.

I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a mother of four boys I knew I would enjoy reading this book about a mother-daughter relationship. As I read I realized, there was much more to this book than just a mother-daughter relationship. Abby’s mother, Claire, has some secrets that begin to unravel throughout the book. The secret was more complex than I first realized and affected more people than just Claire.

Without giving any spoilers, I loved the end of the book. I caught myself saying an audible “Aww” and could feel goosebumps during some of the more touching scenes. . I must admit, from Abby’s point of view I was upset the secret was kept from her for so long. But then when I think of it as a parent, I realize it was a decision made out of love and protection. With all the complications and difficult decisions in this book that could have taken any turn, I was glad the author took the time to write a happy ending.

It was a refreshing change that this book didn’t contain a love story. It focused on all of the challenges Abby had due to her mother passing away after her birth and her health complications. I did not read the first book in this series, Saving Abby. I enjoyed Abby’s journal without reading the first book. However, I do think it would be more enjoyable to walk through Claire’s pregnancy with her and experience the love story of Claire and Josh.

This book is classified as adult fiction. But I think it could also be considered a YA book. Abby’s character was very well developed and easy to relate to.
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Your request is to post reviews one week before publishing. Since the book was published on February 14th I will include links to my posts.

Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/review/R3V6CCRUAMLSKL/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31116203-abby-s-journey?ac=1&from_search=true

Barnes & Noble under pen name toReadistoEscape
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/reviews/abbys-journey-steena-holmes/1124403937?ean=9781503940321

What a great follow up book - I could not put this book down.

Abby's Journey by Steena Holms is the sequel to the Saving Abbey. It tells the story of Abby’s childhood living with her father Josh. Her mother Claire died shortly after Abby was born but Abby has a real connection with her mother because Claire had written letters to both Josh and Abby to help guide them through her childhood. She had also left her beautiful illustrations in the books she wrote for children with her husband Josh, videos, journals and postcards, all that brought her mother nearer and nearer to Abby.

Abby was born with bronchopulmonary dysplasia a condition which could easily see a simple every-day cold become life threatening pneumonia. Josh had sat at her bedside in hospital time after time, praying that she had the strength. When she was twenty years of age she begged her father to let her move to a flat-share, but he was reluctant to let her move out. Nobody knew Abby as well as he did or would look after her health needs as he did. Reluctantly Josh agreed to let Abby go on a trip to Europe with Millie, her maternal grandmother, retracing her mother’s footsteps and taking her travel journal with her. She not only looked like her mother, but also her thirst for travel adventures was equal to Claire’s. This is the story of Abbey’s first ever holiday without her father, but guided by her mother. Like her mother she documents her travels, sending out postcards, texts and filling her blog with interesting facts and experiences. She was at last living the life she had always hoped she would.

This is a heart-warming story about parental love, family love and friendship. In the various locations that Abby visits she meets people who knew her mother and had kept mementos of her visit. She uses her mother’s journals to connect to the places she visits and she has the time of her life. She also discovers a family secret that her mother had anticipated and another letter for both Josh and Abby helped her to accommodate and assimilate this information with her mother’s wise words.

I loved the gorgeous descriptions Steena Holmes created of the beautiful places Millie and Abby visited. I only wished I was there to share her experiences.

I received this ARC book from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

YA/coming of age book which is a sequel to "Saving Abby"- not something I would normally read, but it's a feel good, easy read.

Holmes has, as always, written a lovely heartwarming story and if you haven't read her work before, this is a good place to start. I loved the family- Abby, Josh, Clare, and Millie- all of whom felt so real. I loved the European tour, especially the Christmas markets which are, by the way, so much fun, as a method of personal discovery. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a fast, well written read that you'll like if you are looking for a positive story.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is a follow up to Saving Abby, and takes place 18 years later. I really enjoyed that this book helped share more if Abby's story. The letters from Claire help tie everything in.

Whenever I read novels, I like to get to know the characters on a personal level. This was very easy to do when reading this novel. I felt like I was actually going on Abby's journey with her. I was filled with anticipation, as much as she was, hoping her dad would allow her to take this trip despite her condition. I was intrigued with the letters Claire gave Josh on helping to raise their daughter without her. I found this book very hard to put down. Without giving away the ending, that was one of my favorite parts of the whole book.. I love when a book makes me feel satisfied at the end instead of having so many lingering questions. This book is one I would highly recommend to my friends and family. A great read that is hard to put down. You will feel like you know this family on a personal and intimate level.

Those questions do get answered in Abby’s Journey, but this sequel isn’t focused on what came next for Josh. The spotlight falls on Abby this time around, concentrating on her European vacation with grandmother Millie, visiting Christmas markets.

I enjoyed reading about Abby, but… taking a winter vacation despite her medical condition? I had trouble accepting that Millie would be willing to risk it, after losing Claire.

Abby’s Journey wasn’t quite the sequel I’d hoped to read, but it was nice to be able to read about these characters again, and find out what came next in their lives. While I didn’t love the winter setting, I did understand why visiting the Christmas markets was so important to Abby, and why she longed to do other “normal” winter activities.

