"And me? I would always be the designated driver of the emotional vehicle that carried our merry little trio."

Brace yourself for an emotional impact when you pick up this book. This book, written in first person perspective from middle sister Jillian and third person from oldest sister Johanna and youngest sister Payton, will burrow deep into your heart with its raw, real, and heart-rendering discovery of self, love, sisterhood, and faith as the sisters battle the hard things of life like cancer survival, insecurity of never being seen and never being enough, past family tragedies, betrayal, and loss of hopes and dreams. I didn't read the first book (Things I Never Told You) and I do feel that I missed some background history of Payton and her deceased twin sister Pepper but the author did an excellent job of weaving the past and Payton's story from book one into this storyline. I don't have sisters but felt the sisterly dynamic and the struggle of sisterhood all the way down to my bones due to the author's gift with words. Beth Vogt paints a beautifully broken world full of hurting people striving for hope in the Thatcher sisters and those looking for a stirring and insightful contemporary women's fiction will love this book.

Jillian, the forever peacemaker in the family, is at the bottom of the pit, even after surviving breast cancer. As her life spirals out of control, her oldest sister Johanna, who has had her life in a neat and tidy square box all her life, faces personal challenges and work changes that send her life spinning. Payton, the youngest, is still trying to come to grips with her newfound faith and her budding feelings for Zach as her overloaded school and work schedule threaten to topple her. The three sisters are very different but compliment each other so well when they're actually in agreement. Payton and Jillian's walk toward faith is natural and encouraging.

I can't wait to read the third book, which will likely feature Johanna as the first person narrator. She's the least likable of the three sisters but I'm sure that she'll have the biggest change of heart and spirit that will draw the sisters in a tighter bond than just genetics alone.

I received a copy of the book from Tyndale House Publishers via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

Moments We Forget by Beth K. Vogt is book 2 in the Thatcher Sisters series. Ms. Vogt writes compelling, emotional novels and this one is no exception. The first novel in this series, Things I Never Told You, made me cry with its emotional depth and complex emotions. This book picks up the story and continues to explore the complex relationships of the three sisters and their individual lives. Jillian is the focus of this story as she copes with her cancer treatments, her new marriage, and a kitchen remodel. I absolutely love how Ms. Vogt brought these elements to life. When you read this novel, you feel entirely engrossed in their world. Pick up this book. You'll experience a whirlwind of emotions and find such great depth. It is well worth the read!

What truly sets apart Beth Vogt as an author is the remarkably well rounded characters in her novel. They are so well-developed and flawed yet still likable-- they feel so very real. The Thatcher sisters have so many hurts, past and present, to conquer and I love how the novels explore their interactions throughout the years. I look forward to the next novel in this series. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Last year I read and reviewed the first book in this series called Things I Never Told You. Since then I've been anxiously awaiting the next in the series to release. Many of my thoughts towards this book are similar in nature to the first. This book turns it's main focus to Jillian, the middle sister, but all three sisters are present throughout. It's told in first person through Jillian, and third person through Johanna. 

Families are complicated, and can have their ugly and beautiful moments even within a 10 minute span. There is a rawness that people that have that is often only released when they are with their family or those who are the closest to them. The Thatcher sisters have a whole lot of obstacles in their lives individually, and their relationships may suffer from frequent tension, but at the end of the day they realize that they are sisters and nothing will change that.

What I loved most about this book was how personal Payton had made her journey to faith. She wasn't sure what she believed, but she knew she believed in God and was hungry to know more. What she didn't want, was to become a Christian for the wrong reasons. She didn't want to decide she was a Christian so she could wear her deceased sister's necklace, and she didn't want to do it so she could have a relationship with Zach. She recognized the enormity of the decision on a personal level and wanted it to be a direct relationship between her and her Heavenly Father alone before anyone else was included in the picture. I absolutely loved how this worked itself out throughout the novel.

