Two women bound together by shared grief each dealing with it in their own way. This book deals with this and more. I loved Eva and Angela's journey and the message carried along the story. Though they were both dealing with grief, the handled it differently showing us how people react to experiences different. When the opportunity comes to run the marathon as a way to understand their late husbands better and what they loved, it's not easy, it hard and painful training for what they haven't done before but they do so and they grow in the process.
This book was beautiful and real. Learning about their struggles especially at a second chance at love, their dealings with grief. It was a wonderful story and one I definitely was excited to read.

This book is one of the best books I have read in the past year! It is such a beautiful story of healing. Eva and Angela have both lost their husbands in an adventure accident, and it is over a year past and both have struggled to heal and move on from this event. These two are sisters-in-law, but haven't ever been that close and are both living very different lives and dealing with different struggles day to day. When they find out that their husbands were signed up to do an ultra marathon, of course their responses to this are different, but in the end they both decide, for their own reasons, to run in their husbands' places. As the reader, I was along for this journey of training, but more importantly healing and learning more about themselves, as well as the healing and opening of their hearts once more. I loved this book, it was very well-written and so many inspiring moments that had mean in tears and feeling so happy for the characters.

Grief is a different story for every person.

The Joy of Falling is not an easy book to read, take the warning to heart when it says: "Both women are trying to navigate their way through the grief,".

This story doesn't sugarcoat the characters' feelings, as a reader, it is hard not to feel for both, Eva, and Angela. They are two very different women who we get to see go through life after becoming widows by the same accident. I liked the way that the author showed different ways of grieving for lost loved ones.

The cover is not the usual cover you'd find on romance, even one that starts with grief, and I do love it.

The side plots or romance, mother/daughter conflict, healing from loss, growing, raising children, adventure, and the references to being like Ruth. It was a Ruth like story though not in the normal way.

I enjoyed reading about Eva and Mark. Angela and Simon, I enjoyed reading about them as well! Angela's kids were a cute part of the book ... I just wish that they had been in the book more, they were there at times but they sometimes became an afterthought but not too much so. I can't say that Simon's kids were memorable since they weren't on screen.

The spiritual content was well done; not rushed, not too over the top, rather it was well woven in.

I liked that ultramarathoning was a big part of the story, it was a nice to read about something I know little, or make that nothing about. The characters were so well written that at times I truly worried for them ... And wondered if they would accomplish their goal or not.

In a way, this was two stories yet they were one... I look forward to more from Mrs. Harrel!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

This story took me down a sometimes unexpected road with the two main characters, Angela and Eva. After they both lost their husbands in a tragic accident, their journey through grief seemed to take different two different paths and push them apart. However, they come together to honor their husbands’ lives by entering an Ultra marathon. They realize that even though they are handling grief and loss in a completely different manner, they have much in common with their struggle. The character that I liked the most, however, was Sherry, their mother-in-law. She had lost a husband and two sons, yet her faith in God remained strong even through her own deep grief.

There’s some romance in this story, although it’s secondary to the storylines of Angela and Eva coming to terms with their loss. This story took some unexpected turns, and at times I wasn’t quite sure what decisions these two women would make. The race in New Zealand makes a beautiful backdrop for their story, and a touch of adventure made this a well-rounded story of loss, faith, and hope.

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

A slow burner that is well worth it! I picked up this book because I love Lindsay Harrel and that cover! I mean, come on, a win-win. I was not disappointed. It was slower to pick up than I expected, partly because it just seemed unrealistic that they found themselves in New Zealand under those circumstances, but once it got going, I could not put it down. I loved all of the character development and the degree of growth they each experienced in overcoming their personal obstacles. Death and grief affect us all so differently and this is beautifully portrayed in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the raw conversations, relished the country-side descriptions and devoured the truths that allowed each character to find a new normalcy in their lives. Well done, Lindsay. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

What a beautiful story! I loved reading about Eva's and Angela's personal journeys after the death of their husbands. Not only do they grow closer together as sisters-in-law, but their entire perspectives on life change as they "move forward."

