A Place at Our Table

So here's the deal.  Kayla's brother, Simeon, was killed in a fire as a firefighter. For that reason alone, she doesn't like firefighters.  When her family's barn catches fire, Jamie Riehl is one of the firefighters who responds to the call.  Kayla is attracted to him, and he to her, but her mental block against his profession stands in the way.  Jamie and his friends who are all part of the crew that put out the blaze show up the next week to put up a new barn for Kayla's father.

Circumstances, events, happenings all conspire to keep these two star-crossed lovers apart.  Kayla hates him for what he does, but then she loves him for how he stands in to help her family.  When his life falls apart, he hides from Kayla and anyone else in his life.  He hates himself, he can't love Kayla.  Their story switches back and forth so quickly I got reader's whiplash just trying to keep up with whether they are together or not. 

Most of the time, I really enjoy the writings of Amy Clipston, but this one didn't really tickle my fancy as much as her other writings did.  I still say it's a solid four stars.  A Place at Our Table does tackle grief in all its emanations.

My thanks to Zondervan for allowing me to read and review this book.