This is definitely a favorite author of mine and I'm so glad I had the privilege to read this book. I fell in love with the characters immediately and I always get swept away into the "simple life" of being AMish while i know they still deal with complicated issues. Great story, great author, definitely telling my friends about it.

Once Upon a Buggy

by Shelley Shepard Gray

May and Carl at ages 16 and 17 respectively sneak off to the feed barn for some innocent time away from the prying eyes and ears of siblings. When a lightening bolt strikes the wooden structure, their lives are changed forever, as are the lives of their families when a feud develops and the formerly close neighbors stop communicating altogether. As part of the Amish community in Apple Creek, Ohio, they should have been able to get past guilt and blame, but they haven’t, especially Carl’s family because he was injured so badly.

Six years later, Carl returns to Apple Creek for the first time to visit. Scarred mentally and physically, he has made a lonely life for himself as an Englischer. He is successful, however, as a project manager for a manufacturing company. Carl wants to leave the past behind and unite the two families. His sister and May’s brother find themselves in a Romeo and Juliet scenario as they are quite smitten with each other, but know neither family would approve. Carl finds that he still has feelings for May.

The author puts lots of obstacles in the way, and at times reconciliation for the two families seems impossible. The parents in this book are, of course, Amish, and the customs are for families to stay together with the father having ultimate authority. The adult children often have to walk a fine line between living out their lives and respecting their parents.

Once Upon a Buggy is well written with lots of character development. The conflicts are realistic. I am not Amish and am only aware of their societal structure through fiction, but I was surprised that their bishop in six years had not intervened in the feud. He was helpful, however, when called on by the younger members of the families who pushed a confrontation so they could move on with their lives.

There are two scenes that particularly caught my interest. A tornado moved through their county. Because Carl is Englisch, many people find out about the tornado watch and later the warning through Carl and his access to technology. That scenario made me wonder how the Amish normally find out about tornadoes moving through. In my county in Oklahoma, we have sirens as a warning system. The families’ preparations for the event, their time of sheltering, and the community’s working together in the aftermath particularly drew my attention.

May’s family owns alpacas, and the herd has an important role in the story. I enjoyed learning more about them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Christian, Romance

Notes: #2 in the Amish of Apple Creek Series, but works well as a standalone. I had not read #1 and didn’t feel like I had missed anything that would keep me from understanding or enjoying this book.

Publication: March 28, 2023—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

People started whispering. A low buzz surrounded her, sounding as if she was surrounded by a swarm of bees. Each one gossiping, talking, no doubt ready to sting her with an unkind comment.

It seemed that was how everyone handled his father now. They let Daed spout off rude things and didn’t correct him. Carl supposed that approach kept the peace, but he found it irritating.

“What I’m trying to say is that He did hear my prayers, but the solution wasn’t the one I thought I wanted. It was the one I needed. I didn’t need to have pain and sadness removed from my life…I just needed a way to manage them.”

Description & My “late” review …
In one tragic moment, a fire changed two lives: May Schott and her best friend, Carl Hilty, who was badly burned. But you cannot rewind the clock. Carl left by ambulance and went through multiple extensive surgeries. Six years later, Carl was returning and May had high hopes. But Carl was silent, “cold-stone silent”. It feels as if he hates her.

On the other hand, Carl has returned (he has been living English) to see if May can look beyond his scars and see the love he still has for her.

Two people wanting the same thing but behavior by both of them sends signals the very opposite of what they feel. And “Once Upon a Buggy” is the story of how these two people finally open themselves to expected hurt only to find love. It’s a sweet story.

Rating: 3.5 stars ~ It’s a nice story. Well-developed. You feel for all the parties involved, especially Carl. But … but the plot just didn’t pull me in. It was nice to pick up and read but wasn’t one to make you skip doing laundry or running the vacuum. For me, it was just a 3.5 read rounded to 4 stars for sites that only display round numbers.

I received a complimentary DRC (digital review copy) of “Once Upon a Buggy” via NetGalley from the publisher, Kensington Books, Kensington. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. I owe an apology to NetGalley and the Publisher for the late review. Health problems set me back in reading and writing reviews.

Rating: 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars for sites that display only whole numbers.
Cover: Nice. Pretty.
Pages: 274
Series: The Amish of Apple Creek, book #2
Publish Date: 28 Mar 2023
#OnceUponaBuggy #NetGalley #ShelleyShepardGray

Although I enjoyed the first book I can not get into the second.

