Courtney can seriously do no wrong! I've loved every book I've read from her and this was no different! While it may not be the usual happy rom-com vibe like some of her others, the emotion and writing in it still had me hooked!

Cortney Walsh is amazing and makes you feel like you are right along with the characters feeling what they’re feeling and experiencing what they are experiencing. She also writes faith into her story without it being overbearing.

Even though her husband has been dead for five years, Emma Woodson has only just moved to Nantucket to claim the cottage and adjoining apartment she inherited from him. Now she’s hoping this will be a fresh start for her and her son, CJ, once she gets a job and finds someone to clear out the apartment so she can rent that out in holiday season. Falling in love with her tenant was not on her to-do list, aka the Year of Emma.

Jameson Shaw came to Nantucket to deliver Emma a letter confessing his role in her husband’s death. But when she assumes he’s answered her want ad to renovate the apartment, he takes the job and doesn’t give her the letter. He soon finds himself developing feelings for Emma which makes it harder and harder to tell her the truth …

And we can all see that’s not a great foundation for a lasting relationship. It’s obvious from the first chapter that Jamie has some kind of secret involving Cam, Emma’s dead husband. He doesn’t mention it immediately (and in his defence, it’s not his fault Emma jumped to 100% the wrong conclusion when she saw him). And I can understand why he didn’t tell her – there was no right time. But the bigger the secret and the longer it’s kept, the harder it is to reveal the truth … and that’s a big part of the tension in the story. It was done well, but the lying by omission still bugged me.

Emma also has a secret. It’s hinted at in the book description but we’re a long way through the novel before it’s mentioned, let alone revealed. In many ways, her secret is worse than Jamie’s, even if the results weren’t as catastrophic. In that, it kind of explains why she took so long to get over Cam’s death.

Emma and Jamie each had their own internal journey to go through, and they both needed to forgive themselves sufficiently before they would even be in the right mental place to consider asking God’s forgiveness. (Fortunately, God forgives before we ask. But we can’t live in that forgiveness if we’re not ready to accept it.) Their eventual acceptance isn’t necessarily told on the page, but is shown by their actions. After all, actions speak louder than words.

So while What Matters Most isn’t overt in its presentation of Christianity, faith and forgiveness are definitely the underlying themes. In that, it’s a compelling story with a lot of kisses in the meantime.

Recommended for fans of contemporary Christian romance from authors like Kara Isaac, Carolyn Miller, and Becky Wade.

Thanks to Tyndale and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

What Matters Most by Courtney Walsh is such a great book. The portrayal of grief is so real and raw. This book has great depth. Readers of Christian romance will love this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Despite the two main characters being artists (a watercolor painter and a photographer), What Matters Most felt a little uninspired. Emma is a widow and mom to five-year-old CJ and has been merely going through the motions since her husband was killed in action five years earlier. Jameson shows up on her doorstep with a secret related to her husband’s death but doesn’t get around to revealing it until they’ve fallen in love. And Emma has a shameful secret too. The writing’s fine, but this one just didn't grab me. I've enjoyed many of Courtney Walsh's other books much more, and she continues to be one of my favorite authors in the contemporary Christian romance genre.

This book was one of the very best I've read this year. It is one that has stuck with me long after reading it. So full of heart, and I found myself in tears at times and smiling at times and all the time loving the story. This is such a sweet story of healing, love, forgiveness and letting go of past hurts and struggles in order to fully heal and gain peace.

“Jamie Shaw had awakened something in Emma that she’d long commanded to stay asleep.”

A truly heartfelt story that will draw you in from the very first moment. Emma and Jaime both have hurts and guilt that feels like they can never overcome. This is the story of how to overcome that guilt of making hard decisions, losing someone important to you, and learning to move forward.

“…like a beauty queen on a stage, the beaches in Nantucket demanded attention.”

The yearning as a slow burn romance between these two is so beautiful. I felt both of their hearts for wanting to get another and yet fears for stepping into a new future. The yearning between them is inspiring and heart wrenching at the same time. It seems almost impossible to find a happy ending between them.

“In this light, his eyes were a steely gray, and the way he looked at her set her on edge and put her at ease all at the same time.”

Heartfelt and beautiful.

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and have been given honestly.

