Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Waiting for Butterflies by Karen Sargent

A mother’s love never ends–not even when her life does.

Longing for her family after her sudden death, Maggie becomes a lingering spirit and returns home where she helplessly witnesses her family’s downward spiral in the aftermath of her passing.

Her husband is haunted by past mistakes and struggles to redeem himself. Her teenage daughter silently drowns in her own guilt, secretly believing she is responsible for her mother’s death. Only her five-year-old, full of innocence, can sense her presence.

Although limited by their grief and lack of faith, Maggie is determined to keep a sacred promise and salvage her family before her second chance runs out.

A tender portrait of a mother whose love reaches beyond possible, WAITING FOR BUTTERFLIES will embrace your heart and not let go.

GENRE: Inspirational Fiction
PUBLISHER: Walrus Publishing
RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2017
PAGES: 296

Waiting for Butterflies by Karen Sargent is beautifully written and will most certainly hit you in all the feels. A family trying to pick up the pieces and survive in a new normal after a young mother’s tragic death: a newly-single dad struggling to work past his own grief in order to take care of his girls, a teen in crisis, and an adorable five year old with the sweet faith of a child. And in a twist you don’t see often in Christian fiction, a mother whose spirit lingers with her battered family – unsure why she’s still there but determined to do what she can to save them from the destructive nature of their grief.

I’m not sure it’s entirely scripturally accurate, but as the author points out it’s not necessarily scripturally inaccurate. After all, what about the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ that are watching us run this race? Do we know the ins and outs and hows of this truth? I don’t, for sure. This novel is more of a “what if” … if God wanted to allow a spirit to linger, could He? Well, certainly. Because He’s God. I don’t know that I think He actually does but a delightful part of fiction is exploring the ‘what-if’ in life (and death), right?

Of all the characters, sweet little Olivia is my favorite. Her innocent – and confident – acceptance that her mother is still there, despite everyone else’s understandable skepticism, is adorable and poignant all at once. Rachel, her older sibling, is heartbreaking in all of her devastation – and the ways she chooses to manifest her grief. And Sam … oh be still my gets-too-involved-in-characters-emotions heart. As he tries to balance work (as a detective) with his new and grief-filled role as a single dad, guilt from past mistakes threatens to choke out every last bit of faith he possesses. This is a family on the edge of destruction, and Maggie at first can only watch helplessly along with the reader.  I loved watching Maggie figure out how to communicate, a need made even more urgent as her family starts to fall apart.

Bottom Line: Fair warning – make sure you have a box or ten of tissues nearby when you start reading Waiting for Butterflies. It’s heartwrenching in parts, bittersweet in others. And while there are plenty of moments that lift your heart, you will also find yourself smothering ugly cries into the pillow in hopes that no one else will notice how much this book has undone you. The author exquisitely captures the raw emotions of all involved – including the reader – and creates a beautiful picture of enduring love and the kind of forgiveness only God can bring.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author.. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / Beautifully done!

Karen Sargent creates characters whose imperfect faith collides with real-life conflicts, taking readers on a journey through grace and redemption to discover enduring hope. A romantic element is woven within each story. In addition to writing inspirational novels, she blogs at The MOM Journey, where moms aren’t perfect and that’s perfectly okay. Her writing has also been featured in Guidepost’s Angels on Earth magazine. When she’s not writing, Karen teaches high school and college English and resides in the beautiful Arcadia Valley with her husband and two daughters.

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