I have never met a Bette Lee Crosby novel I wasn’t in love with and “A Year of Extraordinary Moments” is no exception. Bette brings our the best in women’s fiction. I am in love with her characters and hope to meet them again.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

There are so many wonderful characters to enjoy and appreciate in this second installment in the Magnolia Grove series. But then there is Dominic. He pushed all of my buttons and I wanted to just pop him upside the head and tell him to get his act together.

There are some deep issues addressed in the book … from cancer to hearing impairment, single parenting, loss of family … and tempers them with continuing and developing family and friendships. The relationships established throughout the pages are touching. It is a heartwarming story of self-discovery, hope, love, and commitment. There are so many poignant moments as Alice’s desire to spend her remaining time getting to know her great grandson is fulfilled.

The author does an amazing job of developing the characters, bringing the reader into their lives, and making you invested in their stories. I hope she will continue the Magnolia Grove series. There is still so much you can learn as you experience the personal growth of Tracy and Meghan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is the first book I have ever read by Bette Lee Crosby. My mom had recommended it to me because there's a kid who has cochlear implants and that resonates with me on a personal level. While this is a follow up to The Summer of New Beginnings, it was easy to understand what was going on, as a lot of background was filled in.

A Year of Extraordinary Moments was a sweet story about family and love. It was interesting to see different perspectives throughout the story. I don't think the character's first person thoughts needed to be in the story, when they could easily be voiced in third person during the character's narrative. Lucas seems like he is a really cute kid. The story had a cozy feel to it, which I enjoyed.

While I am all about the miracles of cochlear implants, I felt like people who are deaf and don't wish to get a CI will be put off by some of the things the characters said in this novel. Also, I had some realistic concerns about the timing between Lucas's hearing loss diagnosis and when he got his cochlear implant. It seemed too quick for me, but maybe the process has sped up, compared to the early part of this decade.

While the story is a bit happy-go-lucky, given that even when there was a problem, it was easily resolved, it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Movie casting suggestions:
Tracy: Mary Mouser
Meghan: Hayley Orrantia
Gabriel: Brett Dier
Dominic: Jake T. Austin
Alice: Dana Ivey

Unfortunately I had to purchase a new Kindle device and could no longer access this book. I will come back and review if I read this in the future.

I really enjoyed this book because I connected to the main character, Tracy. It always seems when you feel your life is perfect here comes someone from your past to make you question what you really want versus what you think you want and this book showcases that dilemma very well. This is the second book in the series although I was 100% able to follow along and fill in missing pieces without having read the first book.If you enjoy family drama, parent-child relationship dynamics, this is the book for you, honestly the characters could very well be people in your own neighborhood or friends list. I found myself rooting for Tracy and at times shaking my head, I love books where the characters are multi dimensional and I find myself talking out loud, and experiencing a wide range of emotions about the character. It is definitely worth a read!

A Year of Extraordinary Moments is the second installment in the Magnolia Grove series. In the first book, The Summer of New Beginnings, we meet the Briggs family. Meghan is the steadfast, dependable sister that has a heart for her family and whatever makes them happy. Tracy is the fun loving sister that grew up too fast and fell in love with the wrong boy. Back home with a baby in tow, Tracy is happy to be surrounded by family as she is dealing with a young child that’s hearing impaired. In this book, we meet Alice, The baby’s paternal grandmother, who discovers that Dominic has had a child and abandoned Tracy and her son. Anxious to meet her grandbaby and to do right by him, Alice tries to talk some sense into Dominic. But he’s not buying into the whole fatherhood idea just yet. He’s still trying to figure out how to make a buck without having to work for it.

This is the second book in the series and could be read alone, however, it’s got so much tied into the first book that I would really recommend that you read the first book before reading this one. Then I would suggest you put both books somewhere that you can find them again because you’ll want to go back and reread them again. They’re that good!

The inspiring story of a single mom learning to cope with the challenges of life and learning to make wise choices. It is both a family story and a romance. This novel won the FAPA President's Book Award Gold Medal for Romance.

love, love, loved this book - second in the series it picks up after The Summer of New Beginnings left off. The story centres on Tracy who has put her past behind her and settled into life as editor for A local paper, her son Lucas attends a nearby school and she has a new admirer. But the past is not finished with her - an old lady knocks on the door and announces she is the great grandmother of Lucas and wants to spend time getting to know him. Then Lucas’s father arrives in town demanding access to the son he has rejected for years.

