Long Way Home by Brenda Anderson: a Review

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Long Way Home

by Brenda Anderson

From the back cover:

Can she forgive the man who once bullied her,
and learn that love keeps no record of wrongs?

Having overcome the crippling insecurities of childhood bullying, Lauren Bauman is eager to start her new job 1,000 miles away, and road-tripping across the country with her brother Nate and his new friend seems to be the perfect way to celebrate the move. But her confidence is shaken when she meets Nate’s friend—the kid who’d bullied her years before, trapping her in a decade-long shell of self-doubt.

For Jet Wurm, losing his job and getting kicked out of his apartment were the best things that ever happened to him. Thanks to the friend who rescued him, he’s finally shedding the loser label he’d worn for years. Nate even invited him along on a cross-country road trip with his sister, and Jet couldn’t be more excited. But then he meets Lauren, and her fearful reaction tells him they must have met before. Where, he can’t recall, but he has no doubt he’d somehow hurt her—like he’d hurt so many others in his past. And now he’s stuck on a six-day road trip with a woman who obviously deplores him.

Though Jet is clearly not the same person who’d bullied her years before, Lauren still struggles to forgive him. But if she doesn’t find the courage to forgive, will that convince Ryan he’s as worthless as he’d always been taught to believe? Or will they learn that real love keeps no record of wrongs?

About the author:

Brenda S. Anderson writes gritty and authentic, life-affirming fiction. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and is Past-President of the ACFW Minnesota chapter, MN-NICE, the 2016 ACFW Chapter of the Year. When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, theater, roller coasters, and baseball (Go Twins!), and she loves watching movies with her family. She resides in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area with her husband of 30 years, their three children, and one sassy cat. Learn more about Brenda at BrendaAndersonBooks.com

My thoughts:

Jet and Lauren have history–and that’s not always a good thing.

As Brenda Anderson does so well, Long Way Home takes a closer look at the grittier side of life and how we as believers ought to interact with it. She gently, but I’m sure intentionally, steps on our toes of self-righteous, judgmental attitudes.

Long Way Home is connected to the Coming Home series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. It has been quite a while since I read the rest of the series, so I read this one as its own story. It wasn’t until I was mulling it over later that my brain began connecting the characters.

If you are looking for an encouraging story that doesn’t shy away from reality, Long Way Home is a quick read you’ll surely enjoy!

(I received a complimentary copy of this novella. The thoughts expressed here are entirely my own.)

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