This is a fantastic look at the simplicity of life for the Amish.

There is a fairly large cast of characters to keep straight in this book. Heidi Troyer is teaching a cooking class for children this time. I enjoyed seeing the variety of children and their family situations. Each one had some type of problem that they were dealing with. It was wonderful to see how they children themselves interacted with each other and learned from realizing that each one had difficulties.

I liked it when the characters from the previous books in this series popped in for cameo appearances. It was nice to see how their lives had progressed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All of the opinions expressed are my own.

This book, the third in the Amish Cooking Class series, is absolutely wonderful! Heidi and Lyle's story truly warms the heart. And those adorable and sweet children! So much heartbreak they have faced. You will LOVE this entire series but this book really stole my heart!

I have read all of the books in this series and they are all based on an Amish Woman who offers to teach a cooking class in her home for anyone that is interested and they don’t have to be Amish to sign up and attend. My girls and I enjoyed this book together. It is a simple story. There were many outside stories but they were brought together by one main theme. Many testimonies of faith in Jesus were present. A great example of how they all helped each other through their ups and downs and in their journey to become more like Christ.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this maybe , final book in this series, was so happy to see Lyle and Heidi, get the happiness they so deserved, I still did not care for the girl from the second book who offered her baby to them and then went back on her word and to rub salt in the wound, I thought, by naming it after Heidi and continuing to show up with it at there home, I thought she was an a**hole, just my opinion

This series continues in the Amish Cookies classes offered by Heidi. She decides this time to offer them to children in order to get her two foster children more engaged with other area kids. There are many stories behind the home lives of each of the children. We have a single, widowed dad. There's the spoiled daughter of two successful professionals. There's the dedicated, and always worried about money/expenses mom with two great sounding kids and one wayward teen. We meet the separated parents and their two children. Plus, we have the daughter/mom pair struggling with the new adoption revelation. The story seems intended to appeal to a variety of family structures so that all readers can see the normalness of so many different backgrounds.

okay so my very first reaction to this book was yay!!! We get to see what happens with Heidi and lyle next, and the kiddos! but then I started the book...... although the story was good it was really hard to keep track of the people there were sooo many point of views

I received this book for free from the Author and netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

go here for my full review
https://booksnbaubles.com/the-celebration-by-wanda-brunstetter/

Amish Cooking Class-Celebration Is a book of such overwhelming I'm ending, over powering love of a parent's love for a child - including the father's love for us. Now, does that parent have to be biological to love us with such a love of a parent? Noooooooo. This is the case in this book. It brings you on a ride with all the characters and that is just what they are, characters. Two are single moms, one is a single dad, one is of mom. Each and every one of them have twists in turns in their lives going on; for some it is good and some maybe not including the Troyer's who are trying to adopt the brother and sister who are orphans. Through it all GOD is in control, Amen?

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. Another awesome book in this series. I am so glad I read them all but they can be read as stand alone too. I just so much enjoy the Amish books and how this author always portrays love and forgiveness.

Wanda Brunstetter’s many fans will love this latest addition to “The Amish Cooking Class” series. She introduced quite a few characters at the beginning of the book, but still managed to make me care about all of them. Each family represented at the cooking class has their own struggles, but I could follow each storyline clearly as the cooking classes progressed. Wanda Brunstetter’s books are always filled with faith, hope, and love, and that’s the reason I think we love them so much. The recipes included are great, too!

I’d recommend this book for a day when you need light, encouraging fiction. As always, I’m looking forward to her next book.

Here we go again. We are off to see Heidi and Lyle Troyer’s and their next adventure of cooking classes in the Amish Cooking Class: The Celebration by Wanda E Brunstetter.

Since we last saw the Troyer’s, they have welcomed in two foster children, Randy and Marsha, who have lost their parents in a tragic car accident. Both children are devastated with their lost, but feel safe at the Troyer’s. As long as the children, accept their new way of life and Heidi and Lyle, they may be adopted into their family. 🙂 Only time will tell how the children will adapt. In the mean time, Heidi feels that it would help the children if they had some interaction with some other kids in the area. This leads Heidi to open her doors once again to a cooking class. However, this time it is for children.

