All That It Takes by Nicole Deese

 

 

Val Locklier and her son, Tucker, moved from Alaska to Washington state. It was a big move that took a lot of courage from this single mom--especially someone as cautious as Val. 

Miles McKenzie returns home from a short-term missions trip to discover that he has a new tenant living in his rental upstairs. He also finds out that he will be changing jobs as he is being re-assigned to a struggling local ministry supported by the church. 

If you read All That Really Matters, then you already met Val and Miles and have anxiously been awaiting their story like I have. If not, I believe you could read this book on its own but I think it would be better to have read All That Really Matters first. 

I already know that All That it Takes was one of my top reads for this year. I laughed out loud--and I also wept big tears. I had all the feels while reading this story. The storyline has a depth that I don't always see in Christian novels. I felt like Val and Miles were real people and I am ready to join them for a night around the fire having s'mores (just sayin'). I enjoyed all of the characters and the plot. I could relate to some of Val's insecurities as I have faced some of her struggles. I don't like change either and she talks about what that is like and the importance of making changes since she decided to make some big ones. I especially liked how both Miles and Val often spoke frankly with each other. I also understood some of Val's struggles with her leg injury and the results of that in her life. I broke both leg bones in a spiral fracture down to my ankle when I was young, so sometimes I limp and people comment. . . I knew some of what Val was feeling at those times.

I also felt that the spiritual side of All That Matters was well done. The characters who are Christians aren't perfect but they are learning, growing and becoming. Nothing felt preachy or stilted. There was a lot of wisdom dispensed from the characters throughout the book that gave me pause to reflect on my own Christian walk. . I just enjoyed this book so much all the way to the end. It was an easy book to read as the words just seemed to flow so well. Still, there were parts that gave the reader pause, like I said, throughout All That It Takes. I especially like books like this that help me grow as a person but also are enjoyable to read. Deese has become a favorite author of mine for this reason.

I received a copy of this book from the author and the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.