This book was incredibly insightful. I can't imagine losing a child, especially at the hands of someone I had come to feel was part of the family. The strength this family needed came from God, their church community, and personal faith. They were open to both pain and hope. This book showed that without intentionally tugging at the heartstrings for dramatic effect. The concept of restorative justice is amazing, and I can't understand why we don't hear more about that nationally and on the local level. Surely, there are many cases where this option makes more sense that lifetime incarceration. Not all cases, obviously, but I can see how restorative justice may lead to healing for all parties involved, where the current antagonistic and oppositional justice system does not. Another idea that really resonated with me is that, even if our spouses love use imperfectly, and even if we can only love them imperfectly in return, God loves us perfectly. A highly recommended read.

Great book that should be ready by every young lady in high school in a dating relationship. Things aren't always as they seem and young people need to feel free to reach out to their parents, teacher or friend's parent if things aren't feeling safe in their relationship.

This is a great story of faith and forgiveness, but also a warning to parents to TALK TO YOUR KIDS! Just because things seems great and you like your child's boyfriend/girlfriend, doesn't mean it's like that away from you.

This story was very touching and I thought it was a very great read.

A powerfully written book about the depths of forgiveness. But more than that, the depths of true faith in Christ and His redeeming power. It tells an incredible story from start to finish that made it impossible to put down.

In a time when nuance is a rare commodity, this book is a powerful testament to the complexity of human relationships and, indeed, of humanity itself.

I do not always do well with books like this because I am an HSP, or Highly Sensitive Person, and stories of tragedy and death often stay with me for far longer than I'd like. But in the case of Forgiving My Daughter's Killer, this is actually a benefit. I am grateful to Kate Grosmaire for her courage to pen what was the most painful circumstance she will likely ever face and for, in doing so, giving us a taste of that other-worldly grace we are in so desperate need of these days. Her story is truly remarkable.

The idea of redemption is a beautiful one, but we often approach it with caution in real life. We glorify and revel in grace when offered to us, but for others, we are not as quick to extend the courtesy. We are human, after all, and grace did not come from us. What Grosmaire does so well in her book is show how grace unfolds over time, and reveal that while the decision to forgive is a one-time thing the process is long and, sometimes, nearly unendurable. This is what we forget, and in the process of forgetting, grace is what we lose.

I am a mother of a preschool-aged girl, and I had to stop reading a number of times because Kate's daughter would, in my imagination, become my own. But despite the painful experience of reading the grief of another mother after so much confusion and loss, the resulting story and the hard-worn consideration Kate took in learning to see her daughter's killer as a person, too, is worth the effort.

After all, sharing Kate's grief in this small way is the least we can do when she cut herself open and bled her deepest loss onto the page.

FORGIVING MY DAUGHTERS KILLER
A True Story of Loss, Faith, and Unexpected Grace
KATE GROSMAIRE
With Nancy French


MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
PUBLISHER Thomas Nelson Books
PUBLISHED March 15, 2016


A poignant and thought-provoking book that plants the seeds of the restorative justice process and honors a daughters memory through forgiveness.

SUMMARY
The ring of a doorbell on that last Sunday in March changed Kate and Andy Grosmaire faith-filled life forever. That was the day their beautiful daughter Ann, was shot by her boyfriend, Conner. Ann clung to life in the hospital for five days before she passed away. During those five days the Grosmaire family not only received, but also gave amazing grace. Remarkably, the Grosmaire's were able to forgive Conner for his action against Ann. Kate met with Connor four days after Ann was shot and told him that they loved him and forgave him.

"We don't define Connor by that one moment of his life. There's no way to understand a persons essence by judging one moment of his life. if we define Connor only as a murderer that would mean defining my daughter only as a murder victim."

After Ann's death, and as Conner's trial date approached the Grosmaire's decided to pursue restorative justice. In a typical criminal case, the the victim and the offender never personally interact. But this was different. They needed to talk to Conner. With restorative justice a facilitated meeting was held with Conner, his family, the Grosmaire's, the attorneys and a member of the community. Conner had to acknowledge that he killed Ann. The Grosmaire's told Conner the story of what Ann's loss meant to them. They had Conner answer questions about why he did it, and how it happened. The Grosmaire's identified what restitution they wanted to see Conner do in the future and recommend sentencing time frames for Conner. Restorative Justice is different because it allows for the Grosmaire to begin the healing process by being heard, and for Conner to truly understand the impact of his action that horrendous day in March.

"Ann was an incredible young woman, and I wasn't going to let one dark moment overshadow her life. I had to let go of anything that would hold me in that dark place-which meant forgiving Connor. Who would want to be defined for the rest of their life by the worst thing they ever did?"


REVIEW
This story is amazing! The Grosmaire family is amazing! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I might have found it hard to believe, but I have known Kate and Andy through our church for several years. What parent can forgive someone who kills their child. An impossibility. But Kate and Andy found the strength and courage with Gods grace to move beyond one of the worst days of their life. Not only to move beyond, but to turn it into something positive for Ann's sake. This book eloquently documents the facts of that dark period

Kate's writing is impeccable. The book flows as fast as a river and is an inspiration to read. From the moment the doorbell rang I was sitting on the edge of my seat. Kate interjects just the right amount of emotion, fact, background, personal information and scripture.

The restorative justice portion of the book is extremely informative and thought-provoking. I was so sadden by the way the restorative justice meeting in this case was concluded. The State Attorney's Office total refusal to discuss Conner's sentence was abrupt and unnecessary and showed a lack of decorum and failure to buy-in to the process. Regardless, I hope, that this book will serve as motivation for moving restorative justice forward in Florida and elsewhere in the U.S.

Thanks to Net Galley, Thomas Nelson and Kate Grosmaire for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was tough to read yet at the same time a very well-written and timely book. It was just so gut-wrenching reading what it was like for Kate and Andy Grosmaire. I thank goodness for their wonderful faith, friends, and church family getting them through such a time. What a moving story, I learned a lot from it on many levels. I also cried until I ended up with a migraine, which is why I have to limit this kind of book at times in my reading pile. It's a very worthwhile read that I highly recommend that says a lot about forgiveness. My thanks to NetGalley, Nelson Books, and the author for providing me with an ARC for review.

I loved this book. I was shocked about who the killer is. I find it very disturbing but sometimes these things happen a lot. The courage of the family was awesome. It was a very good book and amazing but the parents were godly. How many of us would have that testimony.

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Forgiving My Daughters Killer was just okay for me. I have a hard time with all the forgiveness especially right from the start!

Forgiving My Daughter's Killer is a must read. Very beautifully written book. There are times in my life when forgiveness seems impossible and this book teaches me about forgiveness without being preachy, because this book shows me how to forgive, even if it is very difficult to do.
Thank you Kate Grosmaire for sharing your story to help and show other people how to forgive through Christ.
I would recommend it to others without a doubt.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.