You'll Think of Me ~ Review

You'll Think of Me
By Robin Lee Hatcher

Brooklyn Myers left Thunder Creek, Idaho, behind forever when she was 17 years old. But soon after leaving everything from her life behind, her husband of a few months abandons her when he learns they are soon to have a baby.  Chad's abandonment is nothing Brooklyn shouldn't have expected - after all her mother left her and her father has wanted nothing to do with her her entire life. But Chad's abandonment was especially harsh as he was leaving not only her but their baby behind.

Eleven years have passed since Chad Hallston and Brooklyn Myers have eloped, leaving Thunder Creek and the Hallston property behind. The Hallston property is just what Derek Johnson hopes to soon add to his own land - expanding his organic farming business. After all, Chad promised him the opportunity to buy the land as soon as he had saved up the down payment. Derek is close to his goal when he receives word that his best friend has died, leaving his family home and property to his abandoned wife and the daughter he never met. In an instant Derek's plans for the future are frustrated and once again Brooklyn has come between him and something he valued. But he has been given a final request from Chad - to be the father to Alycia that he refused to be.

Moving back to her childhood hometown is the last thing Brooklyn wants, but this may be her only chance to give her daughter Alycia any type of life that is better than the paycheck-to-paycheck existence that she has had. And Brooklyn is no longer the frightened, abused girl she was when she left home. She's got a plan to make a life that is beyond what she ever dreamed was possible.

But moving back home means that Brooklyn must also face the father who convinced her that she was worthless. And facing the pain of the past is the only way she can truly move forward in her life. As Brooklyn creates a place for both her and Alycia, she finds a place where she might truly and finally belong. And Derek may learn that sometimes God's plans for us are not what our plans are. And sometimes learning to wait is the best thing in the world when there is someone special to think of at the other end.

This is a book that focuses on the absence of a father figure in the life of children (especially girls) - the absence can be physical or emotional.  A powerful message is wrapped up in these pages, one that will make the reader stop and think about those around them who are in a similar situation. This is a book that entertains while making the reader stop and think. I highly recommend this book.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher Thomas Nelson through BookLook with no expectation of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:
Her mother abandoned her, her father disowned her, and her husband left her. Can Brooklyn be convinced that it is possible to forgive the greatest of betrayals?

Brooklyn Myers escaped her broken home and her embittered, unloving father by eloping to Reno at the age of 17. But when she was pregnant with their first child, her husband abandoned her as well. Not welcome back home in Thunder Creek, Brooklyn stayed in Reno and raised her daughter Alycia on her own, doing her best to make sure Alycia never knew the heartache and rejection Brooklyn herself had known.

When her estranged husband Chad Hallston dies, he leaves the family home in Thunder Creek to his daughter. Believing it is the best way to give her daughter a stable home, Brooklyn does what she thought she would never do. She goes home to the orchard and wine country of Southwest Idaho. There, she encounters Chad’s best friend, Derek Johnson, a part time sheriff's deputy who also owns an organic produce farm next door. Derek was never a fan of former bad girl Brooklyn Myers, but he made a promise to his dying friend that he would be the father to Alycia that Chad had never been.

Although Derek and Brooklyn get off to a bumpy start, he and Alycia quickly form a bond. And soon, Derek realizes that he wants Brooklyn to trust him too . . . even knowing that her trust won’t come easily. And then he realizes he wants even more than her trust. He wants to win her love.

While Brooklyn may be tempted to give her heart to Derek, risking her daughter’s happiness is another story. Will Brooklyn hold onto her self-reliance for dear life, or will she come to understand that the greatest gift she can give her daughter is showing her how to love and trust others?