I have tried reading this a couple of times and I just can’t get into it.

Will try in a difficult season.

Once Upon a Buggy by Shelley Shepard Gray is a good Christian love story. I recommend this novel to all romance readers.

This was a very sweet book about life and love. I enjoyed reading about the characters and it kept me interested all of the way through. I really enjoyed the storyline and look forward to reading more of the author's books.

I always enjoy Shelley Shepard Gray’s books! This is the second book in The Amish of Apple Creek series. It can be read as a stand alone book.
May and Carl were dating as teenagers when they got caught in a fire that severely injured Carl. Carl returns to Apple Creek after many years and tries rebuild relationships with his family and friends. What follows is a book about faith and family.
Many thanks to the author, Kensington and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

May Schott and Carl Hilty were Amish teenagers who snuck away to her family's barn to be alone. Sadly, the barn was struck by lightning and although May got out with a relatively minor injury, Carl was seriously hurt and had to be life-lighted to the hospital. It has been six years of pain, treatment and healing for Carl, and during those years he has become English. However, he makes a trip home to reconnect with his family, bearing lifelong scars.

Carl is used to people taking a long and second look at him, but the person that matters to him most is May. While Carl is renewing his connection to his family, things between him and May are tentative. Guilt and forgiveness go hand in hand in this second book in the Amish of Apple Creek series. I loved the story between Carl and May and how they had to resolve their past in order to move towards a blessed future together.

Many thanks to Kensington and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. It fit with the genre and was somewhat predictable, but in a way that made you want to know how things unfolded, and in the end, there were surprises! The book was well written and attention grabbing. I definitely recommend it to anyone who appreciates this genre!

I liked this book very much. It is a complex story that includes destructive fires, two feuding families, and their children who fall in love anyway. I also want to mention the alpacas, an animal I had never pictured on an Amish farm.

Eight years ago May Schott had asked Carl Hilty to meet her in her family's barn when a storm was approaching. Lightning struck the old wooden barn, and it caught fire. Carl was severely burned and spent years away in painful recovery, with numerous surgeries, while May had mostly superficial burns. She blames herself for his injuries, as she was too afraid to run through the fire to get outside.

Now Carl is back in Apple Creek, but no longer considers himself Amish. He also considers himself too damaged to be attractive to women. May's brother and Carl's sister are in love with each other, but due to the animosity between the families, they have been seeing each other in secret.

May and Carl's romance takes quite a while to start. They each have unresolved conflicts and insecurities that they have to work through separately. May fears that Carl blames her for his injuries, and also blames herself. She also has to make a decision about being baptized into the church soon.

Carl knows he can't live Amish anymore and doesn't know if May could leave everything she knows for him. It was so satisfying to see them talk to each other frankly, and even more satisfying to see the warring parents make peace with one another. They have a powerful incentive which I will not give away.

I received a review copy from the publisher Kensington Books via NetGalley. It was a pleasure to voluntarily read and review it.

Once Upon a Buggy is the second book in Shelley Shepard Gray’s Apple Creek Amish series. It is about Mae and Carl, two people with a history that they can’t seem to forget, even though their future is so uncertain. As always, I really enjoyed it. I love books that feel good but also have a purpose. Yes it’s a romance. But it’s also a book about moving out of the past and embracing what life can give you. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Once Upon a Buggy is a heartwarming Amish story of forgiveness and reconciliation. As teenaged sweethearts, May and Carl were caught in a barn fire, and Carl was badly burned. Due to the need for extensive medical care, Carl has been away from the community for many years. He and May reconnect when he comes back to visit his family, but since Carl's father blames May for Carl's suffering, the families have been feuding for years.

I very much enjoyed reading about the relationship between Carl's sister and May's brother, although I didn't really connect with Carl or May as the main characters. The main storyline was engaging, but the feud between the families seemed a bit out of place for an Amish story. A good bit of the story involved somewhat heavy and emotional subjects, so the humorous tidbits about the antics of the alpacas added some much-needed comic relief.

I enjoyed the story overall, and it kept my interest throughout. This book is the second in the Amish of Apple Creek series, and I liked it well enough that I am interested in going back to read the first book in the series.

