A Place at our Table|Book Review

Kayla Dienner has suffered her fair share of heartache, which is why she vows to protect her heart at all costs . . . until she meets Jamie Riehl.

Along with his volunteer work at the local fire department, running his Amish farm keeps Jamie Riehl busy. He barely has time to eat at the family table, never mind find someone to date. But when he meets Kayla Dienner, he is smitten.

Kayla tries hard to deny her attraction to Jamie. After all, she’s spent the last year discouraging her younger brother, Nathan, from becoming a firefighter. The death of their older brother in a fire a year ago is fresh in her mind—she can’t bear the idea of putting her heart on the line every time the sirens blare.

Then tragedy strikes, and Jamie wants to extinguish any flame between him and Kayla. Can Kayla set aside her own fears to save the love she was determined to deny?

The first book in the Amish Homestead series, A Place at Our Table invites us to a quiet community in Lancaster County where love burns brightly no matter the cost.

Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.

Content Review:
Christian or Secular: Christian
Profanity: None
Sex&Violence: None
Trigger Warnings: None.
Disclosure: None

A Place at our Table is an amazing start to a new series by Amy Clipston.  I liked this book, though I have a few complaints.  First, I started off being annoyed with Kayla. She’s an abrasive character from the start.  Actually, I want to backtrack and say that Kayla is really my only complaint.

Let me tell you a little bit about Kayla. Her insecurity causes her to lash out at others—a trait that seems to grate on my nerves. This abrasiveness escalated throughout the book.  Coupled with her insecurity, Kayla began to constantly nag at Jamie or even refuse to trust him—even when he explained that he missed a date to save a baby that was involved in a car accident. I can’t imagine being angry at a man for being a hero. I can understand missing him and worrying about him. But holding a grudge for stopping to help people? I honestly feel like Kayla really needed more time alone to overcome her insecurity and honestly I worry about her constantly nagging her husband. Did I really just admit to worrying about a fictional couple?

Jamie was a darling and he really carried this book. I loved him oh so much! Was he a workaholic? Yes. Did he react poorly to grief? Yes. But, I felt for him and could empathize with his version of grief. But, I just can’t agree with how Kayla treated him. Perhaps with time, I could have accepted them more but I felt she had much growing up to do.

Overall I loved this book and again, that was largely for Jamie. I want to like Kayla. I just hope she fully worked out her issues.

Posted By: Kristin Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Amy Clipston