This heartfelt romance was a fantastic book (as are all of her books). I love how real her stories seem to be and how her writing seamlessly flows word by word. This story shows that you never know what someone is going through and how seeking closure in situations can help an individual’s own healing. This book covers several hard topics such as single parenthood, being a widow, forgiveness, and trust. Emma is seeking a fresh start and moves to Nantucket. Jameson comes to see Emma to give her a letter to help himself with things he struggles with. After meeting her though, he is drawn to help her and in doing that continues to be drawn to her. Sometimes extending forgiveness to others can be easier than forgiving ourselves for our own mistakes. I highly recommend this book and know you will not be disappointed!
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, I have purchased her books before.

🌼 I've read and enjoyed every book that Courtney Walsh has written over the last few years, as well a few of her older novels, so I was stoked to receive an ARC from @netgalley and @tyndalehouse of her newest novel, What Matters Most.
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🌼 The Nantucket Love Story series is always fun to return to. It's atmospheric and makes me crave the salty air, sand, and waves of the coast...they always make me acutely aware of how far away we are from the ocean 😂😢
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🌼 This story was a hard one. It was gritty, gut-wrenching, and haunting. I loved how it unfolded piece by piece and slowly let us see what happened and how these characters are connected. It was a doozy and quite thought provoking.
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🌼 Having said that, I felt like this story was drawn out a little too much and filled with some repetition that started getting to me. I think that it may have read better as a novella? It was an important story and I think needs to be read, but this made it take a bit longer for me to get through, unfortunately.
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🌼 For my fellow Courtney Walsh fans, I'm confident most of you will still enjoy this one! I sadly didn't love it as much as I hoped I would, but as I said - it's still an important story!
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🌼 As usual with Christian romance, there really isn't any content to warn you of! Infidelity is a theme (in a negative light), as well as ptsd and war violence.

Love, loss and forgiveness.

A heartfelt novel set on the picturesque shores of Nantucket Island. A touching read that pulled me in with realistic dialog, well developed characters, and compelling storyline.

Emma is working hard to make a fresh start on her own after the death of her husband 5 years ago. I liked how the story unfolded with a powerful message of love and forgiveness, as well as the chemistry between Jamie and Emma. I admired the strong faith of Emma's in-laws and how they support her no matter what, stepping in effortlessly to help when needed. Her father-in-law especially is a wise man so full of faith.

Compelling storytelling, excellent characters that came to life before my eyes. Emma is a wonderful mother. I loved how Emma and Jamie encouraged each other to pursue their gifts. A touching love story, full of faith, forgiveness and hope.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am always so happy to return to Courtney Walsh's worlds and characters! She does such an outstanding job drawing me into the stories and making me feel like I am right there in Nantucket.

This story was a little heartbreaking as widow and single mom Emma continues to push forward, moving to a cottage of her own with her son for the first time since her husband's death, revisiting places that had meaning in his life and seeking to find her own way in the art world. She is strong and courageous but also vulnerable.

James comes to Nantucket to deliver a letter to Emma and that was it. When she thinks he is there to rehab her husband's old apartment, he quickly gets sucked into trying to help her and CJ while still grappling with his own demons- many of which are tied to Emma's husband.

I enjoyed Emma and James' developing relationship although I really wanted him to clear the air sooner. He was quick to forgive while she took longer and seemed to want to wallow in her pain- which is understandable.

Overall this is a fabulous contemporary Christian romance! Walsh is definitely a go to for me in this genre. I highly recommend you pick this or any of her books up! You will not be disappointed.

I received a complementary copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

What Matters Most is the first book by Courtney Walsh that I have read. I genuinely enjoyed the book.
Emma Woodson is a widow with a son, CJ. She has just moved to Nantucket after staying with her in-laws for five years. She needed that time to heal from her husband’s death in the service and now she was ready to be on her own. She moved into her husband’s family cottage that had a garage apartment that she thought she could use as rental income. She did live on the island of Nantucket and thought that it would be prime real estate for vacationers to rent. However, she had a slight problem. It was a mess! She had just placed an ad for help when Jamie Shaw showed up on her doorstep. She thought he was there answering the ad, but he was there on another matter.
Jamie Shaw was a photographer by trade, but he had given that up five years ago when he engaged in an incident overseas that he needed to heal from. Part of that healing process had been writing letters to various people and he was there in Nantucket to deliver one of those letters to Emma. However, he did not deliver the letter. Instead, he accepted the job to clean out and renovate the upstairs apartment.
Walsh delivers on this book. She writes in such a way that you feel the anguish both Jamie and Emma are going through and their struggle with faith and how God moves in their lives. This is a book that I recommend to friends.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. #WhatMattersMost #CourtneyWalsh

