One Thing I Know : A Novel (Paperback)

"Forgiving him doesn't make what he did okay; it just means refusing to carry it any longer." What an incredible journey of hope, forgiveness, love, and compassion swirled in with heart-breaking reality of life and beautifully packaged with an interesting premise, fun and witty writing with plenty of comedy, and great banter and dialogue! This book had me crying one minute with such devastating mistakes and tragedies and laughing out loud the next with some of the scenarios and conversations. This book exposes what makes us who we are - our past and present, our hopes and dreams, our faith or lack thereof - and asks what it all means in the end. If you enjoy a well-written contemporary romance novel that makes you think, you will absolutely love this newest offering from Kara Isaac. Yes, the plot is well-knitted and the writing is flawless, but the characters - the characters - totally make this book outstanding. Rachel, with her secret past and present, is kind and practical but lives like a hermit to protect herself and those she loves. Lucas is loyal, kind, compassionate, honest, and noble. They both have tons of emotional baggage from losing their moms at an early age and having abusive or hypocritical fathers. Even the secondary characters are amazing. Anna, Rachel's college friend, and Scott, Lucas' older brother, are solid rocks of faith even in the midst of trials and tribulations and provide straight-forward questions for Rachel and Lucas (and the readers) to ponder. Rachel and Lucas' struggle to even be open-minded about God's love and Sovereignty is real and moving. I'm hoping there will be another book where we can get a glimpse of Rachel and Lucas again! I was given a copy of the book by Howard Book via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

If you've read Can't Help Falling or Close to You, then you know how artfully Kara Isaac uses humor in her writing. While you'll still catch glimpses of this humor in One Thing I Know, her writing has definitely taken on a more serious tone. Between Donna and Rachel's deception and the drama that unfolds at Rachel's father's long-term health care facility, Isaac grapples with much weightier topics than in her previous romantic comedies. The main characters, Rachel Somers and Lucas Grant, both come from broken homes and are still wrestling with the consequences of their parents' actions well into adulthood. This is especially noticeable in the relationship advice they dole out to women who call into Lucas's radio show and in how they guard their own hearts from one another. Uniquely, it's not the main characters who rely on God, but rather two minor characters Anna (Rachel's friend) and Scott (Lucas's brother). I found it to be disheartening the way Rachel, Donna, and Lucas embraced the “ends justify the means” mentality throughout much of the story. It finally fell to Anna and Scott to speak Truth into Rachel and Lucas's circumstances. Even in doing so, their desire to right the wrongs they had committed seemed to stem more from a desire to clear their consciences rather than due to repentant hearts. In the end, I believe this story will cast a broad net—capturing readers who traditionally read Christian Fiction and those who do not. I felt it had a reality TV vibe and would also appeal to readers with a bend towards those programs. Finally, Lucas's gentlemanly advances towards Rachel and her humorous avoidance will endear the book to those who have enjoyed Isaac's previous novels as well as people simply seeking a clean and wholesome romance. 3.5 Stars Christian Shelf-Esteem received a book to facilitate this review. The views and opinions expressed are 100% honest and my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC's 16 CFR, Part 255 Guidelines, concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising.