Sara found that her mother was amish, when she died.
How could her mother lived without say her anything about her legacy?
"If everyone were honest, the world would be a better place", Sara muttered.
Sara become anger and eager to know her Granpa and Granma, it's difficult forgive.
as always, Wanda Brunstetter wrote a wonderful and heartful story, that it make me cry, hope, wonder, breath taking and feel at home.
sure I'll miss Sara and all the characters they keep me company true the story!

A well written, sweet, heartwarming story that is the second book in the Prayer Jar series. This book encompasses faith, grace, healing, and forgiveness. If you are a fan of Amish & Christian fiction you will not be disappointed.

This book was a pure delight to read it picked up right where the first book in the series left off. I do recommend reading The Prayer Jars first to get the full benefit of the back story. It does explain the back story in this book but you'll really want to read the first one anyways. Can't wait for the next one.

The Forgiving Jar is the second book in The Prayer Jars series. It would be helpful to the reader to read the first book in this series, The Hope Jar, in order to get a better idea of what is going on in the story.

In this book, Sara moves in with her grandparents, Mary Ruth and Willis. She learns that her impostor, Michelle, who has come clean about the situation, is now living with her grandparents. Sara has to find her way and come to terms with how to forgive Michelle and live a more Christian life.

This book was really good and proved to be difficult to put down. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series, The Healing Jar.

I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, Wanda E Brunstetter has given a heartfelt story from the Amish country. The second of the Prayer Jar series has taken two girls through their troubling feelings into a more sincere relationship within a familial community. A great snuggle up read from Netgalley, I cannot wait to see what’s next.

I always enjoy Wanda's books. I love learning new Amish vocabulary as well. A woman discovers that she has Amish heritage after the death of her mother. She also discovers that someone has been impersonating her at her grandparent's home. This story is a tear jerker!

Great book :)
This book really is about all aspects of the idea of forgiveness. The characters are very believable in their struggles to forgive and their thoughts and actions.
I loved the idea of the forgiving jar, I am going to start writing out verses that pop out at me and putting them in a jar.
I would highly recommend adding this book to your TBR pile :)
I volunteered to read this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest feed back. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.

I think two stars is generous for this book. It opens with a storyline that feels like there should be a first book before it. Although I looked all through the copy I was given, I couldn't find a label anywhere that said this was book 2. Though I did just find on Amazon that this is, indeed, the second book of a series. This book is not a standalone read, even though the author vaguely mentions again and again what happened in the first book.

I found the two main characters decidedly unlikeable. They both behaved like junior high children instead of young women. Throwing tantrums and running up the stairs to your room because the actual granddaughter gave a bigger poinsettia than you did? Ridiculous.

I found myself frustrated at the lack of action on the part of the Amish family as well. Sure, they were kind to help Michelle, but it seems they did so in total disregard to their actual granddaughter's feelings. I believe they could have helped Michelle without alienating Sara at the same time.

I admit I did not finish this book, as I couldn't stand the arguing and childish behaviour of the main characters. I know Amish fiction is decidedly more unbelievable than most fiction, but this one was way out there for me. I didn't enjoy any part of it and would NOT look up the other books in the series. I do not care what happens in the least.

5 Stars (5/5) *****
Are you looking for a fun, clean book to read? This book fits the bill. It is a book full of deception, secrets, hope, and forgiveness. The characters are likable and well-defined. This book includes characters from book one in The Prayer Jars series by Wanda Brunstetter. It continues Sara's story. The book could be read as a standalone but I personally feel that it would be more enjoyable to read book one first, The Hope Jar.
I received a print copy of this book from the author and a digital copy from netgalley and Shiloh Run Press in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sara Murray has finally connected with her grandparents and plans to live with them when her job and school wrap up near Philadelphia. She is delighted to have time with them, since she didn’t know about them until her mother’s death. Unfortunately, interloper Michelle is also back in Strasburg, living as an adopted (and forgiven) granddaughter with the grandparents. Sara is not easy to forgive as she resents Michelle’s comfort in the home. Sara carries around some resentment toward her stepfather that is causing her to be miserable around Michelle. She also poses as a Christian to minister-in-training Brad with whom she is developing a deepening relationship. Through the story, Sara and Michelle both find forgiveness scripture in jars hidden in the barn and the basement. They do realize, early on, that each of them is finding and reading the notes. They are not sure who put the notes out, though the two girls take them to heart.

