Cover Image: Her New Story

Her New Story

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Member Reviews

I really enjoy reading Ms. Bradford's stories and Her New Story did not disappoint me. It describes new beginnings and ways of life, and it brings tears and joy to the reader, leaving a message of faith in the better things we are to encounter through life.

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I sympathized with Tess’ feelings of betrayal and how she was hurt by the people that shouldn’t be hurting her in this way. I was rooting for her to find a new source of happiness.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read Tess’ story.

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Laura Bradford's books always engage you from the start, having well-developed complex, highly relatable characters involved in an engrossing story. Her New Story does not disappoint. It is the story of Tess Baker who, having been tremendously hurt and betrayed by her former husband and best friend, has decided she needs nothing else in her life but her work. She has thrown herself into her job as an investigative reporter for a magazine. Unfortunately, her distraction over the betrayal causes her to miss a prime story for the magazine and she is assigned to a story in the Amish country of Pennsylvania to prove herself. Tess is staying with an Amish family and throws herself into this way of life, trying to uncover the story that will redeem her. No matter how hard Tess tries to come up with a juicy story, nothing surfaces until one day she stumbles upon what she thinks will be a scoop, but its revealing will cause her to betray the people with whom she has been living and who have welcomed her into their lives. Throughout the story Tess meets others who have found healing and new life in the Amish community, their stories changing Tess's perspective, causing her to write a totally different story in the end.

This is a wonderful story, different from most other "Amish fiction" and contains many life lessons. This book is well worth getting lost in and will leave the reader changed, if only a little, upon its completion.

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3 stars = Good/fine/solid

I have adored the previous books in this line, and I thoroughly enjoyed the places in this where those characters made an appearance. But the main character in this one - justifiably angry and hurt and bitter because of significant betrayal - was super hard to like. She goes looking for a story in Amish country that will fit - and reinforce - her world view that no one is trustworthy but yourself. It was hard to take. If not for the other great characters, I might have given up on this one. The ending felt abrupt after all of the angst, but it was satisfying and left me with a good feeling about the novel over all.

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As always, Laura Bradford brings the good stuff! In her latest women’s fiction novel, Her New Story, she takes us back to Blue Ball, Pennsylvania. We get to visit with Katie and Hannah and Emma and Naomi and Danielle and Miss Lottie. We get to experience the peace of Amish farmland and Miller’s Pond. And we get to meet Tess. Tess is a journalist, intent on moving up in the world of writing, while pushing everyone away from her after she is betrayed by her husband and best friend. When she misses a big scoop, her boss sends her to Amish country instead of Belize, where she was supposed to go. Bitter and angry, she tries to find a story that will send her over the top. What she finds instead is friendship and peace and hope. Infused with Bradford’s detailed descriptions and in depth characters, Her New Story will bring laughs and tears! Very well written. Very heartfelt. Five stars!
Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher.
#all_the_pages

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I liked this story well enough for what it was. However ths isn't your typical Amish novel though they were used as a setting for this book.
Bradford has done quite well with this book. Her style of writing is very different than most and what I liked about it it was realistic and how she drew me into Tess's adventures.
I would love to have an adventure like Tess. I would never come back from Amish country if I ever got to go. I miss living a quiet life.
Yes, change is difficult sometimes but also sometimes necessary. Bradford has done well with this subject.
I finished this book in one afternoon it was so good!
My thanks for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own. I was NOT required to write a positive review.

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Having lived close to the PA Amish, I was very interested in this book. It is not your "normal" story bout the Amish. They were portrayed ell. The characters were well-developed. I will be looking for more from this author.

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I love her writing. She has a way of bringing you into the world she sees and making you feel right at home

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Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for the chance to read an advanced copy of Her new story by Laura Bradford. This was a new author for me, and the premise of the story sounded really interesting. I found the story to be extremely slow at the beginning and did put it down at first, but managed to pick it back up and get interested in again. I had a real hard time liking the main character Tess; the anger and bitterness she held towards her husband and best friend seemed to go on too long through the story. The story definitely picked up in the last bit as she let go of her past. While this is not part of series, it does have characters from the author's other books.

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Her New Story
Laura Bradford
5 Stars

Synopsis:

From nationally bestselling author Laura Bradford comes a poignant, uplifting novel about a down-on-her-luck journalist whose less than ideal assignment to Pennsylvania's Amish country forces her to re-think her priorities, and her life...

