For over a third of this book I could feel my heart in my throat, this poor girl, and whom does she live with, her deceased husbands family.
The story is about Bess Weaver coming to terms with her lot in life, does she make all the right decisions, of course not, but she is human, and you would not want to walk in her shoes.
This a story of her journey to a semblance of a normal life, of course what is normal for one may not be for another, but we walk in her shoes. I loved the little one, and he sure is a hit for the whole family, and yes they enable and then disable her, but we are also struggling with faith here, and forgiveness.
I loved this community and how they just seemed to know when a member needed help, and of course they are there.
There is also a bit of romance, where one has been in love with the other almost all of their life, even when they married another.
Come and get lost in a warm hearted Amish story!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Zondervan, and was not required to give a positive review.

I always enjoy the writing of Ms Irvin...this novel captured my attention w/ its beautiful cover art...however, this sweet, engaging story was very engaging. A great spring time read.

I believe you will enjoy reading Upon a Spring Breeze. This book touched my heart. The author shows the characters how to have forgiveness to patience and also have so many more attributes. The novel was well-written and had a beautiful storyline. I've read other books by Author Kelly Irvin, but Upon a Spring Breeze stands out as one of her best. I'm thankful I had the opportunity to read this book and the cover looks spectacular.

I received a complimentary copy from the author and NetGalley. This review is one hundred percent my opinion.

<b>Curiosity Piqued!</b>

Over the last few years, Kelly Irvin has really made a name for herself in the Amish genre. Her <i><b>Amish of Bee County</i></b> series is phenomenal. I had no doubts that Irvin could deliver with her new series, <i><b>Every Amish Season</i></b>. The first in the series, <o>Upon a Spring Breeze</i>, looks to be a promising start.

This novel tells the story of Bess Weaver: young, expecting her first child, and suddenly widowed. When the baby arrives, he looks so much like his father, Caleb. Bess is drowning in despair, loneliness, and apathy. When a job opportunity presents itself at an Englischer’s B & B, she hopes to find a secret escape from her overwhelming life.

Aidan, Bess’s childhood friend, and Caleb’s best friend, also grieves deeply for Caleb. He too has a secret. He’s kept this secret from Bess since before Bess and Caleb ever married. As Aidan faces unbelievable hardship on his farm, he struggles with what God’s will is for his life.

I was given <i>Upon a Spring Breeze</i> in exchange for my honest review. When I read the synopsis about the novel, I was disappointed. Although I love Irvin’s writings, and I always love a good Amish novel, all I could think was: “Not another young Amish widow. Not another best friend in the mix!” This is, at least, the third Amish novel I’ve read in the last year with a similar storyline. I was hoping <i>Upon a Spring Breeze</i> would be dramatically different. The first part of the novel seemed to drag, but it was full steam ahead for the latter half. There are a few characters that diverged from the norm – Mattie’s subplot was heart-wrenching – and Bess’s post-natal depression is an important topic that definitely needs to be written about more often. But, I found myself wishing that the author had not spent so much time in certain areas of the book and further developed others. All of that being said, this novel was well worth the read. Irvin seems to enjoy building up a good story. I cannot wait for the next book in the series, as there are several characters that I want to know more about! <i>Upon a Spring Breeze</i> is a promising start and my curiosity is definitely piqued.

Upon a Spring Breeze is book one in the Every Amish Season series. Kelly Irvin writes a beautiful,emotional Amish book here. At 20 years old Bess is on top of the world. Newly married and pregnant life couldn't get better. Then as she's making stew for her husband one evening she get's the news of his death. After her son is born he looks just like her late husband and coupled with her exhaustion and her babies colic she has a very hard time dealing with it. Her hormones are out of whack because she has postpartum depression and doesn't realize it. She feels like a total failure with things. Her mother-in law has dementia and thinks Bess's baby is her son who passed away and tries to care for him which just adds to Bess's stress. Bess takes a job at a Bed and Breakfast Inn close by and the son of the owner falls for her. he is an Englisher. She now has two men that have fallen for her, Dusty the Englisher and Aidan, who was her husbands best friend since childhood. Aidan has been in love with her since childhood but she married his best friend. He still carries the strong feelings for her. Will Bess be able to choose one of the men for a new romance and another chance at a lifetime of love?
I look forward to reading book 2 in this series when it releases.
Pub Date 25 Apr 2017.
Thank you to NetGalley and Zondervan for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Upon a Spring Breeze is a beautifully written Amish book. It is a story of loss and new beginnings. I loved the story and the characters. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

I love Amish fiction because it generally transports you to a tranquil, calm world. However, Upon a Spring Breeze by Kelly Irvin is an obvious reminder that everyone suffers universal grief and tragedies.