When Heidi begins her next round of cooking classes, not only do the children attend, but also their parents. We have Debbie and Kevin, who are the tiniest children next to to Heidi’s and whose mom is Miranda; Kassidy, who is the official class brat and her mother is Denise. Then we have two single parents, Ellen and Darren. Darren is a widower and he and his son, Jeremy are struggling with the lost of their wife and mother. And Becky is Ellen’s daughter. 🙂 Later on, we will meet the Troyer’s new neighbor, Velma, and her two younger children Peggy Ann and Eddie.

Each parent is struggling with ‘grown up’ issues; death, marriage separations, other marital issues, and family issues, etc. Through Heidi’s cooking classes and the precious verses she leaves on the back of the recipe cards, these help and speak to each individual differently, but give them much needed guidance in their current lives.

Will each parent receive the answers they need? Will they come to God for the answers? Will Heidi be able to keep these children that she dearly loves as her own? Well…. you just will have to grab a copy for yourself. If I continue, I may spoil this final installment of the Amish Cooking Class Series .

This is book three in the Amish Cooking Class series. Heidi is an Amish woman who decides to having a cooking class. Although this time it's for children, there are 5 children that sign up for the cooking class. I enjoyed reading this book very much. There were times I was laughing and than other times getting teary eyed. All the children that come to her class come with there own problems. Will this classes help them? Will there be something good to come out of these classes, for the children and their parents? I recommend this book to others. You are going to love it just as much as I did.

This book was provided to me by Net Galley and Barbour Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. All options are my own.

Wanda Brunstetter always writes authentic Amish fiction. She is very familiar with the Amish faith and community and it shows in her writing. Reading about the cooking and recipes used by the Amish make this a very special book. Heidi and Lyle are highly sensitive to others and they highly invest in the lives of their community, even Englishers. Heidi finds a unique way to help the children that she and Lyle are fostering. Will it satisfy her desperate need to have a baby to care for the brother and sister, and teach a group of children to cook?
I am assigning a 5 ***** star rating to this 3rd novel in the Amish Cooking Class series. I've really enjoyed reading all three books. It could be read as a stand-alone, but it helps to know the characters who carry over to the series.
I received a copy of this book from netgalley and Shiloh Run Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Get ready to travel back to Hedi Troyer's home as she prepares for another Amish cooking class, this time with a group of reluctant children. From being the location of the cooking class and having doggie doo-doo wiped on her porch to real-life situations and struggles faced by the families, this story took me on a journey more profound than a cooking class.

One of the unique aspects of this series is the number of characters readers get to meet in one story. In this book, we have the children and their parents, along with Lyle and Heidi Troyer, and a couple of characters from past books. I imagine this could have been challenging to keep straight for Brunstetter, but as a reader, I felt she did a fantastic job with the characters!

Through the cooking classes, we were able to see how Heidi relies on her faith and trust in God to help others, even in ways she doesn’t know. Heidi continues writing scripture verses on the recipe cards she gives to her students, and we see how these verses impact the lives of her students.

I enjoyed this story, particularly the concept of Heidi teaching a group of children how to cook. Many of the children didn’t want to attend the classes, which presented a challenge for their parents and Heidi. Wanda did an excellent job of bringing the story to life by creating real-life situations from a complaining child to family issues, which made the story believable.

I loved the way Wanda took me on a journey with the characters. I felt like I was in the story and getting to know each of the characters. When there are so many characters in a book, I think it can become easy to get lost, but I didn’t feel that way with this book. Each of the characters became real and had unique challenges to overcome.

I enjoyed this series. When the first book came out, I remember wondering if I would like this series, but Brunstetter proved her talent for writing engaging stories with relatable characters.

In the third book of The Amish Cooking Class series, Lyle and Heidi Troyer have taken in a brother and sister, who were orphaned when their parents were killed in a car accident. Heidi decides to hold a series of cooking classes for kids oping to help the children adapt and make friends, but the kids are always accompanied by an adult and this causes trouble to arise. Miranda Cooper is living the life of a single mom to her two kids while separated from her husband, but Trent is trying to worm his way back into her heart. Denise McGuire’s life as a wife, mom, and real estate broker is full and spilling over. Darren Keller, single dad and firefighter, and Ellen Blackburn, single mom and nurse, find a few things in common. Will hearts be healed over plates of Amish food? I loved the story lines and intermingling of each family,

I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Wanda Brunstetter's popular Amish Cooking Class series readers can now enjoy Amish Cooking Class The Celebration.


publishers notes.....


Return to Holmes County, Ohio, for Amish style cooking class.

