Christian Fiction Devourers discussion

October's Book of the Month is Then There Was You by Kara Isaac!

GR Summary:
Paige McAllister needs to do something drastic. Her boyfriend can’t even commit to living in the same country, her promised promotion is dead on arrival and the simultaneous loss of her brother and her dream of being a concert violinist has kept her playing life safe and predictable for six years. Things need to change. A moment of temporary insanity finds her leaving her life in Chicago to move to Sydney, Australia. There she finds herself, against many of her convictions, as a logistics planner for one of Australia’s biggest churches, and on a collision course with her boss’s son.

Josh Tyler fronts a top-selling worship band and is in demand all over the world. But his past failed romantic relationships almost destroyed both his reputation and his family. He's determined to never risk it happening again. The last thing he needs is some American girl tipping his ordered life upside down. Especially one who despises everything he’s ever worked for and manages to push every button he has.

When Josh and Paige are thrown together to organize his band’s next tour, the sparks fly. But can they find a way to bridge the differences that pull them apart? Or will they choose the safety and security of what they know over taking a chance on something that will require them to risk everything?

Chime in below if you plan on joining in!

Looks good!
Is there an October challenge like the September one?

Hey, Emily! This one does work for the October Monthly challenge because it has won an award. ;)

Here's the thread for October's Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Oh my goodness! One of my favorite books!

Thank you!
So it’s not like the one with “read a book with orange “ on it? From September

Emily wrote: "Thank you!
So it’s not like the one with “read a book with orange “ on it? From September"

No, the monthly challenges are all different, with different "requirements" for a book to count. You can see the full list of each monthly challenge here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/....

Does that help? :)

Just added this to my kindle from prime unlimited. This is my second month in the group - really enjoyed last month's selection.

I read this one in August and loved it! hopefully I will be joining in on the discussion :)

Just bought it! I hope to start reading it next week.

My library doesn't have this one. Actually, they only have two of her books both of which I now have on hold waiting for pick-up.

This one looks good, but my library doesn't have it. I requested it as an ILL (inter-library loan), but we'll see when it comes in.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for selecting Then There Was You as your October pick. I hope those of you who are reading it are enjoying Josh and Paige's story :)

Kara

Kara, thanks so much for swinging by! :)

I know for me, this is my favorite of all of your books.

Kara wrote: "Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for selecting Then There Was You as your October pick. I hope those of you who are reading it are enjoying Josh and Paige's story :)

Kara"

I'm about a third of the way through and I'm loving it so far. I've had several laugh out loud moments -- "Available soon at a Lifeway near you." Hah! Congrats on winning the RITA!!!! I'm sure I'll enjoy the rest of the book just as much.

Hi, everyone! My sincerest apologies for the radio silence. I started a new job this week and "busy" is mild compared to how my last couple of weeks have gone. :D

I don't have specific discussion questions for the book, however, I wanted to open up the discussion.

Does anyone have a favorite scene?

What about the ending- was that not the cutest/sweetest thing ever??

Melinda wrote: "Kara wrote: "Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for selecting Then There Was You as your October pick. I hope those of you who are reading it are enjoying Josh and Paige's story :)

Kara"

I'm about a t..."

Melinda, I totally agree! I literally laughed out loud several times. :)

I'm usually not one for "big misunderstanding" tropes, but from the first interactions between Paige and Josh, I couldn't wait until they were sharing page time again.

Another thing I loved was the setting. I've never been to Sydney, but I kind of felt like I had after reading this book. :)

:O I may actually have this book!! The title strikes me as familiar.

Beth wrote: "Hi, everyone! My sincerest apologies for the radio silence. I started a new job this week and "busy" is mild compared to how my last couple of weeks have gone. :D

I don't have specific discussion ..."

I had a lot of favorite scenes, actually, but two that come to mind right away. One, the scene where Josh took Paige to the site of her brother's memorial. It was just so sweet of him to think of that, to think / hope that might bring her some peace and comfort. BTW, I was very close to my older brother who also passed away at a young age (complications from pancreatitis and diabetes), so all the "brother" scenes really hit home for me.

The other scene I liked best is the opposite of this one -- it was one of several laugh-out-loud scenes. This scene that was SO hilarious was when Paige thought she got attacked by a drop bear--but it was a remote-control helicopter. Not only was this scene funny, but Kara wrote the descriptions so well that I could totally "see" it happening.


I really did like the ending. Not only the whole last scene for the ending, but the last sentence in the book was awesome! (I highlighted it on my Kindle in pink -- that color stands for, "great writing in this section.")

M'kay. I was mistaken. But it does look really good now!

Favorite scene hands down is when Paige thought she was being attacked by a drop bear. It's one of those laugh out loud moments, especially because it was in Josh's POV. Not as many LOL moments in Then There Was You as other novels from Kara that I have read, but it was still enjoyable.

The scene where Paige re-visits the site of her brother's death is heartbreaking. Kara did a great job on this part. The scene is not too over the top, and really pulls at your heart strings.

I loved Josh's family! They are supportive, yet they are not afraid to "tell you how it is".

I only read contemporary fiction when it's a group read ( I much prefer historical) but I have to say Kara Issac is a great writer.

I loved the drop bear scene, too! So funny! I don't often literally laugh out loud reading, but that scene had me chuckling for sure.

I loved the realness of Josh's family as well. Kara made them seem like real people, and it just added a lot to the reading experience.

I also enjoyed this book it was the first I had read by this author. I will definitely be reading more. It had me laughing, crying, gasping, and wanting more. The characters of Paige and josh worked so well together and you could really see and feel the chemistry between the two. You couldn’t help but root for these two to make it in the end. LOVED IT!!

Wow. Some awesome comments on this book! Looks like a must-read! :-) I'll see if I can get this one soon!

In the mean time, may I ask if anyone would be interested in some of my writing? I don't yet have a completed story--not a long one, anyway--but I'd really like to write a scene for your critique.

Is anyone game? I can probably start my own discussion/topic for it if there are any positive responses.

Or would you rather I just post bits and pieces on my account wall and leave it at that? Is that safe?