The Art of Losing Yourself Review

Congratulations to Patty! She is the winner of The Art of Losing Yourself giveaway! Enjoy Patty!

The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert is a 320 page book in the Christian fiction genre. It is published by WaterBrook Press and released on April 21, 2015. To purchase your copy from Amazon, click here or to order at Barnes & Noble, click here.

Overview

Every morning, Carmen Hart pastes on her made-for-TV smile and broadcasts the weather. She’s the Florida panhandle’s favorite meteorologist, married to everyone’s favorite high school football coach. They’re the perfect-looking couple, live in a nice house, and attend church on Sundays. From the outside, she’s a woman who has it all together.  But on the inside, Carmen Hart struggles with doubt. She wonders if she made a mistake when she married her husband. She wonders if God is as powerful as she once believed. Sometimes she wonders if He exists at all. After years of secret losses and empty arms, she’s not so sure anymore.

Until Carmen’s sister—seventeen year old runaway, Gracie Fisher—steps in and changes everything. Gracie is caught squatting at a boarded-up motel that belongs to Carmen’s aunt, and their mother is off on another one of her benders, which means Carmen has no other option but to take Gracie in. Is it possible for God to use a broken teenager and an abandoned motel to bring a woman’s faith and marriage back to life? Can two half-sisters make each other whole?

My Two Cents

The Art of Losing Yourself is a well written novel that will challenge you to change yourself and look at your problems from a different perspective. The novel deals with difficult issues such as alcoholism, abuse, and infertility. Ganshert shows how God can bring healing. Also how love and patience can bring people together.

The characters in The Art of Losing Yourself are raw and real.  The reader can feel their emotions as well as their pain and it tugs on your heartstrings. They sweep you into a whirlwind that makes you want to keep turning the page to see what happens next.  These characters deal with real-life issues that many struggle with on a daily basis, and show you how God’s love can shine through. Although there are weighty issues in The Art of Losing Yourself, the humor sprinkled throughout the novel keeps it from being a difficult read.

Ganshert unfolds the plot by showing the readers the story, not by telling the readers the story. For example, one of my favorite quotes, “….he didn’t seem to notice that I was a lone marshmallow in a sea of hot chocolate” (184) paints an incredible mental picture and gives authenticity to the novel because the reader can picture a teenager making this comment.  We all have felt out of place at sometime in our lives – we are uncomfortable and feel as if everyone is watching us. Can’t you picture yourself as a marshmallow floating on top in these situations? I know I can. The imagery Ganshert employs in her novel paints some beautiful pictures through the pain of the characters.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. This is a book that will make you reflect on how you handle life’s problems and remind you that we cannot appreciate the good times without going through the valleys as well..

About the Author

Award-winning author, Katie Ganshert, graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree in education, and worked as a fifth grade teacher for several years before staying home to write full-time. She was born and raised in the Midwest, where she lives with her husband, their young son, and their goofy black lab, Bubba. When she’s not busy writing or playing or reading or consuming chocolate, she is dreaming about the day her Congolese daughter can finally come home. You can learn more about Katie and her books by visiting her website at http://www.katieganshert.com.

A huge thank you to Katie Ganshert for a free copy of her book in exchange for my honest review. No money compensation was received for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Katie Ganshert’s new release, I am having a giveaway! Yay! One winner will receive a copy of The Art of Losing yourself.

To enter the giveaway, click “Entry-Form” below:

Entry-Form

Giveaway ends at Midnight on Thursday, April 23.