Ruth is one of my favorite Biblical stories, and it was easy to see the similarities between both Angela and Eva and their mother-in-law, Sherry. How amazing (and simultaneously heartbreaking) for our Naomi (Sherry) to have two Ruths (Eva and Angela).

This is the kind of story that I can really sink into and feel all the feels. Heartbreak, grief, hope, confusion, regret, anticipation, joy, acceptance. The emotions run the gamut (pun intended) as the women pack up their lives and train for the ultra-marathon in New Zealand that their husbands didn't get the chance to participate in.

I admire these characters for their perseverance, their steadfastness, their follow-through even when they had a world of doubt and worry on their shoulders. The interpersonal relationships between them and the other characters are real and raw and inspiring.

This Angela (me) can't imagine training for a 5k, much more an ultra-marathon, so I'm particularly inspired by her journey, as she steps into her running shoes and into her future.

Beautiful, moving, inspiring novel. Check it out, friends!

Eva and Angela are sisters in law who have both lost their husbands to an unfortunate diving accident. Both continue to struggle with their grief in different ways: Eva has lost her creative inspiration and is sad all the time, and Angela battles anger towards her late husband constantly. When both women are on the brink of falling apart again, Eva asks Angela to join her in an ultra marathon in New Zealand to honor their husbands by running in their place. As they train for the marathon and juggle their responsibilities and emotions, both women will find that they might have the capability to love again after all.
I enjoyed this book very much. Lindsay Harrel is a great writer and has the ability to bring out strong emotions in her readers through her realistic, heartfelt, and descriptive writing. I found myself tearing up several times as I sympathized with Eva and Angela, but there were funny moments as well. I marked many good quotes filled with wisdom for life and grieving that resonated with me. The adventure the women went on was exciting to read about, and I loved imagining the beautiful setting of New Zealand in my mind. I would have liked to see more references to biblical truth woven into the story and I didn't personally agree with some of the characters' decisions (like drinking alcohol), but those are my only quibbles. I was glad to see the women learning to trust in God more, which is something I am also continually learning. I highly recommend this book and am eagerly looking forward to Lindsay Harrel's next book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

BEAUTY FROM ASHES! Lindsay Harrel writes stories that captivate readers but they are also stories of hope and inspiration. Her latest release is a heart rendering story of two adventure loving brothers who die too young and each leave a wife that is struggling with their death. One wife, Eva, has her husband almost on an untouchable pedestal as the exciting adventure seeking hero who could do no wrong. The other wife, Angela, is left being a single parent to three children and has a lot of unresolved issues with her husband’s adventure seeking ways. The main one being she felt he abandoned their relationship in search of the next great adventure. One thing is certain, both women are drowning in their grief. Eva receives a life-changing phone call telling them that before the brothers were killed, they had singed up for a race of a lifetime—an ultra-marathon in beautiful New Zealand. Out of the blue, Eva begs Angela to run the race with her in their husbands’ place. Angela finally agrees, hoping to finally understand her husband's choices. This commitment means moving Angela’s family & their Mother-in-Law to New Zealand months in advance so they can prepare for the ultra-marathon. If the grueling physical training preparation was not enough, they now have to deal with the overwhelming presence of two men—Marc is Brent’s best friend who is running the race with Eva and Angela, and Simon King is a writer who is covering their inspiring story. The race makes Eva and Angela face things about themselves they have been hiding from and or burying down deep in order to keep up with the demands of daily life. They each come back with deeper personal relationships with God. What I like most about this book is that Harrel does not end this story at the end of the marathon. She allows readers to see these characters as they continue to heal and go back their normal lives. One of my favorite quotes from this book is, “Trusting God to catch you . . . that’s what life was really about.” I think that sums up what all the characters (as well as the readers) learn from this beautiful story. I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Thomas Nelson Publishers and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

Harrel's novel is a good exploration of two widows dealing with grief in the context of them fulfilling their husbands' mutual dream. Preparing for and then completing an ultra-marathon in New Zealand provides a good framework to see how the women grow from their experiences. Though the women were married to brothers, the men were very different as were the marriages. We see how working through grief can be so different for the two women.