Lyle and Heidi Troyer have taken in a brother and sister, who were orphaned when their parents were killed in a car accident. Hoping to help the children adapt and make friends, Heidi decides to hold a series of cooking classes for kids. But kids are always accompanied by an adult—and that is where the trouble arises.



Miranda Cooper is living the life of a single mom to her two kids while separated from her husband, but Trent is trying to worm his way back into her heart.



Denise McGuire’s life as a wife, mom, and real estate broker is full and spilling over.



Darren Keller, single dad and firefighter, and Ellen Blackburn, single mom and nurse, find a few things in common.



Will hearts be healed over plates of Amish food?


my thoughts....



I have enjoyed this series. Wanda Brunstetter has brought Heidi Troyer to life between the pages of these books. Heidi is the woman you want to sit down with a cup of coffee and share your heart. She is unselfish and possesses that quiet patience that you wish you could tap into. She has plenty of her own burdens yet seems to accept those she doesn't understand. Her faith is strong and after she writes out the recipes for her cooking classes she prayerfully writes a verse of scripture on the back of each card. As she does so, she prays that the verse will touch someone in her class.


Heidi and her husband Lyle are foster parents to Marsha and Randy, who lost their parents in an accident. They come to realize that the love they have for the children is as trues as if they were their own flesh and blood. As they seek adoption, the cooking class begins and with the new students, it brings people together as only Heidi Troyer can. Each student brings not only their own special needs but those of the parents who can't seem to just drop off their kids to learn on their own. Heidi's quiet ways have a ripple effect beyond her kitchen.



Wanda Brunstetter has a knack for writing about human nature. This book captures the importance of family, no matter what it looks like. From the darkest of times many blessings can come and families can become stronger. In our world, it is a blessing to see how faith can change people who may otherwise have been overlooked and unloved. I heartily recommend Amish Cooking Class - The Celebration, a truly heartwarming story.

The Celebration is such a good book. Very well written inspirational book with a great plot and cast of characters. I have really enjoyed the Amish Cooking Class book and I highly recommend them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is the third in the Amish Cooking Class series. Readers will enjoy following the kids and their families in this book on everyday mishaps and will be shown how to continue to keep the faith, even when they may feel like giving up. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Barbour Publishing in return for an honest review.

I was a little leery when I sat down to read this book over my weekend. I’ve talked to a few readers who struggled with the book. Mainly the sheer number of characters but a few other smaller things as well. If you have ever read one of my reviews you know that if you give me more than one character I tend to get confused. Heck sometimes one is too much unless they are named Janet (shhh, don’t tell anyone my real name m’kay?). As a rule sitting down to read Wanda is relaxing. Her simpler writing style with uplifting messages of love and hope are perfect when things are weighing. A book I can get lost into for an hour or two. I was nervous starting this one after some, not all, of the feedback I’d heard.

I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there are a load of characters. I am hesitant to say boat load and be cliche but it’s legitimately true. Surprisingly enough I struggled less with tracking and following this literal boat load of characters than I did in previous books. Perhaps because so many were children, perhaps because the issues that arose were on different spectrums. I don’t know why really. No keep in mind keeping track of who is who is totally different than remembering which name went with which situation. Names, yup the still escape me for the most part. There were a couple of things that popped up for me though that I hadn’t heard about from other readers. Perhaps I just became caught up in worry over numbers. There were a few story sequencing issues that I came across. Like Lyle thinking about painting the kids rooms to make them feel more welcome and then almost immediately Heidi telling the kids their rooms were done being painted. Or Velma coming into the cooking class and Ellen not recognizing her from the car crash that she stopped to help at.

With the volume of characters there was an equal volume of issues to work through. While I do love the simpler, sweeter writing style of Wanda I feel like there were a lot of tough issues that were brought up but not enough opportunity to address them fully. Some things feel too neatly resolved (Kassidy and her family come to mind). Some things had neat little bows wrapped around them (if you don’t remember how I feel about those – it’s not positive). While I appreciate a happy ending and book titled ‘Celebration’ should have reason to celebrate I’m not a fan of neat endings leaving nothing to tie up.