What Matters Most is the latest in a wonderful collection of standalone stories, all set on Nantucket Island. Emma has dragged herself through life ever since her soldier husband Cam was shot and killed in action. Their son CJ is all that keeps her going, personal dreams now set aside.

Jamie is a man on a mission. He’s also a man with a secret that could tear Emma apart. He arrives on the island, intent on trying to make amends, but he never expected falling in love would get in the way. As he grows closer to Emma, he loses the resolve to share his secret, knowing that deeper he falls, the more they’ll both shatter when the truth comes out.

But Emmas has begun to live again. And so has Jamie.

I enjoyed What Matters Most very much, because a very difficult experience, moving through grief and back to joy is handled sensitively, and by two characters who have the bravery to face the hard things.

As a happily married military wife, Emma’s story resonated with me on a deep level, and I thank Courtney Walsh for her efforts to portray this scenario authentically. The glimpse of Cape life was a lovely escape and the romance made me blink back tears a couple of times.

I definitely recommend this sigh-worthy summer read.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions are all mine.

Once my eyes are clear and I can actually see without the tears, I'll write my review.

For now, I can tell you with confidence that this is the absolute best novel Courtney Walsh has written. Ever.

Courtney Walsh is such a talented writer and I’ve always enjoyed her books, which is why I was sad that I didn’t connect with What Matters Most at all. It just went on too long for something that I couldn’t get into - I didn’t relate to the main characters, Emma and Jamie, and they fell a bit flat so I didn’t care what happened to either of them. I also didn’t care about any of the side characters. All in all, I would recommend Courtney Walsh, maybe just not this book.

A sweet romance… at first, it kept me guessing. Emma & Jamie are both keeping secrets. Once, I figured out the characters connection, I wanted them to spill the beans much quicker so they could be together without complications. As is with life, there were a few more steps and a learning curve in between, however, the story resolved with a beautiful tribute to honor the losses many endured. I love stories of second chances and redemption.

I enjoy Courtney Walsh's books, and I know fans of contemporary romance will too! What Matters Most wasn't my favorite of Walsh's, but her writing is always engaging and sweet. I definitely recommend checking them out! 3.5/5 stars

What Matters Most was a story of second chances for two people who carried grief and bitterness heavily on their shoulders. It was the renewal of lost dreams. It was a story of the intense highs of a new love and the heart aching sadness of betrayal. This story pulled my emotions all over the place in the best of ways.

I loved the relationship that began as a partnership and tentative friendship between two people who were brought together by a tragedy, even though for much of the story, Emma was not aware of the connection and Jamie was worried about how to share the truth. I loved the way Jamie and CJ bonded and the way that Jamie learned to truly care for and love this little family.

I thought I could see the way things would unfold for these two and to a point, I did. However, the author threw in some wonderful twists and beautiful details that kept me turning pages to see how things would work out. I loved that there was an epilogue, even though I would have loved to see it as an extended epilogue that peeked even farther into the future, too. But that is probably just me. What Matters Most delved into some heavy topics with grace and highlighted the importance of forgiveness.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A sweet love story where the ending is assured but the road to getting there isn't easy. I appreciated the depth of the characters and the reasons for their meeting. The role that faith plays seems genuine, non-cringey, and authentic. The setting of Nantucket Island is sweet and inviting. My major critique is that the author kept 'the secret' for too long - the thing that each character was keeping from each other. I started to get annoyed as I waited for her to let us, the reader, into the secret. Took me out of the story.

Thank you Courtney Walsh for making me bawl my eyes out.

The book sweeps us back to Nantucket, and we can't help but fall in love again with Emma and Jameson. Courtney does a perfect job of introducing us to this delightful pair in the sweetest meet cute ever. The story focuses on loss and grief, family and friendship, and forgiveness. It's a heart wrenching, won't forget story that will rip your heart out.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own