There are several other issues included in the novel. One is dealing with guilt when the possibility of love comes again. Another is struggling to understand when God's plan is not what was anticipated. There is also the issue of dreaming yet living in reality. There are several issues of family relationships too as one of the widows has children, including a teen daughter. And then there is also the question of why some want to participate in extreme sports.

This is a good novel dealing with loss and grief and how each person's experiences may differ. It was also fun to get an idea of what is involved in preparing for and completing a long marathon and be able to visualize the beautiful New Zealand setting.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review.

How do I describe something so sweet and bitter at the same time…?

This is my first time reading a book by Lindsay Harrel and wow what a book it was. The Joy of Falling was exactly what the name implies. It’s a book about people experiencing the joys and sorrows that come with aligning your life with someone else’s and learning who you are in the process. The main characters Eva and Angela, go through so much growth both mentally and physically, while learning about what joy truly means.

“Because joy isn’t dependent on you or even the good things in life, like a wonderful husband. It’s dependent on God, and on you being reconciled with Him. It’s rooted in a deep knowing that no matter what happens in this life, you have someone you can hold on to even when you are drowning”.

Overall, I would say that this book had some awesome thought-provoking layers that I am still processing. I loved the setting of this book as well (I mean who wouldn’t want to go to New Zealand?). From the different perspectives on marriage to the mental push of getting through an Ultra- Marathon I fell in love with these characters and I learned from them. That is what I think makes this book special. It’s a book that most people can relate to in one form or another, a book that you can learn from, and a book that inspires to you find the Joy that God so readily provides. This book showed me that I need to be more intentional in my life and less dependent on what other people think. I need to choose Joy.

I highly recommend reading this book. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for the great characters, the storyline, and for the amazing journey of finding Joy.

I am looking forward to reading more books by Lindsay Harrel, only question I have is: is the Ultra-Marathon in New Zealand real?

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.

This story are told from Ava and Angela point of views. Ava and Angela were sister-in-law and lost their husband in a diving accident at the same time. I feel bad for Sherry their mother-in-law because she lost her husband few years ago then lost 2 sons at the same time. I can't imagine the pain. But she seems calm and wow one day I wish I have a good mother-in-law like her. I love the way she support Ava and Angela.
I hate Angela at first but then I start liking her at the end lol I hate the way she treat Eva when Eva convinces Angela to join the marathon taking their husbands place and to honor them.

This story shows how people grief in a different way. How they learn to dream and love again.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for this amazing ARC!

🌟🌟🌟🌟

What a beautiful story! Lindsay weaves stories that are full of emotion and heart and this one is chock full of both. I very much enjoyed the premise of the book, and my "trip" to New Zealand. The descriptions in the book made me feel as if I was there, not sitting at my house currently going nowhere. I really felt for Eva and Angela as they struggled with their losses and trying to figure out how to live again after losing their husbands. Lindsay's stories just reach another level that is hard to describe. I quite simply love her books. Can't wait for more of her stories.

I received this book from the author and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

In The Joy of Falling by Lindsay Harrel and from Thomas Nelson, the author presents a powerful story of heartbreak, healing, and what it means to be truly alive. .
Eva and Angela must learn to live again. One step at a time.

It has been fifteen months since Eva and Angela lost their thrill-seeking husbands in a scuba diving accident. Both women are trying to navigate their way through the grief, but neither one is making much progress. Angela is barely making ends meet, angry at her husband for leaving her to raise three children on her own. Meanwhile, Eva is stuck, unable to move forward after losing the love of her life and her source of inspiration.

But then Eva gets a life-changing phone call. Before Brent and Wes died, they had signed up for a race of a lifetime—an ultra-marathon in beautiful New Zealand. Eva begs Angela to run the race with her in their husbands’ place, and Angela finally agrees, hoping to finally understand her husband’s choices.

Training is exhausting, and the race is even more demanding. Their journey grows more complicated by the presence of two men—Marc is Brent’s best friend who is running the race with Eva and Angela, and Simon King is a writer who is covering their inspiring story. With every step, Eva and Angela must ask themselves questions that they haven’t had the courage to ask before. As the women literally put one foot in front of the other, they wonder: Is it possible to find their way forward in hope?

