Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. This is the second book that I read by this author...and I have enjoyed them both. This story line captivated by attention. The characters were realistic. I have already recommended this story to many of my reading friends. Looking forward to reading more of her work. Five stars.

In the Mirror by Kaira Rouda was such an incredible book and yet it was even more than that. It was a moving read. It was hard and real and raw and honest. It was life and death and life all over again.

My Thoughts:

I cannot imagine being Jennifer. What she had to face, what she had to deal with... But her strength, her beauty, and her resolve were remarkable. In the end, she was at that affirming and necessary place of acceptance. I loved that.

Dearest Henry... My heart literally aches for this wonderful man. I understood him so well. He showed himself to be such a lovely man of worth.

Thank heavens for Ralph! He was a dose of goodness. (Insert sniffle and sigh here.) Also, his wife's words to Jennifer as she sat on her throne...well, they were absolutely perfect. Just marvelously right!

Jennifer's family and friends were quite colorful. They had their own stories to tell as well. I'm glad Rouda uncovered their issues. It made the reading experience more authentic somehow. I learned a lot from seeing them.

Summary:

There were so many facets to this beautiful story. I felt that it dealt with a difficult subject in such a graceful way. Rouda produced a well-written, well thought out book that was filled with the pretty and not-so-pretty issues that go along with a terminal diagnosis.

This book will make you think, laugh, cry, feel, and come to a personal truth about what really matters regarding life and love.

Outstanding work!

Rating: 5/5 Recommend: Yes Bookshelf Worthy: Yes Content: Clean, Mature Audience: YA-A Book Club Spotlight Feature Recommended: Yes Extras: Discussion topics and questions Other: Dealing with cancer of any type is something that affects not just the person who has it, but it also affects their loved ones and extended circle as well. Many strange and unfamiliar emotions and feelings are visited from the time the diagnosis is given all the way forward. One can really begin to see perhaps what they should have already been able to see or rather what was already there in each life, including his or her own.
HEA: ? (Read it and you tell me.)

This book will make you laugh and make you cry. You may even see a little bit of yourself in Jenn. Jenn is battling breast cancer and decides to plan a party to celebrate her life. In the midst of the planning, the treatments, and trying to keep some semblance of family with her husband and two children, her ex-boyfriend comes back to town and pays her a visit. It prompts the question.... if you had a chance for a do-over, would you keep the same husband or go back to a former love? This book is so gripping and emotional I wasn't able to put it down. Definitely a must-read!

In the Mirror is a powerfully gripping story about a young wife and mother battling cancer. I must confess, I spent the first part of this story thinking it was a work of non-fiction (which it is not). So this may have impacted my overall read. Right off the bat, I became very emotionally invested in the main character and her story. However, since this story was so well written and engaging, I probably would have been just as engrossed had I known it was a fictional story.

The emotions and struggles of the main character are very believable, and I was easily able to empathize with her. In fact, I related to her so well that it almost became emotionally draining. (This is not necessarily a bad thing. I mention it to reflect the powerful writing of this author.) It was neat to see the unique, loving bond between the main character, Jennifer, and her friend and fellow cancer patient, Ralph. It was also interesting to see the way Jennifer's relationship with her husband came full circle over the course of the novel. The interaction between Jennifer and her ex-boyfriend was one of the most fascinating (but at times less believable) parts of the book. Some of the characters were more likable than others, but all of the characters were well developed. I loved the different dynamics between various characters.

I always appreciate books that keep me thinking even after I have finished the last page. This story was no exception. I can't say that I loved the ending, but it did stay with me. Overall, the book was wonderful. It was jam packed with emotion. Although it was heartbreaking, in many ways it was also brimming with love and hope. In the Mirror was full of drama, some comedy, and even suspense. It had a little something for everyone. I highly recommend it.

