The Best is Yet to Come by Debbie Macomber - A Review

By Elisabeth Scherer 

If you had the chance to start over in a new community where no one knew your past, would you take it?  In The Best is Yet to Come by Debbie Macomber we hitchhike along to find out what happens with Hope and Cade. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

July 2022; Ballantine Books; 978-1984818843
audio, ebook, print (304 pages); women's fiction

Hope has moved to Oceanside, Washington to start fresh with a new community. Cade, an Army veteran, is also trying to make a new start in Oceanside. The story captures characters who have burdens they carry inside them and how healing can happen and life can be filled with second chances.

The story opens with Cade finding out his sentencing for being part of a bar fight. The Judge seems to understand the hardships Cade faced in the military and gives him a sentence of community service hours. Hope, a newcomer to Oceanside, is settling into her new routine as a high school teacher and volunteer at the dog shelter her landlord coaxed her into helping at. This is where Cade and Hope meet. Hope finds she is drawn to a rescue dog no one can get close to, Shadow. Over time Hope wins Shadow’s trust and all the while Cade is serving his hours at the same shelter, witnessing the interactions with Hope and the dog. Hope’s students have a secondary plot line that weaves through the story with Spencer, Callie, and Scott. The secondary love story is the high school trope of a jock, popular girl, and nerd love story but has some more dramatic plot that really makes it unique.

What I really liked about the story is the theme of these hidden secret parts of ourselves and how healing can happen when you are able to be vulnerable and honest with others. These might be the two most “wounded” main characters I have seen Ms. Macomber write about. There is a ribbon of this theme that weaves through the story making you hope for a happy ending. Also what I found refreshing with this story is the kids’ plot. It almost reads like a good Hallmark Movies Mysteries special. That just happens to be one of my favorite channels to watch, feel-good stories where you cheer the good guys on to the end.

Action, romance, and heartfelt emotions are all wrapped up in this great summer read by Debbie Macomber. If you enjoy Macomber’s other books, like a nice clean romance with some deep emotions, or are looking for a fast but satisfying book to read this weekend, then this might just be the book for you.

Buy The Best is Yet to Come at Amazon

Elisabeth Scherer is a lifelong bookworm who loves discovering new favorite authors. She is a watercolor and mixed media artist who lives in Minnesota with her husband and two children.

 
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