Book Two of the Prayer Jar series was just as compelling as the first. We revisit both girls and their current lives as they make challenging decisions and try to make peace with their pasts. Both have deep issues that need to be resolved before strong faith can enter their hearts. Initially, both harbor feelings against the other, mistrust is a huge factor. It is a story of learning to forgive yourself as well as others and truly trusting in the Lord with all of your heart.
Wanda has written an excellent and thought provoking novel that everyone will enjoy! Although you could read and understand this the second book, I highly recommend reading book one The Hope Jar for full appreciation of the series.

This is a lovely, feel good series that flows from front to back. Sara is the grand-daughter of an Amish couple living in Amish country Pennsylvania. She had not met her maternal grandparents until her mother’s death. She was quite surprised to find out her mother had been raised Amish. Sara was even more surprised to find out that her impostor (Michelle) was living with her grandparents, totally forgiven for her deceit. This is a story of transitions and sweet forgiveness with a dash romance and a sprinkling of suspense thrown in. Although this is the second in the series and it can stand on its own, I recommend reading The Hope Jar first because it is a beautiful story that provides rich context for the second in the series.

The Forgiving Jar is the second in Wanda Brunstetter’s series The Prayer Jar.. After reading The Hope Jar I was anxious to read The Forgiving Jar. After the death of her mother, Sara was shocked to learn of her Amish grandparents. Since she had no idea her mother was raised Amish Sara is anxious to meet her Amish relatives. When she arrives at her grandparents someone else is living with them pretending to be Sara! The Forgiving Jar begins with Sara returning to her grandparents, not realizing Michelle, aka the pretender, has come back and is again living with Sara’s grandparents. While her grandparents have no trouble forgiving Michelle, Sara struggles with the concept. Add her anger with her mother’s secret, a wonderful guy that seems to good to be true and living in the same house as “ the pretender “ Sara is one big mess. While taking canning jars to the basement Sara discovers a jar filled with folded strips of paper. As she goes back to the jar and reads different notes containing scripture Sara is starting to understand what anger and suspicion can do to a person’s soul and heart.
I highly recommend this book. I would also suggest reading The Hope Jar first since the stories are so intertwined..
Just a side note I wish Mrs. Brunstetter would find a replacement word for “snicker”.
I voluntarily received this book through Netgalley and Zondervan publishing.

The Forgiving Jar is beautifully written by Wanda Brunstetter with a balance of romance and yet still a degree of mystery and surprise. I feel there could be a third to come! Wanda once again capably weaves through her book the importance of forgiveness and honesty. Sara finds that she had been too quick to judge Michelle for her previous deceit when she also finds herself as the deceiver.

Book number two in Wanda Brunstetter's series, The Prayer Jars, picks up where the first book left off. In the Hope Jar, book one of the series, Michelle Taylor impersonates Sara Murray, the grandchild of Mary Ruth and Willis that they had never met. Near the end of the book, Michelle feels so guilty that she leaves and tells them what she had done in a note, at the same time that the real Sara arrives. Ezekiel, Michelle's friend, finds her and brings her back to face them and apologize for what she had done. Book two, The Forgiving Jar, finds Michelle and Sara both living with Mary Ruth and Willis, who have forgiven Michelle and want to be a part of both girls' lives. Sara is having a hard time with this, as she doesn't understand how they can be so forgiving. Michelle is also having a hard time forgiving herself for the lies she told and the way she deceived everyone. Sara is also struggling with feelings of bitterness and anger towards her mother, who had lied to her for so long before she died, while also trying to figure out her her birth father is. Can the two of them find forgiveness and move forward into the plan that God has established for them? Or will they allow fears and uncertainty to shade their future as well?
I really enjoyed this story. In fact, I didn't want to put it down. It was a great second story to the series and I can't wait for the conclusion in The Healing Jar when it comes out. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Amish fiction. Wanda Brunstetter tells a great story and really digs into issues that we all face, both Amish and English. I received a free copy of this story from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

Sara Murray is back in Strasburg with her grandparents for only the second time in her life. When her mother passed away, Sara learned that her mom had been Amish, left as a young unwed mother and never looked back. She plans to stay, find a job and get to know Willis and Mary Ruth Lapp, making up for all the time she's missed with them.

