Shelly's Book Journal

Summary: Sasha Davies was a nationally known ballet dancer, until a performance fall left her with career ending injuries. Devastated by this turn of events she returns to the small town in Minnesota where she grew up to lick her wounds. There she finds an assistant in Evelyn Burt - a lively 19 year-old who loves life, and isn't afraid to work. But Sasha's distance and gruff nature are major road blocks for Evelyn. Can she help the former dancer, break through? And as Evelyn battles her own issues, will she see the truth of her future?Overall I enjoyed the story. Sasha and Evelyn are empathetic characters. You love them in their misery, you cheer for them to overcome their issues. You smile when they succeed and your heart bleeds a little when they stumble. They seem the perfect match to help each other. Not every detail of the story is revealed up front, and there are a few small surprises for readers. It's themes are tangled with Christian themes - of hope, of grace, of new beginnings.Although the characters are not overtly Christian - no mention of church services or fellowship activity - it obvious that God is among them and they are grateful for it. It's a feel good kind of story - bridging relationships in many ways. Most notably between an older Sasha and her young assistant Evelyn. God is never restricts us in who he binds together.This book is part of Baumbich's "Snow Globe Series". Sasha finds strength from a mysterious snow globe given to her as a child. The Globe has a dancer in it that often foreshadows moments of Sasha's life and events in the story. It has always been a source of strength for her. The Globe seems to be a vehicle of warning, an affirmation of truths - sent from God. This is the one part of the story that I most struggle with. While I believe that God speaks to us in many ways, making a leg fall off a ballerina in a snow globe time and time again, just does not seem to fit.Evelyn's fiance Jorden, was the one character that seemed out of place in this book overflowing with grace. While labeled a "bad-boy" by other characters in the book, he really wasn't that bad. The author used a lot of stereotypes in his description - despite his need of grace perhaps more than anyone else in the story. He didn't have a snow globe to rub....and it just felt wrong, because God loves us all. And Jorden seemed like one of those lost lambs searching for that one thing.Recommend for those who love Christian chick-lit stories or uplifting fiction with faith at the center. This would be a great Christian ladies book club choice - it has a complete guide in the back and lots of things to contemplate.Note: I was given a complementary copy of the book by the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.