The Beauty of Rain, by Jamie Beck, is a true reflection of how many ways there are to process grief and deal with loss, self sabotage and doubt. I admire both female leads in this book. I highly recommend this read for anyone who wants to get into their head and is willing to dig deep within. In turn, you’ll start asking yourself many important questions. Always know your value and worth!

I felt this novel got off to a slow start but I stuck with it and it was worthwhile. Lots of emotional pain but ultimately happiness. A real rollercoaster!

I loved this book so much! Omg all the feels! This was the first book I've read by this author but definitely won't be the last. Thank you!

Wow, this is my first Jamie Beck novel and I absolutely loved it! Beautiful, poignant story with amazing characters.

I wasn't too sure about this book at the beginning but I'm so glad I stuck with it. It's a great story and I'm sure the topic will appeal if not even be helpful to many readers. While it does touch on planned suicide, you do feel for the characters and what they are going through. While it does touch on the over use of prescription drugs, again you can feel what that character is going through. Highly recommend it.

A well written, heartfelt & truly emotional story. It will pull at
your heart-strings.
A year ago, Amy had a tragic
loss in her family. Life after that
completely changed for Amy,
her sister & family.
Every day was struggle to continue on for Amy.
Wonderful characters.
A story of love, loss, forgiveness
& understanding. 
I truly enjoyed reading it.

What do you do with grief so deep you don’t want to survive? This is the emotional state of Amy Walsh after losing her husband and young son in a tragic accident. Adding to her profound grief, is the guilt that Amy had just a few weeks prior, won a multi million dollar lottery which she now thinks was a bad omen and she no longer wants. Kristin DeMarco, is Amy’s older sister who takes her in to live with her family in the hopes that she can help save Amy from the despair. What follows is a powerful story of the tensions and love of sisters as they each try to find a way in the face of their own hopelessness and desperation. But is it enough?

Themes of loss, grief, suicide and prescription drug dependency are found throughout the story and while intense and emotional, the author handles each with sensitivity and compassion. I was not prepared for how heavy this book was so here is your warning. And do keep the tissues nearby.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for providing me with the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: July 18, 2023

Life and Death is fleeting. Nobody is guaranteed a tomorrow so embrace today with open arms.
What can one say other than I'm typing this after exiting the hospital on the 10th with what I was told was pneumonia. Antibiotics ordered. No IV fluids administered after suffering sinus tachycardia simply walking to the building. Upon exiting I was told to check up within a week with primary. Within an hour I located my online med file/test results and learned I had tested positive for Covid/Sars. Indeed, I spent two days tracking down my doctor via instant messaging through this online portal. I finally was provided a prescription for Covid meds and spent ten days in quarantine.
You might think this isn't all that bad until you learn my dad passed away in FL while on vacay while I reside in PA. My brother kept me up to date bedside chatter with doctors via 'What's App' which I never heard of till that Wednesday. By the time I entered the hospital at 10 am on the 10th my dad had supposedly passed at 418am that same day. My kids and I were never called but instead a family member eventually mentioned to my son online and my son finally told me.
I was devastated to say the least especially upon sharing the news online that he passed as his only daughter only to get crickets. Not one person offered condolences. I honestly live as if I'm truly invisible to the outside world and it's mind blowing as to why?
I see others share the deaths of loved ones and it's met with so much emotional and loving support yet for me I can't get one person to do the same for me yet I'd give my shirt off my back and have spent 20 years of my 49 yrs volunteering and raising my 3 kids solo.
Well, in regards to this book it's a tear jerker. To learn of Amy's suicidal tendencies, the issues with prescription meds, the passing of her son and husband is all deeply troubling.
Couple this with her sister Kristen who has to be the strong one and supportive while processing her sister's death and vision from the other side is enough to make you take stock in Kleenex.
It's a deep disturbing yet a discussion of life and death that we all must address. My father had end stage cancer at 80 yo as a Navy Veteran having served in the Cold War 61-66 on USS-Shangri-La.
He had a sudden heart attack from three main issues: valve stenosis, atril fibrilation, and weakened arteries cardiomyopathy. Any of these could normally be fixed via stent however, with underlying end stage cancer that's pushing up his diaphragm causing his lungs/kidneys to falter it was an 'out of options' for the doctors and a resort to 'end suffering' and provide 'comfort care.'
We were given a multitude of other options ie. ventilators, meds, and more but in the end the body is shutting down.
I'll leave you with this as I've overheard from the Dr. to my eldest brother, " He defied the odds of nature." He fought for all of you and he fought a battle he knew that his body was shutting down and that caused him anxiety. He souded mentally in tact but sadly it's the body that faltered and he was given morphine to end the suffering and allow his body to relax naturally putting him into sleep restfully as we'd all want to go out.
Please, please, please know that you're not alone. That we all must meet our maker. To go out with dignity and strength instead of gasping for air as my dad was leading up to his final days -sleeping upright in reclining chair, having my mom rush to his side when his breath crackled with that god awful wheezing isn't living life it's fighting life to win.
I'm so glad my dad is in peace and I pray that everyone has a chance to read this beautiful book because it's well written, thoughful, and dignified.
Thank you for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