From this point the story takes off and tackles important topics such as disabilities, single mother hood, abusive partners, cancer and love. Bette brings her characters alive with love and compassion - even her baddies are brought alive by being assigned motivation for their actions. This is a book that deserves your undivided attention, a glass of wine, some cheese and biscuits, and your phone disconnected.

Can’t wait for the next book to come out.

I always enjoy books by this author and this was no exception. I was glad to dive back into the lives of Meghan and Tracey where they left off in The Summer of New Beginnings. Each of the sisters has moved on a bit in their lives but the past is still holding both of them back in different ways. For Tracey, it is Lucas' father. For Meghan, it is the memory of her father and the Snip and Save.

Even though we know some of the main characters, a few new ones are introduced - Lucas' Great Grandmother, Alice, and her friend Charlie. We also learn more about Dominic and his life growing up and why he perhaps turned out the way that he is portrayed.

This story deals with love, loss, new family, and hope for the future. Reading this book I grew to dislike Dominic quite intensely as he is very selfish. I felt for Alice and what she had hoped by asking Dominic to come home in her final time before cancer took her. But rejoiced as Alice was able to get to know her great-grandson, Lucas.

This story brought out all the emotions, from joy to sadness, laughter to anger. I highly recommend this book but make sure you read book #1 first for your introduction to the Brigg's family.

This is a wonderful series by a writer I love. Book 2 in the Magnolia Grove series it is a sweet love story that is easy to read with just the right amount of tension and Christian lifestyle. Tracy is getting her life together, helping Lucas her hearing impaired son and dating his teacher. She tries hard to make sure he has a relationship with her ex husband's grandmother Alice. When Alice gets terminal health report she contacts her grandson hoping that He and Tracy will get back together. Strong characters and relationships are the backbone of this story. This book can be read as a stand alone but the background story is nice to have. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Loved this book! The cover caught my eye, and the heartwarming novel itself kept me drawn in. Cant wait to read more of her books.

Loved this book. Bette Lee Crosby is my #1 Author. All her book are awesome. Everyone should get her book and read it and all of them. Check out her Facebook and Amazon pages and you will see this awesome book and all of them..

What a wonderful story! It was so lovely to revisit the Briggs family and read about what they’ve been up to. This story is more directed by Tracy and that means Dominic unfortunately. He is so reprehensible. Breaks his poor Grandma’s heart, steals, cheats, lies & tries to make trouble for Tracy. I felt like a horrible person when I kep hoping he would wrap his car around a tree while drunk driving. He came into Magnolia Grove with intentions of taking care of Grandma Alice and after she passed he cause maximum trouble then bailed. He is the kind of character a reader can really get behind despising.
The end of the story was supremely satisfying and I finished off with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Another great book by Crosby!

Just like any other Bette Lee Crosby Book I have read, this one did not disappoint. Loved every minute of it.

Heartbreaking but at the same time times gives me hope. You can connect to the characters and feel them in and with you after finishing the book.

Hallmark movie in a book. Never anything very heavy and predictable. The characters are very one dimensional. If you want a quick escapist read where everything ends pleasantly, then this is okay. Otherwise, skip it.

Bette Lee Crosby never lets you down when you open one of her books. A Year of Extraordinary Moments is no exception. You will fall into the pages and won't want to stop reading. This is another heart-warming family story with great characters.

Another great installment in the Magnolia Grove series. Betty Lee Crosby is a favorite author. This book is an emotional ride for sure. Its charming and lovely. I look forward to more in the series .

This book had me feeling all the feels - happy, sad, joy, angst, etc.! I enjoyed reading about the continued growth for Tracy and how everything was going for her and Lucas. You know that Dominic wouldn't just leave everyone alone and would be back like a virus. Every character can be easily related to someone you may know and you find yourself feeling like a part of the story. Definitely a story with extraordinary moments throughout! A heartwarming read for your next night in!

Another great book by author, Bette Lee Crosby! I love the Magnolia Grove series! Crosby weaves a great tale balancing the tenderness of mothers' and grandmothers' hearts with the depravity that can occur when money is involved and a relationship ends. Crosby has such a way with words and I can't wait to see what she has in store next!

A very sweet read about finding the joy in an ordinary day. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author. All opinions are my own.