Goodbye To Yesterday by Wanda E. Brunstetter

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Barbour Books (February 5, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1616260858
• ISBN-13: 978-1616260859

Join Meredith and Luke Stoltzfus, an Amish couple who are faced with the greatest challenge of their young lives. Financial struggles. Arguments. A suspected pregnancy. A last-minute trip to Middlebury, Indiana. A drug addict on the run. A deadly encounter at a Philadelphia bus station. Will their love and faith be enough to bring them back together again, against all odds?

My take on this book:

Whenever I read a Wanda Brunstetter book there either a hit or miss not a middle of the road read for me but unfortunately that's just how I would label her latest novelette "Goodbye to Yesterday."

The bad economy has hit Lancaster,Pa causing Luke Stolzfus to be let go from his job as a furniture maker, causing his one year marriage to Meredith to hit a rocky patch. He worries what he will do to earn money for his family and refuses to allow Meredith to find a job. When he learns that an uncle in Indiana wants to sell his headstone making business, a business that Luke can move to Pa, it seems like the perfect opportunity to secure his families financial future. Meredith sees it as a risky move though because the uncle wants half the price of the business up front which means they would have to use their savings. While Meredith dreads to see him go, because he will be traveling by bus, he assures her that he will be fine. Will Luke make it to Indiana, and will Meredith be ok while he is gone?

"Goodbye to Yesterday" is the first of a six books in the Lancaster County Saga. A very realistic story because Luke is facing what many are facing in today's world. The loss of a job and feeling unsure about the future. I could easily understand why he would jump at the opportunity that his uncle presented him. The tension that was created because of the lack of a job seemed plausible  and I could understand why Meredith hesitated to reveal her secret. The first several chapters are used to introduce us to family, and I loved that Fritz, Luke's dog, was a part of the story.

While I did enjoy the story, I felt like I was a bit cheated, the beginning of the story seemed like filler to me, allowing us to meet not only the characters but the family as well. Just as the story started to pick up and get "good"bam I found myself at the end! While the cliff hanger ending has me wondering how things will work out, I felt cheated because this book was so short. The back cover hints that Meredith may start life with someone else, but this book never gets close to that. Overall an ok read, my big problem with the story is that it is going to be broken up into six installments. I really don't see myself purchasing each book, instead I will wait until they create the Omnibus version so that I can just read the story straight thru. I think for the price of this book readers will expect a complete story which isn't what they will get!

rating 3/5

A complimentary copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.