An Unexpected Gift

Isabella’s unexpected pregnancy and the death of her fiancé poses a huge problem for the Amish girl. Her parents won’t understand and somehow, she has to decide what is the right thing to do. Two Amish EMT’s want to adopt the baby but Isabella’s parents are from a stricter sect of Amish and won’t agree. Such is the troubled world of Diane Craver’s novel.

Unfortunately, Diane has tried to weave together too many subplots and characters. There are identical triplet sisters with husbands and boyfriends who each have differing views of faith, marriage, etc. There are three sets of parents who also have differing opinions about faith, marriage, etc. There are two pregnancies to track. Weddings to plan. Multiple locations, cities, etc. Even a masterful writer would struggle to pull all this together. With all that is going on, the story is choppy, the dialogue is awkward, and characters seem to blur into each other causing me to try to figure out who is married to who or who is Amish or English or pregnant. All this makes for a confusing read and takes away from any emotional impact of the storytelling. The novel feels like it should have been divided into three or four shorter stories to give more focus on each character’s issues and decisions.

For those who love Amish fiction and are willing to wade through multiple storylines, this might be something to look at. Personally, I wish the author would consider taking this novel back to the drawing board, divide it up and come up with three stories that could be compelling and fresh.

I would like to say……I wish I had read the first book in the series. I feel like the author did share some of the previous book but I needed more. I will be going back and reading the first book as I did enjoy reading An Unexpected Gift.
This story is full of faith, forgiveness and hope. Often forgiveness is not given in situations that it is needed.
Recommended reading for those that are readers of Amish Fiction/Christian Fiction.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

An Unexpected Gift by Diane Craver is a touching Amish tale. While An Unexpected Gift can be read as a standalone (the author provides needed details for new readers), I suggest reading The Amish Mother’s Secret first. I thought An Unexpected Gift contained good writing with realistic characters. The characters from The Amish Mother's Secret return and some new ones are added. Somone has good news to share with the family, but the news could upset another. Another family member is struggling with a difficult decision. I like how the triplets along with their biological parents go out of their way to help someone in need. We get to learn about the Swartzentruber Amish. I like that the author explains some of the differences between Old Order and the Swartzentruber Amish. The story has English, Old Order Amish, and Swartzentruber Amish. The point-of-view switches between characters in each category. I did find it an information overload in the beginning as the author introduced the various characters and provided their background (it was so much at once). It became easier as I moved further into the story. An Unexpected Gift has faith, love, forgiveness, compassion, hope, and grace. We also see the importance of accepting a person and not judging them. All things are possible with God. I am looking forward to the next book in the Amish Adoption Series. There is a recipe for coconut cream pie at the end. An Unexpected Gift is an expressive story with a lost love, a surprising blessing, an unpredicted decision, disapproving parents, nuptial upheaval, and a gracious God.