In many ways, this was a difficult book to read. If you’ve ever mourned a spouse or suffered from post-partum depression, this story may bring back emotions that hopefully the reader is prepared to handle. For me, being an animal person, I had a hard time dealing with 6000 chickens getting killed due to the bird flu. I know that happens–but its extremely tough for me to read about after having rescued and loved a chicken.

If you’re looking for an Amish romance that is filled with quilting bees and courtship, I would look elsewhere. Bess, the widow, does find love at the end, but this is more a story about life’s seasons–going through endless rain to get to the sun.

It was well-written but definitely not a lighthearted read. Using GoodReads’ scale, I liked the book and give it 3/5 stars. This new 2017 spring title is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

For additional book reviews, please check out my blog: http://sarabethharing.wordpress.com.

By the end of this book I was pleasantly surprised in how much I liked it. For the majority of the book I was angry in how the women thought of themselves and how the men treated them. The whole I am man, you are woman thing aggravates me. I understand why they think that way but it is still hard for me to accept.

I was so happy to see how Bess grew spiritually, as a young adult and as a mother. Kelly Irvin did not hold back in creating a character with emotions that may not be socially accepted. I like reading a book that makes me think and this one did.

Will I read more of Kelly Irvin? Yes, most definitely.

This is a story of loss and trying to go on with your life. Bess was a young Amish women who growing up had friends like Caleb and Aidan. Aidan loved Bess secretly growing up but loved his best friend Caleb as well. Caleb started courting Bess and married he.r.. Bess was expecting a child when Adian asked Caleb to go to town with him and there was a accident with a truck that killed Caleb. Bess's love for Caleb was hard for her to go on with out him.. Aidan blamed himself for the death of his best friend Caleb. Bess started making choices for herself which the Amish questioned. When Caleb was dying he made a promise to watch over his wife and there boppli .When Aidan spends time with his best friends son he realizes his love for Bess. This is there story of loving someone and losing them and how they went on with there lives. A beautiful Amish story.

This was a really sweet book, but with a lot of twists and turns. I have to say that about halfway through the book, I was thinking it would end completely differently! (Not going to spoil it.) The characters are perfectly imperfect, and the Plain people are depicted as real people, rather than as people without faults, and griefs, as in some other stories. The characters go through some really deep struggles, and they are still walking through the tail end of the fire by the end of the story, but you know that everything is going to work out the way it should.

UPON A SPRING BREAK by Kelly Irwin. A year was all she had with Caleb, now gone, and she's only 20 years old. She bears a son, and is tending flowers at a B&B for an Englishman Alden who was also a friend of Caleb. A year adjustment, deaths of loved ones. Alden has always had feelings for Bess, but wonders how he can support her, just raising hogs. A thousand chickens might be the answer, but would she say yes, to being a farmer wife. Interesting Amish type story. I found this one, didn't have a smooth flowing plot. Given ARC by Net Galley for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

Bess Weaver’s world is turned upside down in Kelly Irvin’s newest book, “Upon a Spring Breeze”. Twenty and expecting their first child, Caleb and Bess think that they have a wonderful life ahead of them. In one moment it is all taken away. Bess becomes a widow one month before her child is to be born.
Aidan, Caleb and Bess’ best friend since childhood, does his best to repress his guilt over Caleb’s passing. Try as he might, he blames himself for sending him into town that tragic day. He promises on Caleb’s dying breath to watch over Bess and their unborn child. He tries to make that a reality but his long standing feelings for Bess start to get in the way.
Bess tries to find her way working in a B and B in town. When the rumor mill runs wild with stories of her and the English owner’s son, she has to begin to face reality instead of living in her own world of grief. She soon learns to rely on a group of widows in her community. The guidance and love that they giver her along with Aiden’s unyielding support soon give Bess hope that there might be a future for her and young Joshua after all.