A health crisis with her stepfather takes Sara back to the city and she needs to reconcile her feelings toward him. Forgiveness is powerful and this book shows the heartache when forgiveness is not permitted.

I read the first book in this series last year and for the most part I enjoyed it. This book is kind of a continuation of that story. I do feel like it would really benefit to read the first book to get the whole picture, however, I suppose a person could just read this book, as there is a bit of back drop.
This book focuses more on Sara than Michelle, but actually has quite a bit of both characters. (Michelle was the main character of the first book.) Sara, who is introduced in the first book, comes to live with her Amish grandparents, only to find that Michelle, who deceived her grandparents in book one, has returned. Sara has plenty of resentment and bitterness from her past, mostly focused on the fact that her mother kept the fact that she was brought up Amish from her. And she also never told Sara who her father was. Sara simply cannot forgive or get past it. Seeing Michelle only stirs up more resentment and bitterness. Sara, who is not a Christian, finds the jars in the basement with verses and prayers on slips of paper and begins reading them. Slowly, God begins a work in her life.

What impressed me about this book is that God's Word is a living and active Word. The same verses that helped aid in Michelle's healing, conviction and bringing her to the Savior as prayers in the first book, also brought Sara to God in the second, but centered more on forgiveness this time around. Which, of course, demonstrates how the Scriptures are living and active and just what we need for each circumstance we are going through. The same Scripture can impress us in different ways.

The idea of Michelle becoming Amish was interesting. I wasn't really sure if she would have decided on it, if it hadn't been for Ezekiel and her interest in him or not... I think it would have been interesting to know a little more about the classes she was taking, and the possibility of things not working out with her and Ezekiel affecting her decision. I was happy for them, but I kept wondering what would have happened if things hadn't worked out between them, would she still have wanted to be Amish?

Once again, the style of dialog for wasn't really my favorite. It still kind of felt like it was written for a younger age group. I felt the same way about the first book. Parts seemed simple with not a lot of depth to the characters or much description. There were times when the characters really annoyed me! It centered a lot around what they were thinking. However, that didn't deter me from reading and I still found the plot to be interesting. I do feel it could have been a bit shorter.


I was blessed with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I loved reading this book. I had read The Hope Jar previously and I was glad that this book was following what happened after "The Hope Jar". It's a great book about forgiving someone who has done something wrong to you. I love to read books about the Amish lifestyles see the difference between the Amish and the English. I felt like I could actually feel like I was there along side of Sarah and Michelle and watching their stories as they came to light of what was actually happening in their lives. I would recommend this book and I will most likely read both the Hope Jar and Forgiving Jar again. I have several of Wanda Brunstetter's books and I have thoroughly enjoyed them.

“The Forgiving Jar” by Wanda Brunstetter continues the story begun in “The Hope Jar.” Familiar characters from the first book return and their life stories are continued and expanded in this second volume. For me, this installment ended more satisfactorily than the first book in the series, since that one was a real cliff-hanger, with many loose ends that needed to be tied up.

The story of the Lapp family (Mary Ruth and Willis) continues, as their real granddaughter Sara and their “adopted” granddaughter Michelle try to make peace. Love elements for both young ladies are introduced. Themes include struggling with faith and forgiveness, personal peace, and relationships.

I have read many books by this author, but this one did not seem as smoothly written as the others. The overtly Christian message may not appeal to all readers of Christian fiction. This booked seemed to be more “preachy” than others by this author. However, it was still a page-turner for me, and I look forward to the third book in the series that wraps it all up.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This has been such a wonderful book to read. The author gives us a story of two women both looking for forgiveness and acceptance. Throughout the story the author references what happened in the first book which helps readers who haven't read the first in this emotional series.

I loved that we got to know more about Sarah in this story. After finding out someone has impersonated you, become almost a member of the family and gotten close to your grandparents, it is hard for Sarah to forgive Michelle. Sarah has other issues as well, like not knowing her grandparents even existed thanks to her mother. She still has the question of who her father is and hopes to get some answers soon.