There is no denying that Jillian seems to be struck with obstacle after obstacle in her life. She has a whole heap of emotions that she struggles to work through to just to feel like she's keeping her head above water. I would have liked to see her faith journey start a bit earlier so that it could have been a larger part of her story in this one, but I have hope that a third book will be released that can show her walking through more of that. Being a middle child myself, I can relate to a lot of the "middle-child-itis" she deals with. I hope that her future is brighter for her.

I thoroughly loved this story and highly recommend it. I would keep in mind that this is the second book in a series, and this is one that I wouldn't recommend reading out of order. There is too much backstory in the first book that is necessary to fully appreciate and understand this one. 

*I received a copy of this book through CelebrateLit and NetGalley. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

Although I didn’t go through a whole box of tissue like I did with the first book, which I literally put down and buried my face for a good cry 😂 , I’d be lying if I said tears didn’t escape me.

Author Beth captures precisely the chemo fog and emotions cancer survivals deal with, you can’t help but empathize with Jillian.

I love that we continue to see Payton’s story as she makes a decision with her faith and Zach. I also enjoyed the insight into Johanna’s life in this novel, in preparation for book three 😉.

While the bickering continues among the sisters they have a better understanding of each other and it has the perfect ending for the imperfect siblings, that had my heart soaring. 💕

This Woman’s Fiction can be read as a stand-alone, but if you want the back up story, book one is where we meet the diversed sisters and where Jillian gets diagnosed with breast cancer.

Beth K. Vogt takes readers on an incredible journey in her latest novel Moments We Forget as she further explores the complicated relationships and family dynamics between the three Thatcher sisters - Johanna, Jillian, and Payton. This is the second book in the Thatcher Sisters series. I did not read the first book in the series (Things I Never Told You), but the author provides enough of the backstory so that the readers are able to easily follow the storyline. However, there were some aspects of the storyline, such as the story behind the youngest sister’s (Payton’s twin) death years before, that were mentioned in this novel and appeared to be discussed more in depth in the previous novel. Therefore, I would recommend reading Things I Never Told You first if readers have the opportunity to do so.

Readers will share in the Thatcher sisters’ heartbreak, loss, and struggles with their significant others as they follow middle sister Jillian’s recovery from breast cancer and her lingering chemo brain, older sister Johanna’s frustration with her job and long-distance relationship, and younger sister Payton’s difficulty to find her way in life years after her twin sister’s death. Beth K. Vogt paints a realistic picture of those struggling with their faith and trying to find their way to God when others in their lives do not share the same interests and question the importance of religion. Topics of adoption and infidelity were also discussed.

In one part of the novel, Jillian discussed what her favorite part of the candlelight Christmas Eve service she attended was. She said that her favorite part was “when they darkened the sanctuary and we all sang ‘Silent Night’ and everyone lit each other’s candle, one by one” because it made her feel some of the peace that she was looking for. Beth K. Vogt was able to make the readers feel like they were right there at the Christmas Eve service. I could completely relate to that powerful feeling of peace when I attend Christmas Eve candlelight services at my own church and the congregation sings ‘Silent Night.’

Moments We Forget is recommended for readers of women’s fiction. Readers will enjoy this second installment in the Thatcher Sisters series and will look forward to the third book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.


“Yes. Believing in God, the real God - that He loves me, that He has a plan for my life - gives me hope.”

“Life’s not perfect. And I’m not perfect. But for the first time, I’m beginning to be okay with that because I don’t have to have all the answers. I don’t have to fix everything.”

I enjoyed Beth Vogt's second novel in this series. I find it interesting how she uses first person point of view for middle sister Johanna, whose story is the main focus of this novel, but the reader also gets to read a third person view of sisters Johanna and Payton. Though I felt there was much that was not wrapped up by the end of the book, I enjoyed visiting with the Thatcher sisters again. I look forward to the next book in the series where I assume we will learn what happens next in the life of the sisters.