Tess Baker thought she had the perfect everything--until her best friend, and (now ex) husband, betrayed her, leaving her with nothing, except her career as an investigative reporter. In her work for a leading magazine, Tess can lose herself in whatever story she's chasing. So she's devastated when her next assignment is far from the exciting location or action-packed quest she anticipated.

Thanks to a recent misstep, Tess is handed a bus ticket to Pennsylvania--to Amish country. The story? Write about living in the past in a modern-day world. Determined to prove herself by coming up with something juicier than a run-of-the-mill human-interest piece, Tess makes her way through this strange place. (Goodreads)

Review:

These books are so good, and I am so happy that I read them. I really liked the fact that the women in those books were present in this one. I felt like I was able to check in with them and see how they are doing. That was very clever and I greatly enjoyed it.

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Tess has been betrayed by her husband and her best friend, and she cannot get over that betrayal. She does not feel like she can trust anybody and she is not willing to try. If she does not have a change of heart, she is going to be very lonely. The people she meets will have a lasting influence on her, if she lets them.

This is a story of personal growth, forgiveness and learning to trust again. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted book. Whether you like Amish Fiction or Women’s Fiction, this book is for you.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

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Her New Story by Laura Bradford is a poignant story about healing, forgiveness, friendship, and hope. I thought Her New Story was well-written with realistic characters. Tess Baker, an investigative reporter with In Depth magazine, suffered a terrible betrayal when her husband cheated on her with her best friend. I could feel Tess’s pain and understand her betrayal. She has decided to trust no one but herself and to focus on work. Tess’s new resolve is a little late after she misses a major story. She is getting a last opportunity to prove her worth thanks to her mentor, Murph. Blue Ball, Pennsylvania is not the destination Tess had in mind. Tess had little knowledge of Amish before arriving in town. Her assumptions about Amish show how little people really know about this group of people. We get to see Tess immerse herself in the culture and learn about the truth about the Amish. Her betrayal, though, colors her outlook. I appreciated the epilogue at the end, but I wish it had been a tad longer. I liked meeting Mildred, the woman Tess met on the bus on her way to Pennsylvania. It is a shame that Tess was not open to what Mildred was imparting. I hope that Tess can be that woman someday. I enjoyed the descriptions of the King farm and Blue Ball. It sounds like a peaceful place that I would love to visit. Naomi King was a wise, caring woman with a large brood (Little Rueben was adorable). Naomi had a wonderful group of friends who each taught a lesson to Tess. I liked that we get to catch up with Danielle, Katie, Hannah, Emma and especially Miss Lottie. I appreciated that we get Miss Lottie’s complete story. It was interesting reading about the portable propane lamp. I had never heard of such an item before this book. Her New Story is a special tale with quilting quandaries, an abysmal betrayal, fine friends, a grumpy mentor, abominable muck, unanticipated assignment, and surprising results.

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Her New Story by Laura Bradford is a heart-warming story of a young woman betrayed by her husband and her best friend. Tess Baker was devastated. Now she's bitter. She is a reporter for a bi-weekly print magazine and it is the time for the plumb assignments to be distributed and she has packed two suitcases: One for warm weather,, one for cold. When she opens her envelope she finds she is being sent to Amish country in Pennsylvania for a month. Her mentor, Murph, assures her she will find a story and that she is lucky to have a job after the colossal way she messed up, letting another magazine scoop them. She is aghast, but is determined to find a story there that will blow them all away and win awards. She is set to live in the grossdawdy house of Isaiah and Naomi King, in which his parents had lived before their passing. She is not happy, still. As the days wear on she gains more respect for the Amish brethren and even makes friends. She sees some amazing things, but despite that and the advice Murph continues to impart, she is still seeing everything through a negative lense. She is determined to find the story. Is it a cult? Are they being blackmailed into staying? What is it?

Tess needed a new lookout of life and, thankfully, her boss helped her find it. Her article was a blockbuster and had the message she hadn't been looking for, but found anyway. She fell in love; she made friends, the very people she tried to hurt. She won her award and so much more. A terrific feel-good novel. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Her New Story by Kensington Books through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #kensingtonbooks, #hernewstory

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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56210282

Laura is a great storyteller. This is more than your average Amish story. You are never quite prepared when a major character will appear. Can you find the “Who” of the story? Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book; this is my honest review.

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This was a fascinating book about journalism. Tess was a writer for a magazine, and after she found her husband and her best friend was having an affair, and she got divorced, she missed a big story where the competition scooped them. She was at the park, and the photo that the competition took showed her sitting on a bench at the event. Her boss decided to give her one more chance and sent her to Pennsylvania and live with the Amish community for a month. She wasn't happy about it, but she went.
She wanted to write a juicy story that people would remember long after they had read it. Tess was digging up dirt, thinking that is what people wanted to read. It seems like the news is based on sensationalism today, which I don't like, and when she found some dirt on one of the older people living in the community she was thrilled. I was disappointed.
There comes a time she has to choose what she wants to write, and her colleague didn't tell her what to do, but he said something that forced her to look at herself. He said, she had gone from being betrayed to being a betrayer. Enjoy the book, enjoy the people in the community, and enjoy all the wisdom, friendship, and inspiration, found in the story. Wondering which way she will go will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I received an ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley.

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Laura Bradford has done it again...made me ugly cry. Good ugly cry though. Her trilogy of books centered Miss Lottie will move the reader in ways they never expected.

Her New Story shows us how holding on to anger and fear can ruin our chance at happiness that is waiting for us. Anger is an emotion that takes from us and never gives us peace. We are human and anger is a human emotion but we must learn to forgive to find the peace needed to move forward. This is a lesson I need to practice more in my own life.

I can’t pick a favorite in this trilogy as I’ve learned something from each. Definitely stories I will be re-reading time and time again. Each book can be read as a stand-alone but to get the full Miss Lottie experience start with Portrait of a Sister, then move to A Daughter’s Truth, and finish with Her New Story. These are Women’s Fiction with Amish characters so even if you never read Amish genre you will like these stories. Who knows, maybe you will want to read more Amish stories.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Kensington, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

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Tess was just beginning to really succeed at as a magazine reporter when she discovered that her best friend and her husband were having an affair. The betrayal turns her life upside down and her work suffers - to the point where she loses a thrilling month-long international assignment and only the intervention of her mentor retains her job. Instead of Belize, she is sent to Amish country, which she is certain can't have any story worth telling. Determined to prove herself, she goes hunting all the dirt she can find or imagine to make a story, at whatever cost to those who have welcomed her. Will she realise in time that her friends' betrayal doesn't mean that everyone is untrustworthy - or that she is free to betray others? Can she find the new story that is there waiting for her to tell it?

Touching, inspiring, satisfying and memorable, this is a book to read and reread - though I'd have to admit that I frequently felt like slapping Tess and telling her to change her attitude, for her own sake as well as others'! I feel like I've read so many great books recently that I'm running out of superlatives, but this really was an amazing story, feeling honest about the problems of recovering from betrayal but providing hope too. I loved Murph's ability to say the right thing at the right time, though I felt sorry for how frustrated he must have got at times, and it was good to see a bit more of friends from previous books, though this can easily be read as a standalone story. All in all, highly recommended.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

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Touching Story of Healing and Forgiveness
This story starts out as a somewhat boring trope of a city girl being immersed in the Amish lifestyle. But as it fills in, it becomes a much deeper story of true friendship and leaving yourself open to it, even if you have been hurt before. It ends up on quite a high note. I was pleased with the story on many levels and recommend it. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

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I didn’t like Tess very much in the beginning of the book but she redeemed herself by the end of the story. This is an engaging tale of betrayal and bitterness and the power of hope and forgiveness. I don’t often become emotionally involved in a book but I did in this one.

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Laura Bradford’s Her New Story is the story of Tess Baker after she finds out that her husband and best friend have betrayed her. Because of Tess’ failure in reporting a story, she is given her first major assignment in Amish Country. While there, Tess finds more than a story; she learns many lessons among the Amish family she is staying with, and along the way in her stay there, she also finds friendship, forgiveness, love, respect, and above all hope for her future. A lovely, well-written story, Her New Story is an uplifting story about learning to trust others even after we have been hurt.

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The book “Her New Story” is a good book about love, betrayal and emotions. The book happens mostly in an Amish town. I like to read stories about the Amish and their lifestyle when I want to read a light book. This book’s main character seemed like a selfish, whiney person, and I really didn’t like her. It was only about 2/3 of the way through that she adjusted and did some good.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington books and Laura Bradford for the ARC of this book.

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