Getting Your Read On: On Tour with The Carpenter's Daughter by Jennifer Rodewald + Giveaway!

Genre: Christian, Contemporary, Fiction

Publisher: Rooted Publishing

Publication date: April 15, 2016

Number of pages: 349

Sarah Sharpe has grown up as a carpenter’s daughter, knowing only the rough and work-heavy world of her father’s blue-collar profession. Abandoned by her mother as a baby, she’s lived twenty-one years content to drive nails at her dad’s side. Following her father into the world of construction was a natural path, and she took it without a second thought. But a harsh comment about her “butch” appearance sends her on a search for identity.

Enter handsome and easygoing Jesse Chapman, the roofer she meets on her first foray into volunteer work

for Homes For Hope. In every way, the quirky man is her opposite—confident, a people kind of guy, and most importantly, happy. His likable qualities continue to draw her in, and for some reason he keeps coming back to her. But they can’t be more than friends—he’s made that crystal clear. Except for a handful of times…and the confusion is driving her crazy.

Sarah’s quest for self-definition becomes more tangled than she ever imagined, and she discovers that the journey will take her deeper than clothes and makeup. Filling the void in her heart becomes an obsession she cannot escape. How far is she willing to go to discover who she really is?

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One word. One sentence. Words. They can hurt or they can build. In this book, Sarah overhears two women talking about her. One word in one sentence shatters her. Sometimes I think we just don't think about how much weight our words hold. Words hold so much power. I wish more people would use their words to build and love instead of to hurt and destroy.

This is a story of journey and overcoming, I think. Sarah's life is so very limited by her father's design. She doesn't love herself and she doesn't even know who God is. She struggles with self worth. I think most young women will be able to relate to this to some degree.

I really liked Jesse. I think he was a good and honorable man. And SO very patient. Maybe more than was realistic, but I admired him and his devotion and conviction.

This is a very, very Christian book. It is heavy on the religious elements. I felt like the book swirled around in the same place for a long time before moving a small step and then swirling again. The same thoughts and feelings were reiterated many times and I wished that things would move forward a bit faster. But, there is something very satisfying in watching a character evolve and transform and that is exactly what Sarah did. It took someone believing in her and helping her along and that is such a good reminder for us all.

The moral of this story for me? First, use your words in the kindest ways. Second, be ready to help those who need it. Words and actions combined for good can transform lives.

Content: Christian fiction, some heavy kissing and making out, removal of clothing. Drinking and bar scenes.

3/5 stars for me.

I received a copy of this book from SLB tours in exchange for my honest review.

Jennifer Rodewald is passionate about the Word of God and the powerful vehicle of story. Four kids and her own personal superman make her home in southwestern Nebraska delightfully chaotic.

Born in Colorado, she experienced both the seclusion of rugged mountain living and the busy streets of a Denver suburb during her growing up years. Somewhere in the middle of college, she married a Husker and found her way back to the quiet lifestyle of a rural area, which suits just fine.

Blessed with a robust curiosity, Jen loves to research. Whether she’s investigating the history of a given area, the biography of a Christian icon, or how nature declares the glory of God, her daily goal is to learn something new. Aiming to live with boundless enthusiasm, her creed is vision, pursuit, and excellence.

Jen lives and writes in a lovely speck of a town where she watches with amazement while her children grow up way too fast, gardens, and marvels at God’s mighty hand in everyday life.

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