All that said, I did enjoy this book. Not as much as the first two but it was still a great weekend read. Wanda has a style that just calms the pace of life. You won’t find a lot of drama, even the drama has smooth edges. You won’t find a lot of tension. You won’t find a race to an ending. You will find positive conclusions of a story filled with faith and love. Love for others (not necessarily romance people) and love for God.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Barbour Publishing, NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Amish Cooking Class – The Celebration by Wanda E. Brunstetter is the third book in this Amish series. Lyle and Heidi Troyer are enjoying being foster parents to Marsha and Randy. The two children lost their parents in an auto accident and have been living with the Troyer’s for the last four months. Marsha is starting to talk, but Randy still refuses to obey Heidi at times. Lyle suggests that Heidi hold cooking classes for children. It will give the kids a chance to socialize with other children. Heidi quickly learns that teaching children is very different from adults. Anything can and will happen especially when children are present. Heidi has a diverse group in her latest cooking class. Miranda Cooper is estranged from her husband which leaves her managing their two children on her own. Her husband, Trent wants to return home and hopes Miranda will forgive him for his transgression. Darren Keller is a widower whose son loves cookies. The cooking classes will teach the boy cooking and keep him occupied. Denise McGuire might as well be raising her daughter on her own. Her husband is busy with work and Kassidy is getting out of control. Ellen Blackburn is a single mother. Her daughter, Becky is very shy, and Ellen hopes the class will help the child come out of her shell. Velma Kimball and her family have moved in down the street. Velma would like her daughter, Peggy Ann to attend the class. Due to lack of funds, though, she cannot afford it and hopes to work out a trade with Heidi. With God’s help, Heidi will make it through the six weeks of classes and hopefully help each of these families.

Amish Cooking Class – The Celebration can be read alone, but I highly recommend reading the first two books in this lovely, heartwarming series. I found the book to be well-written and to have a nice pace. I was immediately drawn into the story and I did not want to stop reading. I stayed up very late to finish this marvelous book. Heidi is such a sweet woman with a big heart. The author created characters that are very real. They have problems in their lives that readers can relate to. The scripture provided on the back of the recipe cards plus the behavior they witness in the Troyer home guides each of them. They begin to question their lives and make changes. Some of the themes present in Amish Cooking Class – The Celebration are forgiveness, grace, love, friendship, prayer, trusting God, family, helping others and learning from our mistakes. We all make mistakes (sometimes the same one over and over). The trick is to learn from them. Amish Cooking Class – The Celebration is my favorite book in the series. I enjoyed reading each of them, but this one is special. The children added another element to the story. Your heart will go out to the families especially the Kimball’s. This is one of those books that will tug at your heartstrings as well as provide you with moments of laughter. The ending was delightful. Ms. Brunstetter did a fabulous job of wrapping up the various storylines and providing readers with a joyous conclusion. Fans of Wanda E. Brunstetter and Amish fiction will be delighted with Amish Cooking Class – The Celebration.

Even though this is book three in a series, you won't feel this one lacking or that you're behind if you haven't read the previous two. Although, I do recommend reading them.
Heidi and Lyle, an Amish couple, become foster parents after learning they will not have biological children of their own. In this book, they are fostering young Marsha and Randy who lost their parents in an auto accident and so far, no relatives have came forward. Heidi and Lyle are both growing to love these two children dearly.
Having taught cooking classes before, Heidi came up with an idea to do another cooking class, but to do this one for children and to include Marsha and Randy. Heidi gets quite the variety of students, each with his/her own challenges. The oldest of the children, Kassidy, is arrogant, prideful, hateful, rude and not happy to be in the cooking class. Her mother thought it would be good for her.
There's a little boy whose mom passed away two years ago. Also, in the class is a young brother and sister whose parents are currently separated. These are just a few of the children in Heidi's class. Lots of dynamics.
In the beginning, I thought Heidi had the worst idea ever to have cooking classes for children, due to some events that happened in the classes. I'm afraid I would not have handled the situations as well as Heidi. She is a loving woman of patience, for sure.
Heidi and Lyle have new neighbors, Velma and Hank. Hank is gone most of the time with his job, leaving Velma to deal with the household and their children alone. Velma has had a lot of heartache. Their older son left home and they have no idea where he is. Their older daughter ran away with her good for nothing boyfriend, leaving a note for Velma. Heidi offers to let Velma's younger daughter, Peggy, join her cooking classes. Velma offers to do work for Heidi in exchange for the classes. Velma and Hank have more trouble and distress to add to that of their older children and money being very tight. In their despair, Heidi and Hank are able to show them the love of friends and God.
Wonderful story and with Heidi's recipes at the end.
I was given a free ecopy of this book to read by the publisher, Shiloh Run Press and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.