“Time to embrace a “Live now, not when”attitude “

Let me start by saying this was one amazing book… I have laughed, cried, questioned my faith, questioned relationships and felt every emotion a girl can feel. The author has so beautifully taken us on a journey of what’s really important, and what we all need to do to just stop and enjoy the little moments from time to time.
I think this is one of this authors best books and I am so grateful to her for writing a book that will forever change me.

Amy has lived through the unimaginable loss of her son and her husband. She gets through every day planning her exit from life.
Kristin is spinning in all different directions in her life Trying to make partner at her job, raising two kids, keeping secrets from her husband and trying to prevent her sister from ending her life.

“What made this home beautiful was the love inside these walls.”

What made this book beautiful was the love inside every page!

The Beauty of Rain
A Novel
by Jamie Beck
This novel is heartbreaking and was not going to stop breaking hearts. It is the love between, the deaths of family, and trying to hang on when your life and hopes are lost. The ending just is the part where I smiled, and cried the most.

There are times when a good book – one with a simple, yet powerful message – is not easy to read. That is the case with this latest offering by Jamie Beck, one of my favorite authors. The story is a heart-wrenching exploration of the relationship between two sisters whose lives are marked by a host of challenges.

Amy Walsh has lost her husband and son in a tragic accident. The storyline explores the first year of her life following their deaths. Deep, profound grief and guilt are her companions as she tries to make sense of her life without the two people she loved most. The author’s ability to evoke these strong emotional responses – including suicidal ideation - in Amy’s character makes this novel such a challenging read.

Kristin, Amy’s sister, is overly invested in monitoring Amy’s behavior and mental/emotional status. Between Amy’s circumstances, her demanding career as an attorney, her family responsibilities for her husband and children, and her own high standards driven by a competitive, perfectionist nature, Kristin begins taking drugs to maintain her energy and focus.

The characters are well developed and, from reading the Author’s Note, are drawn from some aspects of Ms. Beck’s own experience, making them all the more authentic. Overall, it is a solid, well-thought out, realistic story, but be forewarned, this is not a “feel-good,” escapist read.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

The Beauty of Rain
Jamie Beck

I am avid reader of books written by Jamie Beck. Her romance books with the HEA are a joy to read. When I read the preview of The Beauty of Rain, I thought this is going to be different from all the others I have read from Jamie Beck. I went in with an open mind and let the book take over, at first I had mixed feelings this book deals with touchy subjects but life is not always full of sunshine and roses. Life and death are part of the life journey we all face at some time in our lives. The Sisterly love reminds me of mine and my Sisters love always there when I need her. In my good times and bad. Family is what makes us tick. This book captivated me I read it in 2 days staying up until 2am to finish it. A must read but have the box of Kleenex ready for the laughs and cries. The ending is ironic.