I loved reading how Sarah and Michelle interacted with each other. It was hard for them to live in the same house and Sarah does not trust Michelle at all. Michelle had a very hard life and we find out a bit more about her past which helps readers relate to her. We all make mistakes but being forgiven is a choice which Sarah is still having a hard time doing.. When Sarah discovers a jar in the basement one day, she realizes that it is filled with scriptures. The scriptures she read were exactly what she needed that very day. She is an angry young woman who isn't even sure if God is real sometimes.

I enjoyed watching Sarah slowly try to forgive Michelle but it will take lots of work and prayer. The jar is very significant and I would love to have one myself. That jar is filled with hope, forgiveness and love. Will Sarah allow God back into her life? Can she forgive Michelle for hurting her? I absolutely adored Sarah's grandparents. They are such a giving couple and full of love and compassion. They open their home with open arms and you can't help but feel the presence of God there. It would be nice to sit and visit with them and enjoy a meal as you are surrounded by love. Their steadfast faith encouraged others around them.

As Sarah finds herself at a crossroad one day, her emotions overflow and it was a beautiful well written scene in the story. It is never easy to swallow your pride but Sarah will find that she isn't alone as she struggles with her past. The story has many ups and downs which keeps readers intrigued. There are some emotional moments that made me cry. I highly recommend this story of forgiveness, love and the importance of family. I look forward to the next in the series.

The Forgiving Jar by Wanda E. Brunstetter is book two in her The Prayer Jars series.
We start back with Sara Murray and her discovering her mother’s parents. She arrives to find that an imposter has already arrived claiming to be her. Sara struggles to overcome this and it is refreshing from the standpoint of the reader to see a real life struggle with oneself. Sara has difficulty looking past the betrayal as the relationship she hoped to develop with her grandparents has been blossoming with someone else.

This is a terrific story and the fact that the scriptures that helped another are now helping Sara to overcome her hardships is touching. It truly reflects that God is aware of what He is doing.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from netgalley.com and Barbour Publishing, but was not obligated to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Wanda Brunstetter is one of my favorite authors of Amish fiction, and this book did not disappoint.
A continuation from the first book in the series, but no worries if you haven't read the first one yet. You will still enjoy this one.
Sara Murray discovered after her mother's death that she had grandparents in Pennsylvania who were Amish! How could her mother keep her family from her? She never knew her grandparents existed.
When she traveled to meet them, she was shocked beyond belief to discover another young woman (Michelle) living with her grandparents pretending to be her. That is from the first book.
In this one, Sara had to go back home, but returned to her grandparents home only to discover that Michelle, who had left, was back living with them! Sara was both angry and jealous, as her grandparents truly seemed to care about Michelle. It is the Amish way to forgive, but to allow her to live in their home after deceiving them in such a horrendous way, as well as stealing money from then when she left.
Michelle tries to befriend Sara, but Sara wouldn't have it and tension is in the home, bringing concern to the grandparents. Michelle has repented, but Sara doesn't trust her at all. Michelle is even considering becoming Amish herself. Why would she do this? Is it to only gain favor with Sara's grandparents?
Sara finds a jar in the basement with little pieces of paper inside. She begins going to the jar whenever she has the chance and reading some of the papers. Michelle, is doing the same with a jar she found in the barn. You will have to read this story to discover what is on the pieces of paper, for I am not spoiling that one for you!
Wonderful story of forgiveness. I think everyone has had problems forgiving someone at some point in their lives, and this story is a wonderful example of Go at work in that area.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is an second in a series and I am definitely looking forward to the third in the series. There probably is enough information in this book to read as a stand alone but recommend reading the first book also.

Michelle has decided to become Amish and Sara is still trying to find her way in life. Sara grandparents are Amish whom she just recently became to know. There is lot of other characters in the book that I hope will be in the next book. A very inspiring story.

I received a advanced copy of the book from the publisher. I was not required to write an positive review.

