Review: Wow! What a great concept!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 20, 2013
Who knew dinner could change your life? Yet that's exactly the catalyst that sets a family on a new path to find God and each otherin Mind of Her Own by Diana Brandmeyer.Louisa goes to make dinner, gets knocked over by the family dog and knocked out by the grill she was preparing to make dinner on. When she awakes, huge portions of her memory are gone and her family sets out to help her remember. In the process they must confront the truth of who they were, the path they were on, and whether or not they want to remain on that path or change direction.What I LikedI love the light-hearted moments of this book, and watching the heroine struggle between the woman people tell her she once was and the woman she believes herself to be in her heart. The author did a great job of building characters that I wanted to succeed, adding in realistic teenager issues from a child who I think was more learning to be her own woman than being truly rebellious. And I could totally relate to Louisa finding the writer within and learning to balance life between a family she loves and the need to connect with her story.What I Didn't LikeI would have liked to see faith, God and church play a bigger role, but it's clear by the end of the story that the family is heading down that path. The husband and Father, Collin, states that he realizes that he's missed out on a lot by not being part of a community of believers, but we don't really see within the story many of the seeds of that transformation being planted or watered.The Bottom Line - 5 starsIf you want to relax with a book about a group of people learning to value family, this might be the book for you. An adult theme is present near the end, but it is cleanly handled with only enough detail to communicate what is, and has, happened.