To Know You

by Shannon Ethridge & Kathryn Mackel
Thomas Nelson Publishers

Julia Whittaker’s rocky past yielded two daughters, both given up for adoption as infants. Now she must find them to try to save her son.

Julia and Matt Whittaker’s son has beaten the odds for thirteen years only to have the odds—and his liver—crash precipitously. The only hope for his survival is a “living liver” transplant, but the transplant list is long and Dillon’s time is short. His two older half-sisters, born eighteen months apart to two different fathers, offer his only hope for survival.

But can Julia ask a young woman—someone she surrendered to strangers long ago and has never spoken with—to make such a sacrifice to save a brother she’s never known? Can she muster the courage to journey back into a shame-filled season of her life, face her choices and their consequences, and find any hope of healing?

And what if she discovers in her own daughters’ lives that a history of foolish choices threatens to repeat itself? Julia knows she’s probably embarking on a fool’s errand—searching for the daughters she abandoned only now that she needs something from them. But love compels Julia to take this journey. Can grace and forgiveness compel her daughters to join her?

In To Know You, Shannon Ethridge and Kathryn Mackel explore how the past creates the present . . . and how even the most shattered lives can be redeemed.

My Review:

As an unwed mother with two daughters from different fathers, Julia wants to give them a better life. When Julia signed the dotted line, she slammed the door on ever knowing what would happen to them. Content to know they were living a better life without her, Julia goes on with hers. 

But when a need for a liver transplant arise, the things of Julia's past refuse to remain there. The only hope for her thirteen year old son with current husband Matt Whittaker, is to find the girls she gave up so long ago and see if either of them are a match. 

What Julia finds herself confronted with blows her away. If life is measured by our actions, she is putting everything on the line to save her son. Desperate to redeem herself in the eyes of the daughters that she didn't make the effort to save - Is it ever too late for redemption?  

This book was original, refreshing, and thought provoking. The way the book told the girls' stories in addition to Julia's made me feel that there were stories within the story, and I really enjoyed that. In this novel, the character I admired the most was Matt. He was so supportive of Julia's journey through her past, and he was the cornerstone of the story in the role that he played. Without Matt's encouragement, trust and reassurance, Julia would never have had the courage to do what was right and seek to repair the mistakes of her past. 

This book was provided by the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. 

Purchase your copy here: http://ow.ly/qbiOA

Connect with Shannon through her website: http://www.shannonethridge.com

Connect with Kathryn through her website: http://www.kathrynmackel.com