Book Review - The Life Intended - Living Life With Joy

The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel

Published: December 2014

Book Blurb: From the author of the international bestseller The Sweetness of Forgetting, named one of the Best Books of Summer 2012 by Marie Claire magazine, comes a captivating novel about the struggle to overcome the past when our memories refuse to be forgotten.

In this richly told story where Sliding Doors meets P.S. I Love You, Kristin Harmel weaves a heart-wrenching tale that asks: what does it take to move forward in life without forgetting the past?

After her husband’s sudden death over ten years ago, Kate Waithman never expected to be lucky enough to find another love of her life. But now she’s planning her second walk down the aisle to a perfectly nice man. So why isn’t she more excited?

At first, Kate blames her lack of sleep on stress. But when she starts seeing Patrick, her late husband, in her dreams, she begins to wonder if she’s really ready to move on. Is Patrick trying to tell her something? Attempting to navigate between dreams and reality, Kate must uncover her husband’s hidden message. Her quest leads her to a sign language class and into the New York City foster system, where she finds rewards greater than she could have imagined.

Book Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

My Review

Wow, what a book! In case you missed yesterday’s blog post, this was my favorite book I read last month. The story was poignant and packed an emotional punch. I cried throughout reading because the way the story was written was incredibly beautiful and moving.

The main theme of this novel was about loss and love and learning to move forward from tragedy to live the life you were intended to life. Often times loss changes you and changes the path you choose to take in life. It’s important not to let loss and tragedy overcome you to the point where you stop living in the present. I can’t even begin to imagine the difficulty one goes through after losing the love of their life, but this novel gave me a glimpse into what that must be like.

One of the most important themes in the novel is the idea that no one is perfect and you can’t judge someone’s life based on what it looks like on the outside to the rest of the world. We’re all trying to do the best we can, and it’s important to do our best to be there for one another. It’s also incredibly important to be with someone who makes you feel worthy and who makes you feel like you can 100% be yourself with them.

This was by far one of the most intriguing, yet heart wrenching stories I’ve read in quite some time. It was extremely well-written and although the theme of loss was sad, it was thoroughly entertaining. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that this book made me cry tears of joy towards the end while I was sitting in a cafe reading with my boyfriend. This story was heart-wrenching and yet at the same time strangely therapeutic. I would highly recommend this novel to all.

5/5 stars for an incredibly beautiful and heart wrenching story about loss and love and living the life you were intended to lead

I received a complimentary review copy via NetGalley. All reviews 100% reflect my honest opinion.