Libby is a young woman full of imagination, passionate and ready to act, able to see worlds and stories arise from even rocks that once were the foundation of a building. Pete was thrown out of his home at a young age, but his new parents loved him and taught him well; he is the thinker and prefers courtesy and a correct use of words instead of disrespect or confrontation. Bennett is the strong, flirty one, with good instincts and leadership abilities. Libby enrolls in journalism, Pete in theology and Bennett in engineering.They all need to find their place in such a place; being orphans and having lived very difficult situations, they have a completely different perspective to those with parents able to afford a college tuition and only worried about society, marriage, looks and being accepted in a sorority or brotherhood. Up to that point, in the beginning, the book was not interesting to me; besides, I thought I was going to read about a bad impersonation of Jo March. However, as I read, I was pleasantly surprised that the story was much deeper than that, to the point I could not put the book down.Due to courses and activities, they get far from each other, but cannot stop thinking about each other. Libby knows that they do not belong to the group of students who get money from parents, so she tries to find a job. With her writing activities (I will try not to reveal relevant details) and her assignments, she begins to isolate herself. In the meantime, she will try to find her true vocation. Pete realizes that, if he is going to be a pastor to other people, he must be honest with himself first and face forgiveness; to that end, he seeks to find his birth parents and solve his conflict. Bennett, the protector, has his mind in being accepted into the brotherhood everyone wants to belong to, along with Pete, as a payback - the most notorious member is a bully and has made fun of his friends. He just wants to be accepted and feel important.The author depicts the characters' conflicts and backgrounds in such a way that the reader cannot help but get involved with them and sympathize with their struggles and hardships. They are seen growing up and making harder decisions as their faith is strengthened and their character shaped.A lovely story about three orphans that begin their college life, In every heartbeat is a lesson about accepting others as they are, nurturing friendships and finding peace in forgiveness. Libby, Pete and Bennett learn that innocent things might actually help accepting immorality little by little. They also learn that people generally to "find God in the midst of their selfish wants, instead of realizing He is waiting where He needs us to be."I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for a review. This has not influenced my opinion on the book nor on the author. I thought the book was great. It actually made me step back and think about a few things going on in my life. There were some things I didn't like however; One, there were a few points in the book where it was a little predictable. Also, at the end of the book I felt that the reader was left hanging with one character. But overall, I loved the book and given the chance, I would definitely read it again.
What do You think about In Every Heartbeat (2000)?
Another excellent book by Kim Vogel Sawyer!!
—FarahAmira