*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

There are a lot of books right now on women dealing with cancer. This is a wonderful story of love, family and hope. We meet Jennifer in a cancer treatment facility with a chance of survival due to new medicines. She watches her best friend in the room next door being defeated by his cancer. She has a husband who tries to help but he's dealing with two small children and a job. A insightful book about life and death from both sides of the story. Keep the tissue box nearby.

I was hooked from the first page. Jennifer is an honest and vulnerable character, and I could imagine myself in her hospital bed... Alone, scared, missing my family terribly. I could even imagine a reunion with an old flame. And while I may not have made the same choice, I could understand hers. This book made me hug my family a little tighter and hold them a little closer, counting the blessings in my life.

Apparently I love heartbreaking stories because I always end up reading them. It has to be the intense emotions these books evoke that really draw me in. This book was no exception. It was tragic and extremely sad, but very well written.

Shortly after having her second baby, Jenn was diagnosed with breast cancer. It's been over a year since her battle started and she finds herself at an experimental facility that's her last hope of beating cancer.

Jenn's extremely lucky, but sometimes she can't see it. Her husband, Henry, is nothing short of amazing and she's surrounded by a very loving and supportive group of friends. Friends that are helping her plan a life celebration, so she can spend time with the people that have meant the most to her. Ralph, her best friend at the facility, is the only one that really understands what she's going through and can cheer her up like no one else.

She just can't shake the loneliness and isolation she feels while all her loved ones are out living their lives without her. Some of the decisions she makes are gut-wrenching, but in a crazy way understandable. She loves her husband, but she wants him to look at her as more than just another responsibility. She wants to feel desired.

I really grew to care about these characters and didn't want to let them go. Ralph was one of my favorites, but also one of the most depressing parts of the story. The only part of the book that I found lacking was the ending. I wanted more closure.

We meet Jennifer in her special live-in treatment facility and begin to hear the story of how she has ended up there, trying experimental cancer treatments to attack and kill the cancer in her body.

Initially, I was caught up in the angry stage of grief, enveloped by it. It ate away at my soul and left me spent, running on nothing but useless emotion. Why me? What had I done differently than anyone else I knew?

Jennifer is a strong woman and contemplates all she has to lose during her long hours alone. She has a special friendship with another patient in the clinic, they share an understanding that those without cancer just don't have of the disease they fight off together.

Jennifer decides to throw a series of parties, to celebrate her life, and ropes in her somewhat dysfunctional family including her Mother and her Sister to help. Her sister is quite a narcissistic character, did not like her one bit.

She has a husband who loves her and two small children, there is a lot to live for.

Whatever time God gives us on this earth, we humans fill it up. Mostly with meaningless, day-to-day activities. That is, after all, the process we call livi/ng. We forget to cherish, celebrate every moment as the blessing it is.

That made me stop and think. Because it's true. And if you, like myself have lost a loved one or more to cancer you know that this sickness can stop and make you take stock of what you have got, as potential death stares you in the face watching a loved one waste away.

The spanner in the works comes in the form of Jennifer's first love, her ex who crops up to visit her and stirs up a world of confusing emotions and thoughts. She dangerously compares her past relationship with him with her current marriage to her steady and loving husband. Not a good idea. Does that end well? You will have to read and see.

I can't share much more on that character without spoiling a lot of the book for you. But overall this is a nice read, I think it captures the truth of the horror of cancer quite well. I had trouble connecting with all of the characters, Jennifer at times seemed an unusual mix of worldly and naive and flitted back and forth between the two. I loved that by the end we saw her true colours.

It was because I'd doubted myself, I supposed. If you don't feel worthy of love, if something is missing, or something horrible is thrust upon you, it's easy to doubt your worth.

Indeed, indeed.

We journey with Jennifer through her trials and tribulations, her decisions, right or wrong, she takes us with her in the book. I felt the sideline story involving the ex in the book went a little bit too much on the unbelievable side for me but all in all this book is a good read, enjoyable and at times deeply moving. 3.5 stars from me for this one.