But when Sara arrives, she finds Michelle Taylor, a young woman who intercepted one of Sara's letters several months back and pretended to be Sara, tricking the Lapps for several months. When Michelle came back and apologized to them, they forgave her and took her in like their own. Sara sets out to discover the real reason Michelle came back. She doesn't trust her and doesn't want to see her grandparents hurt. In the process, Sara learns several things about herself that aren't very pretty. She's become a very angry young lady. Can Sara and Michelle coexist at her grandparents' home and maintain civility that the Amish expect?

An antique canning jar that Sara finds in the basement has many of the answers that she needs, as does a similar jar that Michelle finds in the barn. When each girl learns about the other jar, miracles begin the happen.

THE FORGIVING JAR is another inspirational story from Wanda Brunstetter that will capture your heart from the beginning. This is book two in her new series, The Prayer Jars. Sara and Michelle are in a struggle with each other, at least in their own minds, and you're not sure who to root for or who to be upset with. Ms. Brunstetter develops each character very slowly and methodically and brings the story to a delightful conclusion. The supporting characters help to move the story line along and develop the plot in a dramatic fashion. This is a story about deception, guilt, and forgiveness. And without forgiveness, healing can never come. If Christian inspirational fiction is your genre, this one's definitely for you!

The second in the Prayer Jars series, The Forgiving Jar continues the stories of Sara and Michelle in Lancaster County. Sara is having a hard time forgiving Michelle for her deceit and when she finds her moved back into her grandparents' house, her bitterness prevails. Michelle has a choice to make concerning her Amish boyfriend but not everyone is happy with her decision. Brad also has decisions to make after finding out about Michelle's deception. Will the notes found in the antique jar help the girls find forgiveness? Looking forward to the next installment - hoping for more secrets to be revealed. Highly recommended!

The Forgiving Jar is the fabulous addition from Wanda Brunstetter’s The Prayer Jars series. I just loved this book and enjoyed catching up with the characters from the first book of the series. I highly recommend for readers to read The Hope Jar before starting this one. The is a perfect story for anyone struggling to forgive themselves or others. Mrs Brunstetter has the best books for faith and inspiration and this one is no exception.
The Forgiving Jar would be getting one hundred stars if it was possible. I loved it and highly recommend it. It is among my favorites of Amish Fiction.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

**I recieved a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I have recently developed a love for Amish fiction, and have spent many hours reading about the culture and its beliefs. Having said this, The Forgiving Jar, while pure and wholesome at its thematic core, unfortunately fell short to me everywhere else.

On the positive side, I did appreciate the heart behind the novel. I also have to put a disclaimer out that I did not read the first book in this series. I received a free copy from Netgalley, and was unaware that it was a series. However, having said this, I have still written my review with that in mind. I also need to note that this review is simply why I was as disappointed with this novel. I do not wish to insult the author, her character, or the publisher.

To begin with: my first issue was with the characters. Unfortunately, I felt no connection to any of them. Sara and Michelle were impossible to tell apart; I frequently had to check back, even up into the last chapters of the book, on whose point of view I was reading—I couldn’t keep them straight. Actually, the only difference that I can think of between the two of them is that Michelle became a Christian first. To be honest, I found them both annoying. They constantly contradicted themselves and never really seemed to understand anything or empathize with anyone. The only time I saw any emotion is when Rascal, Michelle’s dog, dies, but even that was nearly impossible to connect with; I didn’t care for Michelle and subsequently not for her dog. To elaborate: in the beginning, Sara explains nonchalantly how, “As a child, [she] had envied other kids whose grandparents doted on them. Her stepfather’s parents lived in Canada, and they traveled a lot...Unfortunately, on one of their trips, they’d been killed when their plane crashed. So she had grown up with no grandparents at all” (Loc 138). This is simply stated like it’s just another everyday thing, without any sort of emotion attached to it.

