When Amish Mandy Frey and her three friends head for a Hawaiian vacation, they have no idea what lies ahead in their future. Mandy and another young Amish woman miss their cruise ship and life begins to change.

I loved this story. I have always enjoyed Wanda Brunstetter's books, but this was clearly one of my favorites. Written in cooperation with her daughter-in-law, Jean Brunstetter, it was a book that I couldn't put down. I had to see how things turned out.

Definitely a book you need to read!

I received an ebook copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review, which I have given.

As a quilter, this book appealed to me very much. I have read all of Wanda Brunstetter’s books and I believe this is my favorite of them all. She and her daughter-in-law, Jean, make a great writing team.

Mandy Frey and her three friends, take a cruise to Hawaii before they begin instruction to join the church. Little do they know the adventures facing them! When Mandy and one of the other girls miss the cruise ship at one of the ports of call, they soon learn that God has some very different plans for their lives than they would have ever expected. They face many life-changing choices and must decide which ones they should make.

It took a while to see where the title regarding a Hawaiian quilt fit in the story, but when it finally did, it took a while to see how that situation would be resolved - and resolved beautifully, I might say!

This is truly one of those books you can’t put down until you have completed it.

I would definitely recommend this book. I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, Inc. for my unbiased opinion.

Another great Amish story.I read all her books and this was a great one to. A story about four Amish friends on a trip to Hawaii. It tells about there trip and the friends they make. Two girls get stuck on the island because they missed the boat and how they ended up in a bed and breakfast. Made new friends and found love. great story line and enjoyed it very much

This is a beautiful Amish novel and I don't say that flippantly. This author invites you into the lives of four individuals in the beginning then as the story moves on two of the girls miss the boat and are stuck in Hawaii. Then you are brought into their lives as to what happens to them in Hawaii. Mandy takes hold of their time there. She enjoys it and meets up with Ken and his friends and it is a sweet and loving story. The other side is with Ellen - she isn't so much taken with it - Their family is in Indiana and they want to get them home. It is a beautiful, loving, caring - GOD trusting, JESUS believing, coming of an age per se story. It is so very worth your while to purchase this - I really recommend adding this to your library

The Hawaiian Quilt is the latest novel by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Jean Brunstetter. Mandy Frey is almost twenty-one years old and lives in Middlebury, Indiana. Mandy has been courting with Gideon Eash, but Mandy is not sure he is the right man for her. Mandy has been wanting to go on a trip to Hawaii for two years since hearing about it from her cousin, Ruth. Mandy and her three friends (Ellen Lambright, Barbara Hilty, and Sadie Kuhns) are going on a cruise to Hawaii (they are not supposed to fly). They take the train to Los Angeles, California to board the ship. Everything goes along swimmingly until the island of Kauai. Ellen and Mandy went off on their own instead of sticking with a group. They easily lose track of time (neither of them are wearing a watch), and Mandy lost her cell phone somewhere while sightseeing. When they arrive back at the dock, the ship has already departed. They are stuck on the island until the next boat comes through (personally, I would find a way to the ship’s next stop, but that was not part of the book). The girls are taken in by Luana and Makaio Palu at The Palm B&B. Mandy is glad for a little extra time on the island. Mandy feels at peace on Kauai. Luana gets the girls some island clothes for them to wear while on Kauai (which Mandy adores). When Makaio in injured leaving Luana without assistance, Mandy and Ellen offer to stay until April. Luana can use their help, and they work out a deal (work in exchange for room and board). Mandy meets Ken, who lives nearby with his parents on their chicken farm. Ken takes Mandy and Ellen around the island to see the various sights (though he only has eyes for one of the girls). Barbara and Sadie head for home and continue on with their lives. Barbara is lucky enough to get a job at Peggy Eash’s quilt store (Gideon’s mother). Slowly, while Mandy is away, Gideon and Barbara spend time together and get to know each other (a friends). Gideon misses Mandy and hopes that she will return home soon. But what happens when Mandy returns home? Can she be content back in her old life? Will Mandy be ready to be baptized and settle down after her time away? You will have to read The Hawaiian Quilt to see what choices Mandy makes.

The Hawaiian Quilt is a lovely story. There are beautiful descriptions of Hawaii, the gorgeous quilts at the B&B, the vegetation, the ocean, animals, and etc. I enjoyed reading about Mandy and her friends on their adventure. It might be their only opportunity to ever go on such a trip. The Hawaiian Quilt is an engaging, well-written story. It captured and held my attention throughout the novel. It is an easy novel to read that can be finished in a few hours (a great way to spend an afternoon). I thought The Hawaiian Quilt was such a sweet novel. It was different from other Amish novels and I liked that about it. I give The Hawaiian Quilt 4.5 out of 5 stars (I really liked it). It is a little predictable, but it does not detract from the storyline. Another hit from Wanda and Jean Brunstetter. There are recipes at the end of the book along with discussion questions and the history of Hawaiian quilts. I will definitely be reading the next book by this writing duo.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

