The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert

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Title: The Art of Losing Yourself

Author: Katie Ganshert

Published By: Waterbrook (2015)

Synopsis: 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? (Taken from Goodreads.)

Review:

I have officially discovered my new favorite author.

This book was amazing. Character-driven and embellished with gorgeous details that pulled me right in, I was captivated and enthralled from the start. The way all the stories tied together with such strong emotion was mindblowing.

These characters—Carmen, Ben, Gracie, Ingrid—are characters that I strive one day to be able to create in my own writing. They’re so real. So flawed. So amazing. I felt like I could reach out and touch them, so finely were they painted.

Though this book was long, it was a necessary length. The character arcs were natural and not forced or cheesy. I loved the Christian tie-ins.

I feel like this all sounds so generic, but I’m honestly baffled at how else to explain such a gem of a novel. Even though nothing much happens at all, it’s still such an inspiring story. Just a few characters’ real, breathtaking journeys through life, and it was just such a thought-provoking, inspirational, and encouraging read.

Negative Content/Notes:

Carmen and Ben are adults. This is an adult novel. Sex is mentioned several times, though not in a negative light.

Overall: I loved this book so much.

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 

Recommended to: Ages 14+; mature readers.

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