Later, after Sara’s stepdad dies, she narrates about her brother, “Kenny’s graduation had taken place last week, and even though he still missed his dad, he’d been in an upbeat mood. Sara knew it was because, thanks to the inheritance he’d recieved in September, Kenny would be attending the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia” (loc 3453). When I relayed these course of events to my brother, he said, “Sounds like they killed off their father so they could get the money.” Though this is not explicitly spelled out, it would be very easy to make that inference based on the lack of emotion in the characters and, of course, the convenient way they come into a sum of money upon their dad’s death.

Moving on: Mary Ruth and Willis were sickeningly perfect. All Mary Ruth did was pray and cook food, and I didn’t see her or Willis do so much as think a slightly-off thought throughout the entire book. My main problem with this was that this was the first impression readers have of Christianity in the novel.

Generally, I was constantly confused as to what had happened with whom, and who was connected to whom, and whose family was whose; I had great difficulty keeping everything straight. Characters would often would randomly appear and disappear, without any strong clues as to who they were, where they came from, or their purpose in the story.

The plot was full of “filler scenes” and fluff that I saw no purpose to; I had trouble following the plot. Similarly, the conflict was hard to identify and felt hollow. Many scenes felt pointless and not thought-out at all. For example, in one scene, Ezekiel, Michelle’s beau, climbs on Sara’s roof to write a message in the frost for Michelle, telling her to go to the barn (where he is waiting to surprise her). Later, “Sara couldn’t help feeling...jealous of Michelle. Her boyfriend cared so much about her...he had risked life and limb to leave Michelle a message on Grandma and Grandpa’s frosty roof this morning” (Loc 2623). To which I say: that’s not love, that’s immaturity! That’s not risking your life for love—as the book implied—that’s making a fool of yourself to look good. Furthermore, throughout the story were scattered random dramatic events that go nowhere. In one scene, Sara (or was it Michelle?) witnesses a car accident and there’s all this drama—then it’s never spoken of again.

My main frustration with this novel, though, is how it seemed to believe that Amish and Christian are interchangeable terms. In actuality, they are very different. The Amish and Christian churches definitely have similar beliefs, but they are not interchangeable, which is why all the characters becoming saved through the Amish church really bothered me. Yes, the Amish can find the saving grace of Jesus—anyone can, after all—but the Amish church has some core differences from the Christian church. You can totally have an Amish character who finds Jesus; but a character does not get saved simply by becoming Amish.

Overall, I found this book to be a rough read, much to my dismay. The characters were flat and hollow, the plot was full of fluff that left me skimming chapters, and the message about Christianity was off-center. Not a read I would recommend.

The Forgiving Jar is a warm hearted lovely story. I did not read the first book in the series, but I had no trouble understanding this one. I like Amish set books, and this one is so good! You will love it if this is your type of book.

The Forgiving Jar, by Wanda Brunstetter, is a delightful and beautiful new installment in Wanda Brunstetters' latest series. In The Forgiving Jar, readers are re-introduced to Sarah as she travels to spend an extended visit with her Amish grandparents, not realizing that her imposter is still living with her grandparents.
Sarah has a difficult time, actually this is an understatement- Sarah is extremely bitter that Michelle was able to fool Sarah's grandparents for so many months into believing Michelle was Sarah.
As Sarah's visit progresses, however, she starts to feel some sense of closeness to her grandparents, as she looks for a job in the area, and as Michelle and Sarah gradually thaw towards each other. Throughout, Michelle continues to date Eli as she deices whether to become baptized as Amish in the meantime, Sarah meets and starts to spend time with Brad, who was enchanted with Michelle when he believed she was Sarah.
When Sarah receives a call from her brother informing her that her stepfather has been critically injured, another opportunity for forgiveness appears- can Sarah make peace with the stepfather she has never believed truly loved he like he loved her half brother?
I believe that fans of Wanda Brunstetter will deeply appreciate and be touched by The Forgiving Jar.

