This was a great read. I really enjoyed it. It helped me to see the value of ranches like HopeWell, and the impact horses can have on someone’s life when walking through difficulties. Jodi and Solomon’s story was very moving, and I found it very encouraging. A quote from the final chapter of this book summarizes the beauty of this story: “God can bring life from the ashes of death. HopeWell had been born from loss. Project Solomon had been born from loss. Both were now being used to bring life. Life born from death. Freedom found in surrender. Community formed out of loneliness.” I will be recommending this book in the future.

I received an advance readers copy of this book from the publisher, but the opinions are own.

Project Solomon is a very well written book! I loved getting to know more of the backstory of the ranch and how it came about! Be sure to have tissues on hand as it can be very emotional at times, but also has a strong theme of hope and faith.

This book is a *Must Read* for anyone who is looking for a truly inspirational heartfelt read. It is full of emotions, you will laugh, cry and feel every emotion in between. I loved everything about this book and highly recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy from Tyndale House Publishers via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Project Solomon is a heartwarming book revealing the journey to emotional healing through the unconditional love and and responses of the horse. These horses have been through their own struggles yet are able to respond to human grief, loneliness, abandonment, anger and fear. Joy and life-change is evident on these pages again and again with the real life stories of special needs children and suffering Veterans. Jodi Stuber and Jennifer Bleakley describe beautifully the love and feelings of well-being that can grow through the relationship with a horse. This, in my experience, is so similar to the relationship of security, forgiveness and peace that we can each have with Our Lord. and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank You for this book and this equine ministry.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Tyndale Publishing for the advance read of this book. I now know that I am going to purchase Project Solomon to add to my library. This is a beautiful story, especially for today's world about caring for animals and people. It is about dealing with loss, again and again, and turning that loss into a positive force for life. Even though I started reading this book because I love horses, it was the stories of the traumatized veterans and their interactions with the horses that captured my heart.

This is a true true story of how someone overcame loss and how they eventually used that pain in their life to help others. and how that journey ultimately This is the second or third book I have read by this author and she continues to write in a way that makes me want to know more of the story. I love how she writes of healing through animals and this one is about a horse named Solomon. There were many emotions that I experienced as I read this book. This is a very inspiring story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

There were only two things I did not like about Project Solomon by Jodi Stuber and Jennifer Marshall Bleakley, and I would say only one is a critique: It was disjointed in some instances. The time skips were too abrupt, and there weren’t adequate transitions between the year gaps. Outside of that, though? Project Solomon is beautiful. It is a raw, emotional, and honest story about a woman's own struggle with grief, while simultaneously trying to help others battle their own. The book talks about the realities of pain and loss, but it offers hope, encouragement, and comfort. It may focus on the power of horses, but Project Solomon is an appropriate and fulfilling read for everyone, not just horse lovers.

I related to Jodi a little too much; I have not suffered the same type of loss, but I have experienced some of my own. When it has occurred, I have run to the barn. When my “heart horses” have passed, I have escaped to the barn. That is where I find my peace. If I'm stressed or sad, you'll probably find me at the barn. If I'm happy, I'll be at the barn. Not necessarily even riding—just…being present. I'll groom my horse for two hours, either listening to an audiobook or to my mare's breathing. Or I'll sit in the middle of the pasture with no agenda and no expectations. Sometimes I’ll talk to the horses, because like Jodi, it’s easier for me to talk to them than to other people. Other times, I will say nothing at all. There is no need.

For people unaccustomed to the human-equine connection, Project Solomon may seem farfetched, but I can assure you, it is very real. Project Solomon portrays this truth better than any other books I have read. I teared up when reading this book because of how heavily it spoke to my heart. It brought up hard memories, but it also reminded me of the people (and the horses) that helped me through those challenging situations. It caused me to recollect the happy moments in the darkness. The releases in times of pain. The love of a God who never leaves in the times I have felt alone.

Project Solomon by Jodi Stuber and Jennifer Marshall Bleakley is the exact book our society needs today. Because let's be real, the world depresses us. Most people I know do not watch the news because of the negativity. The media rarely highlights happy stories, unless they revolve around sports—but even sports can have controversy and heartbreak. Project Solomon demonstrates that even in the darkest, deepest pit of despair, a way out exists. It may differ for you and me, but God reaches out His hand to everyone. He can use whatever He wants—including the accepting, tender, and nonjudgmental eyes of horses with whom there is no need for façades. They will absorb your worries, your tears, your stresses, your pains.

I said at the beginning of the review that I disliked Project Solomon for two reasons only. The second? I did not like when it ended; I wanted to continue walking with Jodi and the HopeWell crew. I wanted to witness God’s work through their staff and their horses…so I followed HopeWell Ranch on Facebook. Because I couldn’t stop with Project Solomon's final page. This is one of those books I will read again, and it's all because Jodi Stuber's willingness to be open and vulnerable about the agonies—and successes—involved in walking God's path for her life.

Not only for horse lovers
Cofounder and executive director of HopeWell Ranch Jodi Stuber and author Jennifer Marshall Bleakley are presenting "Project Solomon. The True Story of a Lonely Horse Who Found a Home - and Became a Hero". The book is about Solomon, a horse on HopeWell Ranch, published by Tyndale House Publishers – Tyndale Momentum. Jodi Stuber started HopeWell Ranch in Michigan in memory of her baby girl who was stillborn but the therapy ranch was struggling and she didn't plan to add another horse because funds were already short. But when Jodi met Solomon, solitary and sad, trying to find comfort from a plastic deer after losing his herd, she knew she had to give him a home and help him to integrate into a new herd. Ultimately Jodi and Solomon helped one another to heal after Jodi discovered that she was wearing a mask to keep others from seeing her real self.
The book is very honest and open and talks not only about the struggles of the ranch, but also of Jodi's personal struggles as well as the struggles of her family. It touches the topics of grief loss, the therapy of special needs children and help for war veterans. It is so well written that it reads like a novel although it is a biography/memoir. The discussion questions at the end of the book hep individuals but also book club members to reflect about the book. I finished the book in a very short time and highly recommend it to readers who are looking for a true story that is very well written.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#ProjectSolomon #Netgalley

This is a heartwarming true story of overcoming painful personal loss and how that journey ultimately helped others face their own pain. Jennifer Bleakley gently takes the reader through the process of healing using the tender influence of a horse named Solomon. There were times when I was laughing out loud only to be grabbing a tissue a page later. This is an inspirational page turner that will make you want to know more about Project Solomon.

PROJECT SOLOMON by JENNIFER MARSHALL BLEAKLEY is a must read for any animal lover, particularly a lover of horses. It is a true story of faith and redemption as we read about the incredible relationship between Jodi Stuber and Solomon, the lonely bay gelding who becomes leader of the herd at HopeWell Ranch. As Jodi spends time with Solomon, training him and helping him to integrate with the herd, thry come to understand one another, and she pours out her heart to him, finding solace for her grief. This majestic animal, who seems to understand the special needs children who come to HopeWell for therapy, becomes the inspiration for Project Solomon, which provides a safe place for war veterans as they interact with the horses.
I love everything about this book, especially the way the author’s faith in the Lord, together with that of Jodi and Ty Stuber and their family, shines through the story.
I cannot recommend this heartwarming and inspirational read highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.