I have reviewed this book for New York Journal of Books where it will be posted on their site the evening before the release date.

"The Trustworthy One" by Shelley Shepard Gray
Gallery Books
May 5, 2020
10-1982100931
Contemporary Inspirational Romance

Kendra Troyer spends most of her young life caring for her younger siblings and protecting them from their abusive father and submissive mother. She bears the scars of many beatings received for no other reason than her father is easily led to violence. All she wants is to get out of her Amish community in Walnut Creek and find freedom and peace, but she's afraid to leave her brothers and sisters to her father's wrath.

When her siblings are old enough, Kendra does manage to escape the horrors of her life as they are either on their own or relocated to live with grandparents, as is the case with the youngest, Naomi, whom they lovingly call "Nanny."

Kendra is ecstatic to be accepted into design school in Columbus, OH, and is relieved to depart her dysfunctional family. She no longer is forced to deal with her father or the boy from school named Nate Miller who humiliated her in front of her peers.

Columbus doesn't prove to be an easy getaway for Kendra, as she deals with her depression by getting hooked on drugs and alcohol. Lucky for her a school counselor takes pity on her after hearing her sad story and finds placement for her at a rehab facility where she regains her faith in the Lord and is able to get back on the right track.

Upon learning a good friend of hers has died, Kendra returns to Walnut Creek and to the friends she left. She buys a little cottage and starts her own design business vowing to never see her parents again. The hatred she feels for them has caused a huge scar in her heart, and she realizes she can only depend on herself. Old friends welcome Kendra with open arms, and for once, she is at peace. Then Naomi appears at her door asking to live with her and no longer stay with her stuffy grandparents. Happy to have her beloved sister again, she wonders if she is doing the right thing by allowing her to stay. But she accepts her with open arms and enrolls Nanny in her junior year of high school.

Meanwhile, when Kendra bumps into her nemesis, Nate, she wants nothing to do with him, but how can she avoid him when his hardware store is two doors down from her shop? Nate is surprised by Kendra's cool treatment of him, and when she tells him why she dislikes him, he is instantly repentant.

Kendra now is 25 and Nate, a year older, is determined to make amends; while doing so he finds he is surprised that he is falling for her. She has no reason to trust him, but he manages to worm his way into her heart. But can she trust him? She's never been able to trust anyone before, why should she now—especially after he was cruel to her when they were kids? He reminds her he was a callous teenager and determines to show her he is a different person and one she can learn to believe in and maybe fall in love with one day.

As Kendra's business begins to thrive, she reflects her current situation:

"Pleased with all of her accomplishments, she decided it was time to relax for a bit, especially since a new library book was calling her name. After cutting a slice of bread and placing it neatly on a plate, she sat down, feeling a tranquility that eluded her childhood.

"Of course, she wasn't even sure if she longed for peace in those days. Mostly, she just tried to take care of her siblings, avoid her father, and keep everyone fed. More often than not, she'd failed at all three things. Her younger brothers and sisters would go to bed hungry, she'd be sporting a welt from whatever her father had decided to hit her with, and she'd be overwhelmed with schoolwork.

"No, back then, her sense of peace had come from being around her friends or in the pages of a book."

The prologue commences a decade prior when Kendra is in middle school and desperately wanting to be a part of the clique known as "The Eight." The group consists of Amish, Mennonite, and English teens. One of them, Andy Warner, is an Englischer who befriends Kendra. Due to Kendra's abusive home life, the family’s poverty, etc. she is tormented by Nate, and this is when she decides she will hate him for the rest of her life.

The story segues to Kendra's life ten years later and her return to her hometown. Each chapter unveils some fact of Kendra's life at age 15 and the time she spent with Andy. However, throughout the novel, it is not known what happened to him and how he passed. These clips are a bit baffling until one gets further into the plot and can understand how this information relates to Kendra’s current life. This is book 4 in the Walnut Creek Series; maybe it would be helpful to read the prior issues.