Kelly really has a way with bringing her characters to life. The reader is quickly drawn in as the characters are so easy to identify with and root for in their quest for happiness. I really enjoyed the many strong female voices in the book. The group of supporting widows that reached out to young Bess was easy to connect with and understand their loss and struggle with their own stories. Even though at first I was not a Mattie fan, my heart began to ache for her and the fact that Soloman left his wife’s dementia untreated for so long. The author did an excellent job delicately working Mattie’s tale into the story, although I hoped that in the epilogue she would have found treatment and possibly have recovered.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from netgalley in return for my honest opinion of the book.

Upon a Spring Breeze by Kelly Irvin

This novel, although set in a Plain community, is anything but! There are complex situations, complex relationships within family, church, and community at large. Our heroine, Bess, is unexpectedly widowed in her 8th month of pregnancy. She is living in the home of her late husband's family, who are dealing with their own grief and challenges. Her late husband's family, her own family, her late husband's best friend and her new friends all have opinions about what she should (and shouldn't!) do.... But, Bess must find her own way. A wonderful and sensitive exploration of grief, human relationships and love. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the loan of a time-constrained e-copy of this book.

REview to be published on Amazon.com after publication

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read and review an advance copy of this book.

Kelly Irvin is an amazing author of Amish fiction and can really bring you into the emotions of her characters. She successfully did this in the Bee County novels, and does it again with Upon a Spring Breeze. In this novel, she explores the emotions experienced after the sudden loss of a loved one -- made particularly difficult when that loss gets intermingled with what "should be" a joyous experience like the birth of a child. Ms. Irvin deftly explores the confusion and guilt associated with post-partum depression, dementia, and the all-too-frequent expectations of those who surround us after such an event.

While the story deals with some heavy issues, the book is by no means a downer. Ms. Irvin brings us vivid joy in her depictions of flowers blooming, martin bird houses, faithful friends, and the assurance that God is in charge -- even when life is hard.

A recommended read.

have never read an Amish novel that was out and out mean, but Upon a Spring Breeze is one of those books that leaves the reader mad at nearly every character. I get that in the Amish world, a woman's place is next to a man's, and that men are heads of their households. But the men in this book missed the part in Ephesians that says the men should love the women as Christ loved the church. I do understand that the author was trying to set up her story to show what Bess was going through in her emotions of losing her husband and then having a rather fussy baby. Most of the rest of the people in this community had no sympathy for Bess. They all seemed mean-hearted and otherwise unempathetic. At best this is a two-star book.

I've read other books by Kelly Irvin before and truly enjoyed them. She is a high quality writer who just missed it with this book, unless I am not getting her message. I had a really hard time getting past the personalities of the characters to actually read the whole book.

I really appreciate Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read and review this book

Upon a Spring Breeze was a great book that really captured my attention. You can't help but love the characters and root for them to find each other.

Bess is happily married to Caleb and expecting their first child. She is living with his family. Her world is destroyed when their best friend, Aiden, comes to tell them that Caleb has been killed. Bess and Aiden both grieve the loss of Caleb in their own ways. Bess gives birth to a child but has trouble "bouncing back" after the delivery and the loss of her husband. Aiden has loved Bess for as long as he can remember but how does he love his best friend's widow.

You get to journey through grief with both Bess and Aiden. Bess tries to work but that has consequences within her community. Bess has to decide that it is safe to trust God and love again. Irvin does a great job of highlighting post par tum depression and dementia. Her writing is beautiful and filled with the love of God. The ending is wonderful as well. A must read.

"Upon a Spring Breeze" is one of the most touching stories I have read in quite a while. My heart went out to Bess, a very young widow faced with raising her newborn alone when her husband is tragically killed in an accident a month before her due date. Her Amish community rises up to show support, as do most I have read about. Her family comes together to support her as do her friends including a longtime friend of her husbands who hopes for an eventual future with her. Bess must find her way to piecing her life back together while living with her in laws, who are mostly supportive.. Her mother in laws' struggle with and denial of dementia shows an example of how Plain families are not immune to these struggles. Bess also must struggle with her communities disapproval of her seeking employment outside the community to support herself and her son. Kelly Irvin skillfully weaves together the many facets of Bess's saga to create a heartfelt, realistic story. One which I so enjoyed! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.