Name: The Life Intended
ISBN: 9781476754154

Kristin Harmel

After 10 years, widow Kate Waithman is ready to move on into another marriage, but dreams of her late husband make her begin second-guessing herself. By the best-selling author of The Sweetness of Forgetting. Original. 35,000 first printing.

The Life Intended

Jessica Nottingham

This book broke me. I started The Life Intended fully planning to finish it in one sitting. That didn't happen. Not because the book wasn't well written. It absolutely is. Not even because I couldn't love the characters or the story. Both of those items were instantly checked off my list after I'd finished the first chapter. No, this book took a long time for me to read because I couldn't stop crying. Every time I picked it up, and started to read, I'd start sobbing. I'm not talking teary-eyed, or even a few tears, I'm talking full out sobbing. Whew, kudos to Kristin Harmel.
 
For me, any book that deals with the death of a loved one is tricky terrain. It has to be done with a certain finesse, and feel realistic at the same time. With Kate, Harmel brought to life a character that I could understand and easily follow. A woman who had found the most perfectly imperfect man. Who truly believed that she'd grow old with that man, and that they had all the time in the world together. Except, they didn't. Watching Kate try to deal with her loss, watching her realize all the times that she took for granted, it hit hard right at the center of my being. This book didn't just pull at my heartstrings. It all out gutted me.
 
There are some beautiful messages in The Life Intended. Thoughts on living life, pursuing passions, and opening up your heart to the possibilities around you. Unlike most of the other "sliding doors" books that I've read, this one felt plausible. It felt like a story that I could get behind. Maybe it's just my sappy nature. Maybe it's because I know I've found my own perfectly imperfect man, and I'm realizing just how terrifying it would be to loose him, but I loved this.
 
All I know is, I'm going to do my best not to let the little moments escape. Thanks for that Kristin Harmel :). I don't even mind that I needed a box of tissues to finish this book. It was worth it.