I really enjoyed reading this book, of course reading any of Wanda's books is always a joy. Knowing that Sara finally forgave Michelle for her wrongdoing made my heart feel so good. When Sara finally let the Lord into her heart was the greatest thing that could have happened. I loved that Michelle wanted to become Amish so that she and Ezekiel could start courting and hopefully be married some day. Sara and Brad were seeing each other, but Sara deceived Brad by telling him she was a Christian and at the time she was not, it was only when her step dad was in a horrible accident is when she found a verse in her purse that it finally hit home that she found the Lord. I am not going to say anymore about the book, because it would ruin it for you. You really need to read this book because it really touches your heart. I would give this book a 10 if I could. I enjoyed it that much.

How would you react if someone stole your identity, created a relationship with your grandparents (that you have never met!) pretending to by you, and the ran for the hills with money they ‘borrowed’ without asking from said grandparents? How would you react when you return back to visit and find this same person living with your grandparents. . .again? Could you forgive them? Would you even want to? I’ll be honest. I’d probably want to throat punch them every day of the week, not just Thursday. I think the idea of forgiveness would make me see red and make we want to have them see stars, forget the actual act of forgiveness. I think if each one of us were honest that would be our reaction. I think it would even be hard to give ‘lip service’ to the idea of forgiveness. The difference between myself and Sara is that with time, she can see a way forward. The difference between me and Willis and Mary Ruth is night and day. I pray to have a heart of forgiveness that they have cultivated. I’m not a hothead by any stretch, I’m more a mad crier, but I don’t know that I wouldn’t react more viscerally to something like this. Hopefully I never have to find out!

While I can, and do, completely commiserate with Sara she is the one that really and truly got on my nerves this time. She is the one that started trending to the unlikable. I think in her quest to vindicate herself she is vilifying Michelle, beyond what is truly necessary. Brad, who professes to simply want to get to know the real Sara, is quick to latch onto Sara’s judgement and also way too quick to decide they might have a future together. It felt a little too much too fast tossed with a side of might be insta-love. Ezekiel on the other hand is just head over heals all is well with the world. I feel like he was too caught up in Michelle before either one of them made any decisions that greatly impact their actual future. I am trying to tread lightly here so as not to spoiler anything. So basically, Sara needs to stop talking to her self so much and dumping on Brad so much because that might make me like her a bit better. Brad needs to slow his romance roll a smidge while Michelle and Ezekiel are floating in a bubble of love that no one can rain on their parade. The things that annoyed me in a nutshell. However, it truly was not annoying as I did absolutely love this book. Like in ‘The Hope Jar‘ they were mere hiccups.

I love that the jars came back into play, and actually played into a bonding opportunity for Sara and Michelle. I wish they had been featured more prominently though there was more meat to the jars this time around. There are still so many unanswered questions too. Like who wrote them!?! I would love to see the girls add to these jars or even start their own. I mean, these jars have helped them both to right their wrongs and find their way to faith. These jars have helped Michelle find her place in the world, a family she has never had, and her ever after. They have started that journey for Sara as well. Do you ever come across something in a book and wish you had thought of it. An ‘I could have done that’ moment. And there’s a part of you want wants to do it and a part of you that feels like you are too old to do it and another part altogether that wishes you had done it ‘back when’. I feel that. I also wish someone before me had done this for me to find as I struggled through the years that are stereotypically agnsty. I know there has to be another book. There are too many loose ends for my personal satisfaction. Like who wrote them! I will wait ever so impatiently for that book to find it’s way into the world.

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.

Wanda Brunstetter is a prolific writer of Amish stories. She is writing a series called The Prayer Jars. I have read the first two books in the series. I am reviewing the second book, “The Forgiving Jar”. In the first book, a homeless young woman, Michelle, was able to pretend to be the long-lost granddaughter of Willis and Mary Ruth Lapp. She connives to stay with this older couple as their granddaughter and finds herself loving them as grandparents.

However, the real granddaughter, Sara, finally comes to Lancaster County only to find that her grandparents are skeptical of her. Michelle, meanwhile decides to come back to the Lapps to apologize and return the money she “borrowed” from them so that she could leave when she knew the real Sara was on her way. The two girls meet, and although Michelle is penitent and tries to make amends, Sara is having a hard time forgiving her. This is where the “forgiving jar” comes in. Both girls have come across old canning jars full of inspirational notes that pertain to their position in life. The girls come to realize what is really important.

This is Ms. Brunstetter at her best. Her Amish novels are all about living a simple life with forgiveness and love in your heart…very uplifting.