The way the book ends made me smile… I can’t say why in this review, but it was something I dreaded seeing the resolution of, but I need not have worried. That particular issue resolved itself in the most wonderful way, and is probably my favorite part of the book.

I am so happy that Steena wrote this book to follow up on the story of Abby from the first book. It answers all of the questions that I had at the end of Saving Abby - how did Josh handle being a single father, what was Abby like and did she know how much her mom loved her? All that and more is addressed in this book. Abby has the journals and letters that Claire left her and her big wish is to travel to some of the places that her mom had traveled to. Her dad is very overprotective due to Abby's health issues but he finally gives in to her desire to go to the Christmas markets in Europe with her grandmother. If you have ever read Steena's facebook page you know that she loves to travel and her love of travel is reflected in this book. I felt like I was in small towns in Germany and Belgium because her writing was so descriptive. This book was fantastic and there are places where you'll probably shed a few tears. It's a beautiful coming of age story about family and love and letting go and most importantly following your dreams.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest opinion.

I can't imagine what it must be like to lose a spouse in the prime of life. I also can't image what it must be like to have a child who is sick "all the time" and whose health really is fragile. I also can't image what it must be like to be that child who hasn't been able to do anything because of poor health. That child is Abby.

She's been homeschooled to keep her away from the germ factories that regular schools are. She isn't allowed outside in the winter (and she lives in Canada where winter is a real season, not in south Louisiana where it is a periodic event). Blogging is her connection to the outside world.

In Abby's Journey Abby and her grandmother travel through the Christmas markets of Germany and Austria--markets Abby's deceased mother loved and during that trip Abby comes of age--no this isn't a book about sexual exploration but one of claiming adulthood, of making decisions about how to lead life and accepting the consequences. It is a book about accepting the humanity of your parents--and I don't mean teenaged eyerolls that express the obvious stupidity of the older generation--but rather the realization that your parents really were young once, that they've made mistakes and that they've even had sex. Since Abby knows her mother only through videos, letters, journals and the memories of others, secrets were easy to keep. In this journey, some are revealed.

I really enjoyed Abby's Journey, both the journey around Europe and the journey to adulthood and give this book an A.

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. I was not obligated to write any review, much less a positive one.

Abigail Turner is twenty years old and has spent the majority of her life concerned about getting an infection. She has chronic lung disease and has had bouts of life threatening pneumonia throughout her childhood. She lives with her overprotective father, Josh, who has raised her on his own. Abby’s mother Claire died when she was born. (This is the sequel to “Saving Abby” published in May, 2016)

After a year without an illness, Abby gets a clean bill of health from her doctor. To celebrate the news her grandmother Millie offers to take her on a trip to Europe visiting the places that her mother travelled. Abby cannot wait to go but her protective father is reluctant to send her.

During the trip Abby uses Claire’s travel journal as a guide. She obtains a different perspective of her mother’s life through her written thoughts. Abby uncovers a sadness in the journal leaving her questioning her mother’s past.

After reading “Saving Abby”, I was happy to find out what happened after Claire’s death. This is a story about love prevailing over time. It also shows the struggle of a young adult asserting independence and the parent not willing to accept it.

The second in the series and it is imperative that you start at square one, so if you haven't read the first book, stop now go read and then come back. I will ultimately spoil something for you.

Ok. First let me say I completely adored the first book. I am pretty sure it was one of those books that made me cry OUT loud which rarely happens. So this second book had a lot to live up to which may have been a little impossible!

I adored that we got to read where Abby went and what became of her after the first book. I like that it recapped the years that we missed and jumped to the perfect spot to tell a full story. I have to say that it didn't make me feel all the feels like the first one, but it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.

I am a hardcore Steena Holmes fan and this book lived up to the rest of her bookshelf. it was heartbreaking to read about what Abby's mom dreamed of her life and then to know what may have fell short, I was absolutely rooting for Abby to find a happiness in the small things.

A great book and I would encourage all of those who read book one to continue, its so worth the read.

Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Abby's Journey. This is my honest opinion of the book.

20 year old Abigail Turner was born as her mother Claire died. A childhood illness, which prompted her father Josh to trap her indoors to keep her healthy, has stifled Abby's young life. After the doctor's declaration of healthy, Abby's grandmother Millie takes her on a journey, so that she may discover her mother through the journals she left behind.

Abby's Journey is written in the multiple perspectives of Abby, Millie, Josh, and Claire (in the form of her letters and journal entries). I am usually not a fan of this format, but it works well in this case. My issues are character and plot based, especially in regards to Josh. True, it is completely understandable that he would be overprotective of his daughter, in part because of her illness and because of Claire's death. Problem is, the author clearly lays out Claire's wishes for Josh and her daughter, which he hardly ever follows. It leaves the reader to wonder, what was the point to the letters? They are moving and emotional, but really are not weaved well into the plot. Josh, portrayed as the overbearing father who will not allow his grown daughter to make her own decisions, is just a one sided character. I never connected with the emotions of the journey, as both the characters and the plot were not as compelling as I had hoped. Abby's Journey was a good read, but did not tug at my heartstrings.