April McGowanMacy

Macy is not a book in a genre that I would normally read. However, having decided to read it, I felt that I had to give it 5 stars. Why? Simply because, once I started reading it, I could not put it down. In fact, I started reading it about 11:00 PM at night and finished it about 5:30 AM the following morning. So, I figure that, any book that can keep me up all night to "see what happens," is worth 5 stars. :-)As in her first book, Jasmine, the author is very good at creating her characters. You grow to love and care for them, and so you simply have to know how things will turn out in their lives. The characters feel "real." There were a few instances where I felt that the main character, Macy, behaved a little oddly and out of established character, but, overall, I greatly enjoyed getting to know her, and now feel as if she is a real person in my life whom I care about. That makes for a great read!Note: there are a few editing mistakes in the Kindle version (I can't speak for the printed version). However, I'm a very picky person about that kind of thing, and did not find the errors common enough or distracting enough to create a significant deterrent to enjoying the book.

MacyMacy, penned by April McGowan, is more than a page turner. I literally felt compelled to keep reading and couldn't put it aside until I finished. The story, written in first person, drew me into the heroine's world, kept me rooting for her, and sent my emotions on a roller coaster ride.Red headed, green-eyed Macy Stone marries her middle aged husband, Arthur, at sixteen and travels with him in his long-haul truck for seven years. Living out of a suitcase and eating on the road sounds fun at first but eventually loses its charm. Though Arthur is emotionally abusive, she remains with him, caring for his every need—including acting as his navigator.The days pass, not happily, but at the same time they aren't intolerable. That is until Macy finds out she's pregnant.Secret after secret unravels before her, adding to her pain and burden. But along her journey, she learns about God. How He provides His loving and caring people to make a difference in lives, especially Macy's.Macy is an exquisite, intense story of forgiveness, healing, and learning to listen to God, a life changing experience. April's first book, Jasmine, has been nominated for a Carol award. I would suggest this one is a candidate as well.

Macy is in a genre that I would not normally read, but I met April at the Oregon Christian Writer's Conference and have followed her journey since before her first book, Jasmine, was published.Jasmine was a fine debut novel, and with April's sophomore release, Macy, April has shown even more improvement as a writer. After reading the free sample chapters on Amazon early one Monday morning on my day off work, I had already connected with Macy, needed to know the rest of her story, and purchased the Kindle book. Every chapter pulled me to the next, and by late Monday evening the same day I finished the entire book.Strong points:The many plot twists along the way keep you guessing.Good balance of spoken and internal dialogue.The character development draws you deeper and deeper into connection with Macy and some of the other key characters.The ending of the book opened the door for a sequel, and with another great plot like this one April could pull off another excellent novel.Weak points:A clue in the first half of the book about why Macy might find it difficult to conceive didn't seem fully resolved for me even after the book concluded. There was some resolution/explanation, but perhaps the way the clue was presented and the attitude of Macy's mother through much of the book caused me to expect more to be introduced into the plot to resolve some of the questions in my mind.There were at least five errors in the text of the Kindle version. Unfortunately I didn't note them as I came across them. Some of the errors were missing words, but the most memorable to me was an editing error in which "explicative" was used in the text when the word should have been "expletive."I felt that one or two of the characters changed a bit too quickly toward the end of the book.I would have liked to have seen a bit more character development in some of the minor characters. (Maybe in a sequel?)I am giving this book four stars because of the minor errors in the manuscript, but it is definitely a great read for those who are interested in a great "growing up" story (seven years after Macy's marriage at age sixteen) that isn't preachy, but holds to strong Christian values.I paid for this book. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

April is a new author for me and I did not know what to expect. I was a little leery of the description but I was immediately drawn into the story. I was reading to fall asleep and I ended up staying up and reading the entire thing. I didn't want to put it down.A young woman is abandoned by her much older husband after discovering she is unexpectedly pregnant. I hate giving away the story but this is a great story. It doesn't shy away from describing the reality of pregnancy, of commitment, family manipulation and so forth.I am excited to check out more of her books and even more so excited to meet her tomorrow at a bazaar in town.

I’m not sure that I have ever read a contemporary novel quite as complex, riveting and inspirational as “Macy” by April McGowan. I had thoroughly enjoyed McGowan’s first novel, “Jasmine.” I absolutely loved “Macy” and did not want to put it down once I started.The story of Macy Stone begins with a pregnancy, abandonment by the young woman’s older husband, and her rescue by complete strangers. It is a story of discovering what true love between people entails. It is also a story of discovering the meaning of commitment to family, to promises made that need to be kept, and to trusting God with working out the details. The twists and turns in the plot and the complex relationships in “Macy” brought me to tears more than once.It is riveting, inspiring and deserves more than five stars.