Review of "Heaven Help Heidi"

Review of Heaven Help Heidi

by Sally John

From bestselling Christian fiction author Sally John comes the second book in a series featuring new beginnings and unexpected romance.

Welcome to the Casa de Vida--eleven quaint bungalows located three blocks from the Pacific Ocean in tiny Seaside Village, California. Owner Liv McAlister never advertises vacancies beyond a small hand-lettered sign out front, preferring to trust that God will send the right tenant at just the right time. And He always does.

Heidi Hathaway's life has been turned upside down. After an accident leaves her injured, unable to work, and incapable of negotiating the stairs in her multilevel oceanfront condo, she leases her home and moves into a cozy little cottage in the charming garden complex where her friend Piper lives. There she finds so much more than a place to rest and recover.

Piper Keyes knows Jared is not coming back from Afghanistan. After making it through the fifth anniversary of his death, she wonders if she's at last ready to get on with life. She gingerly explores new avenues--photography, cooking, and buying her own boutique--and learns to open her heart again.

The most comforting thing about living at the Casa is that the women there become each other's mentors and confidantes, learning from their own mistakes and arriving at new, healed places in their lives.

MY REVIEW:   "Metal crumpled. Glass popped.  Airbags burst.  Sharp edges sliced and heat seared.  The world vanished."   Casa de Vida is truly a piece of heaven on Earth.  The colors, the sights, the sounds, the people, the wonderful, beautiful people....not to mention the unbelievable low rent......and the beach a short walk away.....I think I may need to call Liv and see if she has a vacant cottage.   

What?   Sally John?   Seriously, now you tell me Casa de Vida is completely fictional?  After I finish reading?   

Casa de Vida was described with such incredible detail that I would love to live in a place like it.   Heidi is in for a large number of surprises when she settles into her cozy cottage.   She is in need of a place of healing.  I really had a number of issues brought to my mind as I read this book as it deals with PTSD and stepmothers and their adult stepchildren.  I experience PTSD and I am also a stepmother to adult stepchildren. I identified with several characters due to these specific issues.   I simply could not put the kindle down and tear myself from the screen until I saw these issues and others resolved for the lovable characters.   

I love the way the characters did not need to preach at others to show their love as they simply lived as Jesus did and showed love to others.  I am thrilled to rate this new-to-me author 5 stars for this book and I will be telling everyone about this book.  

I received a free kindle version of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.  

About the Author:

Sally John is the best-selling author of more than fifteen novels, including the Side Roads series, the Safe Harbor series (coauthored with Gary Smalley), The Other Way Home series, The Beach House series, and In a Heartbeat series. A three-time finalist for the Christy Award, Sally writes contemporary stories that offer hope to readers in their own relational and faith journeys. She enjoys teaching writing workshops and spending time with her husband, adult children, and grandchildren. An Illinois native, Sally and her husband, Tim, live in southern California. Visit her web site at www.sally-john.com.