Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury

I've read all 22 books by Karen Kingsbury that feature the Baxter Family.  This is the last book about the Baxters, and I'll miss reading about these characters that I've come to know over the years.  Coming Home was a great book that had a central theme...God's faithfulness.  If you've never read any other stories about the Baxter's, you won't be lost by reading this one.  Kingsbury used the first 140 pages to recap their story.  Honestly, that part of the book became monotonous for me, and I read through it in turbo mode.  I tend to like books where the characters live "happily ever after".  Unfortunately for me, that didn't happen in this novel.  Reading this book was like waking up from a really bad dream and being extremely thankful that it wasn't real.  Although this story was very sad, if you are a huge Kingsbury fan, you won't want to miss reading it.

Coming Home is a novel about tremendous victory and unprecedented loss, a story of faith and a forever kind of love, love that will stay with you long after the last page. This stand-alone novel will serve as either a grand introduction or a beautiful conclusion in the saga of the Baxter Family. The Baxters make plans to come together for a summer lakeside reunion, a celebration like they haven’t had in years. But before the big day, the unthinkable happens. As the Baxter Family rallies together, memories come to light in the grief-stricken hours of waiting and praying, memories that bring healing and hope during a time when otherwise darkness might have the final word. In a season that changes all of them, the brilliance of family love overshadows even the valley of heartache as the Baxters draw closer to God and each other. Along the way, secrets are revealed and the truth about the Baxter Family history is finally made known. Ultimately, in this portrait of family love, the Baxters cling to each other and to God’s promise of forever.  (review taken from www.goodreads.com)