After returning home from teaching English at a refugee camp in the Philippines, Samantha Bravencourt enjoys her quiet life working at her mother's clothing boutique in Falls Church, Virginia. When she receives an invitation to a wedding in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, she looks forward to reconnecting with her college friend. Instead her life collides with Carson, a fellow teacher and the man who broke her heart, and a young Amerasian refugee named Lien who needs Samantha and Carson's help to find her mother before Lien's own wedding. When the search for Lien's mother reveals surprising secrets from the past, Samantha must reevaluate her own memories and decide whether to continue to play it safe or take a risk that could change her life.
My Review:
3 STARS
One of the best yet hardest times of Samantha’s life is when she taught Vietnam refuges in the Philippines back in the 80’s. She still remembers that time every day and especially most recently when she is suddenly reunited with some of the people from that very camp. One person she gets goose bumps just thinking about seeing again is Carson. She always had a thing for Carson when they worked together in the Philippines but he had a girlfriend and was never quite available. When she finds out her aunt is arranging a reunion between her and Carson, Samantha is obviously flustered!
Throughout The Wedding Invitation the story switches between Samantha’s flashbacks of her time served in the Philippines and her current life. While I enjoyed trying to figure out what happened with Carson and Samantha in the Philippines to cause her the nerves, I also found the switching back a bit frustrating. I don’t think that aspect of the book flowed very well.
I also found the story to move along pretty slowly. I was enjoying the story but I just wanted to get to more of the good stuff faster. I hate say this but the main character Samantha just grated on my nerves. The way she was in the Philippines was very annoying and her attitude was just not pleasant. I did however like Carson. Carson had some strong values that he stuck to and that was very admirable.
A couple of the big themes in this book were forgiveness and judgment. This was a good reminder that we have no right to judge others because we have no idea of what they are going through or dealing with. Samantha had a bit of trouble learning to refrain from judging. Forgiveness was also portrayed a lot and I found it refreshing the way the book showed the healing that can take place with forgiveness.
While there were some aspects of the book I just didn’t enjoy, I feel that there are definitely people out there that will enjoy this story. Those that like Christian contemporary romance are sure to find this a fun story to read!
I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
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