A dream vacation for me would be to visit Hawaii, but I don't know that I'll ever be able to afford that trip; Mandy Frey and her friends' trip was described so vividly that I felt like I was actually there in the tropical paradise. Mandy lives in an Amish community in Indiana and has never traveled far from home but she has always longed to visit Hawaii. She and her three friends save their money and plan a trip by train to California and then by cruise ship to the Hawaiian islands and a brief stop in Mexico. They have an incredible time but Mandy and Ellen miss their cruise ship and get stranded in Hawaii. They don't know how or when they will get home and how they will afford it as most of their money was invested in this vacation. Their friends Barbara and Sadie will be worried sick when they don't return to the cruise ship with them. What will their parents and Mandy's boyfriend, Gideon, think?
Readers will thrill at finding out how Mandy and Ellen solve this dilemma.
I rated this book 5 stars as it was truly so descriptive and eloquent that I actually felt like I was there with Mandy and her friends. The authors brought Hawaii to life for me. I also could not help feeling affection and compassion for Mandy and Ellen. Ellen was particularly distressed. It made me wonder how I would react in a similar situation. Read this book to find out how the conflict is resolved and how lives are changed in the mean time.
I received a copy of this book from netgalley and the authors in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Hawaiian Quilt by Wanda Brunstetter and Jean Brunstetter is another delightful book by a favorite author. Readers follow Mandy and three friends from their Indiana Amish community to a cruise through the Hawaiian Islands. Mandy and Gideon have an "understanding" but is it "real" love? As Mandy questions her Amish roots and what she really wants for her life, her feelings for him begin to change. Unchanging, though, is her love for God and her search for what He wants in her life. Can Mandy find her way? Can she really leave all she knows to make a life for herself in Hawaii? The Brunstetter authors have put together an interesting and contemporary look at the Amish with this journey to Hawaii and life back home in Indiana. With camera and phone mishaps, hurricanes and exciting surfing scenes, with some conflict and well-meant friendly interference, the authors keep interest high. Beautiful descriptions of the Islands, their flowers, waterfalls, and sunsets create a hankering to visit this 50th US state. The main characters have depth and reality and their emotions, strengths, and foibles resonate well with readers. Ah, and not to forget the quilt! The thread of this part of the story is sweet and touches the heartstrings! At the conclusion of the book, the authors have included a couple recipes and discussion questions. All in all, The Hawaiian Quilt is not just another ho-hum novel about the Amish...it is one that reminds readers about the importance of family, faith and hope amidst adventures in Hawaii!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.

Amish Fiction meets Hawaii–something I would never have thought of doing. When I first heard about Wanda E. Brunstetter’s new book, The Hawaiian Quilt, I was very excited. With so many books in the Amish Fiction genre, I always wonder how authors come up with unique stories (although they all do), this concept seems to be the farthest out (in a good way) I have seen.

Mandy Frey and three of her friends leave their Amish community in Indiana to go on a cruise ship to Hawaii. While the vacation starts off well, Mandy and one of her friends end up missing the cruise ship after a port of call on Kauai.

What I enjoyed most about this book was that I felt transported to Hawaii. Part of the story the girls are traveling around the islands and visiting different landmarks. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the islands and some of the customs. While I have never been to Hawaii, I felt Wanda did an excellent job taking me there.

While I enjoyed this story, particularly the uniqueness of the story, there were some areas I had trouble believing. I understand this is fiction, but the way the girls respond after missing the cruise ship seemed like an out of the way approach to their situation that didn’t look like the most logical response. That said, I enjoyed the story and the way the two girls got to spend some of their time.

I found this book to follow the writing style of much of Wanda’s other books. That added to the uniqueness of this story made an enjoyable book for me to read.

I quit reading Amish fiction several years ago as I found so many of them were very formulaic. It was a nice surprise to read an Amish fiction book that definitely felt up with the times and yet still contained its Christian elements. It was nice to see some Amish girls visiting a distant place and interacting with the Hawaiian people. This did surprise me a bit as it seems the majority of Amish people do not do much traveling other than back and forth to relatives in other states. I also wondered about the cost as I know the Hawaiian cruises from the US around the islands and return are not inexpensive, and it seems the Amish are very careful in handling their money.

I found the beginning of the story somewhat slow and sounding more like a travelogue than a novel, but as the story progressed, I found the characters more developed and the story line grew more interesting. I like the way Ken and Mandy slowly developed their feelings and were respectful of one another's different backgrounds. The twists and turns as others somewhat derailed their growing feelings for one another added to the plot. The addition of the sweet, Christian owners of the Kauai B&B, Lauana and Makaio, was a perfect touch. The ending with the Hawaiian Quilt leading Mandy back to Kauai was delightful. I would definitely recommend this book to those who like Amish fiction with a bit of a different viewpoint.

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher to facilitate this review. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.

This book is of one of my favorite Amish novel writers. When you start reading it, you can't stop. If you are looking for a nice gift for yourself or someone else this is you book gift. I hope it will be translate to Dutch.