Jamie Beck once again you have written an awesome book!!

Heartbreaking, thought-provoking and realistic, The Beauty of Rain by Jamie Beck hits readers in the feels as it touches upon the topics of grief, love, marriage, family and loss. This book sends an important and meaningful message about life.

I CRIED. I cried so much reading this book. I feel like all the times I cried reading this book could add up to more than 10 minutes. It's so sad. SO SO SAD. But it's also so good. The writing is fantastic, and I love this book so much. The characters in the story are amazing. I like the way they fit into the story. Amy Walsh and Kristin DeMarco, the main characters in this book, are simply the best sisters ever. The love they have for each other is so precious.

This book is narrated with alternating 1st-person POV of Amy and Kristin. Amy's POV takes the odd chapters, while Kristin's POV takes the even chapters. The story is written in the present tense, and it works well for this story. I greatly enjoyed following both Amy's and Kristin's stories. The two stories are intertwined intricately, which is natural because they're very close sisters. Both send important and meaningful messages to readers. Let me break them down.

Through Amy's POV, we see how she struggles with grief and survivor's guilt following the deaths of her husband, Sean, and son, Scotty. The guilt is further exemplified by the feeling that she had indirectly caused their deaths. Amy's journey was full of ups and downs, and I could feel every emotion oozing out of the words in the book. I smiled with her. I cried with her. My heart ached for her. Her story has taught me many things about life and the way perspective can change things. I'm honestly so proud of her with how far she has come regarding her route to recovery. Grief never fully goes away, but we can learn to exist with it rather than letting it take over our lives. We can learn to laugh and smile despite pain and sadness.

Through Kristin's POV, we see how she deals with marriage and unforeseen factors that may affect it. We also see the worry that a loved one may have for someone who is struggling with their mental health. The unconditional love Kristin holds for her sister is one to be admired. Her story has taught me that conflicts in marriage are normal, but what's important is communication, honesty and learning that you can't agree with everything all the time. At first, I didn't like Tony, her husband, that much even though he made sense. He was too logical! Then, I realised that some people were just like that, and we have to accept them the way they are. Just because he was brutally honest, it didn't mean that he didn't love and care for Kristin. And honestly, it's the love and support he shows for Kristin that matters. No relationship is perfect, but the least we can do is try.

As I said, the writing is so good. The prologue is well done, especially when we're brought back to it later in the book, and everything made so much sense. The pacing of this book was just right. I was furious about the ending at first because I didn't expect it, but I burst into tears a few seconds later upon reading the text following the revelation. I can't say I agree with the ending, but it made sense and I ultimately got what I wanted. It was written too well for me to hate it.

This story is very realistic. For example, it talks about grief, the loss of loved ones, marriage and family and love. This book allowed me to fully immerse myself in the story and connect with the characters. My heart ached for Amy as I read it. I wanted her to recover so much. I wanted our main characters to be happy. This just shows how much this story can touch a reader's heart. With good writing and storytelling, The Beauty of Rain is certainly worth a shot.

I recommend this book to people who don't mind sobbing while reading it. (This is your cue to prepare tissues!)

This story is very realistic. For example, it talks about grief, the loss of loved ones, marriage and family and love. This book allowed me to fully immerse myself in the story and connect with the characters. My heart ached for Amy as I read it. I wanted her to recover so much. I wanted our main characters to be happy. This just shows how much this story can touch a reader's heart. With good writing and storytelling, The Beauty of Rain is certainly worth a shot.

I recommend this book to people who don't mind sobbing while reading it. I think that everyone should read this story.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

This was a very heartfelt book that made me feel all the emotions and gave me goosbumos every now and then. I absolutely loved the writing style, it was purely incredible. And another thing I loved how engaging the story was.!!