The Forgiving Jar by Wanda E. Brunstetter is book two in her The Prayer Jars series. This Amish fiction novel is another in the genre by this author of multiple bestsellers. The novel is part of a series but the author has done a good job of making it a standalone, still there are a few places where a bit more background would have enhanced the story. However, this does not detract from the overall enjoyment of this excellent book.

Sara Murray has just learned that her deceased mother’s parents are members of an Amish community in Pennsylvania. She arrives at her grandparents’ home to find a young lady posing as her. Her grandparents forgive the imposter but Sara is still resentful. Sara’s feelings of betrayal and resentment hinder her relationships with the imposter, her grandparents and her new friend, Brad. Will the bible verses and other inspirational notes she finds in a canning jar help her to forgive and move forward with a positive outlook on life and love?

Brunstetter has written an absolute gem. There are twists worthy of any action-adventure movie, except the excitement is from emotion not car chases and explosions. The author is writing from personal knowledge of Amish practices, so the novel is purely authentic.

I give The Forgiving Jar 5 out of 5 stars. It’s a great read for fans of chaste romance and/or religious fiction. If you aren’t a fan of books with religious themes, take a pass on this one.

My thanks to Barbour Publishing, Inc. and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

After Michelle left things undone with Willis and Mary Ruth she comes back to face the music. Sara the girl she impersonated is not pleased with this. She puts herself into a situation of thinking she is competing for her grandparents love. Willis and Mary Ruth care a lot about both of these girls and only want them to do well. Ezekiel wants Michelle to join into the Amish faith and become his wife. Brad is a young man Sara/ Michelle before he went off to school. He was not aware that Michelle had pretended to be Sara. He comes back for a visit and this is how he finds out. Everybody involved has to find a way to forgive . Sometimes it is easier said than done. Just like The Hope Jar the girls find hope in The Forgiving Jar. Forgiveness is hard but best for the heart. I have enjoyed this series of books very much. Once I start reading them it doesn't take long to finish.

I did not read the first book in this series but would really like to do do. I enjoy Amish books and this one did not disappoint. It is a wonderful story about forgiveness. Thanks to Barbour Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Forgiving Jar by Wanda E. Brunstetter is set in Amish country but not all of the characters are Amish.
The Lapps are Amish and live in Strasburg Pennsylvania. Michelle previously impersonated their granddaughter and has now come back to seek forgiveness. She has received it and is now living on the Lapp farm and helping them while looking for a job. Sara, the Lapps real granddaughter, is currently unemployed and decided to come for an extended visit as she also searches for work in Strasburg. She is very resentful of Michelle, especially when she learns Michelle is staying in her mother’s old room. Sara also believes that Michelle is trying to get something else form her grandparents including their love. Michelle embraces the Amish lifestyle and begins to see Ezekiel King as more than a friend and they both decide to be baptized and join the Amish church. Sara prefers to keep her car and wear her English clothes. Sara discovers a jar of Bible verses and short quotes on forgiveness hidden on a shelf in the basement. Will reading them change her heart and help her forgive Michelle? Is Michelle the only person she needs to forgive?
I enjoyed this story very much. I had previously read “The Hope Jar” which is the story of how Michelle came to impersonate Sara. There is enough background in this book that you will not feel you missed too much if you haven’t read it but I recommend it. The characters are so well-written you feel they could step off the page. I do enjoy anything written by Wanda Brunstetter and this story does not disappoint at all. She deals with a variety of topics including dating issues, religious differences, making decisions and family relationships all in very real ways without being preachy or diminishing anyone’s view. I give this book 5 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

As always Wanda Brunstetterwrote a great book. I previewed book one and now book 2. The spiritual and wholesome journey the characters make is fabulous.i am getting a prayer jar for Christmas and plan to put scripture and insughtful writings in it.

