Review: Best book in this series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 5, 2013
First, this book can stand on its own. However, if you haven't read the first four books in the series, just go ahead and read them. If you read this book, you will want to go back and read the other ones, anyways, to see how the characters got to this point in their lives. So, you might as well read them now.This book is about letting go of the past to welcome the present and the future. While there is an underlying theme of trust in God to help you find the way, the main focus is on learning to support and love your friends and family in new ways as you move through life.As we grow and change (and occasionally mature), how we fit with our friends and family evolves. Sometimes, long-standing relationships fade into the background as new ones form. Sometimes new people join in and change the balance of our familiar ebb and flow. But, change is inevitable, and change, even good change, is hard to take. For a former (sort of) cool chick like Peyton, the realities of being a wife and mother vs. a single gal who felt like the glue for her two best friends leads to an identity crisis. But, through her interactions with friends and her husband, Brice, she learns to let go of the past to accept and appreciate her new identity.Peyton isn't the only one that has to let go, however.  Brice, Mitzi, Jared, Jen, and Lurch (I mean Wes) all have to learn to let go, in varying degrees, of their own pieces of self. Sometimes, the results aren't pretty. In one case, the pain and jealousy you can only feel towards someone you love leads to a major projection of insecurities and hurt, which is one of the most heartbreaking moments in this book.But, the great thing about this book is letting go of pain is often what we need to heal, so we get to see that journey, which makes it all the more satisfying.This book is also about supporting your friends and family so they can let go. Someone who is strong may not ask for help, but a good friend/family member knows what to do to give that person the support they can't ask for.  But, the flip side is it's okay to need support and it's okay if one person is stronger than the other, because those roles can change over time.I was emotionally spent after reading this book, but in a good way. Brea Brown has continued to let these characters evolve in such a realistic way, it's hard to believe they aren't real.  It's easy to relate what they go through to your own life experiences.  This book is a rollercoaster of emotion, but so is life, so enjoy the ride.