Drama, sports, leaving town, and high school, plus 2020. Not for me.

I am normally not too picky in my reading habits but this year I have let myself stop books I find aren't ones for me and this sadly happens to be one of those for me.

This is a wonderful book about finding your identity. That is who you are in Christ and what Christ has done for you. Also a book about forgiveness. A beautiful story about finding not only an earthly father, but the heavenly father as well. Well done and highly recommended.

I read this book in a couple of sittings. Chris Fabry writes great dialogue and you can picture all that he writes like a movie in your mind - exactly what every good novel would do.

I am familiar with the movies produced by Alex and Stephen Kendrick, and enjoyed all of them. So I knew what to expect of this novel. The appearance of a long lost father was unexpected but you know what to expect at the end, more or less. Not necessarily a bad thing. I would be very upset if the whole story ended in nothing but a tragedy. I liked that there was hope and redemption and grace and forgiveness. I loved that there were good people who showed what a follower of Christ should live like.

I felt that some parts were a bit long and skipped a few passages. But all in, a good read, and I look forward to watching the movie!

Thank you Netgalley and Tyndale House Publishers for the ARC. Sorry this honest review is a bit late!

A novelization by Chris Fabry based on the motion picture by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick.

I get invested in my books, I can hardly put them down and need to know how they end. I can put a book down and go wow! that was good. But it takes a new kind of book to make me cry, but this book made me cry, a few different times even. This morning as I finished it, I wondered if my blanket was going to be wet with my tears because I could feel them running down. I'm not even sure if I can describe why the book made me cry, but it touched me and now I really, really want to watch the movie.

A reviewer I read said this was a feel-good story. I'm not sure I can agree with that. Yes, it had a good ending, but I'm not sure I can totally call it a happy ending. It was a blessed ending, a Jesus ending, but there was a profound loss as well.

Hannah is a young girl, who was raised by her grandma. She struggles to make friends, she has a bad habit that gets her kicked out of schools and there's not much more I want to say without giving away the storyline. But thanks to some good, kind, caring people who go out of their way for her, she is given a new chance in life, several even, depending on how you look at it.

Thomas Hill was a man Coach Harrison accidentally befriended and he asked a powerful question, a question that I think everyone should ask themselves: "Who are you?" Here are a few more quotes from that conversation. I hope they will make sense on their own, if they don't, all the more reason for you to go read the book!!

"Look, John, your identity will be tied to whatever you give your heart to." "Simple questions often lead to hidden passages. The world turns and hearts find their way when simple questions are given the space for honest answers." This is so thought-provoking to me. What is my heart tied to and do I allow myself the space to find the answers to the questions I am being asked.

"But when you find your identity in the One who created you, it will change your whole perspective."

This was such a good book and I would highly recommend it to everyone. Either read the book or go watch the movie. I haven't seen the movie, but I can imagine it is very good.

I received this book from Tyndale via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this story. The storyline is filled with faith, hope, and love. The characters and their stories are compelling; and the setting of the story with the Christian school added much to the book. It’s a wonderful story of forgiveness and second chances that will have you cheering with with tears in your eyes at the end.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I’ll admit, the first half of this book was hard to read. I felt like the plot was dull and didn’t hold much interest. Maybe it is because I couldn’t connect to the ‘small town problems’ that the characters in the book were confronting. But when Hannah’s dad came into the picture, the book totally changed for me. I loved seeing the development of Hannah’s faith as her earthly father introduces her to her Heavenly Father. I still felt some elements were cheesy but there was a lot of truth in this book that kept me reading and appreciating the story. I’m not sure if I’d want to watch the movie after reading the book - I felt like the book did the story pretty well.

I enjoyed this story about second chances and God's grace. Even we think there is no way He could ever love us or forgive us, He draws us to Him and pours His sweet love over us.
I do wish I had read the book before seeing the movie because I think I would have enjoyed the book even more. It was some of the scenes in the book that weren't in the movie that were the most riveting as I read the book.