This book was provided to me courtesy of Kensington through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Once Upon a Buggy is a very well written Amish romance. I throughly enjoyed the plot and the character dynamics. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

I enjoyed this book. It’s about faith, family, forgiveness and second chances. A very inspirational read. Love this author and series.

Once Upon a Buggy was a sweet tale of two people who had been torn apart and separated by tragedy finding their way back to each other. I liked seeing how well Carl had adjusted to Englisch life. It was clearly where he belonged now.

It was hard to see how much blame May took upon herself for the fact that Carl had been so badly burned years earlier in the barn fire. But I loved the way she still saw Carl for the man he was and considered him good looking.

The secondary romance between Walker and Ally was really wonderful. I felt for them and all that they had gone through in the years since the fire, in which a huge rift between their families had developed. I was, honestly, very surprised that the Bishop for their district allowed that bitterness and hatred to fester within Carl’s parents’ hearts toward May and her family.

Once Upon a Buggy is the second book in the Amish of Apple Creek series, but can absolutely be read as a stand alone novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I normally enjoy Amish books and this author but this book I really didn't enjoy. I didn't feel like it was an Amish book with the feuds between the families and the way they spoke. It just seemed like a typical romance book.

Once again Shelley Shepard Gray hits it out of the park with Once again upon a Buggy, book 2 from the Amish of Apple Creek sieres.

You will be pulled into the story from the very start, it was a true page turner that I didn't want to put down. I was sad when the story ended and wanted more, in a good way.

A heartwarming love story that survives, tragedy, separation, learning to let go of grudges and finding their way back together.

And a few furry animals to give you an extra smile.

I highly recommend, it is possible to read as a stand alone story.

#shelleyshepardgray
#kensington
#theamishofapplecreek

When asked if I would review Once Upon a Buggy, I knew I liked the author's books and figured I could squeeze it into my schedule. I had no idea it was a Beauty in the Beast retelling. I have not read the first book in the series, (yet) but Once Upon a Buggy can be read as a stand-alone novel.

I have mixed feelings about Once Upon a Buggy. It gets props for a more unique Amish story line. It is a very loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but there is no beast here, just a guy with a lot of burns and emotional baggage. Sadly, he does not have a fabulous library.

May and Carl's relationship is strained, especially after six years of no communication. Their interactions were awkward, their families feuding, and their siblings are in love with each other. I never felt the chemistry between May and Carl. However, their siblings' relationship was beautiful.

My biggest hang-up was the feud between the two families. It was very un-Amish-like, and odd that the bishop didn't step in. Once Upon A Buggy is a story of reconciliation, forgiveness, and letting go of guilt and things we can't control.

Thank you to the author and Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in Apple Creek, Ohio, an Amish community. I don’t normally enjoy this type of story, but this one was so well done that I soon got caught up in the lives of both the Schott and Hilty families, forgetting the retelling aspect.

May Schott feels guilty for the tragic fire that left Carl Hilty badly burned which subjected him to extensive surgeries and I would say, unimaginable pain. Nothing goes right when Carl returns, May is unable to express her feelings for what happened to him and a rift between the two sets of parents. On a brighter note, May has the most adorable Alpacas that added light heartedness to the storyline. I liked Carl so much, his character is genuine, but I did not care for his parents, until the end of the book. Mr. Hilty was super strict and was on the verge of alienating his family, however he does have a good side and with forgiveness, the two sides let go of the past and look towards a happier future.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

Once Upon a Buggy by Shelley Shepard Gray is a story about forgiveness. I thought the story was well-written with realistic, developed characters. The characters suited the story. I like that this story is different from other Amish novels. A barn fire has caused so much pain, bitterness, guilt, and tension. I could certainly relate to May’s actions during the fire. We never know how we will react to a situation until we are in it. Friendship, family, love, guilt, and forgiveness are the main themes. I enjoyed the stories ending. It is one that made me smile. Once Upon a Buggy is the second book in The Amish of Apple Creek series. It can be read as a standalone, but I do recommend Happily Ever Amish. I like that we get to see how our relationships affect those close to us (family and friends). It can even have a negative impact on a community. I liked the cover of the book. It really suited the story plus it is an eye-catching image. There is humor sprinkled throughout the story thanks to some quirky alpacas. I found their behavior to be amusing. It was interesting learning about alpacas and their temperaments. Once Upon a Buggy is a thoughtful and emotional tale with a ferocious fire, a lost love, temperamental alpacas, feuding families, and finding forgiveness.