Bookshelf Friday - Somebody Like You by Beth Vogt

My first meeting with Beth was over a dinner table at my very first ACFW conference for writers. She is one of the kindest women I've ever met, and I've kept in touch with her since. I've also read each of her books:) Last fall I got the chance to chat with Beth again at ACFW, and she shared the tag line for Somebody Like You...and completely hooked me with it. I waited with anticipation for this book. Here's the line that snagged me:

Can a young woman find love again with her husband's reflection?

What an amazing story question! And can I just say, the story more than delivered!  Here's the blurb and we'll chat on the other side.

Haley’s three-year marriage to Sam, an army medic, ends tragically when he’s killed in Afghanistan. Her attempts to create a new life for herself are ambushed when she arrives home one evening—and finds her husband waiting for her. Did the military make an unimaginable mistake when they told her Sam was killed?

Too late to make things right with his estranged twin brother, Stephen discovers Sam never told Haley about him. As Haley and Stephen navigate their fragile relation­ship, they are inexorably drawn to each other. How can they honor the memory of a man whose death brought them together—and whose ghost could drive them apart?

As I said, Somebody Like You drew me in before I even turned page one. The idea of a widow falling not just for her husband's brother, but his mirror twin? How can that work? For either of them. The hurdles they both would need to overcome emotionally. The faith their love would need to take on, to know that it was based on their relationship and not the "ghost" of the man between them. So, so, so good! And Beth wove these pieces together seamlessly. Ever-so-slowly Hayley and Stephen's love story begins to take root and glimpses of the future they could have are painted over the pages.

I loved the tender hero Stephen was in this book. Beth balanced his strength and compassion in a way that brought sigh-worthy moments readers will love. And Hayley's attempt at being strong while also wanting to be cared for was so well written--as a woman I understood the difficulty in striking this balance. Beth wrote Hayley in such a way that those conflicting emotions came off the page as an authentic struggle that allowed me to identify with Hayley, pulling me in even farther.

All together, I felt this was Beth's best book yet--which is saying a lot because I loved her previous two also. However, between the unique story line, fast-paced (peppered with laughter) dialogue, moving scenes, and two characters who yank you straight into their lives...this book takes first place for me.

I happily give Somebody Like You 5 out of 5 stars...it more than earned each one! You can purchase it here.

Oh! And Beth joined in for a round of Would You Rather! Here's her question and answer:

Would You Rather...
have a rewind button in your life
OR
have a pause button in you life

Beth's answer?
I'd rather have a pause button for my life. I"d probably wear the thing out pretty quickly! But having a pause button would keep me from mulit-tasking, help me focus on one thing--or person--at a time, and let me s-l-o-w down when I need to!

I have to say, I agree with her. Though I can tend to be a bit of a procrastinator, so I'm pretty sure a pause button would only make that habit worse:)

Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” A nonfiction writer and editor who said she’d never write fiction, Beth is now a novelist with Howard Books. She enjoys writing inspirational contemporary romance because she believes there’s more to happily-ever-after than the fairy tales tell us. Connect with Beth on her website or check out her blog on quotes, In Others’ Words.

If you'd like to see a break-down of what my stars equal, check out my page My Ratings System to the right there. And a big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.