I LOVED this book. The characters, the setting, the story, the writing. I loved it all. It's a romance but so much more. This book is about healing, growing, moving forward, grieving, challenging yourself, friendship and love. So much love, so many types of loves.
Lindsay Harrel captivated me from word one. This was not exactly the story I was expecting (although I really couldn't tell you the story I was expecting) but I LOVED the one that I got. As the story developed I was able to know, understand and accept the events as they flowed. I found myself cheering, hoping, crying and growing right along with the characters.
A work of fiction does not have to make me think to enjoy it or even love it. However when one does I love it even more. I highlighted, nodded and noted my way through much of this book.
This book was set in New Zealand for a good bit. I loved (this word is definitely going to be over used) how the author seamlessly interwove descriptions and highlights of this beautiful country without diverting from the story.
I love that the title is a double entendre. The joy of falling in love but also the joy of falling. Life out of your control trusting God to catch you.

4.5 stars
The timing of my reading this book was providential. This book is about grief. How different people deal with grief and how it affects us and our loved ones. Angela and Eva dealt with the grief of losing their spouses in very different ways. Some were healthy, some were unhealthy. It's also about joy...and hope. Hope that even though loss can devastate us and paralyze us, healing can happen. It can happen with the help of the Healer, who is the Lord. It can also happen with the love and support of friends and family. I can relate so well to this story as I've been dealing with the grief of losing several family members, including both of my parents, over the last several years. Some parts certainly brought back memories and also gave me a renewed sense of hope. That aspect of the book was beautiful and life-giving. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"It took Eva a moment to form the words in her heart, 'You know, when you've loved deeply and lost deeply, it's okay to feel deeply.'"

"When some people have so much grief inside of them, it's hard to figure out how to release it. And it's easy for the rest of us to only see the prickles--the thorns--that happen as a result. But don't forget there's a rose there too. You sometimes just have to wait for it to bloom."

"Because joy isn't dependent on you or even the good things in life, like a wonderful husband. It's dependent on God, and on you being reconciled with him. It's rooted in a deep knowing that no matter what happens in life, you have someone you can hold on to even when you're drowning."

**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in order to share my honest opinions, which I did."

This was a book originally starting out about grief between two sisters-in-law. But over journey of the book, Joy was realized. Angela and Eva married brothers. They both lost those men in the same day in a tragic accident. This book chronicles their journey to honor and remember them and their grief process. And it takes place mostly in New Zealand! They’re there to run an Ultra Marathon! It’s another beautifully written book by the author. She truly has a gift in writing Women’s Fiction. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All views stated here are my own.

"But my greatest sorrow isn't in the things I lost that I had no control over. No, my biggest sorrow is more about the things I lost to fear."

Once again Lindsay Harrel masterfully weaves together broken and raw emotions into a beautiful tapestry of hope, faith, discovery, and victory while sensitively and artfully addressing grief from different perspectives. The heroines of the story are two sisters-in-law, bound by grief of having lost their husbands in one terrible accident. They are complete opposites, Angela being the type A control freak who wears anger like her second skin as she struggles to get by as a single mom of three and Eva being the free-spirited and gifted florist who is drowning in sorrow and darkness. Eva was easier to relate to because her emotions flowed freely on the pages but she had a lot of soul-searching and growing up to do to overcome fear. Angela was more difficult to figure out, mostly because she herself didn't know who she was anymore. Regrets and broken dreams haunt Angela until they land in New Zealand to train for and run an ultra marathon. There, surrounded by majestic beauty, both Angela and Eva begin their discovery of purpose, passion, and ultimately God.

I really loved the heroes of the story. Marc and Simon are loyal, steadfast, and so wonderfully tender. Their faithfulness to Eva and Angela is incredible, even when they are hurt and intentionally pushed away by the women they love. But my favorite character from the story has to be the women's mother-in-law Sherry. After losing her husband and two sons within such a short time span, Sherry remains the spiritual rock for the women, a constant source of encouragement and helping hand. I want to be just like her!