‘It was as if I stood at the edge of an open cavern, peering down into the opaque darkness. How deep was it? And if I slipped would I ever stop falling?’
Beth Vogt continues her Thatcher Sisters series with this second in line, featuring Jillian, the middle sister. Jillian is now one year out from her breast cancer diagnosis but still dealing with the effects of chemo brain and the meds she must take for another 5 years. She is left reeling from two other blows to her life as well and just doesn’t know how she can continue to stand. Then her husband, Geoff, has some secrets, too, that will affect their marriage. And oh, how we feel her pain.
Payton, the younger sister, whose twin died 10 years earlier, is now struggling with her concept of God, especially since she is in a supposed relationship with Zach, who is a committed Christian.
And Johanna, the eldest, the one who must control and boss everything, is back, still in a run off with Payton. These two seem to feel they have to disagree on everything. But all is not rosy in Johanna’s life, either, and Johanna does not show weakness and tell anyone her problems.
Not having a sister, but a brother, the relationship dynamic was a bit foreign to me, but Vogt manages to plumb the depths of the sister relationship quite well. She takes us on a painful journey as we experience the deepest hurts imaginable with these women until we’re left wondering if they will ever experience true happiness of the soul. But what a journey! And there are two scenes near the end that touched my heart so very deeply that they left me absolutely bawling! Well done! I am so looking forward to Johanna’s story in the last book of the series.

*My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

The second book in the Thatcher sister series. It was very good, a continuation of Jillian's story and her battle with breast cancer and Payton's pursuit of God and the very detail oriented Johanna who is dealing with her own set of problems in her relationship and at work. I really like how Beth portrays the sisters, maybe because there are four of us in my family and I have a twin and we are the youngest. The search for answers about faith and God is handled very well and it's fun to watch the sisters as they start leaning in that direction and the choices they make. A very well written story with real life struggles.

I enjoyed getting to know Jillian better with this story, as she learned more about who she was after starting the battle with cancer. This is an excellent series!

Moments We Forget by Beth K. Vogt invites readers to return to the Thatcher sisters. This story reminds me a lot of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott after Beth dies. How are the three sisters getting along? What secrets keep them tied together or apart? I really enjoy seeing the fresh reality of their emotions and dilemmas. In Moments We Forget, Vogt dove deeper into the faith issue. A sister grapples with the idea of God, another grasps onto a full relationship with God, and the last one is still skeptical. Not that the entire plots focuses on coming to faith. It really is a small part of the novel. The sister dynamics run the story. I stayed glued to the pages and wanted to know more about each character. Being the middle child, I can relate to Jillian in a lot of instances in this story. I am the good kid who had to pick up the slack of my troublemaking siblings. I really love this series, and can't wait to read Johanna's story. Fans of Little Women or Catherine West's stories might enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Moments We Forget by Beth K. Vogt by Tyndale Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Beth Vogt is the master at writing an emotional filled novel and Moments We Forget is no different. The characters are likeable and relatable going through true to life events. I loved Jillian right the beginning. Having many friends who fought through cancer, I was rooting for her. I could see their strength and bravery in her. Her story made me want to grab a box of tissues at times.

I would give Moments We Forget one hundred stars if I could but will have to settle with five stars. I do want to note that I was not aware this book was part of the Thatcher series. I have only read this one of the series. With that being said, in my opinion, it could be read as a stand alone.
Moments We Forget is a great book! One of my favorites of the year. I highly recommend this book. It is most definitely not one to be missed.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

This is part of a series, but it could easily stand alone. (I’m sure there would be a greater appreciation for the family dynamics if the books are read in order, however.)

I’ve never read a book by Vogt before, and this one had me asking, “Why not?” I will certainly have to fix that! The book is over 400 pages, but it certainly didn’t seem like it, as it was easy to get wrapped up in the lives of the sisters and fly through the story.

The sisters deal with a number of realistic struggles and challenges, including cancer/chemotherapy and unemployment to self-worth. It’s a beautiful, emotional tale, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.