Julia Whittaker’s rocky past yielded two daughters, both given up for adoption as infants. Now she must find them to try to save her son.
Julia and Matt Whittaker’s son has beaten the odds for thirteen years only to have the odds—and his liver—crash precipitously. The only hope for his survival is a “living liver” transplant, but the transplant list is long and Dillon’s time is short. His two older half-sisters, born eighteen months apart to two different fathers, offer his only hope for survival.
But can Julia ask a young woman—someone she surrendered to strangers long ago and has never spoken with—to make such a sacrifice to save a brother she’s never known? Can she muster the courage to journey back into a shame-filled season of her life, face her choices and their consequences, and find any hope of healing?
And what if she discovers in her own daughters’ lives that a history of foolish choices threatens to repeat itself? Julia knows she’s probably embarking on a fool’s errand—searching for the daughters she abandoned only now that she needs something from them. But love compels Julia to take this journey. Can grace and forgiveness compel her daughters to join her?
In To Know You, Shannon Ethridge and Kathryn Mackel explore how the past creates the present . . . and how even the most shattered lives can be redeemed.
Shannon Ethridge is a best-selling author, speaker, and certified life coach with a master’s degree in counseling/human relations from Liberty University. She has spoken to college students and adults since 1989 and is the author of 21 books, including the million-copy best-selling Every Woman’s Battle series. She is a frequent guest on TV and radio programs and mentors aspiring writers and speakers through her BLAST Program (Building Leaders, Authors, Speakers & Teachers.)
Kathryn Mackel is a best-selling author and acclaimed screenwriter for Disney and Fox. She was on the screenwriting team for Left Behind: The Movie, and Frank Peretti’s Hangman’s Curse. She is the acclaimed author of The Surrogate, The Departed, and The Hidden and resides in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband.
My Impressions:
A desperate mother goes to great lengths to help her dying son, even as the secrets she reveals bring into the light long buried griefs. Fraught with tension, To Know You by Shannon Ethridge and Kathryn Mackel is a moving and thought-provoking novel that is a must read.
Julia’s son Dillon has been sick since infancy, but now the young teenager is facing the battle of his life and time is running out. Forced to appeal to the two daughters she gave up for adoption years ago, Julia’s desperate plea is complicated by the messy lives of her daughters and the truth about their fathers that they demand.
There are so many issues tackled in To Know You. There are social issues such as organ donation and adoption and the ethics surrounding them. And then there are the spiritual issues of freedom, forgiveness and grace. With a whole lot to think about and discuss, To Know You is perfect for a book discussion group. It is also an incredibly good read — moving prose, wonderfully real characters and a tension that keeps readers turning pages as fast as they can. Alternating points of view allow the reader to get the whole story — full of emotions and spiritual longings and questions. My favorite phrase in the novel is shame off you – a great truth to remember. I cannot say it often enough — read this book!
Highly Recommended.
Great For Book Clubs.
To read other reviews, click HERE.
(Thanks to LitFuse and Thomas Nelson for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
To purchase a copy of this book, click on the image below.
To Know You is Shannon’s debut fiction release and she’s celebrating by giving away a $100 gift certificate to Lisa Leonard Designs, a personal coaching session, and throwing a Facebook Author Chat Party!
One winner will receive:
- A $100 gift certificate to Lisa Leonard Designs
- To Know You by Shannon Ethridge
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 19th. Winner will be announced at the “To Know You” Facebook Author Chat Party on the 19th. Connect with Shannon and friends for an encouraging evening of fun chat, book club discussion, giveaways, and a chance to win a PERSONAL COACHING SESSION WITH SHANNON!
So grab your copy of To Know You and join Shannon on the evening of November 19th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book, don’t let that stop you from coming!)
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