Written with melodic voice and heart-wrenching honesty, The Joy of Falling will linger in your mind and heart long after you've finished the book. Any contemporary romance fan will love this book. I received a copy of the book from Thomas Nelson and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

Such a lovely story about going on with life in the middle of grief, about moving on and looking for joy after losing a spouse.

To this point, I've read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Lindsay Harrel's books.

Each one deals with grief, loss, or some kind of heartache. She has a way with words that draws me in, makes me feel what the characters are experiencing.

Various times as I was reading, I had tears running down my cheeks. Even though I haven't experienced grief to the point that Angela, Eva, and Sherry faced, I could imagine what it must feel like, and I empathized for them, and with anyone who goes through similar hard things.

Eva learns about a major race that her husband and his brother had signed up to participate in. After her sister in law Angela begrudgingly agrees to go, the real fun begins. Training. Working together. Reaching out. Grieving. Letting go. Honesty. Love. All of these and more come together to create the lovely threads of this story.

Especially for someone who has experienced deep grief, I think this story could be very relevant. (because I haven't been there, I don't know exactly what to say as far as triggers...it could be there are things written here that might cause some, so just a word of caution)




Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

In the Joy of Falling, Lindsay Harrel has penned a beautiful story about the many faces of grief and about the journey of continuing to move forward and find joy again in life and relationships. This is equally a story about family as it is about individual growth. It is also a romance story, with two romances. At all times, it remains heartwarming and considerate.

Eva and Angela don’t have much in comment except that they both lost their husbands, brothers, in a scuba diving accident. Now, fifteen months on, Eva still has no creative drive or any desire to return to her work as a florist. She spends her time volunteering at the Heart Center and trying to honour her husband’s memory. Angela has three children and two jobs, so she has no time to mourn the husband she lost, nor much energy to confront the feelings of anger and abandonment she feels about his death. When Eva receives a phone call about an ultra-marathon the two brothers were going to complete with their best-friend, Eva convinces Angela to complete the marathon with her.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of New Zealand and paced with the training Eva and Angela must complete, this is an easy book to fall into and enjoy. For all its beauty, it’s not hard to pick up on the grief, anger and range of emotions the characters are dealing with as they face the loss of husband, son, father and best-friend. Alongside Eva and Angela are their mother-in-law, Angela’s children and Marc, the brothers’ best friend who joins Eva and Angela in entering the marathon. Each form an important piece of the story. Each are feeling different emotions as they process (or ignore) their grief. This book is honest and doesn’t shy away from the very real emotions the characters are facing. Nor does it prevent this being a happy and heartwarming story.

Eva, Angela, their mother-in-law and Angela’s children all move to New Zealand for four months as they finish their training and prepare to complete the ultra marathon. There, the family have time to process their grief and work through some buried feelings. Angela meets a reporter, doing a piece on them completing the marathon in their husbands’ honour, and she is drawn to him. He too is a single parent and they bond over teen troubles and a shared understanding. But Angela is unsure about starting a new relationship, unsure about her feelings from her marriage and wants to focus on making things right with her children.

Eva and Marc, as they train, share a mutual grief for their husband and best friend, as well as a love of adventure and exercise. But a relationship with her husband’s best friend seems wrong. Eva wrestles with guilt as she is increasingly drawn to Marc.

As Eva, Angela and Marc train for and enter the marathon they must confront their pasts and their futures. Time is given for each character to start to heal. The romances are not rushed. And the adventure of the marathon itself is just as thrilling as the complex emotions and relationships in the story.

Beautifully and lovingly written, The Joy of Falling is a touching book.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

So full disclosure I went into this not realizing it was "Christian fiction". Had I known that I wouldn't have requested it. However, I figured why not review it from my perspective. I may be a non-believer but I've experienced grief and that pain is universal.

Other than the God talk that kicked in at about 40%, I enjoyed this book. The struggles the characters deal with, not just the emotional ones, the physical ones too, all felt real and well written. They were relatable in many ways.

My main issues with the plot was that it was predictable and pretty convenient!

I definitely know a few people who would enjoy this book and I'll let them know about it, even if it wasn't entirely my cup of tea!

I was sent the book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.