Beautiful story of second chances and Christ’s love for us. Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read such wonderful stories. Can’t wait to see the movie.

the growth and change in Amy's character . The reader will be encOvercomer is by Chris Fabry. It is an inspirational story based on the movie produced by Alex and Stephen Kendrick. John Harrison is a coach at his high school . He currently was coaching basketball and was asked by the principal to coach cross country. A large manufacturing plant got shut down because many families left their town. Amy is a new student in the school. She decides to run cross country. She is the only person on the team. The principal is very supportive and encouraging of Amy being on the team even though she is the only person on the team. Amy is very motivated to increasing her times every time she runs. John and his wife Amy view coaching as a good opportunity to mentor Amy. The book is very inspiring and shows how Amy grows and changes . This book shows the importance of having a good identity in Christ and knowing who you are as a person. This book has been made into a movie. There is also a Bible study to go with the book. The Bible study gives the opportunity to apply Christian values and principles from the book and movie. It challenges the reader to think about their life. This book was given to me by the publisher to read and review. I am not obligated to give a positive review.

“Who are you?” is a mighty important question that deserves an answer. Characters in this inspirational novel answer based on their jobs or activities. But eventually the question evolves into “Whose are you?” and personal peace is found. Frustrated basketball coach is forced to become cross-country coach with a team of one—an asthmatic girl being raised by her grandma. The story moves quickly as all the characters move from the first question to the second, led by a dying diabetic with a ver

Overcome is a beautifully written inspirational book. A great plot with believable characters. A nice clean read. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

A inspirational story that is sure to give readers what they need even when they weren’t looking for it.
Sometime life draws up a play that throws everything off. When the largest manufacturing plant in Franklin closes its doors, it has unseen ramifications. People now have to leave to find jobs in other places. Other business close because of the reduced population. Basketball coach John Harrison and his son Ethan can only watch as the championship quality team they had stacked for the year dwindles down to only four players. Fortunately, Brookshire School that employs John and his wife Amy hasn’t had to close its doors, but they did have to take a pay cut. Now without a team, John is struggling to fit in. When the principal asks him to coach cross county, he reluctantly agrees because he doesn’t believe it is a real sport. On the day of tryouts, he has one runner come forward and she has asthma. As John begins to coach Hannah, he finds that he is about to embark on a journey that only God can control.
Sometimes God just knows what book you need to read next. This was the case for me as I picked up this book to eagerly read about the upcoming feature film. This story is very powerful and it makes you stripped to your core as a reader to evaluate who you are. If everything you poured your time into were suddenly stripped away, who would you be? What could you say about yourself? Would you be proud? Or would it make you reevaluate your life?
Having seen several of the Kendrick brother’s movies, I could easily hear the character’s voices as the book played out in front of me, just like one of their movies. I haven’t read any of the novelizations before, but this one was very enjoyable. I loved both John’s and Hannah’s stories. Each was different but connected. John was used in a way to bring healing to a family full of bitterness for over 15 years. Hannah was finally able to stop filling her void with useless items and have it filled with love. There are still some sad parts to the story, but it is worth the read. Highly recommended for those who love the Kendrick brothers’ movies as well as those who enjoy Fabry’s unique writing voice.
I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

This book was so amazing. I loved every second of reading it. It encouraged me, inspred me, and helped me deepen my faith.

This story was inspirational and tugged at all my heartstrings. I laughed, I cried, and cheered a lot.

This book didn't feel like fiction, it felt like it was really happening. The writing was so vivid and descriptive, I felt like I was in the story myself.

I highly recommend this book to anyone! Seriously, anyone.

A book that is hard to put down. The Overcomer provides readers with much insight into the mind of a young girl searching for answers. Hannah was a very mixed up teen, stealing and getting into trouble without knowing why. This story tells of God's shaping Hannah's life like a well designed puzzle - each piece fitting perfectly. I would love to see this as a movie. Highly recommended!!

OVERCOMER by CHRIS FABRY is a book that really spoke to me and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The Christian message running through it is about overcoming in really difficult circumstances. It is about listening to the Lord and being obedient, about forgiveness and honesty and the power and importance of prayer.
Hannah lives with her grandmother, Barbara, a bitter woman who works two jobs in order to provide for them. She is bitter because of what happened to Hannah's mother and is worried that Hannah is going the same way. Hannah is expelled from Franklin high at the age of fifteen and no other school will take her in until an anonymous benefactor pays for her to go to Brookshire Christian school. It is here that she meets John Harrison and becomes the only member of his cross country athletics team.
I am not going to tell you any more as I do not want to spoil the read for you, excepting to say that the story is beautifully told and will really keep your attention to the end.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own