Life After by Katie Ganshert

My latest book blog is for Life After by Katie Ganshert, I received this book from Blogging For Books.

   I did not realize this was a Christian Fiction book until I was several chapters in, then I noticed on the cover that the author is a Christy Award winner-a coveted award for Christian writers- and her work shines in this book.
  The book takes place in the aftermath of a train explosion in Chicago where everyone onboard dies except for one woman, Autumn. She's soon contacted by a little girl named Reese, who writes to her because Autumn is a survivor and Reese's mother died in the explosion. Reese wants to do a memorial and, at first, Autumn is reluctant because she doesn't like being in the spotlight as the lone survivor, but she goes ahead with the project as a form of therapy for herself and the survivors.
  Reese's dad is against the contact between the two from the start and I couldn't figure it out at first- why was he so upset about his daughter wanting to do a memorial?-  Paul (Reese's father) remains bitter for quite a while in the book until it's revealed why he isn't thrilled about the idea of the memorial for Reese's mother.
 Great writing throughout the book, the characters are complex and well drawn out. The Christian theme is strongest in the last chapter, but is subtly woven throughout.  It was also a unique storyline, and I'm glad the author made the story more about healing than about rushing Paul and Autumn into a romance. A great, riveting read that all types of readers will enjoy.