"The Trustworthy One" is an apt title for all that Kendra suffers during her early years. Because one is a blood relative, it does not mean they are able to love and nurture family members, and this concern spans all cultures and classes of people. This tale exposes the sad topic of child abuse and how some deal with it. Through her faith and with the help of her good friends, Kendra learns to rely on herself to gain trust and banish the pain from her past to move on to a fulfilling new life.

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book thanks to netgalley and the publisher. I have not read the 3 previous books in this series but I always enjoy reading Shelley Shepherd Gray and this book did not disappoint. The book had a lot of relational issues that made it a book that was hard to put down!

In book 4 of this AMAZING series by Shelley Shepard Gray, Kendra's story is shared. Kendra, the oldest sibling of five from a dysfunctional family, returns to her hometown of Walnut Creek to open a store. As she reunites with her siblings and reconnects with old friends, forgiveness is found in places never imagined. I love the way the past and present are woven together in this incredible story. This is a series I am reading as soon as the new books are released and is a series I will eventually re-read all at once, as soon as all of the books in the series are released! The characters are real, the storyline is believable, and the books are almost impossible to put down once you begin reading them! I can't WAIT for the next book in the series!!!

I liked it. I wish there would have been a little more relationship development in the characters (trying not to give it away with my review) - but a couple of the characters jump from friends to dating and it comes as a surprise towards the end. There was no lead-in to develop that part of their relationship. Other than that, it was a good story!

This book was a unique look into the Amish community where family is at the center of all things. Not only about the family Kendra was born into but the family of friends she built around her to heal the wounds left by her parents. A sweet story of healing, family and love.

I loved this book, the characters and the plot. Abuse, depression, neglect, forgiveness, trust, recovery, family relationships, love, masterfully crafted into a great book. Well done!

I am a huge Shelley Shepard Gray fan. Her books never disappoint me. I love The Trustworthy One. It is emotional and heartwarming. It is a books that makes you feel all the emotions of friendship and love and everything in between. The characters are so well developed and the writing just pops off the words into your heart. Thank you netgalley fir the opportunity to read a complimentary arc of this book. The opinions are my own

This is a beautifully written book that you will touch your heart. The author brought the story to life with her words and I could feel all the emotions. This is a story you will think about long after you have read the last page. Thank you Gallery Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book and thank you Shelley Shepard Gray for writing this wonderful book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is amazing part of this series! It embodies love, caring, kindness, and all the emotions and characteristics in between. It not only demonstrates love in a romantic way, but it also has love in the friendship, family, and close community way as well. The characters are very "real life", "real world" examples. It is an amazing work of art, and a very wonderful, well written piece of literature that I will cherish and re-read many times again!

This was a really good Amish romance book, as Shelley Shepard Gray's Amish books are. It was a bit different than some, as it dealt with an abusive family situation, although it did not go into great detail about the abuse. I felt that there was great sadness in this book, but along with that, there was a good share of happiness. I also felt that it was lacking something, but maybe that comes in the next book, or maybe it was something I missed because I didn't read the book ahead of this one. That being said, I still enjoyed the book very much.

I was given this ARC for my honest review.

The Trustworthy One....I believe that Kendra, even with her past battles, deserved that title.. it seems to be something we should all strive for. I like that this book didn’t take the easy way out with Kendra and her father. It seemed more real this way.
I really enjoyed this series and will highly recommend it to our patrons.

A new book in the author’s Walnut Creek series, I felt this one was her best yet. Each one just gets better.

So many emotions for all the young woman, Kendra Troyer, has gone through throughout her life, create heart-wrenching feelings as she tries to come to terms with so many of them.

After a lifetime of abuse, Kendra leave Walnut Creek for Columbus, experiences hard life events while there, and later returns home to Walnut Creek to see if she can create a much better life for herself, but finds herself running into ghosts of her past life, including a young man who always ridiculed her, Nate Miller.

Many of the characters in this story have appeared in prior Walnut Creek series books, so it was nice to read about how their lives have developed. This is a great book dealing with so many different issues, yet presented in a way that you so deeply love the characters and can’t put the book down until you see how everything is resolved.

I loved this book and highly recommend it to those who enjoy reading Amish books.

I received a copy of this book from Gallery Books/Scout Press. The opinions expressed are my own.