Book 2 continues the story of Sara who finds out that she has grandparents who are Amish and Michelle who posed as Sara for a few months. One amazing story of learning to forgive not just the others who have hurt you but to forgive herself. The story had me laughing, cheering and even shedding a few tears.

The Forgiving Jar

by Wanda E. Brunstetter is a new book released soon by Barbour Press. We are back in the existences of Michelle, Sara and the wonderful elderly couple in the person of Mary Ruth and Willis Lapp.

The couple if you remember the first book I previously treated and reviewed lost their daughter, and they learned this thanks to a letter sent by Sara, the daughter of their daughter, disappeared too many years ago without to let them know anymore what happened to her.
Sara after all has a good existence, but curiosity is great and the desire of trying to understand a world like the one of Amish so distant by her reality is immense. Her mother never told her that in a past phase of her existence she was an Amish.

The Lapps are at the same time extremely sad and excited. Sad because they lost their beloved daughter, but happy for the possibility of discovering this new important member of their family. They tell her that they would have met her with pleasure.

But my favorite character is the one of Michelle. Michelle lived in a disgraceful family, her boyfriend was horrible, she was homeless, no job, desperate she didn't know where to go, and when she meets this nice elderly couple asking her if she was their niece Sara, Michelle answers: yes.
Without exhitation.

For this girl, surrounded just by internal and external confusion, where there was just chaos, disorder, violence, the Lapps meant not the Paradise: more.
Good food, a family where love and friendship were visible, someone in grade of appreciating people, Michelle felt she loved immensely to staying there.

This new book focuses on the arrival of Michelle, again in the Lapps' house, this time with her name and last name Taylor for the Thanksgiving and the one of Sara. Yes, in the previous book the story was, after all, discovered.

The Lapps understood that desperation was high and the possibility of a good nest for Michelle where resting mind and body adding some good hard work and prayers was a good conclusion.
They understood her desperation. Sara at first, in this book doesn't. She thinks that maybe she is again there for opportunism; she doesn't love her grand-parents but who knows why she is there.

While Michelle is genuinily not just in love for the Lapps, her adoptive Amish family but also for that life, that she will choice of not lose anymore.

Ezekiel is the boyfriend of Michelle, while Brad in the first book attracted by Michelle/Sara maybe will start to flirt with Sara...

The jars are not so central in the story after all, because these girls will experience a lot; also the departure of a beloved domestic animal, the joy of meeting someone never seen in their existence, new jobs, friendships and meetings. A marriage and other stories will follow but what it is for sure, these jars and the Lapps will help these girls in their new path and their new existence.

A memorable story this one. Altruistic people are in grade to better the world.

I know you'll love this book. It can't be different. Wanda is in grade to speak directly to the heart of people with simplicity, accuracy and great tenderness and understanding.

I thank NetGalley and Barbour for this ebook.

Anna Maria Polidori

The Forgiving Jar is a very well written book. I enjoyed the plot and as always this author’s writing. I look forward to reading the next book in this series. I received an arc from Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

This is the second book in The Prayer Jars series by Wanda E. Brunstetter. Sara, who has decided to move to be close to her grandparents, learns that her grandparents have asked Michelle, the girl we met in the first book who had impersonated Sara, to move in with them. Sara is very upset, suspecting that Michelle has an ulterior motive that her grandparents are not aware. She can’t imagine how her grandparents could forgive Michelle for her deceitfulness and lies.

Finding an old jar in the barn filled with scriptures that all seem to be geared to forgiveness, Sara ponders these in her heart and learns that forgiveness is a necessary step she must take in order to move on with her life.

I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book and highly recommend it to those who enjoy reading Amish genre.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.