Robin Jones Gunn: Being Known

By Kelly Bridgewater

After her mom passed away, Jennalyn was in the midst of moving, having a baby, and helping her husband work toward his dream job. At the time, she thought she processed the shock and loss, but only now that Jennalyn has two small children, a lovely new home, a lucrative side hustle with her art, and a husband who is always working does she feel the full impact of the loss.

Enter an old boyfriend who knew Jennalyn well and who shares many fond memories of her mom. Jennalyn begins to doubt her marriage and all her other life choices ever since her mom passed away. It takes the power of truth, close friends who know her well, and a series of choices at the heart level before Jennalyn can surface from the confusion and see with clarity where her life is headed.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I really don't enjoy women's fiction, but Robin Jones Gunn captured my attention with the Christy Miller series when I was a teenager, and I look forward to everything she writes whether it is YA or Women's fiction. Being Known continues the journey of adult, parenting group of friends that have devoted time to spend together. Either praying or talking about issues in their lives. It is nice to catch up with Christy Spencer and Sierra from Gunn's earlier writings. But it is also nice to hang with the new girls. Everytime I read Gunn's new series, Being Known included, I wish I had a group of Christian women I could hang out with and plan different get together days. It would be nice to have prayer partners who I can see actually caring about the situations in my life. Gunn does a wonderful job at showing the heartache of being a mother at home with kids all day while the husband works. Now one of her novels needs to show a mother who works 50 hours a week while her husband works 40 hours and she still has to come up and cook dinner, enforce chores, assign baths, and work on homework while the husband lounges on the couch watching television. That is a book I couldn't wait to get my hands on. In Being Known, I really admired the way Gunn handled the grief of losing a mother from Jennalynn's perspective. So many times novels mention once and then the characters appears to move on and never think about it again. So untrue. Losing my Daddy four years ago, it can hit at the most unexpected time, and I think about him almost every day. Overall, Being Known is not a typical women's fiction novel, I love how Gunn faces the harsh realities of being a mother and parent in her novel, but with grace and surrounded by friends. I highly recommend this series to anyone. Christian or not.

I received a complimentary copy of Being Known by Robin Jones Gunn from Waterbrook-Multnomah Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Robin Jones Gunn: Becoming Us

By Kelly Bridgewater

Five young women, including beloved Gunn characters Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen, gather for a simple Christmas party and soon become unlikely best friends. Told from the viewpoint of Emily, a timid young mom going through a difficult season of life, the regular gatherings provide the much needed community she's longed for. As the women begin sharing their life stories in Becoming Us they are endeared to each other and find ways to challenge, encourage, and help each other become the nurturing mothers they wished they'd had when they were growing up. They see themselves as Haven Makers and unite to be remembered for what they do and not for what was done to them.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Robin Jones Gunn was my first introduction to Christian fiction when I was a teenager with her Christy Miller series, so I have been looking forward to everything she creates. Luckily, with the novel Becoming Us, Christy Miller-Spencer makes a cameo as one of the five women trying to decipher how to be a mother, wife, and friend. With this installment, I met Emily, a transplant from North Carolina with her husband and her ten-year-old daughter. In the beginning, Gunn does a wonderful job at showing the insecurities of a mom to a new world with her family. Emily's emotions throughout the entire novel rang true to me. The relationship between the five women grew as the novel moved along. Emily opened up more as the story progressed and began to value the friendships. I believe this novel is like nothing I have ever read. It is true and shows the difficulties of beginning a life without the constant support of your family. It was well-written, and I really can't wait to read the next book in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of Becoming Us by Robin Jones Gunn from Waterbrook-Multnomah Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

Robin Jones Gunn has written over 100 books with sales of over 5.5 million copies sold worldwide. She and her husband have two grown children and live in Hawai'i.

Her best-selling Father Christmas novels have been made into 3 Hallmark Movies. Get a behind the scenes look in her book, "How My Book Became a Movie".

Robin's best-selling, award winning novels include the Christy Miller series for teens as well as the Sierra Jensen and Katie Weldon series. The characters in these series continue in Christy & Todd: The College Years, The Married Years, The Baby Years and in The Haven Makers series. More details at www.ChristyMiller.com (Taken from Amazon.)